Sony PCV-RS221 User Manual

Welcome Thank you for purchasing your Sony VAIO® computer! Your new computer is a superb blend of high technology andeasy-to-use functionality. The in

Connections for compatible high/full/low-speed USB devices. 6 Monitor port Connection for a display. 7 Printer port Connection for a parallel device

About the Speakers Why is there no sound in any application? Check that the speakers are plugged into the Headphones jack. If your speakers have a m

About Using a Microphone Why doesn't my microphone work properly? Check that the microphone is plugged into the Microphone jack. Why is my microp

About Using Peripheral Equipment How do I install a printer? Connect your USB or IEEE 1394 printer to the appropriate port on your computer's fr

Notes On Use The information in this section provides basic procedures for handling your system and common peripheral devices, usingstorage media, and

About the Power Source Before opening your computer, turn the system off and let it cool down for 10 minutes. This protects you againstinternal co

About Disposing of the Lithium Battery Dispose of the lithium battery properly. In some areas, the disposal of lithium batteries in household or busin

About Handling the Computer System Your computer uses high-frequency radio signals and may cause interference to radio or TV reception. If this occurs

Do not turn off the power while the computer is accessing the hard disk drive. The optical disc drives Your computer is equipped with two optical dis

About Handling a Monitor (Display) Do not change the display refresh rate to 85 Hz, as DVD playback and the DVgate software may not functioncorrectly

About DVD, CD, and Floppy Disk Media Handling CD or DVD media Do not touch the surface of the disc. Do not drop or bend the disc. Do not use adhesi

About the Keyboard Your VAIO® keyboard uses a standard key arrangement with additional keys that perform specific functions. VAIO Keyboard KEY DESC

Support Options Sony provides several options to help solve common problems or to locate technical support for your VAIO® computer. Thissection descri

Immediate Help and Support You can locate helpful information immediately by consulting your hard copy guides and supplements, or by accessing theonli

Software Help and Support When you have questions about your computer and the preinstalled software, check with these software publishers toaccess tro

Web site(s) http://www.mcafee.com/support/default.asp phone (900) 733-8255 Phone support is $2.95 per minute. hours 5AM-11PM PST Quicken® 2003 New U

Contacting Sony for Help and Support If the information provided with your VAIO® computer does not provide an immediate solution, or you would like to

arrow and correction keys on the numeric keypad area are active. Caps Lock The Caps Lock indicator lights up to advise you that the keyboard is set t

Setting Up Your Computer Your computer may not be equipped with all of these hardware features and the location of the controls, ports, and jacksmay v

Connecting a Display (Monitor) Plug the display's cable into the Monitor port. If necessary, plug the display's cable into the back of

Connecting the Speakers The right and left speakers are attached. The right speaker has a speaker wire that ends in a jack connector and an ACcord tha

Connecting the Keyboard and Mouse 1.Plug the keyboard cable into the keyboard port on the back of the computer. 2.Plug the mouse cable into the mouse

Connecting the Telephone and Modem Cables 1.Unplug your telephone from the wall jack and plug its cable into the telephone jack located on the back pa

Connecting the Power Cords 1.Plug the power cord connector into the AC Input port, located on the back panel of the computer. 2.Plug both the display

Turning On Your Computer When you start your system for the first time, your computer may detect new equipment and display a dialog box thatprompts yo

Getting Started Congratulations on your purchase of the Sony VAIO® computer! Your new, high-performance, multimedia computer combinesstate-of-the-art

Registering your Computer Take advantage of Sony's commitment to quality customer support and receive these benefits by registering yourcomputer:

Setting Up your Dial-up Connection The first time you turn your computer on, follow these steps to set up your dial-up connection: 1.Click Start from

5.Follow the on-screen instructions to finish setting up your dial-up connection. Page 22

Turning Off your Computer Follow these steps when you are ready to turn off your computer for an extended period of time. To avoid loss of data, d

VAIO AV Applications Your VAIO® computer has a collection of preinstalled audio and video (AV) applications that make it easy to use yoursystem's

Overview of Software DVgate software—offers advanced video import and export features, as well as precise editing. DVgate softwareprovides control

Working with Digital Video The multimedia software preinstalled on your VAIO® computer makes it easy to import and edit videos from a compatibledigita

Using DVgate Software This is a brief overview of DVgate software. For more detailed information, refer to the DVgate software Help. Forinformation

Capturing digital video with DVgate software 1.Connect an i.LINK® cable (optional) between the i.LINK ports on your computer and on a compatible digit

Editing digital video with DVgate software DVgate software enables you to combine your captured video clips into a single movie. You can also trim the

Unpacking Your Computer Your computer may not be supplied with all of the accessories shown, depending on the system configuration youpurchased. For d

Exporting a finished movie to your digital video camera After you have created a finished movie, you can export it back to your digital video (DV) cam

The last frame captured is one frame before your selected [OUT] point. The frame you see immediately after clickingthe [OUT] button is not captured.

Working with Still Images The Microsoft® Windows® XP operating system contains software that can import pictures from many of the newer UniversalSeria

Using PictureGear Studio Software PictureGear Studio software is designed to creatively manage your digital pictures. With its easy-to-use features, y

Using the Import Photo feature Capture and import the pictures from your digital camera or camcorder to your computer. You can select your favoritepic

3.Select a folder option. If you are importing to a new folder, type in the folder name before clicking StartImporting. An Adjust window appears. Ad

Using the PhotoCollection feature You can organize and manage your imported pictures on your computer's hard drive or from your ImageStationSM ac

Using the Binder feature You can add comments to your favorite photos, add custom backgrounds, clip art, and stamps, or showcase your owndrawing talen

Using the PhotoAlbum feature Organize your memorable photos in an electronic photo album. You can share your custom photo albums with friends andfamil

5.Click to select a design layout for your album. Use the scroll bar to view all available album designs. A SelectLayout window appears. Select Layo

3.Click the Welcome link. The Welcome page displays in the right-side frame. 4.Locate the link in the text, "View the VAIO® Computer Specificatio

7.Click Edit Album to make changes to your album. Customize your album by adding more pictures, pages,decorations, or comments, or by deleting pages.

3.Click to select an export format. A Select Folder window appears. Select Folder window 4.Click Browse and navigate to the destination folder. Ente

Using the PrintStudio feature Use PrintStudio to design original postcards, calendars, art, and labels using your favorite pictures. 1.Click PrintStud

Working with Digital Music You can play music on your computer, create custom audio CDs, and check music out to portable digital music devices, suchas

Using SonicStage software SonicStage software is a new jukebox application that enables you to play and record from audio CDs and import digitalaudi

Displays the Recording Assistant window, where you can record or transfer audio files. 8 Volume Control buttons Controls the volume for playing audi

Recording from a CD You can record songs from audio CDs and add them to playlists in SonicStage software. When you record from an audio CD from yo

7.Click the CD Info icon in the lower left corner of the Record Window to launch CDDB and name your CD andits song titles. The CD Info button fe

Transferring songs (Check-In/Check-Out) You can use SonicStage software to transfer audio files between the playlists stored in the Music Drive and

To check-in songs The songs that you transfer to external devices or media can only be checked in to the Music Drive (or hard drive) of thesame comput

Planning An Ergonomic Work Space Before you set up your new computer, find the best location for your new computer and plan your work space. There are

Making a backup copy of an audio CD On computer models equipped with a CD recording device, you can use the Backing Up Audio CDs utility to make a bac

Additional features SonicStage Backup Tool—You can back up and restore music, graphics, and information data managed bySonicStage software. You must

Sharing Video, Images, and Music on a Network Your VAIO Media server computer can store three types of media: Music files—VAIO Media supports music f

Using VAIO Media Software To share music, video, and photos with the VAIO Media system, set up one computer on your network as the central libraryor &

Setting up a VAIO Media server computer A VAIO® computer that shipped with VAIO Media software preinstalled, can be used as a VAIO Media server, withi

Setting up a VAIO Media client computer Any networked VAIO® computer that shipped with the Microsoft® Windows® XP operating system installed, can be u

number on the client machine. Each client has a unique number that cannot be used by the other clients on thenetwork. If the process is cancelled, no

Using the VAIO Media software When VAIO Media software has been installed on the server and client computers, start VAIO Media on the server andclient

Playlists—When you click a playlist in the Playlist window, a list of the music files on the playlist isdisplayed, and the first music file on the pl

Additional information Server system requirements The VAIO Media server requires VAIO computers running Microsoft® Windows XP Home Edition or Windows

Locating Controls And Ports This section is intended to familiarize you with the controls, ports and jacks on your computer. Your computer may not bee

Configuring Your VAIO Computer This section provides basic information about managing your computer's hard disk drive performance, using i.LINK d

About Your Hard Disk Drive To improve the performance of Sony audio and video software applications, the hard disk drive on your computer has beenform

About i.LINK Compatibility Your VAIO® computer may be equipped with a 4-pin and/or a 6-pin i.LINK port, depending on the system configurationpurchased

Upgrade and Maintain your VAIO Computer In the future you may want to increase the functionality of your VAIO computer. This section describes how to

Overview The upgrading procedures described in this section assume that you are familiar with the general terminology associatedwith personal computer

About Opening your System Removing the cover 1.Shut down your computer and turn off all peripheral devices, such as your printer. 2.Unplug your comput

Replacing the cover 1.Carefully align the cover to the chassis frame. The cover should align evenly against the chassis. 2.Slide the cover firmly onto

About Add-on Card Installation Your computer may have one or more open expansion slots, depending on the model configuration. An expansion slotenables

6.Attach any internal cables that the card requires. See the instructions supplied with the add-on card. 7.Replace the cover. See Replacing the cover.

About Installing Memory The amount of preinstalled memory may vary, depending on the system configuration you purchased. Your computer mayship with al

About the Front Panel The front panel of your VAIO® Computer enables access to the optical and floppy disk drives. It also includes access to theUnive

2.Unplug your computer and any peripheral devices. 3.Remove the cover. See Removing the cover. 4.Gently place the unit on its side. If necessary, remo

About the Lithium Battery The lithium battery starts to weaken after several years and the system settings, such as the date and time stored inCMOS RA

2.From the Date & Time tab, change the settings as desired. Click Apply, then click OK. Page 72

About Hard Disk Drive Installation Your computer comes with an available internal bay to hold a second standard 3.5-inch hard disk drive. Some models,

8.Slide the new drive into the drive holder and align the holes on each side of the drive to the holes in the Driveholder. 9.Secure the drive to the d

14.Replace the cover. See Replacing the cover. 15.Reconnect the power cord to your computer. Identifying the additional hard disk space When you initi

Recovering your Software Your system is equipped with a utility program that enables you to recover your computer's operating system andpreinstal

Creating a Recovery Startup CD A recovery startup CD can be used to start your computer in the event your system is unable to start normally. Sonyreco

4.When the blank CD-R or CD-RW disc is detected and approved, click Next. The recovery startup CD processbegins. A window with a progress bar appears.

7.You are prompted to restart your system. Click OK. VAIO Recovery Startup CD Wizard (Restart system) To use the recovery startup CD If your system

6 Standby indicator Light is amber when the computer is in Stand by mode. 7 i.LINK 4-pin port (IEEE 1394) Connection for a compatible digital device

3.In the Screen saver area, open the drop-down list box and select (None). Click Apply. 4.Click OK. Page 80

Overview of System and Application Recovery A system or application recovery may become necessary if your computer becomes unstable or the operating s

Using the VAIO Recovery Wizard 1.Click Start in the Windows® taskbar, point to All Programs, and click VAIO Recovery Wizard. Locating the VAIO Recov

If you have not created your Recovery Startup CD, select the option, Create Recovery Startup CD and click Next. For more information, see Creating

Default System Drive Recovery (Recommended) Your computer's drive C is restored to the original factory-installed settings. All data on drive C i

Custom Recovery (Recommended for advanced users) You can customize the recovery of your system. This advanced recovery process enables you to select p

remains at 5 Gigabytes (GB). The size of the partition identified as the Recovery Drive (5 GB) cannot be changed and is not available for use.This

If you select the Application Recovery option, you cannot return to the system recovery portion of the VAIORecovery Wizard without restarting your

Additional Information Certain software, such as DVgate software, automatically saves data to the drive D partition. If you choose not tohave a dri

Troubleshooting This section describes how to troubleshoot common problems. You can also find helpful information on how to use yourcomputer's ha

About the Back Panel The back panel of your computer contains the ports for supplied and optional accessories. The icons on the back panellocate and i

About VAIO Computer Functions My computer does not start. Verify that the computer is plugged into a power source and that it is turned on. Check tha

I cannot find the Windows taskbar. The Windows taskbar may be hidden or minimized. Use the mouse to locate a hidden taskbar by pointing to the left,

3.Click the Welcome link. The Welcome page displays on the right. 4.Locate the link in the text, "View the VAIO® Computer Specifications..."

About Software Your computer may not be supplied with all of the software discussed in this section, depending on the systemconfiguration you purchase

CD. 3.Point to select a file or folder, or select several files or folders by holding down the CTRL key while pointing toeach of the files you want. 4

About Using the Optical Disc Drive(s) Use care in opening and closing your optical disc drive tray to avoid damage to the drive or drive cover. When y

4.Change the Screen resolution and Color quality to the desired levels. 5.Click Apply and then click OK. If you see video but cannot hear audio, check

About the Mouse and Keyboard Why doesn't my mouse work properly? Confirm that the mouse is plugged securely into the mouse port. If you are usin

About the Modem Why is my modem connection slow? Many factors influence modem connection speed: Telephone line noise Incompatibility with other tele

4.Select the Tone or Pulse option. Click OK. Page 99