Instruction/ maintenance manual of the product VGN-N300 Sony
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N User Guide P ers onal Computer V GN-N300 Series.
2 nN Cont ents Before Use ................. ................... ................... .................... ................... ................... .... ......... .................... ................... ....6 Documenta tion ................. ...........
3 nN Using P eripheral Devic es . ................... .................... ................... ................... .................... ..... .............. .................... ........5 8 Connectin g External Sp eakers ..... .................... ...
4 nN Precauti ons ................ ................... ................... .................... ................... ................... .......................... .................... ........9 2 On Handling the LCD Sc reen .............. ............
5 nN Keyboard ....... ................... .................... ................... .................... ................... ............... ................. .................... ......13 3 Floppy Di sks .................... .................... .....
6 nN Befo re Use Bef ore Use Congrat ulations on your purchase o f this Sony VAIO ® comp uter, and wel come to th e on-screen U ser Guide . Sony ha s combin ed leadin g-edge te chnology i n audio, v ideo, compu ting, an d commun ications to provide s tate-of-the- art perso nal computi ng.
7 nN Befo re Use Non-printed Documentation ❑ User Guid e (this manual) — Contains features of your com puter . It also includes infor mation abou t the software programs includ ed with your comp uter , a s well as infor mation on solvin g common pr oblems.
8 nN Befo re Use Help and Suppor t Help and Support is easy to access and provi des a singl e location fo r informat ion and technical assistanc e for yo ur VAIO compute r. Choose from the follow ing categ ories to find th e answer s you need. To ac cess He lp and Suppor t , clic k Start and Help a nd Suppor t .
9 nN Befo re Use Ergonomic Considerations You wil l be using y our co mputer as a p ortable device in a variety o f enviro nments. When ever poss ible, you s hould atte mpt to take account o f the fol.
10 nN Befo re Use ❑ Viewing angle of the computer's displa y – Use the display's tilti ng f eature to find the best posi tion. Y ou can reduc e e ye strain and mus cle fatigue by adjusting the tilt of the display to the proper position. A djust the br ight ness settin g of the displ ay a s well.
11 nN Getting Started Getting Star ted This section describe s how to ge t started us ing your V AIO compute r. ! Before st arting your co mputer for the first time, do not co nnect any other hardware t hat did no t originally c ome with yo ur comp ut er .
12 nN Getting Started Locating Cont rols and P or ts Take a moment to identify the control s and ports shown on t he following pages. F ront A Num lock indicator (p age 17) B Caps loc k indicator (pag.
13 nN Getting Started Bac k A Ne twor k (Eth er net ) por t (page 73) B Modem port (pag e 51) C Batter y conn ector ( page 20) D DC IN por t (page 18 ).
14 nN Getting Started Right A WIREL ESS s witch (page 52) B Headp hones jack (page 59 ) C Microp hone jack (page 66) D Hi-Spee d USB (USB 2.0) po rt s *1 (page 67) E Express Card ™ /34 slot *2 (p age 39) F Air vents G Mon ito r (V GA ) por t (page 60 ) H i.
15 nN Getting Started Left A Secur ity slot B Opti cal disc driv e (page 30) C Opti cal disc driv e i ndica tor (page 1 7) D Driv e ej ect b utt on (page 30) E Manual e ject hol e (page 12 0).
16 nN Getting Started Bottom A Air vents B Memory module compa r tment co v er (page 88) C Built-in spea kers (stereo).
17 nN Getting Started About the Indicator Lights Your c omputer is equipped with the fol lowing i ndicator l ights. Indicat or Functions Po w e r 1 Illuminates when the power of the computer is on, blinks when t he computer is in Sleep m ode, and turns of f when the computer is in Hibernate mode or off.
18 nN Getting Started Connecting a P ower Source You ca n use eith er an AC ada pter or a r echargeabl e battery pa ck as a powe r source for your comp uter. Using the A C Adapter ✍ Use your co mputer only with th e supplied A C adapter . The supp lied AC adap ter has an atta chment on it s plug to avo id accide ntal discon nectio n.
19 nN Getting Started ✍ T o dis connec t your compu ter compl etely fro m AC pow er , unplug the AC adapt er . Make sure that the AC outlet i s easily acce ssible. If you do no t use your comput er for a long period of time, place the compute r into Hibernate mo de.
20 nN Getting Started Using the Batter y P ack The ba ttery pack supplied wi th your co mputer is n ot fully c harged a t the time o f purchase . Installing the Battery P ac k To install th e batter y pack 1 T ur n off t he compute r and clos e the LCD s creen lid.
21 nN Getting Started 4 Slide t he batter y lock switch (1) to the LOCK position to secure the batter y pa ck on the computer. ✍ When you r computer is directly con nected to AC power and has a batter y pack in stalled, it uses power from t he AC outlet.
22 nN Getting Started Charging the Batter y P ack The ba ttery pack supplied wi th your co mputer is n ot fully c harged a t the time o f purchase . To charge th e battery pack 1 Install the batter y pack. 2 Connect t he A C ada pter to the co mputer .
23 nN Getting Started ✍ Y ou can charge th e batter y pack in su ch a u sual ma nner as mentioned in thi s manua l from the fi rst time. When th e batter y pack is run ning out of power , both the b atter y and power in dicato r lights bli nk. Keep the bat tery pac k in your comp uter while it is direc tly connected to AC power .
24 nN Getting Started Removing t he Battery P ac k ! Y ou may lose dat a if you remove t he batter y pack while your computer i s on and not con nected to the A C adapter or if you remove the batter y pack while the co mputer is in S leep mode. To remove the b attery pack 1 T ur n off t he compute r and clos e the LCD s creen lid.
25 nN Getting Started Shutting Down Y our Computer Saf ely To av oid losi ng unsaved data, be su re to sh ut down you r computer properly , as descr ibed belo w. To shut dow n your com puter 1 T ur n off a ny peri pherals connec ted to the c omputer .
26 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Using Y our V AIO C omput er This se ction desc ribes how to get the mo st out of usin g your VAI O computer. ❑ Using the K eyboar d (page 27) ❑ Using the T ouch P.
27 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Using the K eyboard Your k eyboard i s very simi lar to a des ktop co mputer keyb oard, but has addi tional keys that per form model- specific tasks. Combinations and Fun ctions with the Fn K ey ✍ Some funct ions are not available bef ore the operati ng system laun ches.
28 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Fn + (F 12) : Hibernate Provides f or the lowest l ev el of pow er cons umption. When you e x ecute this command, the states of the system and the peripheral de vices are written to the hard disk and the system power is turned off .
29 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Using the T ouch P ad You ca n poin t to, select, d rag, and scroll ob jects on the screen using th e touch pad . Action Description P oint Slide your finger on the touch pad (1) to place the pointer (2) on an item or object.
30 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Using the Optical Disc Dr iv e Your c omputer is equipped with an opt ical disc drive. To insert a disc 1 T ur n on t he compute r .
31 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer 4 Close th e tra y by pushin g it in gen tly . ! Do not remov e the optical di sc when your com puter is in a power savi ng mode (Sleep or Hibernate).
32 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Reading and Writing Optical Discs Your com puter pl ays and recor ds CDs, DVDs , or Blu-ra y Discs, d epending on th e model y ou purchased. Check yo ur specif ications fo r the type of opti cal disc dri ve installe d on your mode l.
33 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer ! This p roduct is d esigned t o playback discs that c onform to the Compact Disc Digi tal Audio standard sp ecificatio ns (CD Stand ard) . A Dual Disc is a t wo sided disc pr oduct w hich mat es DVD r ecorded material on on e side wi th digi tal audi o materi al on the othe r side.
34 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer ! T o pla y copyright prot ected Blu-ray Di scs continuall y , you need to up date the AACS key . Note t hat the AACS key up date requires Internet access. As with ot her optical med ia device s, circumstances m ay limit compa tibility or preve nt Blu-ray D isc playback .
35 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Notes on writing data to a disc ❑ Use only Sony recommend ed software, which i s preinstall ed on your compu ter , to write data to a di sc. Other software pro gr ams m a y not b e fully c ompatible and errors m a y resul t.
36 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Notes on pla y ing discs To ac hieve optim um performa nce when p laying dis cs, you sh ould follow th ese recom mendations. ❑ Some CD pla yers and computer's optical dis c dri v es may not be able to play audio CDs created wi th the CD -R or CD-RW disc medi a.
37 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Pla ying CDs To pl ay an aud io CD 1 Inser t a disc into the op tical disc dr ive . 2 If nothing appears on the desk top , then cli c k Start , All Programs , and the desired CD software to play the CD . If the Audi o CD wi ndow appear s, click to select an option.
38 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Pla y ing D VDs To play a DVD 1 Close al l runn ing software a pplication s. 2 Inser t a D VD into the opt ical disc drive. 3 If nothing appears on the desk top , then cli c k Start , All Programs , and the desired D VD software to play the D VD .
39 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Using the ExpressCard Module Your c omputer is equipped with eithe r a Univer sal Expre ssCard ™ slot * o r an Expres sCard ™ /34 slot * for transferrin g data amon g digital c ameras, camcorders , music players, and other audio/vi deo devi ces.
40 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Inser ting an ExpressCard Module ! Use care when inserting or rem oving the Expr essCard module f rom the slot. D o not force it in or out of t he slot. ✍ Y ou do not need to shu t down your comput er before inserting o r removing the Ex pressCard modul e.
41 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Removing an ExpressCard Module Foll ow the steps b elow to re move the Ex pressCard mo dule whil e your com puter is on. If it is n ot removed p roperly, you r system m ay not work properly. To remov e an Expr essCar d module ✍ T o remove an ExpressCa rd module whe n your computer i s off, skip steps 1 to 7.
42 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Using the Memor y Stic k Media Your c omputer su pports th e Memory S tick med ia. Memory Stick m edia is a co mpact, por table, and versatile IC recording media e specially design ed for exchan ging a nd sharing digital data with com patible products, s uch as di gital ca meras, m obile phones and other devices.
43 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Inser ting a Memor y Stic k Media To insert a Memory Stick media 1 Loca te the Memor y Stick PRO/Duo media slot. 2 Hold t he Memor y St ick media with the arrow facing upward and po inting toward the M emor y Stick PRO/Duo media slot.
44 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer ! Be sure to hold th e Memor y Stick me dia with the arrow poi nting in the correct d irection a s you in sert it int o the slot . T o avoi d dam aging your comput er or the Memo ry Sti ck media, do not force the Memor y Stick med ia into th e slot if you can not insert i t smoothly.
45 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer To format a Memo ry Stick media The Me mory Stic k media has been f ormatted in th e factor y default setting an d is ready for use.
46 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer 6 At the c onfir mation promp t, click OK . The for matting proc ess sta r ts. ! It may ta ke time to format the Memory St ick media d ependin g on th e media.
47 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Removing a Memor y Stic k Media To remove a Me mory Stick media 1 Check that the Media Ac cess indi cator l ight is off. 2 Push th e Memor y Stick media i n tow ard the computer. The Mem ory Stick media ej ects. 3 Pull th e Memor y Sti c k media o ut of the s lot.
48 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Using Other Memor y Cards In addit ion to the M emory Stic k PRO/ Duo media sl ot, your com puter is eq uipped with an SD memory card slot to accom modate other memory c ards. Yo u can use th is slot to tr ansfer data a mong digit al camer as, camc orders, mu sic player s, and ot her audio/v ideo devic es.
49 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Inser ting a Memor y Card To insert a memory card 1 Locate th e SD memor y card slot on the fr ont of the com puter . 2 Hold the m emor y card wi th the arrow facing upward and p ointing toward the mem or y card slo t.
50 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Removing a Memory Card ! Do not remov e a memory ca rd while the Medi a Acce ss indi cator ligh t is on. The card or it s data may beco me damaged. To remove a me mory card 1 Check that the Media Ac cess indi cator l ight is off.
51 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Using the Inter net Setting Up a Dial-up In ter net Connect ion Before you can co nnect to th e Internet , you need to c onnect your computer to a teleph one line w ith a telephon e cable (no t suppli ed). Once you have set up y our telephon e cable con nection, you are ready to connect to the Inter net.
52 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Using Wireless LAN (WLAN ) Using the Sony Wireless LAN (WLAN), all yo ur digital devi ces with built -in WLAN function ality com municate freel y with each other th rough a netwo rk. A WLAN is a n etwork in whic h a user can connect to a Loc al Area Network (LAN) through a wi reless (radio) connectio n.
53 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Wirel ess LAN devices using th e IEEE 802.11a standa rd and t he ones using t he IEEE 802.11 b or g standard cannot commun icate wit h each ot her because the freq uencies are differen t. IEEE 802. 11b: The st andard spee d is 11 Mbps, or ab out 30 to 100 t imes faster than a standard dial up .
54 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Communicati ng without an Access P oint (Ad-hoc) An ad- hoc network is a netw ork in whic h a loca l network is created o nly by th e wireless devic es themse lves, with n o other centr al controll er or acce ss point.
55 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer To commu nicate witho ut an acce ss point (a d-hoc) ! Y ou cannot selec t the 5 GHz band width, which is used for the IEEE 80 2.11 a stan dard, on ad-hoc networ ks. 1 T ur n on the WIRELESS or WIRELESS LAN swi t c h . The Wi reless LA N indicator lights up.
56 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer Communicati ng with an Access P oint (Infrastructure) An infr astructure n etwork is a n etwork that ex tends an e xisting wir ed local ne twork to wire less devi ces by provi ding an ac cess poin t (not supplied ), for example the Sony Acces s Point.
57 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer To conne ct to a wir eless ne twork 1 Make sure an ac cess poi nt is set up. See the m anual that c ame with your acces s point for more informa tion. 2 T ur n on the WIRELESS or WIRELESS LAN swi t c h . The Wi reless LA N indicator lights up.
58 nN Using P eripheral De vices Using P er ipher al De vices You ca n add fu nctionality to your VA IO comp uter by usi ng the va rious por ts on the c omputer.
59 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting Exter nal Speakers You ca n enhan ce the so und quali ty of your c omputer by connecti ng exter nal speake rs. To connect e xternal speakers 1 Plug the speaker cable (1) i nto the head phones j ac k (2) i . 2 Plug the other end of the speaker cable to the exter nal speaker (3).
60 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting an Exter nal Displa y You ca n connec t an external display ( not supp lied) to yo ur comp uter. For exa mple, you can use the compu ter with a co mputer displa y or a projec tor . ✍ Connec t the power cord after co nnecting al l other cable s.
61 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting a Multimedia Computer Displa y You ca n connec t a multime dia comp uter displa y that inc ludes bu ilt-in spe akers and a microp hone direc tly to yo ur compu ter. To connect a multim edia comp uter di splay 1 Plug the power cord of your multime dia comp uter display (1) into a n A C outl et.
62 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting a Projector You ca n connec t a projecto r (for examp le, the So ny LCD proje ctor) direc tly to yo ur computer. To connect a projecto r 1 Connect t he power cord (1) o f y our p rojector int o an AC outlet.
63 nN Using P eripheral De vices Selecting Displa y Modes You can se lect which display to be used as the primary mon itor when an ext ernal displa y (desktop mon itor, etc.
64 nN Using P eripheral De vices Using the Multiple Monitors Function The M ultiple Monitors f unction allows you to dis tribute por tions of your des ktop ac ross sep arate disp lays.
65 nN Using P eripheral De vices To sele ct the Mul tiple Mo nitors mode 1 Right-cli ck on t he desktop an d select Per sonaliz e from the sh or tcut menu. 2 Click D ispla y Sett ings . The Display Settings window app ears. 3 F ollow th e on-screen instruc tions to change th e settings.
66 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting an Exter nal Microphone If yo u need to u se a sound i nput devi ce (for exam ple, to chat over th e Internet ) you need t o plug in an external microphon e (not s upplied). To con nect an ex ternal micropho ne Plug th e micropho ne cable (1 ) into the mi crophon e jack (2) m .
67 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting a Universal Se rial Bus (U SB) De vice To prev ent your computer an d/or USB devices fro m damage, o bserve the following : ❑ When movin g the compute r with USB de vices c onnected, a void any shock or force to the US B por ts.
68 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting a USB Flopp y Disk Dr iv e You ca n purcha se a USB flo ppy disk d rive and c onnect it to y our comput er. To connect a USB floppy d isk drive 1 Choose th e USB por t (1) y ou prefer to use. 2 Plug the USB floppy disk dr ive cable (2) into th e USB por t.
69 nN Using P eripheral De vices Disconnect ing a USB flopp y disk driv e You c an disconn ect a US B floppy disk dri ve when your comp uter is o n or off . Discon necting the drive whe n the co mputer i s in a pow er savi ng mode ( Sleep or Hi bernate) ma y cause the comp uter to malfun ction .
70 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting a Prin ter You ca n connec t a Window s-compati ble prin ter to yo ur computer to prin t document s. Connecting a Printer Using the USB P or t You ca n connec t a USB prin ter compati ble with your version of Windo ws to the comp uter.
71 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting an i.LIN K De vice Notes on connecting i.LI NK de vices ❑ Y our co mputer is equipped with an i. LINK por t, wh ich you can us e to con nect to an i. LINK device su ch as a di gital vi deo camcorde r . ❑ The i.
72 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting a Digital Video Camcorder To connect a digital vi deo cam corder Plug on e end of an i.LINK ca ble (1) (not supplied ) into the i. LINK port (2) on the c omputer and the other e nd into the DV In/ Out por t (3) on th e digital vi deo camcorde r.
73 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting to a Networ k (LAN) You can co nnect your computer to 100BA SE-TX/1 0BASE-T-t ype networks with an Ethernet networ k cable. Connec t one end of a netwo rk cable (no t suppli ed) to the netw ork (Ethern et) port on t he compute r and the othe r end to you r network.
74 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Customizing Y our V AIO Computer This section briefly de scribes how to cha nge the main s ettings o f your VAIO computer . Among oth er things, y ou will learn how to us e and custom ize the l ook of your S ony software and utiliti es, etc.
75 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Setting the P ass word Use one of the BIOS f unctions to set the pas sword. Once you have set the pa ssword, yo u will have to enter th e password after the V AIO logo ap pears to s tart your c omputer. The po wer-on passwo rd will all ow you to protect the c omputer fro m unauthori zed access.
76 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer To add the power- on pas sword 1 T ur n on t he compute r . 2 Pres s the F2 k ey when the V AI O logo appea rs. The BIOS setup scree n appears. If not, restar t the c omputer and p ress the F2 key se ver al times when the V AIO logo appears.
77 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Changing/Remo ving the P ower- on P ass wo rd To change or remove th e power- on password 1 T ur n on t he compute r . 2 Pres s the F2 k ey when the V AI O logo appea rs. The BIOS setup scree n appears. If not, restar t the c omputer and p ress the F2 key se ver al times when the V AIO logo appears.
78 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Setting Up Y our Computer with V AIO Central The VAIO Centra l utility allow s you to con sult syste m informati on and spe cify prefere nces for sys tem behavio r. To use V AIO Cent ral 1 Click St art , All Pro grams , and V A IO Central .
79 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Using the P ow er Sa ving Modes When y ou use a bat tery pack as t he power sour ce for your c omputer, you can take advantage of power ma nagement setti ngs to conse rve battery life.
80 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Using Sleep Mode Sleep mode turns off the LCD screen and pla ces the ha rd disk and the CPU into a l ow power consumptio n mode. T he umbe r power l ight flashes i n this mode. To activate Sle ep mode Click Start , the arrow n ext to the Lock button, and Sl eep .
81 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer If the computer is not used for a certai n period of time, it w ill enter S leep mod e. To avoi d this, you can cha nge the Slee p mod e setti ngs. To change the Slee p mode settings 1 Right-cli ck the power status ic on on the t askbar and select Po wer Opt ions .
82 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Using Hibernate Mode In Hiber nate mode , the state o f the system is saved on t he hard di sk and powe r is turned off . Even whe n the battery runs down, no data will be lost. The power in dicator li ght is off in this mode .
83 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Managing P ow er with V AIO P ow er Management Power management helps you set up powe r schemes for r unning on AC power or batteries t o suit yo ur requirem ents for powe r cons umptio n. VAIO Power Management is a software ap plication d eveloped exclusivel y for VAIO c omputers.
84 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Activ ating V AIO P ow er Management P ower Schemes VAIO Power Management provid es sever al predefin ed power schemes.
85 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer Upgrading Y our V A IO Computer Your V AIO compu ter and m emory modu les use high preci sion co mponents and electroni c connec tors tech nology. To avoid inval idation of the warranty du ring your product war ranty per iod, we reco mmend that : ❑ Y ou contac t your dealer to install a new memor y module.
86 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer Adding and Removing Memor y If you want to expan d the functional ity of you r computer, y ou can incr ease the memor y by instal ling optio nal memory m odules. Before you upgrade y our computer 's memory, rea d the notes an d procedures in the following pages.
87 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer ❑ Use the s pecial bag delivered with the memor y modu le or wrap the m odule in aluminum foil to prote ct it from E SD .
88 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer Removing and Installing a Memor y Module To change or add a memory m odule 1 Shut down the c omputer and discon nect all periphe ral devices. 2 Unplug th e computer a nd remov e the batter y pack. 3 W ait unti l the com puter co ols down.
89 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer 6 Remove the currentl y installe d memor y module as follows: ❑ Pull the latches in the dire ction of th e arrows (1). The mem ory module i s released. ❑ Make sure that th e memor y mod ule tilts up and the n pull it out i n the direc tion of the arrow (2).
90 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer 8 Slide t he memor y mod ule into t he memor y mod ule slot and push it i n until it clicks into pla ce. ! Do not to uch any other compone nts on the moth erboard.
91 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer Viewin g the Amount of Memor y To view the amount of me mory 1 T ur n on t he compute r . 2 Click St art , All Pro grams , and V A IO Central . The V AIO Cent ral window appear s . 3 Click the System Informat ion tab .
92 nN Precau tions Precautions This section describe s safety gui delines an d precautio ns to help you pro tect your VAI O comput er from pote ntial dam age.
93 nN Precau tions On Handling the LCD Screen ❑ Do not leave the LCD screen facing the su n. This could da mage the LCD scree n. Be careful when using your comp uter near a w indow . ❑ Do not sc ratch the LCD s creen or ex er t pres sure on it . This could cause a mal function.
94 nN Precau tions On Using the P ow er Source ❑ See the o nline Sp ecification s to check the power operati on of your model. ❑ Do not sh are the AC outlet with o ther power-consum ing equip ment, suc h as a photoc opier or shr edder . ❑ Y ou can pu rchase a power stri p with a surg e protector.
95 nN Precau tions On Handling Y our Comput er ❑ Clean the cabinet w ith a soft cloth, which is dr y or lightly moi stened with a mild dete rgent so lution. Do not use any type of abrasi v e pad, s courin g powder , or solvent such as a lcohol o r benzine, as these may damage t he finish of your compu ter .
96 nN Precau tions ❑ Use only specifie d periph eral equipmen t and inter f ace cables; othe rwise, problems may occur . ❑ Do not us e cut or dam aged conne ction c ab les. ❑ If your computer is broug ht directly from a col d location t o a war m one, moistur e may condense inside the comput er .
97 nN Precau tions On Handling Flopp y Disks ❑ Do not ope n the shutt er manually o r touch t he surface of the flo pp y disk. ❑ K eep flop p y disks awa y from magne ts. ❑ K eep flop p y disks awa y from di rect sunl ight and ot her sourc es of heat.
98 nN Precau tions On Handling Discs ❑ Do not touc h the surface of the disc. ❑ Do not dr op or bend th e disc. ❑ Finger pr ints and dust on t he surface of a disc may cause read erro rs. Alwa ys hold the di sc by its edges and central hole, as shown below: ❑ Proper c are of the disc is e ssentia l to its c ontinuous rel iability .
99 nN Precau tions On Using the Batter y P ack ❑ Do not leave batter y packs in t emperatures a bov e 140°F (60 °C), such a s in a ca r parked in the sun or unde r direct sunlig ht. ❑ Batter y li f e is shor ter in a cold environm ent. This is due to dec reased batte r y efficien cy at low temp eratures.
100 nN Precau tions On Using Headphones ❑ Road safety – Do not use headph ones while d riv ing, cycling , or operat ing any motor ized v ehi cle. It may create a traffic hazard and is ill egal in som e areas. It c an also be po tentially dangerous to play loud music whil e walking, espec ially at pedestr ian cr ossings.
101 nN Precau tions On Handling Memor y Stic k Media ❑ Do not touc h the Mem or y Stick media connecto r with your finger or metalli c objects. ❑ Use only the adhes iv e lab el suppl ied with th e Memor y Sti ck media as a l abel. ❑ Do not ben d, drop, or apply str ong sho c k to the Memor y Stick m edia.
102 nN Precau tions On Handling the Hard Disk The ha rd disk ha s a high storage dens ity and reads or wri tes data in a short tim e. However, i t can be e asily dama ged by mechan ical vi bration, sh ock, or dus t.
103 nN Precau tions On Updating Y our C omputer Confirm that the lates t updates have been in stalled on your com puter usin g the follow ing softwar e applicati ons so that th e compute r can run more effi ciently.
104 nN T r oublesho oting T rou b leshoo ting This section d escribes how to sol ve comm on problem s you m ight enc ounter when using y our VAIO computer. Many prob lems have s imple solu tions. T ry these sugg estions before vis iting the So ny onlin e support W eb site at: http: //esu ppor t.
105 nN T r oublesho oting Computer What should I do if m y computer does not st ar t? ❑ Make sure your comput er is securel y plugged into a power sourc e and tur ned on. Ma k e sure the pow er indi cator shows the power is on . ❑ Make sure the b atter y pack is i nstalled pr operly and cha rged.
106 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if a BIOS error appear s when I turn on my computer? If the message "P ress <F1> to resume, <F2> to s etup" appe ars at the bo ttom of t he screen, fol low these steps: 1 Pres s the F2 key .
107 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if m y comput er or soft ware stops resp onding? ❑ If your comput er stops responding while a soft ware applica tion is r unning , press t he Alt + F4 ke y s to close th e applicat ion window .
108 nN T r oublesho oting Wh y doesn't my computer enter Sle ep or Hiber nate mode? Your co mputer may become unstable if t he operat ing mode i s change d before the c omputer complete ly enters Sl eep or Hibernate mod e. To restore you r computer to normal op erating stability 1 Close al l open programs.
109 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if a message windo w , notifying o f incompatibility or improper installa tion of the battery pac k, appears and my computer enters Hibernate mode? ❑ This sy mptom co uld be due to the batter y pack not being install ed proper ly .
110 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if m y g ame software does not w ork or it k eeps cr ashing? ❑ Check the Web site of the game if the re are any patche s or updates to download. ❑ Make sure you have installed the latest vide o driver . ❑ On some V AIO mo dels, the graphics mem ory is shared with the syste m.
111 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if I cannot boot my computer from the USB flo pp y disk driv e connected to the computer? To boo t your comp uter from th e USB floppy disk drive , you need to change the boot devi ce. Turn on your co mputer an d press the F11 key when the V AIO logo ap pears.
112 nN T r oublesho oting System Security How ca n I protect my computer against se curity threats , such as vir uses? The Mi crosoft Wind ows operati ng system is preinstall ed on your comp uter.
113 nN T r oublesho oting Batter y How do I fi nd the batter y charging stat us? See Charging the B attery Pack ( page 22) . When is m y computer using A C po wer? When y our compute r is dire ctly conne cted to the AC adapter , it uses A C power, even if the batt ery pack i s install ed.
114 nN T r oublesho oting Should I b e concer ned that the installed batter y pack is warm? No, it is normal for th e battery pa ck to be w arm when it is p owering your computer.
115 nN T r oublesho oting Inter net What should I do if m y mod em does not work? ❑ Make sure the te lepho ne cable is secur ely plugged into the m odem por t on your com puter and the wall jack. ❑ Make sure t he telepho ne cable is wor king. Plug the cable into an ordinar y tel ephone and listen for a dial t one.
116 nN T r oublesho oting Wh y is m y modem connection slow? Your c omputer is equipped with a V.9 2/ V.90 compatib le modem. Many fact ors may in fluence m odem con nection spee d, inclu ding telep hone line n oise or com patibility w ith telepho ne equipme nt, such as fax machin es or other modems.
117 nN T r oublesho oting Networking What should I do if m y computer cannot connect to a wireless LAN access point? ❑ Connecti on av ailability is affected by distanc e and obst ructio ns. Y ou m a y need to m ov e your compute r a wa y from obst ruct ions or cl oser to any ac cess po int you may be using.
118 nN T r oublesho oting Wh y is the data tr ansf er speed slo w? ❑ The wi reless LAN data transfer speed i s affected by distan ce a nd obstr uctions between devices and acces s poin ts. Other factors incl ude device configu rations, radio con ditions, and so ftware comp atibility .
119 nN T r oublesho oting What are channels? ❑ Wireles s LAN co mmunicatio n occurs o n divided freq uency ba nds known as channels. Thir d-par ty w ireless LAN access poin t channels m ay be preset to d iff erent c hannels f rom Sony devices.
120 nN T r oublesho oting Optical Discs Wh y does my computer freez e when I tr y to read a disc? The di sc that your co mputer is t rying to read may be di rty or dam aged. Follo w these steps : 1 Pres s the Ctr l+Alt +Delet e ke ys an d click the arrow next to the Shut down b utton and Rest art to restar t the co mputer .
121 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if I cannot pla y a disc p roperly on m y computer? ❑ Make sure t he disc is in ser ted into the op tical di sc drive with th e label facing upward. ❑ Make sure t he necessar y program(s) is instal led accor ding to the manufacturer's inst ruc tions.
122 nN T r oublesho oting 5 Double-click the op tical disc d rive device to open a list of t he optica l disc dr ives of your computer. 6 Double-click the de sired dr ive . Y ou can c onfir m the dr iv er software by selecti ng the Driver tab , and c licking Driver Details .
123 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if I cannot write data to CD media? ❑ Make sure you neith er launc h any software a pplication nor allow any to lau nch autom atically , not ev en a sc reen saver .
124 nN T r oublesho oting Displ a y Wh y did my screen go b lank? ❑ Y our comput er screen ma y go b lank i f the computer loses power or ent ers a power saving mo de (Slee p or Hiber nate). If the comput er is in LCD (Video ) Sl eep mode, press any ke y to br ing the comp uter back into Nor mal mode.
125 nN T r oublesho oting Wh y doesn't my screen displa y a video? ❑ If the exter nal displ a y is selected f or the di splay output and t he externa l display is disconn ected, you cannot displ a y a video on your computer sc reen.
126 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if t he LCD brightness of m y screen changes? The LC D brightne ss setting , adjuste d with the Fn + F5 / F6 keys , is temp orary and may be res tored to the o riginal s etting when your computer r eturns to Norma l mode fr om Sleep or Hibernat e mode.
127 nN T r oublesho oting How do I run Windows Aero? This Q & A e ntry applie s to sel ected mod els only . To run W indows A ero, follow t hese step s: 1 Click St art and Cont rol P anel . 2 Click Customize co lors under Appearance and P ersonalization .
128 nN T r oublesho oting Pr inting What should I do if I cannot print a document? ❑ Make sure your pr inter is on, and the printer cable is secu rely connec ted to the po r ts on the p rin ter and comp uter . ❑ Make sure your pr inter is compatible wit h the Wind ows operating syste m installed on your compute r .
129 nN T r oublesho oting Microphone What should I do if m y microp hone does not work? If yo u are using an external microphon e, make sur e the micro phone is tur ned on and is proper ly plugged i nto the mi crophone jack on your com puter.
130 nN T r oublesho oting Mouse What should I do if m y computer does not re cogniz e m y mouse? ❑ Make sure your mous e is secur ely plugge d into the p or t. ❑ Res tar t y our co mpute r wi th y our mous e conn ect ed. What should I do if t he pointer does not mov e when I use m y mouse? ❑ Make sure anoth er mouse i s not connec ted.
131 nN T r oublesho oting Speak ers What should I do if m y e xternal speak ers do not work? ❑ Make sure your speakers a re proper ly connec ted and the v olume is tu rned up loud en ough to hea r sound. ❑ Make sure your speakers a re designed f or compu ter use.
132 nN T r oublesho oting T ouch P ad What should I do if t he touch p ad does not work? ❑ Y ou may hav e disabled the to uch pad witho ut connectin g a mouse to y our computer .
133 nN T r oublesho oting K e yboard What should I do if t he k e yboard configur ation is wrong? The la nguage lay out of your c omputer's ke yboard is l abeled on t he packag ing box. If you choose a d ifferent reg ional keybo ard when yo u complet e the Wind ows setup, the key co nfiguration will be mis matched.
134 nN T r oublesho oting Flopp y Disks Wh y doesn't the Saf ely Remov e Hardwar e icon appear on the t askbar when the drive is connected ? Your com puter doe s not recog nize the floppy disk drive. Fir st, make s ure the USB c able is pr operly c onnected to th e USB port.
135 nN T r oublesho oting A udio/Video What should I do if I cannot use my D V camcorder? If the message app ears to ind icate DV equipment seems to be d isconnect ed or tur ned off, the i.LINK ca ble may n ot be securel y plugge d into the p orts on you r compu ter or cam corder.
136 nN T r oublesho oting Memor y Stick Media What should I do if I cannot use Memor y Stick media , which were fo r matted on a V AIO computer , on other de vices? You may need to refo rmat your Memory Sti ck media. Form atting Mem ory Stick m edia erases all data , includ ing musi c data pr eviously saved on it.
137 nN T r oublesho oting P eripherals What should I do if I cannot connect a USB de vice? ❑ If applic able, chec k the USB device is tur ned o n and usi ng its own power supply . F or e xample, if you are us ing a di gital camera, che ck if the batter y is char ged.
138 nN Support Options Suppor t Options This section contains in formation o n where to go f or answe rs to questi ons about yo ur VAIO c omputer and the prein stalled software . Sony Suppor t Inf or mation See the following source s for answe rs in the s equence l isted below.
139 nN Support Options 5 V A IO Update When yo ur computer is connec ted to the Internet, VAIO Update automati cally noti fies you wh en critic al software a nd security i nformation is pos ted on the support Web site. Clic k the VAIO Updat e notic e to ope n the VA IO Suppor t Web site and vi ew th e info rmat ion.
140 nN Support Options For users in Latin Amer ican countri es or areas Cust omer I nform ation Center If you do not fi nd the in formatio n you are looking for at our site, you may call Son y directly.
141 nN Support Options In orde r to contac t a Sony te chnical s upport repres entative , please ca ll the fol lowing num bers: ❑ In Arge ntina: (011) 67 70-SONY ( 7669) ❑ In Me xico : In Me xico .
142 nN Support Options Program Suppor t Inf or mation Dependi ng on the c omputer m odel and p articular c onfigurat ion you pur chased, yo ur compu ter may not include all of the software p rograms lis ted below. Contacts for Sony software p roducts are listed below : ❑ F or us ers in USA We b si t e http://es uppor t.
143 nN Support Options America Online ® ( Dial-Up) Ameri ca Online, Inc. ❑ F or use rs in USA and Canada We b si t e http://www .aol.com AOL ® Musi c No w Ameri ca Online, Inc. ❑ F or use rs in USA and Canada We b si t e http://www .premiums er vices.
144 nN Support Options AOL ® Inst ant Messe nger ™ Ameri ca Online, Inc. ❑ F or use rs in USA and Canada We b si t e http://www .aim.com Bluetooth ® Utility TOS HIBA Co rpor ati on For cont acts abou t the software , see Program Support Information (page 14 2) .
145 nN Support Options InstantO n InterVideo , Inc. ❑ F or use rs in USA and Canada We b si t e http://www .inter video.com/jsp/Suppo r t.jsp Micros oft ® Office B asic Editio n, Office Professional Edition, O ffice Small Business E dition Micr osoft Corp.
146 nN Support Options Micros oft ® Intern et Explorer , Movie M aker, Media P layer, Wor ks Micr osoft Corp. ❑ F or use rs in USA and Canada We b si t e http://s uppor t.mic rosoft.com MobiTV ® MobiTV, In c. ❑ F or use rs in USA and Canada We b si t e http://www .
147 nN Support Options Protecto r Suite QL Sony E lectronic s Inc. Protec tor Suite QL E dition al lows yo u to easily se tup your fingerpri nt sensor t hat comes with your com puter. Prot ector Suite Q L supports fingerprint l ogon, fas t user switch ing, file e ncryption , register ing forms a nd more.
148 nN Support Options SonicSta ge ® softw are Sony E lectronic s Inc. The So nicStage jukebox software pr ogram giv es you al l the tools you need t o manag e music on your co mputer. SonicS tage softw are suppor ts high-qua lity digita l audio st orage, a sl eek pla yer skin des ign, and a udio CD burni ng capabil ity.
149 nN Support Options VAIO ® Acti on Setup Sony E lectronic s Inc. VAIO Ac tion Setup manages t he setting s for your c omputer's s hortcut keys . For cont acts abou t the software , see Program Support Information (page 14 2) . VAIO ® Camera Capture Utilit y Sony E lectronic s Inc.
150 nN Support Options VAIO ® Diagnostic Sony E lectronic s Inc. For cont acts abou t the software , see Program Support Information (page 14 2) . VAIO ® Ed it Component Sony E lectronic s Inc. VAIO Edi t Component provides enhanced editing funct ionality when using A dobe Premi ere Pro or A dobe Premi ere Element s on your VAIO co mputer.
151 nN Support Options VAIO Me dia ™ software Sony E lectronic s Inc. VAIO Medi a ™ software br ings mult imedia to y our netwo rk, enablin g you to sha re musi c, video, an d still i mage file s between y our VAIO ® computers.
152 nN Support Options VAIO ® Update Sony E lectronic s Inc. The VA IO Update utili ty helps y ou keep your V AIO ® compute r up to date by regularly ch ecking th e Sony online support Web si te for impor tant software updates a nd informati on for your s pecific VA IO compute r model.
153 nN Support Options Xdrive ™ Ameri ca Online, Inc. ❑ F or use rs in USA and Canada We b si t e http://www .xdri v e.com/supp or t Zoom Utility Sony E lectronic s Inc. The Zoom Utility will allow you to magn ify a portio n of the sc reen. For cont acts abou t the software , see Program Support Information (page 14 2) .
© 2007 S ony Corpor ation n.
An important point after buying a device Sony VGN-N300 (or even before the purchase) is to read its user manual. We should do this for several simple reasons:
If you have not bought Sony VGN-N300 yet, this is a good time to familiarize yourself with the basic data on the product. First of all view first pages of the manual, you can find above. You should find there the most important technical data Sony VGN-N300 - thus you can check whether the hardware meets your expectations. When delving into next pages of the user manual, Sony VGN-N300 you will learn all the available features of the product, as well as information on its operation. The information that you get Sony VGN-N300 will certainly help you make a decision on the purchase.
If you already are a holder of Sony VGN-N300, but have not read the manual yet, you should do it for the reasons described above. You will learn then if you properly used the available features, and whether you have not made any mistakes, which can shorten the lifetime Sony VGN-N300.
However, one of the most important roles played by the user manual is to help in solving problems with Sony VGN-N300. Almost always you will find there Troubleshooting, which are the most frequently occurring failures and malfunctions of the device Sony VGN-N300 along with tips on how to solve them. Even if you fail to solve the problem, the manual will show you a further procedure – contact to the customer service center or the nearest service center
