Sony VAIO PCG-FXA36 User manual

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Contents
Welcome.......................................................7
Using Your VAIO Notebook........................9
Using the Keyboard...................................................10
Combinations and functions with the Windows key .........12
Indicators ...........................................................................13
Indicator lights...................................................................13
Combinations and functions with the Fn key ....................14
Using the Touchpad ..................................................16
Using the Floppy Disk Drive ....................................18
Using the Optical Disc Drive ....................................21
To insert a disc...................................................................21
To eject a disc ....................................................................22
To play a DVD...................................................................23
To play an audio CD..........................................................24
Notes on CD and DVD discs.............................................24
To write data to a CD-RW or CD-R disc...........................25
Using PC Cards.........................................................26
To insert a PC Card............................................................26
To remove a PC Card.........................................................28
Using a Second Battery Pack ....................................29
To insert a second battery pack..........................................29
To charge the second battery pack.....................................30
To view remaining battery power......................................30
To remove the second battery pack ...................................31

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Using the Weight Saver............................................32
To attach the weight saver ................................................ 32
To remove the weight saver.............................................. 33
Using Power Saving Modes......................................34
Normal mode..................................................................... 34
Standby mode.................................................................... 34
Hibernate mode................................................................. 34
Connecting a Phone Line .........................................36
Connecting to a LAN................................................37
Setting up your Ethernet connection................................. 37
Connecting Peripheral Devices ...............39
Connecting a Port Replicator....................................40
To attach your notebook to the port replicator.................. 41
To remove your notebook from the port replicator........... 44
Connecting a PS/2 External Mouse or Keyboard.....46
To connect an external mouse or keyboard ...................... 46
Connecting an AV Device........................................47
Connecting a Parallel Port Printer ............................48
To connect a printer .......................................................... 48
Connecting a USB Printer.........................................49
To connect a USB printer.................................................. 49
Connecting an External Display ...............................50
To connect a computer display ......................................... 50
To connect a multimedia computer display...................... 51
To connect a projector....................................................... 51
To select a display............................................................. 51
Connecting a USB Device........................................53
To connect a USB device.................................................. 53

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Connecting an i.LINK Device...................................54
To connect a digital video camera recorder.......................54
Connecting with another VAIO computer ................56
Connecting External Speakers ..................................57
Before connecting external speakers .................................57
To connect external speakers.............................................57
Connecting an External Microphone.........................58
To connect an external microphone...................................58
Expanding Your Notebook Capabilities ...................59
Personal Digital Assistant..................................................59
Wireless LAN Access Point ..............................................59
Wireless LAN PC Card......................................................60
Customizing Your VAIO Notebook..........61
Selecting the Display Mode ......................................62
Changing the window design of Sony software........65
Adding Memory .........................................67
Precautions and Procedures.......................................68
Typical expansion memory configuration.................69
Models with 128 MB memory...........................................69
Models with 256 MB memory...........................................69
Removing a memory module....................................70
Installing a memory module......................................72
Viewing the amount of memory................................73
About the Software on Your Notebook...75
Software Overview....................................................76
Application, Driver, and System Recovery CDs.......81

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Using Your Recovery CDs .......................................82
To use the Application Recovery CD(s)........................... 82
To use the Driver Recovery CD(s) ................................... 83
To use the System Recovery CD(s).................................. 87
Troubleshooting........................................89
Troubleshooting Your Notebook ...................................... 89
My notebook does not start............................................... 89
My notebook starts but a BIOS error appears................... 90
My notebook starts, but the message “Operating system not
found” appears and Windows does not start..................... 90
My notebook stops responding or does not shut down..... 91
The power management setting is not responding............ 92
Why does the System Properties dialog box display a slower
CPU speed than advertised?.............................................. 92
Troubleshooting the LCD Screen .............................93
My LCD screen is blank. .................................................. 93
My LCD screen continues to show the previous screen... 93
The image on my connected external display is not centered
or sized properly................................................................ 93
I want to change the video resolution of my display. ....... 93
I cannot switch the LCD display to TV, and vice versa. .. 93
Troubleshooting the Mouse and Touchpad ..............94
My mouse does not work.................................................. 94
My touchpad does not work properly. .............................. 94
The pointer does not move while using the Touchpad or
Mouse................................................................................ 94
Troubleshooting Drives, PC Cards and Peripheral De-
vices ..........................................................................96
My floppy disk drive cannot write to a floppy disk.......... 96
My optical disc drive is not playing my CD or DVD proper-

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ly. .......................................................................................96
My optical drive tray does not open. .................................97
I cannot use Digital Video (DV) devices. The message “DV
equipment seems to be disconnected or turned off” appears.
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My PC Card is not working...............................................97
Troubleshooting Software.........................................98
My software program stops responding or crashes. ..........98
When I click an application icon, the message “You must in-
sert the application CD into your optical drive” appears and
the software does not start. ................................................98
I cannot use the DVgate™ software..................................98
My computer’s start-up time seems longer after I have in-
stalled AOL. What can I do? .............................................98
Troubleshooting the Modem.....................................99
My modem does not work. ................................................99
My modem connection is slow..........................................99
Troubleshooting Audio ...........................................100
My speakers make no sound............................................100
My microphone does not work. .......................................100
Troubleshooting the Printer.....................................101
I cannot print....................................................................101
Troubleshooting i.LINK devices.............................102
I cannot establish a connection between two VAIO comput-
ers when using an i.LINK cable.......................................102
Getting Help.............................................103
Support Options.......................................................104
Software Support Information.................................106
Sony Service Center.........................................................107

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Index.........................................................109

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Welcome
Congratulations on your purchase of this Sony VAIO computer, and
welcome to the VAIO User Guide.
This User Guide provides detailed information on all aspects of using
your new VAIO computer, from keyboard functions to preinstalled
software applications.
In the left navigation window, click the topics you want to learn more
about, and that information will be displayed in this main window.

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Using Your VAIO Notebook
This section describes the following aspects of your new computer:
❑Using the Keyboard
❑Using the Touchpad
❑Using the Floppy Disk Drive
❑Using the Optical Disc Drive
❑Using PC Cards
❑Using a Second Battery Pack
❑Using the Weight Saver
❑Using Power Saving Modes
❑Connecting a Phone Line
❑Connecting to a LAN

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Using the Keyboard
Your notebook keyboard is very similar to that of a typewriter, but the keyboard
has additional keys that perform specific computer-related tasks.
Keyboard
Key Description
Numeric keypad Contains the keys found on a typical calculator. Use the
numeric keypad area to type numbers or to perform
mathematical calculations such as addition and subtraction.
Note that you must press the Num Lock key to activate the
numeric keypad. (When you do so, the Num Lock light will
be on.)
Navigation keys Several keys are devoted to moving the cursor on the screen.
Correction keys The Insert, Back Space, and Delete keys enable you to make
corrections in your documents.
Escape key Function keys Print Screen key
S
hift key
Ctrl key
Fn key
Windows key
Alt key Applications
Numeric keypad
Navigation
Correction
keys
key keys

Using the Keyboard
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Function keys The twelve function keys along the top of the keyboard are
used to perform designated tasks. For example, in many
applications, F1 is the Help key. The task associated with
each function key may vary from one application to the next.
Escape key The Esc (Escape) key is used to cancel commands.
Print Screen key The Print Screen key takes an electronic snapshot of the
screen and places it in the Windows Clipboard. You can then
paste the screen shot into a document and print it.
Operator keys
(Shift, Ctrl, Alt
keys)
Several keys are always used with at least one other key: Ctrl,
Alt, and Shift. When held down with another key, the Ctrl
(Control) and Alt (Alternate) keys offer another way to give
commands. For example, in many applications, instead of
choosing the Save command from a menu, you can hold
down Ctrl and press S (referred to as Ctrl+S). The Shift key
operates the same way as on a typewriter; it is used to
produce capital letters or special symbols such as @ and $.
Windows key The key with the Windows logo displays the Windows Start
menu; it is the equivalent of clicking the Start button on the
taskbar. See “Combinations and functions with the Windows
key” for more information.
Fn key The Fn key is used in combination with other keys to issue
commands. See “Combinations and functions with the Fn
key” for more information.
Applications key The Applications key displays a shortcut menu of context-
sensitive choices. Pressing this key is the equivalent of
clicking the right mouse button.
Key Description

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Combinations and functions with the Windows key
Combination Function
+ F1 Displays VAIO® Help and Support Center.
+ Tab Switches the selected button on the taskbar.
+ D Displays the desktop.
+ E Displays Windows Explorer.
+ F Displays the Windows Find: All Files window to find a file or
folder. This is the equivalent of selecting Find and then Files
or Folders from the Start menu.
+ Ctrl + F Displays the Windows Find: Computer window where you
can locate other computers. This is the equivalent of selecting
Find and then Computer from the Start menu.
+ M Minimizes all displayed windows.
Shift + + M Returns all minimized windows to their previous size.
+ R Displays the Run window. This is the equivalent of selecting
Run from the Start menu.
Fn + + Insert Displays the Properties window. This is the equivalent of
double-clicking the System icon in the Control Panel.

Using the Keyboard
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Indicators
Indicator lights
Indicator Function
Power Light is green when the power to the notebook is turned on,
flashes amber in Standby mode, and turns off when the
notebook is in Hibernate mode or powered off.
Battery 1 Indicates the status of the battery inserted in the battery bay
on the right side of the notebook.
Battery 2 Indicates the status of the battery inserted in the multipurpose
drive bay on the left side of the notebook.
Hard disk This indicator will light when data is being read from or
written to the hard disk. Do not enter Standby mode or turn
off the notebook when this indicator is on.
Light On Off
Num
Lock The number keys in the numeric keypad are active. The alphanumeric character keys in the keypad area are active.
Caps
Lock The letters appear in uppercase as you type. The Shift key
lowers the case of typed letters
when Caps Lock is on.
Letters appear in lower case as
you type (unless you hold down
the Shift key).
Scroll
Lock The screen scrolls differently. (Exactly how it scrolls depends
on the specific application. It has
no effect in many applications.)
Information moves across the
display normally.
1
2

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Combinations and functions with the Fn key
✍If you switch user identities during a computing session, the Fn+F7 and Fn+F8 key
functionality (if available on your computer) will be interrupted. To switch to an
external display or monitor, see “Selecting the Display Mode” for more information.
Combinations/
Feature Function
Fn+ (F3)
Mute On/Off Toggles the built-in speaker off and on.
Fn+ (F4)
Speaker volume Adjusts the built-in speaker volume. To increase volume, press Fn+F4.
Fn+Shift+
(F4)
Speaker volume
Adjusts the built-in speaker volume.
To decrease volume, press Fn+Shift+F4.
Fn+ (F5)
Brightness control Adjusts the brightness of the LCD. To increase light intensity, press Fn+F5.
Fn+Shift+
(F5)
Brightness control
Adjusts the brightness of the LCD.
To decrease light intensity, press Fn+Shift+F5.

Using the Keyboard
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Fn+ /
(F7)
Switch to the
external
monitor/LCD
Toggles through the LCD, external display (connected to the
Monitor connector) and both LCD and external display.
Connect the cable before you turn on the notebook, otherwise
Fn + F7 will not work.
Fn+ only/
(F8)
Control AV out
Toggles between LCD-only and dual LCD/TV display
modes.
Connect the cable before you turn on the notebook, otherwise
Fn + F8 will not work.
Fn + Esc
System Standby Puts the system into Standby mode, a power management state. To return the system to the active state, press any key.
✍Some functions are not available until Windows launches.
Combinations/
Feature Function
LCD
Only LCD LCD and external display
Only external display
LCD
Only LCD LCD and external display
Only external display

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Using the Touchpad
The keyboard contains a cursor-pointing device called a touchpad. You can point
to, select, drag, and scroll objects on the screen using the built-in touchpad.
Touchpad
Action Description
Point Slide one finger on the touchpad to place the pointer on an
item or object.
Click Press the left button once.
Double-click Press the left button twice.
Left button
Touchpad
Pointer
Right button

Using the Touchpad
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See Mouse Properties for information on touchpad features, such as clicking both
buttons simultaneously, adjusting touchpad speed, and Easy Launcher functions.
To access Mouse Properties, open the Start menu, point to Control Panel, Printers
and other Hardware, and then click the Mouse icon in the Control Panel.
Right-click Press the right button once. In many applications, this action
displays a shortcut menu of context-sensitive choices.
Drag Slide one finger while pressing the left button.
Scroll Move your finger along the right edge of the touchpad to
scroll vertically. Move your finger along the bottom to scroll
horizontally. (The scroll function is available only with
applications that support a touchpad scroll feature.)
Action Description

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Using the Floppy Disk Drive
Your computer comes with a floppy disk drive in the multipurpose bay.
To insert a disk
1Hold the disk with the label side facing up.
2Gently insert the disk into the drive until it clicks into place.
Label side facing up

Using the Floppy Disk Drive
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To remove a disk
1Wait until the LED indicator light turns off and then press the Eject button to
remove the disk.
To remove the floppy disk drive
1Turn off the notebook.
2There is a RELEASE lever on the bottom of the computer. Slide this lever in
the direction of the arrow.
3Slide the drive out of the multipurpose bay.
4Insert the weight saver. See “Using the Weight Saver” for details.
✍Do not push the eject button when the LED indicator is turned on. Otherwise, data
may be lost.
Multipurpose bay release lever
Eject button
LED indicator light

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To reinsert the floppy disk drive
1Turn off the notebook.
2If another device is in the multipurpose bay, remove the device. See “To
remove the second battery pack” for details.
3Insert the floppy disk drive, with the VAIO label facing up, into the
multipurpose bay until the RELEASE lever locks into place.
Inserting the floppy disk drive
Multipurpose bay
Floppy disk drive