ManualTable of ContentsVAIO® Notebook User Guide1PCG-F6401Notice to Users2Owner’s Record3Safety Information3Regulatory Information5FCC Part 685Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (UnitedStates)6Telephone Consumer Guidelines (Canada)6DISPOSAL OF LITHIUM ION BATTERY7INDUSTRY CANADA NOTICE7AVIS DE L’INDUSTRIE CANADA8Contents9Welcome 139Features 139Unpacking Your Notebook 149Ergonomic Considerations 179Setting Up Your VAIO® Notebook 219Locating Controls and Connectors 219Connecting a Power Source 259Starting Your Computer 319Shutting Down Your Computer 329Using Your VAIO® Notebook 339Using the Keyboard 339Using the Touchpad 389Using the Floppy Disk Drive 409Using the DVD-ROM Drive 439Using PC Cards 489Using Infrared Communication Devices 519Using a Second Battery Pack 529Using the Weight Saver 569Using Smart Connect 589Connecting Peripheral Devices 5910Connecting an i.LINK® Device 6010Connecting a Phone Line 6210Using Ethernet to Connect to a Network 6310Connecting a Printer 6310Connecting an External Mouse or Keyboard 6510Connecting an External Display 6610AV Devices 6910Connecting the Port Replicator 7010Connecting External Speakers 7410Connecting an External Microphone 7510Connecting a Universal Serial Bus (USB) Device 7610Power Saving Modes 7710Adding Memory 8110About the Software on Your Notebook 8510About Your Software 8910PictureGear™ 9210About Your Recovery CDs 9410For Answers to Your Software Questions 9410Using the System and Application Recovery CDs 9710Troubleshooting 10111Specifications 11311Index 11711Welcome13Congratulations on your purchase of the Sony VAIO® notebook. Sony has combined leading-edge techn...13Features13Exceptional performance13Portability13Sony audio and video quality13Multimedia features13Microsoft® Windows® operating system13Communications13DVD13Unpacking Your Notebook14Main unit14Video cable14Power cord14AC adapter14Rechargeable battery pack14Weight saver14Manuals14VAIO® User Guide14Microsoft® Windows® Millennium Edition Getting Started manual14Software CDs15Microsoft® Word 200015Recovery CDs15System Recovery CD(s)15Application Recovery CD(s)15Other15Ergonomic Considerations17Ergonomic Position17Position of your computer17Furniture and posture17Viewing angle of the computer’s display18Lighting18Placement of an external display18Notes on Setup18Handling Your Notebook19Cleaning Your Notebook19Handling the LCD Screen19Setting Up Your VAIO® Notebook21This section describes how to start using your notebook and how to use your computer’s internal a...21Locating Controls and Connectors21Front21Left22Right23Back23Bottom24Connecting a Power Source25Using the AC Adapter251 Plug the cable attached to the AC adapter into the DC In connector on the computer.252 Plug one end of the power cord into the AC adapter.253 Plug the other end of the power cord into an AC outlet.25Connecting the AC adapter25Notes on the AC Adapter25Using Battery Power26To insert the battery pack261 To open the battery bay, press cover down.26Battery bay262 Insert the battery pack into the battery bay on the left side of the computer.27Inserting battery pack273 Close the cover of the battery bay until it clicks.27To charge the battery pack271 Connect the AC adapter to the computer.272 Insert the battery pack.273 When the battery is 85% full, the battery indicator light turns off. This process takes approxi...27There are two battery indicator lights on the computer28Battery indicator lights28To remove the battery pack291 Open the battery bay cover.292 Pull out the battery pack.29Removing the battery pack293 Close the cover of the battery bay.29Notes on the battery29Starting Your Computer311 Slide the LCD lock lever in the direction of the arrow, and lift the cover.31Opening the computer312 Press the power button on top of the computer until the green power indicator light turns on.31Power button313 If necessary, adjust the brightness controls for the LCD display:32Shutting Down Your Computer321 Click the Start button on the Windows® taskbar.322 Click Shut Down at the bottom of the Start menu to display the Shut Down Windows dialog box.323 Select Shut down.324 Click OK.325 Wait for your computer to turn off automatically—power indicator turns off.326 Turn off any peripherals connected to your computer.32If you are unable to shut down your computer:321 Close or end all operations:322 Then, restart the computer. You can restart your computer by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete keys (at ...32Using Your VAIO® Notebook33Using the Keyboard33Keyboard33Combinations and Functions with the Windows Key34Indicators35Indicator (continued)36Combinations and Functions with the Fn Key (Continued)36Using the Touchpad38Touchpad38Using the Floppy Disk Drive40To insert a diskette401 Hold the diskette the label side facing up.402 Gently push the diskette into the drive until it clicks into place.40To remove a diskette40To remove the floppy disk drive411 Turn off the computer.412 There is a RELEASE lever on the bottom of the computer. Slide this lever in the direction of th...41Multipurpose bay release lever413 Slide the drive out of the multipurpose bay.414 Insert the weight saver. See “Using the Weight Saver” on page56.41To reinsert the floppy disk drive411 Turn off the computer.412 If another device is in the multipurpose bay, remove the device. See “To remove the second batt...413 Insert the floppy disk drive into the multipurpose bay with the VAIO label facing up. Continue ...42Inserting the floppy disk drive42Using the DVD-ROM Drive43To insert a disc431 Turn on the computer.432 Press the Eject button to open the DVD-ROM drive.43DVD eject433 Place a CD or DVD on the tray with the label side facing up. For DVDs which can be played on bo...434 Push the disc onto the hub until the disc clicks securely into place.44Inserting a DVD/CD445 Close the tray by pushing it gently.45Manual eject hole45Playing a DVD46Notes on CD and DVD media47Using PC Cards48To insert a PC card481 Pull the PC card release button out from the computer, and then push it in toward the computer....48PC card release lever482 Remove the PC card slot protector.48PC card slot protector493 Insert the PC card into the PC card slot, front label facing up. Gently push the card into the ...494 The release button extends. Fold the release button back down into the notebook.49Inserting a PC card49To remove a PC card501 Double-click in the system task tray.502 The “Unplug or Eject hardware” dialog box appears.503 In the Unplug or Eject Hardware dialog box, select the appropriate option, and then click Stop.504 Confirm the device and click OK.505 A message appears informing you that the device can now be safely removed from the system.506 Press the PC card RELEASE button to remove the PC card.50Notes on using PC cards50Using Infrared Communication Devices51To use infrared communication with another computer511 Align the infrared ports on the two computers so that they are in a directline.51Connecting with Infrared51To enable infrared511 Click Wireless Link icon in the Windows Control Panel.512 Select File Transfer Options Allow others to send files to your computer using infrared communi...513 Click OK.514 Infrared Monitor icon appears in the task tray, open the monitor to verify that your computer h...515 Once another unit is detected, your computer is ready to send/receive data.51Infrared range52Notes on using the Infrared Port52Using a Second Battery Pack52To insert a second battery pack531 If another device is in the multipurpose bay, remove the device.532 Insert the battery pack into the multipurpose bay.53Second battery in multipurpose bay533 Attach the weight saver to the computer to stabilize the battery pack. There is a RELEASE lever...53Using weight saver for second battery cover53To charge the second battery pack54Charging the second battery54To remove the second battery pack541 There is a Release lever on the bottom of the weight saver. To remove the battery pack, slide t...55Multipurpose bay release levers552 Remove the weight saver, and then pull out the battery pack.553 Reinsert the weight saver. See “Using the Weight Saver” on page56.55Using the Weight Saver56To attach the weight saver561 If another device is in the multipurpose bay, remove the device. See “To remove the second batt...562 Fold out the hinged arm of the weight saver and then push on the hinged arm to lock it into pla...56Inserting the weight saver563 Manually lock the weight saver’s Release lever.56To remove the Weight Saver571 There is a release lever on the bottom of the weight saver. To remove the weight saver, slide t...57Multipurpose bay release levers572 After removing the weight saver, pull out the weight saver’s hinged arm and fold it into the we...57Using Smart Connect58Windows Me™58Connecting with an i.Link cable58Connecting Peripheral Devices59You can add functionality to your computer by connecting any of these peripherals:59Connecting an i.LINK® Device60To connect a digital video camera recorder60Connecting digital video camera recorder to i.LINK connector60Connecting a Phone Line621 Plug one end of the phone cable into the phone line jack on the computer.62Connecting phone cable622 Plug the other end into the wall jack.62Using Ethernet to Connect to a Network63Setting Up Your Ethernet Connection631 Right-click Network Neighborhood and select Properties.632 Click Add to add a client, adapter, protocol, or service.633 Click File and Print Sharing to enable these functions.634 Select a Primary Network Logon.635 Click the Identification tab to set the computer name, workgroup, and computer description.636 Click the Access Control tab to set the share level or user level access control.63Connecting a Printer63To connect a printer63Printer connector64Connecting an External Mouse or Keyboard65USB and PS/2 ports65Connecting an External Display66To connect a computer display66Connecting an external computer display66To connect a multimedia computer display671 Use the symbol to locate the Monitor connector. Plug the display cable into this connector.672 Use the symbol to locate the Headphone connector. Plug the speaker cable into this connector.673 Use the symbol to locate the Microphone connector. Plug the microphone cable into this connector.67To connect a projector67Connecting projector67To select a display68AV Devices69To Connect a TV69Connecting the Port Replicator70Port replicator70To attach your computer to the port replicator701 Turn off your computer and disconnect all peripheral devices.712 On the bottom of the computer, slide the port replicator connector cover open.71Port replicator connector713 Attach the bottom of the computer to the port replicator connector until it clicks.71Attaching computer to port replicator714 Plug the cable attached to the AC adapter into the DC IN connector on the port replicator. Plug...72Connecting AC adaptor to port replicator72Power indicator light725 Turn on the computer.72To remove your computer from the port replicator when the power is off731 Turn off your computer and the connected peripherals.732 Pull the levers on each side of the port replicator to disengage the computer from the port rep...73Disengaging computer from port replicator733 Lift the computer away from the port replicator.73Port replicator connector cover734 Close the port replicator connector cover on the bottom of your computer.73Connecting External Speakers74To connect external speakers74Connecting speakers to Headphone connector74Connecting an External Microphone75To connect an external microphone75Connecting a microphone to microphone connector75Connecting a Universal Serial Bus (USB) Device76To connect a USB device76Connecting USB device to USB connector76Power Saving Modes77Normal Mode77System Idle Mode77To activate System Idle mode77To return to normal mode77System Suspend Mode78To activate System Suspend mode78To return to normal mode78System Hibernation Mode78To activate System Hibernation mode78To return to normal mode78Adding Memory81In the future you may want to install memory modules to expand the functionality of your computer...81Before you start81Typical expansion memory configuration82To remove a memory module821 Shut down your computer and disconnect all peripheral devices, such as your printer.822 Unplug the computer and remove the battery pack(s).823 After the computer has cooled, loosen and remove the screw that secures the cover of the memory...82Removing the memory module cover824 Touch a metal object (such as the connector panel on the back of your computer) to discharge an...825 Remove the memory module.83Removing memory module836 Tighten the screw on the memory bay cover.83To install a memory module831 Follow steps 1 to 4 of “To remove a memory module.”832 Remove the memory module from its packaging.833 Install the memory module.84Installing memory module844 Tighten the screw on the cover of the memory bay.84To view the amount of memory841 Restart the computer.842 Click the Start button on the Windows status bar, point to VAIO option, and click “Sony Noteboo...843 Click the “About This Computer” tab to view the amount of system memory. If the additional memo...84About the Software on Your Notebook85Adobe Acrobat Reader®85Adobe Systems Inc.85Adobe PhotoDeluxe® Home Edition85Adobe Systems Inc.85Adobe Premiere® LE85Adobe Systems Incorporated85America Online®85America Online85ArcSoft® PhotoPrinter™ 2000 Pro86ArcSoft, Inc.86CompuServe® 200086CompuServe, Inc.86DVgate™86Sony Electronics86EarthLink Network TotalAccess®86EarthLink Network, Inc.86McAfee® VirusScan®86Network Associates, Inc.86Media Bar™87Sony Electronics87Microsoft® Internet Explorer87Microsoft Corporation87Microsoft® Word 200087Microsoft Corporation87MovieShaker™87Sony Electronics87Netscape Communicator®87Netscape Communications87PictureGear™87Sony Electronics87Prodigy Internet®88Prodigy Communications Corporation88Quicken® Basic 200088Intuit, Inc.88Smart Capture88Sony Electronics88Sound Forge® XP88Sonic Foundry88About Your Software89Main Window89Importing Images and Sound Clips891 Click .892 Find the file you want to add.893 Select the file.894 Click Open. The file is added to the Clip tray.89Create a Movie using Shaker901 Click the Shake tab.902 Select a mood by clicking a face in the Shaker tray.90Shaker Tray903 Click . A thirty second scene is automatically generated and saved to the Product tray.904 To preview, switch the Work Panel to Product tray mode and press play.90Editing Clips and Scenes91Working Panel911 Double-click the clip or scene to move it to the Working Panel.912 Select the Effects tab from the Editing tray.913 Drag and drop the Effect you want to add from the Effects tray to the Effects palette on the Wo...914 See help for instructions on adjusting effect duration and replaying clips/ scenes.91Saving a Movie911 Verify that the clip(s) you want to save is on the Product tray. See Help for more details on s...912 Click Export.913 Select the format in which you want the document to be saved.924 Click Next.925 Locate the folder to which you want the file saved.926 Name the file.927 Click Save.92PictureGear™92Managing Your Pictures921 Click the Folder tab and browse to locate your pictures.922 Select the pictures you want to have in a collection.923 From Collection menu, select Create New Collection.924 Enter a name for the collection and then click okay.92Creating a Photo Album921 Select the pictures you want to use to make an album.922 From the Utilities menu, select Album Maker.923 Choose the type of Album you want and click Okay.924 Now add more pictures, frames, text, and effects.935 When you are finished, select Create Album in File menu or click the Create Album icon on the t...936 Designate the folder you where want to save the Album.937 Enter the Target Album name, select Thumbnails and click Okay.938 The new album can be viewed using most internet browsers.93Using Panorama Maker931 Gather the source images into the same folder or collection.932 Select the images you want to use.933 From the Utilities menu select Panorama Maker.934 Select the correct lens and click Okay. (If 35mm lens is selected the prompt, does not appear; ...935 Click the panoramic icon, near the bottom of the window.936 Click Full Stitch.93Making Still Images and Panoramic from MPEG931 Select the MPEG file.932 From the Movie/Sound menu, select Scene break down.933 Then select Movie Stitch, to create a panoramic picture.93About Your Recovery CDs94Application Recovery CD(s)94Sony Electronics94System Recovery CD(s)94Sony Electronics94For Answers to Your Software Questions94Acrobat® Reader, Adobe PhotoDeluxe® Business Edition, Adobe Premiere® LE (Adobe Systems Incorpora...94America Online® (America Online)94CompuServe® 2000 (CompuServe, Inc.)94EarthLink Network TotalAccess® (EarthLink Network, Inc.)95McAfee® VirusScan® (Network Associates, Inc.)95Netscape Communicator® (Netscape Communications Corporation)95PhotoPrinter™ 2000 Pro (ArcSoft, Inc.)95Prodigy Internet® (Prodigy Communications Corporation)95Quicken® 2000 (Intuit Inc.)96Windows Me Operating System, Internet Explorer (Microsoft Corporation)96WinFax™ Basic Edition (Symantec Corporation)96Sony Service Center96Using the System and Application Recovery CDs97Using the System Recovery CD(s)97To use the System Recovery CD(s)971 Insert the Sony System Recovery CD in the DVD-ROM drive.972 Shut down your computer as described in “Shutting Down Your Computer” on page32.973 Wait four seconds and turn on your computer.974 Click OK to signify you have read and accept the Microsoft End-User License Agreement.975 When the System Recovery menu appears, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the recove...97If your computer does not start from the Recovery CD981 Press the power button and hold it for more than four seconds to turn off the computer.982 Turn on the computer. When the Sony logo is displayed, press the F2 key. The BIOS setup menu sc...983 Press the arrow keys to select the Exit menu.984 Press the arrow keys to select “Get Default Values” and then press the Enter key. The message “...985 Check that “Yes” is selected, then press the Enter key.986 Press the arrow keys to select “Exit” (Save Changes) and then press the Enter key. The message ...987 Check that “Yes” is selected, then press the Enter key. The computer restarts from the Recovery...98Using the Application Recovery CD(s)98To use the Application Recovery CD(s)991 Turn on your computer. If your computer is already on, close all applications.992 When the Windows desktop appears, insert the Sony Application Recovery CD in the DVD-ROM drive....993 When the Application Recovery menu appears, select the icon for the application you want to res...99Troubleshooting101Troubleshooting your notebook101My notebook does not start.101My notebook starts, but my system doesn’t start properly.1021 Press F2. The BIOS Setup menu appears.1022 Set the date (month/day/year). Press Enter.1023 Press to select System Time, then set the time (hour: minute: second). Press Enter.1024 Press to select Exit, then press to select Get Default Values. The message “Load default config...1025 Select Yes and press Enter.1026 Select Exit (Save Changes), and then press Enter. The message “Save Configuration changes and e...1027 Select Yes, and then press Enter. The notebook restarts.102My notebook starts, but the message “Operating system not found” appears and Windows does not start.1021 Turn off the notebook, and then remove the diskette.1022 Restart the notebook and confirm that Windows starts properly.1021 Remove any diskette from the floppy disk drive.1022 Remove any peripheral devices connected to the notebook.1023 Turn off the notebook and then turn it on.1024 Press the F2 key when the Sony logo appears. The BIOS setup menu screen appears.1025 Press the directional arrow keys to select the Exit menu.1026 Press the arrow keys to select “Get Default Values” and then press Enter. The message “Load def...1027 Select Yes, then press Enter.1038 Use the directional arrow keys to select “Exit” (Save Changes), and then press Enter. The messa...1039 Select Yes, then press Enter. The notebook restarts.103My notebook stops responding or does not shut down.103My notebook does not enter the power saving mode I selected.1031 Enable Deep Sleep is selected with a checkmark.1042 The message “Standby function is enabled” is displayed. If the message reads “Standby function ...1043 The message “Hibernation feature is enabled” is displayed. If the message reads “Hibernation fe...1044 Click OK and restart your notebook.104My system enters System Idle mode when System Suspend mode has been selected.104The Power Management setting is not responding.104The sound of my notebook’s fan is too loud.104Troubleshooting the LCD screen105My LCD screen is blank.105My LCD screen continues to show the previous screen.105The image on my connected external display is not centered or sized properly.105I want to change the video resolution of my display.105Troubleshooting the mouse and touchpad105My mouse does not work.105My touchpad does not work properly.1061 Click Start, point to Control Panel, and then click on the Mouse icon.1062 Change the button assignments in the Mouse Properties dialog box. (One of the buttons is assign...106The pointer does not move (while using the Touchpad or Mouse).106Troubleshooting drives, PC cards and peripheral devices106I inserted a compatible device into the multipurpose drive bay, but the icon does not appear in t...106My floppy disk drive can not write to a diskette.107My floppy disk drive icon doesn’t appear even though it is connected.107My CD, DVD, or CD-RW drive is not playing my CD or DVD properly.107My CD, DVD, or CD-RW drive tray does not open.108I cannot use digital video (DV) devices. The message “DV equipment seems to be disconnected or tu...108The i.LINK-compatible devices connected to the Mini Docking Station do notwork.108My PC card is not working.108Troubleshooting software109My software program stops responding or crashes.109When I click an application icon, the message “You must insert the application CD into your CD-RO...109I hear background “noise” while using Windows Media Player to play my music CDs.109I can not use the DVgate software.109My voice-related software does not work properly.1091 Click Start, point to Settings, and then point to Control Panel.1092 Click Yamaha DS-XG.1093 Click the Echo tab and remove the checkmark. Click OK.109Troubleshooting the modem110My modem does not work.110My modem connection is slow.110Troubleshooting audio110My speakers have no sound.1101 Double click System in Control Panel.1112 Set the sound device to enable in Device Manager.111My microphone does not work.111Troubleshooting the printer111I cannot print.111Specifications113650 MHz* Intel® Pentium® III with Intel® SpeedStep™ Technology†11312 GB‡11340% and 60%113128 MB SDRAM, expandable to 256MB11313.3" XGA TFT113256KB (CPU Intergrated)113MPEG1 and MPEG2 Digital Video; supports fullscreen playback1133-D graphic accelerator with 8 MB Video RAM113ATI 3D RAGE™ Mobility-M111316-bit CD-quality stereo sound113Removable 3.5" 1.44 MB113Reads CD data from 10.3X to 24X variable transfer rate.** Reads DVD data from 1.7X to 8X variable...113DVD-ROM: Wavelength 770nm and 660 nm laser output 30.2 µW113V.90/K56flex compatible modem‡‡113Supports 4 Mbps, 1.1 Mbps, and 115 Kbps IrDA Standard113Supports floppy disk drive (included)113Supports second rechargeable battery (optional)113Type II PC cards and Type III PC card Card Bus support113Stereo speakers, Touch pad113Data and fax send/receive‡‡1132 USB ports114i.LINK†††114Serial port114Keyboard/mouse (USB and PS/2® style)114VGA monitor114Parallel (printer)114Phone line (RJ-11)114TV out114Microphone114Headphone114Port replicator114Infrared port114Video cable114Floppy disk drive114Rechargeable battery114AC adapter and power cord114Weight saver11458.5 watts maximum (19.5V DC/AC114100-240V)114Energy Star compliant114Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI)114Lithium-ion, supports dual battery operation11412.8"(w) x 1.9"(h)*** x 10.3"(d), (324 x 46.9 x 265.5mm)1146.7 lbs. (3.1 kg) (with battery and114weight saver)1147.1 lbs. (3.2 kg) (with battery and floppy disk drive)11441º F to 95º F (+5º C to 35º C) temperature gradient less than 18º F (10ºC) per hour11420% to 80% (not condensed), provided that humidity is less than 65% at 95º F (35º C), hygrometer ...114(29º C)114-4º F to 140º F (-20º C to 60º C), temperature gradient less than 18º F (10ºC) per hour11410% to 90% (not condensed) provided that humidity is less than20% at 140º F (60º C), hygrometer ...115Index117A117B117C117D118E118F119H119I119K120L120M120N120O120P121R121S121T122U122V122W122Size: 1.91 MBPages: 122Language: EnglishOpen manual
