Sony VAIO Digital Studio VAIO Digital StudioTM User manual

VAIO Digital Studio™
Computer User Guide

3
Contents
Welcome.......................................................5
Locating Controls And Connectors...........7
Front Panel Overview..................................................7
Back Panel Overview................................................10
VAIO Action Setup ....................................13
Shortcut Keys............................................................13
To Change the Sony Software Window Design........14
VAIO AV Applications...............................15
Overview of Preinstalled Software ...........................16
DigitalPrint Software.................................................19
DVgate Software.......................................................27
MovieShaker Software..............................................29
PictureGear Software ................................................37
Smart Capture............................................................40
SonicStage Software .................................................49
VisualFlow Software.................................................56
Additional Software Information ..............................58

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide
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Configuring Your VAIO Computer...........59
Hard Disk Drive Partition.........................................59
i.LINK (IEEE1394) Compatibility ...........................60
System, Application,
And Driver Recovery CD(s)......................63
To Use the System Recovery CD(s).........................64
To Use the Application Recovery CD(s)..................66
To Use the Driver Recovery CD...............................67
Troubleshooting........................................69
Topics........................................................................69
Notes on Use.............................................................83
Resources..................................................................88
Index...........................................................91

5
Welcome
Thank you for purchasing your Sony VAIO® computer! Your new
computer is a superb blend of high technology and easy-to-use
functionality. The information provided here is designed to help you to
become familiar with the hardware and software applications included
with your system.

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7
Locating Controls And
Connectors
Front Panel Overview
The front panel of your VAIO Computer allows access to the optical and floppy
disk drives. It also includes Universal Serial Bus (USB) and i.LINK® ports to
connect compatible peripheral devices.
✍i.LINK is a trademark of Sony used only to designate thata product contains an
IEEE1394 connection. The i.LINK connection may vary, depending on the software
applications,operating system, and compatible i.LINK devices. Allproducts with an
i.LINK connection may not communicate with each other.
Please refer to the documentation that came with your compatible i.LINK device for
information on operating conditions and proper connection. Before connecting
compatible i.LINK PC peripherals to your system, such as an optical or hard diskdrive,
confirm their operating system compatibility and required operating conditions.

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Front panel
✍Your computer may not be supplied with all of the features listed, depending on the
system configuration you purchased.
1 Optical drive 1
See Specifications sheet for optical drive information.
2 Optical drive 2
See Specifications sheet for optical drive information.
3 Floppy disk drive
Reads and writes data from and to a 3.5-inch floppy disk.

Locating Controls And Connectors
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4 Floppy disk drive access indicator light
Lights in green while reading and writing data from and to a floppy
disk.
5 Optical drive access indicator light
Lights in amber while reading and writing data from and to the optical
drives.
6 Hard disk drive access indicator light
Lights in amber while reading and writing data from and to the hard
disk.
7 Power switch and indicator light
Turns the computer on/off. The indicator light is blue while the power is
on and amber when the computer is in Stand by mode.
8 i.LINK 4-pin port (IEEE1394)
Connection for a compatible digital device.
9 Optical drive 1 eject button
Ejects a disc from Optical drive 1.
10 Optical drive 2 eject button
Ejects a disc from Optical drive 2.
11 Memory Stick® slot (Not available on all models)
Reads and writes data from and to a Memory Stick media.
12 Floppy disk eject button
Ejects a floppy disk.
13 Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports (2)
Connections for compatible USB devices.
✍For your convenience, your computer includes USB and i.LINK ports on both the front
and back panels. The 4-pin i.LINK port is located on the front panel and the 6-pin
i.LINK port is located on the back.

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Back Panel Overview
The back panel of your computer contains the ports for supplied and optional
accessories. The icons on the back panel locate and identify the ports and jacks
on your computer.
✍Your computer may not be supplied with all of the features listed, depending on the
system configuration you purchased.
Back panel
1Mouseport
Connection for a PS/2® mouse.
2 Keyboard port
Connection for a PS/2 Keyboard.
KEYBOARD MOUSE
PRINTER
HEADPHONES
MIC
LINE IN
USB NETWORK
ACT
LINK
i.LINK
S400
3
2
1
LINE
TELEPHONE
4
MONITOR
SERIAL

Locating Controls And Connectors
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3 Ethernet port
10BASE-T/100BASE-TX Fast Ethernet interface.
(The port marked with (Network) is for LAN connections only.)
4 Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports (2)
Connection for compatible USB devices.
5 Printer port
Connection for a parallel device, such as a printer or scanner.
6 i.LINK 6-pin port (IEEE1394)
Connection for a compatible digital device.
7Serialport
Connection for a compatible serial device.
8 Headphones jack
Connection for the supplied speakers or optional headphones.
9LineInjack
Connection for an audio device.
10 Microphone jack
Connection for a microphone (optional).
11 Monitor port
Connection for a standard display.
12 Modem line jack
Connection for the supplied modem cable to the wall jack.
13 AC Input port
Connection for the supplied power cord.
14 Telephone jack
Connection for a phone cable (optional) to the computer.
✍i.LINK is a trademark of Sony used only to designate thata product contains an
IEEE1394 connection. The i.LINK connection may vary, depending on the software
applications,operating system, and compatible i.LINK devices. Allproducts with an
i.LINK connection may not communicate with each other.
Please refer to the documentation that came with your compatible i.LINK device for
information on operating conditions and proper connection. Before connecting
compatible i.LINK PC peripherals to your system, such as an optical or hard diskdrive,
confirm their operating system compatibility and required operating conditions.

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13
VAIO Action Setup
VAIO Action Setup manages the settings for your computer’s Shortcut
keys (S Keys).
Shortcut Keys
The programmable S Keys are linked with the following applications as their
default settings:
❑S1 — Outlook® Express
❑S2 — Internet Explorer
❑S3 — SonicStage
❑S4 — PictureGear™
❑S5 — MovieShaker™
❑S6 — Help/Demo
You can reprogram the S keys to launch other applications.
Changing the settings of the S keys
1Click Start in the Windows taskbar and select All Programs.
2Select VAIO Action Setup, then click VAIO Action Setup.
✍i.LINK is a trademark of Sony used only to designate thata product contains an
IEEE1394 connection. The i.LINK connection may vary, depending on the software
applications,operating system, and compatible i.LINK devices. All products with an
i.LINK connection may not communicate with each other.
Please refer to the documentation that came with your compatible i.LINK device for
information on operating conditions and proper connection. Before connecting
compatible i.LINK PC peripherals to your system, such as an optical or hard disk
drive, confirm their operating system compatibility and required operating conditions.

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3Click the SKey you want to change.
4From the Select Application dialog box, click the option for the desired type
of function. The corresponding applications appear in the list box on the
right.
5The Confirmation Application Name window appears. Click Next.
6You can type a new name and description, if desired. Click Finish.
To Change the Sony Software Window Design
You can select from different window designs for your Sony software and create
your own personal computing environment.
Changing the window design
1Click Start in the Windows taskbar and select the Control Panel.
2Click Other Control Panel Options.
3Click UI Design Selector.
4Click << or >> and select the desired design.
5Click Apply.
6The “UI Design Selector” window design changes. The window design for
your Sony software matches the “UI Design Selector” window.
7To try another selection, click << or >>, then click Apply.
8When you have made your selection, click OK. The UI Design Selector
closes and the Sony software window design displays.
✍You can also double-click the VAIO Action Setup icon, located in the Windows
taskbar, to launch VAIO Action Setup.
✍You can drag an application to place it into the list box.
✍You may only use this feature with compatible UI Design Selector software.

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VAIO AV Applications
Your VAIO® computer has a preinstalled collection of audio and video
(AV) applications that make it easy to use advanced multimedia
technology. This section describes the VAIO AV applications.
✍Your computer may not be supplied with all of the software applications listed,
depending on the system configuration you purchased.
Your computer’s visual presentation of the VAIO AV applications maynot appear
exactly as shown in this section, depending on the specific computer model you
purchased.

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Overview of Preinstalled Software
DigitalPrint
Sony Electronics Inc.
This image management software makes it fun and easy to edit, import, and
organize your digital pictures in a photo album for rich digital printing to any
standard color laser or inkjet printer. DigitalPrint can also be used to make
custom CD labels for your audio CDs.
DVgate™
Sony Electronics Inc.
Connect a digital video camera recorder to the i.LINK® port and capture your
own video clips and still images. You can edit clips from your video, add new
clips, and combine clips into new movie segments. You can also save your
images in a variety of popular file formats.
Media Bar® DVD Player
Sony Electronics Inc.
Media Bar DVD Player is created especially for high-quality DVD playback.
You can enjoy the superior digital video quality and the effects features. You can
rewind or fast-forward scenes from the DVD Player monitor as you would with
any ordinary DVD player, to easily find the scene you want to view. Typical
DVD playback features are available, such as multiple angles, audio language
tracks, and subtitles. Media Bar DVD Player seamlessly integrates a premium
audio/visual experience with an easy-to-use software interface.
MovieShaker™
Sony Electronics Inc.
Sony’s original MovieShaker software creates personal movies that have
transitions, background music, and text. Just import your video clips and “shake”
with a click of the mouse. Your personal movies are easy to create and fun to
share with family and friends.
PictureGear™
Sony Electronics Inc.
This image management software displays images from your hard drive, a Sony
digital still camera, or a Sony Mavica® camera. The images appear in a
convenient light-table format, so that you can easily view the contents of an
entire folder.

Overview of Preinstalled Software
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Smart Capture
Sony Electronics Inc.
Smart Capture is a fun new way to send multimedia messages via e-mail. Smart
Capture manages the i.LINK® connection between your notebook and a Sony
Digital Handycam® Camcorder that supports the i.LINK interface. It allows you
to capture compressed video or still images and save them to your hard disk drive
or share via e-mail. A smart solution for computer, digital audio/video and
network convergence.
SonicStage™ (On selected models)
Sony Electronics Inc.
This new jukebox application adds a host of new features to its predecessor,
OpenMG™ Jukebox. Continuing to take advantage of Sony’s copyright-
protected ATRAC3™ format for high-quality digital audio storage, SonicStage
sports a new music visualizer, a sleek new player skin design, audio CD burning
capability, and a parametric equalizer for fine-tuning audio playback.
SonicStage™ Premium (On selected models)
Sony Electronics Inc.
SonicStage Premium is a special jukebox application that supports high quality
digital audio playback and recording from the NetMD, FM Tuner, and DVD-RW
devices in your VAIO MX Desktop PC. Recording from external analog and
digital audio devices, such as CD players and MiniDisc players, is also
supported. SonicStage Premium includes several standard jukebox features,
including a music visualizer, audio CD burning capability, and a parametric
equalizer for fine-tuning audio playback.
VisualFlow™
Sony Electronics Inc.
VisualFlow software is a state-of-the-art Sony multimedia browser designed
specifically for Memory Stick® media. It displays any still picture, movie or
sound file stored in a Memory Stick media in a visually pleasing, artistic manner.
VisualFlow software not only plays a selected movie or sound file, but also
enables playback of files by other applications like PictureGear™ software or
Memory Stick Slideshow.

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DigitalPrint Software
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DigitalPrint Software
DigitalPrint is designed to creatively manage your digital pictures. With its
easy-to-use features, you can quickly load images from your digital camera or
camcorder, print high-quality photos, and make personalized photo albums and
labels to share with friends and family.
Using PhotoCapture
Capture and import your digital pictures from your digital camera or camcorder
into your computer. You can select your favorite pictures and place them in
handy folders for future use.
1Click (Import) to open the PhotoCapture window. Your connected
digital camera, camcorder, or Memory Stick® media is indicated in the
window.
DigitalPrint main window
✍Properly connect your digital camera,camcorder, or insertyour Memory Stick media
in your computer.

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2Click the camera icon to open the Enter Photo Folder Name dialog box. You
can enter a name for a new folder or click Select Photo Folder to import your
pictures to an existing folder. Click OK.
PhotoCapture window
Enter Photo Folder Name dialog box