Sony VAIO MX PCV-MXS10 User manual

VAIO® MX Computer
User Guide
PCV-MXS10

3
Contents
Welcome.................................................................5
Locating Controls and Connectors .....................7
Front Panel Overview..................................................................... 7
Back Panel Overview ................................................................... 10
Remote Control Overview............................................................ 12
Additional System Capabilities .................................................... 15
VAIO Action Setup...............................................19
Shortcut Keys.............................................................................. 19
Setting the Internal Timer............................................................ 20
To Change the Sony Software Window Design............................ 21
VAIO AV Applications .........................................23
Overview of Preinstalled Software ............................................... 23
DigitalPrint Software ................................................................... 25
DVgate Software.......................................................................... 33
MovieShaker Software................................................................. 36
PictureGear Software................................................................... 43
Smart Capture Software .............................................................. 46
VisualFlow Software .................................................................... 55
Configuring Your VAIO Computer .....................57
Hard Disk Drive Partition ............................................................. 57
i.LINK (IEEE1394) Compatibility.................................................. 58

VAIO MX Computer User Guide
4
System, Application,
and Driver Recovery CD(s) ................................ 59
To Use the System Recovery CD(s) ............................................. 59
To Use the Application Recovery CD(s) ....................................... 61
To Use the Driver Recovery CD.................................................... 62
Troubleshooting ................................................. 63
Topics .......................................................................................... 63
Notes on Use ............................................................................... 75
For Answers to Your Software Questions .................................... 81
Resources.................................................................................... 84
Index .................................................................... 85

5
Welcome
Thank you for purchasing your Sony VAIO® MX 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.

VAIO MX Computer User Guide
6

Locating Controls and Connectors
7
Locating Controls and
Connectors
Front Panel Overview
The front panel of your VAIO® MX computer enables access to the optical drive,
MiniDisc drive, Memory Stick®, and PC Card slots. The front panel also
provides access to the Universal Serial Bus (USB) and i.LINK® ports to connect
your compatible peripheral devices.
✍i.LINK is a trademark of Sony used only to designate that a 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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Front panel
1 DVD-RW drive
Reads data from DVD or CD media. Writes data to a DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD-R, or
CD-RW media.
2 MiniDisc drive
Plays and records music to and from a MiniDisc media. Supports Net MD protocol
for secure music transfers.
3 LCD display screen
Displays the current operating mode and status of the computer.
4 Play button
Plays the current DVD, CD, or MiniDisc media contents.
5 Stop button
Stops the current playback of DVD, CD, or MiniDisc media.
6 Infrared Receiver
Enables the computer to receive signals from the remote control.
(For proper remote control operation, do not block the infrared receiver.)
VOL
DISPLAY FUNCTION
MUTING
PHONE MIC i.LINK S400 USB
MEMORY STICK
PC CARD

Front Panel Overview
9
7 Muting button
Mutes the current sound output.
8 Power button and indicator light
Turns the computer on and off. The indicator light is blue when the computer is on
and amber when the computer is in Stand by mode.
9 PC Card slot
A PC card (also called a PCMCIA card) can be installed using this slot, to increase
the functions of your system.
10 Headphone jack
Connection for headphones.
11 Microphone jack
Connection for a microphone.
12 i.LINK 4-pin port (IEEE1394)
Connection for a compatible digital device.
13 DVD-RW eject button
Ejects a disc from the DVD-RW drive.
14 MiniDisc media eject button
Ejects a MiniDisc media from the MiniDisc drive.
15 Previous/Rewind button
Skips to the previous track on the current playback of a DVD, CD or MiniDisc
media.
16 Next/Fast Forward button
Skips to the next track on the current playback of a DVD, CD or MiniDisc media.
17 Function button
Selects the operation mode of the computer.
18 Display button
Selects the display mode on the LCD display screen.
19 Volume control buttons
Increases or decreases the volume.
20 MagicGate™ Memory Stick® media slot
Reads and writes data to and from a Memory Stick media.
21 MagicGate Memory Stick media access indicator light
The indicator light is amber when the Memory Stick media slot is in use.
22 Universal Serial Bus (USB) port
Connection for a compatible USB device.
✍For your convenience, your computer includes USB and i.LINK ports and jacks 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 back panel also provides access to Giga Pocket™Personal
Video Recorder jacks and ports. The icons on the back panel locate and identify
the ports on your computer.
Back panel
1 Mouse port
Connection for a PS/2® mouse.
2 Keyboard port
Connection for a PS/2 Keyboard.
3 Universal Serial Bus (USB) port
Connection for a compatible USB device.
4 Ethernet port
10Base-T/100Base-TX Fast Ethernet interface.
(The port marked with (Network) is for LAN connections only.)
OPTICAL FM ANTENNA (75 )
IN OUT
KEYBOARD MOUSE
USB NETWORK
ACT
LINK
SERIAL
i.LINK
S400
PRINTER
LINE
IN
LINE
OUT
MONITOR DVI
R L
SPEAKER
------ VIDEO OUTPUT ------
VHF/UHF
------ VIDEO 1 INPUT ------
S VIDEO/VIDEOS VIDEO/VIDEO AUDIOAUDIO

Back Panel Overview
11
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.
7 Serial port
Connection for a compatible serial device.
8 Monitor port
Connection for a standard display.
9 DVI (LCD) Monitor port
Connection for an LCD display.
10 Audio Out jack
Connection for an audio cable (supplied).
Video/S-video Out port
Connection for a video cable adapter (supplied) or an S-video cable (optional).
11 Audio In jack
Connection for an audio cable (supplied).
Video/S-video In port
Connection for a video cable adapter (supplied) or an S-video cable (optional).
12 FM antenna port
Connection for an FM antenna.
13 S/P DIF (IN/OUT) optical ports
Connection for a digital audio or optical device.
14 AC Input port
Connection for the supplied power cord.
15 VHF/UHF port
Connection for a TV antenna (supplied).
16 Line IN jacks (R/L)
Connection for an audio device.
17 Line OUT jacks (R/L)
Connection for an audio device.
18 Stereo speaker terminals (R/L)
Connection for the supplied stereo speakers to the computer.
19 Telephone cable jack
Connection for a phone cable to the computer.
20 Modem line jack
Connection for a modem (supplied) cable to the wall jack.

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Remote Control Overview
The functions of the VAIO®MX Computer can be controlled using the remote
control (supplied). The remote control can control the functions for the computer,
FM Tuner, MiniDisc player, Memory Stick®media slot, Giga Pocket functions,
and DVD/CD-ROM player.
Remote Control
12 3
45 6
78 9
0
DVD
FMTV
MS VIDEO DVD
CD MD
TV VIDEO
OPEN/CLOSE
ENTER
PAUSE
CHANNELVOLUME
STOP
MUTING
MENU
CANCEL
PREV/
REW
NEXT/
FF
DISPLAY
MX
DISPLAY
TV
INPUT
DVD
JUMP
MONITOR
SLEEP REC REC
STOP
REC MODE
VIDEO
SIZE PLAY
MODE
AUDIO
SELECT
EQ
ANGLE SUBTITLE TITLE RETURN

Remote Control Overview
13
1 Power button
Press to turn on the computer.
2 DVD button
Press to control a DVD player.
3 TV/VIDEO button
Press to start or stop Giga Video Recorder. Giga Video Recorder is a feature of the Giga
Pocket Personal Video Recorder system.
4 Channel number buttons
Press to select specific channels. Press the ENTER button to activate channel selection.
Jump button
Press to return to the previous channel. Press again to return to the current channel.
Enter button
Press to activate channel selection. See channel number buttons.
5 TV button
Press to control the onscreen TV image.
FM button
Press to control the FM tuner on the computer.
M button
Press to control the (M drive) on the computer.
CD button
Press to control the CD-ROM drive on the computer.
MD button
Press to control the MiniDisc drive on the computer.
MS button
Press to control the Memory Stick media slot on the computer.
Video button
Press to control video playback.
DVD button
Press to control DVD playback.
6 Cancel button
Press to close a message dialog box.
Pause button
Press to pause playback.
Menu button
Press to display the menu options.
Prev/Rew button
Press to rewind to the previous selection.
Direction (center) button
Press in the arrow directions to locate desired content, such as a song or Video Capsule.
Press down to select desired content.
Next/FF button
Press to fast forward to the next selection.

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6
(Cont.)
Stop button
Press to stop playback.
Volume buttons
Press to raise or lower the volume.
Muting button
Press to turn off the sound. Press again to restore the sound.
Channel buttons
Press to browse available channels.
7 Display button
Press to display information.
TV input button
Press to select the input source including a television tuner or external input.
MX Display button
Press to view the LCD display on the computer.
Monitor button
Press to set the display to Stand by mode. Press again to enable the monitor to resume.
This feature is not available while Giga Pocket features are in use.
Sleep button
Press to program the computer to automatically enter Stand by mode.
Video Rec button
Press to start recording with Giga Video Recorder.
Video Rec Stop button
Press to stop recording onscreen images to Giga Video Recorder.
Video Rec Mode button
Press to select a recording of Giga Video Recorder.
8 Size button
Press to view SonicStage™Premium software in Simple mode view. Press again to
return to full-screen view.
Play Mode button
Press to select Play mode.
Audio Select button
Press to select audio mode.
EQ button
Press to adjust your equalizer.
Angle button
See the Media Bar™DVD Player software Help file for more information.
Subtitle button
See the Media Bar DVD Player software Help file for more information.
Title button
See the Media Bar DVD Player software Help file for more information.
Return button
See the Media Bar DVD Player software Help file for more information.

Additional System Capabilities
15
Additional System Capabilities
To Use Memory Stick Media Slot
Your VAIO®MX computer is designed to support the Sony MagicGate™
Memory Stick®media. A Memory Stick media is a compact, portable, and
versatile data storage media designed for exchanging and sharing digital data
with similarly equipped products.
Inserting a Memory Stick media
1Slide front panel cover in the direction of arrow as shown, to open the lower
front panel.
2Insert the Memory Stick media into the Memory Stick media slot.
Opening the lower front panel
Inserting the Memory Stick Media
Insert Memory Stick media facing this direction

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3If the media does not insert easily, remove it from the slot and verify that it is
not upside-down or backwards. Carefully reinsert the Memory Stick media,
but do not force it into the slot.
Removing a Memory Stick media
A small portion of the Memory Stick media remains extended when it is inserted
into the Memory Stick media slot.
1Press and release the extended portion of the Memory Stick media. The
media extends out further from the slot.
2Remove the Memory Stick media from the slot carefully.
Protecting data on Memory Stick media from accidental changes
Memory Stick media contain a write-protect tab. The write-protect tab prevents
accidental changes to information recorded on your Memory Stick media. When
you slide the write-protect tab to the LOCK position, your Memory Stick media
is write-protected. You cannot delete, copy, or save information on the media
while the write-protect tab in the LOCK position. When you slide the tab to the
un-LOCK position, you can write to or modify your Memory Stick media’s
contents.
Do not remove the Memory Stick media while the media access indicator light
is on. The media or its data may become damaged.
✍Sony Memory Stick media do not support AVI file playback. First copy the AVI file to
your hard disk drive and then playback the file.
Locking the Memory Stick Media
LOCK
LOCK LOCK
To un l oc k To lo c k

Additional System Capabilities
17
To Use PC Card Slot
Your computer has a card bus PC card slot that supports Type I or Type II PC
(PCMCIA) cards. You do not need to shut down your computer when inserting a
PC card. For more information, see the instructions supplied with your PC card.
Inserting a PC card
1Insert the PC card into the PC card slot until it clicks into position.
2If the PC Card does not insert easily, remove it from the PC card slot and
verify that it is not upside-down or backwards. Carefully reinsert the PC
card, but do not force it into the slot.
Removing a PC card
1Double-click the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the Windows®task tray.
2Click to select the name of the card that you want to eject and click Stop. The
Stop a Hardware Device window appears.
3Click OK.
Inserting a PC card
Insert PC card in this direction

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4When the message “Safe to Remove Hardware”appears, push the PC card
Eject button on the front panel of the system unit. You may need to extend
the Eject button out from the computer before you can eject the card.
5When the PC card ejects from the PC card slot, remove it by holding the
edges and pulling it out carefully.
✍If you eject the PC card incorrectly, your computer may not work correctly.

VAIO Action Setup
19
VAIO Action Setup
VAIO Action Setup manages the settings for your VAIO®keyboard’s
Shortcut keys (S Keys).
Shortcut Keys
The programmable S Keys are set to perform the following functions:
❑S1 — Outlook®Express
❑S2 — Internet Explorer
❑S3 — SonicStage™Premium
❑S4 — Giga Pocket™Personal Video Recorder
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.
3Click the S Key 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 may now type a new name and description, if desired. Then click Finish.
✍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.

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Setting the Internal Timer
The VAIO Action Setup utility enables you to set your computer’s internal timer
to launch certain applications or documents automatically.
To select the timer’s launch application
1Click Start in the Windows taskbar, and select All Programs.
2Select VAIO Action Setup, then click VAIO Action Setup.
3Select the Timer tab on the left side of the VAIO Action Setup window.
4From the Time Setting tab, click the (Time Schedule Setting icon) button.
5Follow the Select Application wizard instructions.
6Click Finish to activate your settings.
To set up the timer start
1From the Time Setting tab, click Set.
2Follow the Timer Setup wizard instructions.
3Click Finish to activate your settings.
✍Some software applications take longer than others to launch. It is advisable to
confirm in advance the amount of time your selected application requires to start.
✍You can also double-click the VAIO Action Setup icon, located in the Windows
taskbar, to launch VAIO Action Setup.