Sony PCLink User manual

3-232-310-12(1)
PCLink
Operating Instructions
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Manual de instrucciones
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Manual de instruções
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FR
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PT
©2001 Sony Corporation

2-GB
Table of contents
What is included ......................................................................... 3
System Requirements ................................................................ 3
Getting Started ............................................................................ 4
Windows 98/Me(Millennium edition)/2000 Users .................................... 4
Windows Installation ........................................................................... 4
Windows 98 installation .............................................................. 4
Windows Me installation ............................................................ 5
Windows 2000 installation .......................................................... 6
Checking that the PCLink is selected as preferred device ................... 7
Windows 98 ................................................................................ 7
Windows Me ............................................................................... 8
Windows 2000 ............................................................................ 8
Controlling the output and volume levels ............................................ 9
MacOS 9.04 Users ..................................................................................... 9
MacOS 9.04 Installation ....................................................................... 9
Recording to MiniDisc ............................................................................. 11
Connecting the MiniDisc recorder ..................................................... 11
Monitoring the audio .......................................................................... 12
Setting the proper recording level ...................................................... 12
Disconnecting the PCLink ................................................................. 14
Troubleshooting Guide ............................................................ 15
Regulatory Information ............................................................ 19
For the customers in the United States ...................................... 19

3-GB
What is included
•PCLink (1)
•USB Cable (1)
•Line Cable (1)
•Operating Instructions (1)
System Requirements
•Computer running Windows 98/Windows Me/Windows 2000/
MacOS 9.04
•Primary USB port
•Standard Windows Multimedia/Audio Player Application
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Getting Started
Getting your PCLink going is as simple as plugging it into a primary
USB port of any computer running Windows 98, Windows Me,
Windows 2000, or MacOS 9.04. There is no need to load any special
software, but you will have to follow a few simple steps. After you
have finished these steps, make sure to read our tips on recording
before launching into a full session.
Windows 98/Me(Millennium edition)/
2000 Users
Windows Installation
Windows 98 installation
Note
Some computer systems ship with an OEM version of Windows 98 that does
not contain the entire generic USB driver and audio platform. If you
experience any trouble loading the USB drivers, please refer to the
troubleshooting section at the end of this user manual for further instructions.
1There is no need to turn your computer off when plugging the
PCLink in for the first time. Locate your computer’s USB port
and plug the supplied USB cable in. Now plug the PCLink into
the other end of the USB cable.
2Windows 98 will open an Add New Hardware Wizard and let
you know it’s found the PCLink. It will then start loading drivers
for a USB Composite Device, USB Human Interface Device, or
USB Audio Device, depending on what components have
previously been installed on your system. Click Next.
3Check the option Search for the best driver for your
device (Recommended) and click Next.

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4Windows 98 should already have the various USB components
installed and will automatically default to the location of those
drivers on your hard drive. Click Next. If Windows 98 does not
have the various USB components loaded, it will tell you that the
files could not be found and will request the Windows 98 CD. In
this case, put your Windows 98 CD into the CD-ROM drive and
place a check next to CD-ROM drive, then click Next.
5The Wizard will now let you know it has located drivers for a
USB Composite Device, USB Human Interface Device, or USB
Audio Device and will identify these drivers under the heading
Location of Driver. This location may be your hard drive, or
CD-ROM drive, depending on what drivers your system has had
installed in the past. Click Next.
6The first set of drivers will now install.
7Once the first set of drivers finishes installing, Windows 98 may
require the other two USB drivers to also be installed. This will
depend on what USB audio devices have previously been used on
your system. Simply follow the procedure outlined above until
all the required USB drivers have been loaded.
8Once all of the required drivers have been installed, Windows 98
will start. We recommend rebooting your computer to ensure all
changes take effect. Your driver installation for the PCLink is
now complete.
Windows Me installation
1There is no need to turn your computer off when plugging the
PCLink in for the first time. Locate your computer’s USB port
and plug the supplied USB cable in. Now plug the PCLink into
the other end of the USB cable.
2Windows Me will open a New Hardware Found window and
let you know it’s found the PCLink. It will then start loading
drivers for a USB Composite Device, USB Human Interface
Device, or USB Audio Device, depending on what components
have previously been installed on your system. Click Next.
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3In the Add New Hardware Wizard, place a check next to the
option Automatic Search for a Better Driver
(Recommended) and click Next.
4The Add New Hardware Wizard will load a Windows Driver
folder. When it has completed loading the drivers from this
folder, the Add New Hardware Wizard will let you know it has
finished installing the new hardware device. Click on Finish. If
during this process, Windows Me notifies you that there is a
version conflict and that a file being copied is older than a file
currently on your computer, click Yes to keep the existing file.
5Once the first set of drivers has finished installing, Windows Me
may require the other two USB drivers to also be installed. This
will depend on what USB audio devices have previously been
used on your system. Simply follow the procedure outlined
above until all the required USB drivers have been installed.
6Once all of the required drivers have been installed, Windows Me
will start. We recommend rebooting your computer to ensure all
changes take effect. Your driver installation for the PCLink is
now complete.
Windows 2000 installation
1With USB technology, there is no need to turn your computer off
when plugging the PCLink in for the first time. Locate your
computer’s USB port and plug the supplied USB cable in. Now
plug the PCLink into the other end of the USB cable.
2Windows 2000 will automatically detect the addition of a new
USB interface. It will automatically update your USB drivers,
including USB Composite Device, USB Human Interface
Device, and USB Audio Device.
3Once Windows 2000 has completed updating the USB drivers, it
will automatically set the PCLink as your preferred multimedia
device.

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4We recommend rebooting your computer to ensure all changes
take effect. Your driver installation for the PCLink is now
complete.
Checking that the PCLink is selected as
preferred device
With USB technology, there is never any need to turn your computer
off when unplugging or plugging in the PCLink. When you want to
use the PCLink, simply close any running programs and plug it into
the USB port. Your system will automatically configure itself. When
you’re done, you can unplug the PCLink and your computer will
automatically configure for whatever soundcard is installed. In both
cases, it does not matter if the system is on or off. For smooth
automatic loading, please ensure all audio programs are closed before
plugging in, or unplugging the PCLink.
Note
When the PCLink is selected as your system’s preferred audio device, no
sound will come out of any speakers plugged into your soundcard. If you wish
to use your soundcard instead of the PCLink, either unplug the PCLink from
the USB cable, or select your soundcard as preferred audio device in the
Multimedia Properties control panel for Windows 98, or Sounds and
Multimedia control panel for Windows Me and Windows 2000. It is not
possible to use a soundcard and the PCLink at the same time.
Windows 98
Once Windows 98 starts and the appropriate drivers have been
loaded, the PCLink will automatically be set as your system’s
preferred audio device. To verify this, open the Multimedia Control
Panel and make sure that USB Audio Device appears in the Sound
Playback section under Preferred Device. To get to the Multimedia
Control Panel hit Start, then go to Settings, then Control Panel.
The multimedia icon will be in the Control Panel window. Double
click on the icon to open the Multimedia Properties window. In the
Audio tab, under the heading Sound Playback Preferred Device,
make sure that USB Audio Device appears. If it does not, use the
scroll arrow to the right and choose USB Audio Device. You are
now fully loaded.

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Note
Some computer systems ship with an OEM version of Windows 98 that does
not contain the entire generic USB driver and audio platform. If you cannot
select USB Audio Device in the Preferred Device window, please refer to
the troubleshooting section at the end of this user manual for further
instructions. In this situation you may not be able to select USB Audio
Device even though the USB drivers seemed to install fine when you first
plugged in the PCLink.
Windows Me
Once Windows Me starts and the appropriate drivers have been
loaded, the PCLink should automatically be set as your system’s
preferred audio device. To verify this, open the Sounds and
Multimedia Properties control panel and make sure that USB
Audio Device appears in the Sound Playback section under
Preferred Device. To get to the Sounds and Multimedia
Properties control panel hit Start, then go to Settings, then
Control Panel. The multimedia icon will be in the Control Panel
window. Double click on the icon to open the Sounds and
Multimedia Properties window. In the Audio tab, under the heading
Sound Playback Preferred Device, make sure that USB Audio
Device appears. If it does not, use the scroll arrow to the right and
choose USB Audio Device. You are now fully loaded.
Windows 2000
Once Windows 2000 starts and the appropriate drivers have been
loaded, the PCLink will automatically be set as your system’s
preferred audio device. To verify this, open the Sounds and
Multimedia panel and make sure that USB Audio Device appears in
the Playback section under the Audio tab. To get to the Sounds and
Multimedia panel hit Start, then go to Settings, then Control
Panel. The Sounds and Multimedia icon will be in the Control
Panel window. Double click on the icon. In the Audio tab, make sure
that USB Audio Device appears in the Sound Playback section
under Preferred Device. If it does not, use the scroll arrow to the
right and choose USB Audio Device. You are now fully loaded.

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Controlling the output and volume levels
The PCLink’s volume and output controls can be accessed by double
clicking the standard volume control icon. Depending on what media
player you are using, for most of the PCLink’s operations the volume
will be set either by the Wave Balance slider or the Speaker
Balance slider. To activate the Wave Balance and Speaker
Balance sliders, go to Options and then Properties. In the bottom
section of the Properties window, make sure a check appears next to
Wave Balance and Speaker Balance. Click OK once you are
done.
MacOS 9.04 Users
MacOS 9.04 Installation
1Before plugging in the PCLink for the first time, you will need to
ensure that your computer is running the necessary operating
system and apple audio extensions.
2To verify that your computer is running the correct operating
system, close all open applications. Click on the apple icon in the
top right had corner of the screen. Scroll down to the first item in
the pop up menu called About This Computer and click on it. A
window with details of the operating system currently running on
your computer will now open. Verify that in the version line, a
number 9.04 or higher appears. If this, or a higher number
appears, you are running an operating system that is compatible
with the PCLink. If you are running an earlier version of the Mac
operating system, your PCLink may not operate.
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3To verify that your computer is running the necessary Apple
Audio Extensions, close all open applications. On the desktop,
find the icon that corresponds with your Mac hard drive. Double
click on it. A window will open listing all the files and folders on
your hard drive. Scroll down and find the System Folder icon.
Click on the arrow to the left of the System Folder icon so that all
the folders contained in the System Folder become visible.
Scroll down until you find the Extensions folder and click on
the arrow to the left of the folder icon. In the files that are listed
in the Extensions folder, scroll down and verify that a file Apple
Audio Extension appears. Check that the version of this file is
1.0.5 or higher. If a version column does not appear, go to View
in the top navigation bar and select View Options. Place a
check next to Version in the Show Columns section. Click OK.
A version column will now appear and let you check the version
of the Apple Audio Extension file running on your computer. If
your system is not running Apple Audio Extension 1.0.5 or
higher, the PCLink may not operate.
4After verifying that your computer has the necessary operating
system and audio extensions, close all applications. Plug the
supplied USB cable into a USB port on your computer. Now plug
the PCLink into the other end of the USB cable. Do not plug the
PCLink into a USB hub, as other devices on the hub may effect
the digital audio data running to the PCLink, causing unwanted
pops and clicks in your recordings.
5Your computer will now automatically initiate the PCLink and
set it as the preferred playback device. After a few seconds, you
should notice that no audio will come out of your computer
speakers. If you can still hear sound coming out your computer
speakers, verify that you are running the minimum operating
system and Apple Audio Extensions requirements. The
installation of your PCLink is now complete. Please proceed to
the next section, “Recording to MiniDisc”(page 11).