Sony PCV-R522DS v2 User's Guide

Pages 245

Year 1999

Language(s)

of 245

User's Guide

40 pages

User's Guide

245 pages

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Read Me First

PCV-R522DS/PCV-R526DS/PCV-R528DS

1999 Sony Electronics Inc. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. All rights reserved. Sony, VAIO, the VAIO logo, VAIO Smart, VAIO Digital Studio, DVgate, and i.LINK are trademarks of Sony. All other trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How do I recover applications or drivers that came with my computer if the files are corrupted or deleted?

A: The Application Recovery CDs allow you to reinstall individual applications and device drivers if they are corrupted or accidentally erased. Reinstalling an individual device driver or software title may correct a problem you are experiencing with your computer, and you may not need to recover the entire contents of your hard drive. If you do need to reinstall all the software titles that shipped with your computer, use the System Recovery CD(s).

You must be in Windows to run the Application Recovery CD(s). The application will not run from DOS. If you have any questions on using the Application Recovery CD(s), contact Sony Customer Support.

To use the Application Recovery CD(s)

1. Turn on your computer. If your computer is already on, close all applications.

2. When the Windows desktop appears, insert the Sony Application Recovery CD in the CD-ROM drive. The Application Recovery utility loads automatically.

3. When the Application Recovery menu appears, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the recovery process.

Your system may include one or two Application Recovery CDs. If you have two Application Recovery CDs, insert the first CD to run the Application Recovery program. You may be prompted to insert the second CD, depending on the application you wish to restore.

Q: How do I change the parallel port type to ECP, EPP, or bi-directional?

A: You can change the parallel port type using the System Setup utility. To access System Setup, click the Start button, select Settings, and then select Restart. When the Sony screen displays and you hear the Sony jingle, press the F2 key on your keyboard. Select "Chipset Features Setup" from the CMOS Setup Utility screen. Use the arrow keys to highlight Parallel Port Mode. You can toggle between the Normal (bi-directional), ECP + EPP, ECP, and EPP options using the Page Up (PU) or Page Down (PD) buttons. When the desired setting displays, press the Escape key to return to the CMOS Setup Utility screen. Select the F10 key to Save and Exit. Select Yes (Y) to save the CMOS settings and exit. Press the Enter key. The system automatically starts with the new settings.

Q: Why isn't the CD-ROM drive reading a CD?

A: After inserting a CD, you must wait a few seconds for the CD to be detected before trying to access it. If your drive reads some CDs but not others, check the shiny side of the disc for dirt or scratches. You may also need to clean the CD-ROM drive lens with a CD-ROM cleaner.

Q: How do I set up faxing capability in Windows 98?

A: Windows 98 does not provide a built-in fax utility. Sony has included the Symantec WinFax Basic Edition software for your faxing needs. To set up WinFax Basic, click the Start button, point to Programs, and select Configure WinFax Basic Edition software. Follow the on-screen instructions to configure the fax utility. For details on using WinFax Basic software with America Online, see Using America Online with WinFax Basic Edition of this manual.

Q: How do I change the video resolution of my display?

A: From the Start menu, select Settings and click Control Panel. Click the Display icon and select Settings. Move the Screen area slider to change the resolution.

Q: Why does Windows lock up during shut down?

A: Windows may not shut down properly for many reasons, including incompatible or conflicting drivers, damaged files, or non-responsive hardware. For troubleshooting information, you can search Windows 98 Help. From the Start menu, select Help, click the Contents tab, click Troubleshooting, and then click Windows 98 Troubleshooters. Click the subject for which you want information, and then answer the questions that are appropriate for your problem.

Q: Why is my system running slowly?

A: The speed varies depending on the number of applications that are open and running. Close any applications that you are not currently using. Increasing the system memory may also help. The computer has two memory slots. For memory upgrades, use only 3.3V 64-bit PC-100 SDRAM DIMM modules.

Q: Why is there no sound in any application? Page 2

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A: There are independent controls for your system volume.

There is volume control in the Windows task tray. Click the icon and slide the level bar up to increase the volume.

In addition to adjusting the volume, check that the Mute check box is not selected in the Windows volume

control .

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Supplementary Information

Upgrading Your Computer

If your remove the chassis cover to access the inside of your computer, be sure to use the three screws that hold the back panel in position when you replace the cover. If you remove the front panel to access the drive bay, be sure to replace the front panel.

Connecting a Digital Video Recorder

Before connecting a digital video camera recorder to your computer, turn off the power on the camera. After connecting the camera, turn the power back on. You do not need to turn off the computer when connecting a camera.

Connecting to i.LINK Ports

Your VAIO computer includes a 4-pin i.LINK connector on the front of the system and a 6-pin i.LINK connector on the back of the system. A 6-pin i.LINK connector can supply power from the computer to the connected device if the device is equipped with a 6-pin connector. A 6-pin connector supplies 10V to 12V. The total power supplied by the 6-pin i.LINK connector cannot exceed 6 watts. A 4-pin connector cannot supply power to a connected device. The following Sony i.LINK 400 Mbps cables are available and recommended for use with your computer:

VMC-IL4415

VMC-IL4435

VMC-IL4615

VMC-IL4635

VMC-IL6615

VMC-IL6635

Connecting Computers by i.LINK

When connecting more than two computers by i.LINK, none of the connected computers should enter Suspend, Hibernation, Standby mode during a file transfer, as this could result in a loss of data, If one of the connected computers does enter a power saving mode, resume power, then disconnect and reconnect the i.LINK cable. Note that if you connect a notebook docking station using an i.LINK cable, you cannot use Smart Connect when the computer is not in the docking station.

Hard Drive Partition

In order to improve the performance of your computer's DVgateTM Motion software, the hard disk drive on your computer has been formatted with two partitions, C and D. DVgate Motion saves files to the D partition. This prevents large video captures from consuming the available space on your C partition. To maintain optimum performance of DVgate Motion, you should defragment your D partition regularly.

VAIO Smart Keyboard Default Settings

The VAIO Smart Keyboard programmable buttons come with the following applications as their default settings:

S1 - Easy Internet Access Browser (Internet)

S2 - Outlook 98 (Mail)

S3 - Rogue SquadronTM 3D: Elite MissionsTM (Game)

S4 - Microsoft Works (Work)

S5 - Quicken 99 Basic (Finance)

S6 - VAIO Documentation (Help)

All six buttons are reprogrammable. Page 4

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Your S6 button may be configured to launch the Sony demonstration. To configure S6 to launch Help, click the VAIO Smart Keyboard icon located in the task tray at the bottom right corner of your screen. The Customization window displays. Select Sony Help Center from the list and then click OK.

Applications That Use the TWAIN Driver

Digital imaging applications, such as Adobe PhotoDeluxe, allow you to transfer images to your computer from external devices, including scanners or digital cameras. For some devices, a TWAIN driver window appears on the screen. Always close the TWAIN driver window before exiting or minimizing a digital imaging application.

Restoring Outlook 98

For the Add New Components functionality to be available with Microsoft Outlook, you must first run the installation program for Outlook from the Application Recovery CD. When prompted to install the program, select Exit. This decompresses the software, making the Add New Components functionality available.

Capturing and Editing Digital Video Clips

For detailed information on capturing and editing digital video clips using DVgate Motion, refer to the DVgate Motion Readme file. To access the file, from the Start menu, point to Programs, point to DVgate Motion, and then select DVgate Motion Readme.

Using Alternate Browsers with America Online

To use Internet ExplorerTM or Netscape Navigator as your browser with America Online, follow these steps:

1. From the Start menu, point to Settings and then click Control Panel.

2. Click the Internet icon.

3. Click the Connection tab.

4. Click the "Connect to the Internet using local area network" radio button.

5. Click OK.

Using DVgate Motion

When capturing clips:

Do not use DVgate Motion when the connected digital video peripheral is in Timer Recording mode, as this could produce a malfunction in the peripheral.

Captures larger than 2 GB (9 minutes and 30 seconds) are automatically continued in a second file.

You can record stereo audio (stereo 1) while capturing video. You cannot add audio on the stereo 2 track after capturing the video data.

You cannot use different audio modes on the same tape. You should perform a separate capture for each audio mode you wish to use.

DVgate Motion does not support hard disk compression. You should not use disk compression if you are planning to work with DVgate Motion.

Title data is saved in the flash memory of a digital video camera and is not transferred to tape by DVgate Motion.

To avoid interruption of capture sessions, you should disable the screen saver.

The drop frame compensation feature does not provide accurate compensation adjustments for tapes recorded in LP mode.

For tapes that include a mixture of both SP and LP mode, the information displayed by the capture progress indicator may not be accurate.

Make sure the video head of your digital video device is properly cleaned. Anomalies that you see in captured data could be due to dust or other particles on the video head.

o The last frame captured is one frame before your selected [OUT] point. The frame you see immediatelyPage 5

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after clicking the [OUT] button is not captured.

When recording AVI files to tape:

Do not use DVgate Motion when the connected digital video peripheral is in Timer Recording mode, as this could produce a malfunction in the peripheral.

o You can record only AVI files. MPEG files cannot be recorded.

To avoid recording problems, such as a single frame appearing in multiple frames, close other applications on your system while recording.

You cannot use different audio modes on the same tape. If you have AVI files that use different audio modes, they cannot be recorded at the same time, but must be recorded separately.

Do not attempt to work with AVI files that are smaller than 4 MB.

DVgate Motion does not support hard disk compression. You should not use disk compression if you are planning to work with DVgate Motion.

In order to maximize recording capabilities, video and audio data are not available while you are recording.

If DVgate Motion indicates that frames have been dropped, close all open applications, or defragment your hard drive.

Using America Online with WinFax Basic Edition

Once you have configured WinFax Basic Edition software, it is automatically available for your use. You cannot use America Online when the automatic fax receive feature of WinFax Basic Edition software is on. To disable this feature, right click the WinFax icon in the task tray at the bottom right corner of your screen, and then select Exit.

Memory Upgrade Specifications

When upgrading memory, use only 3.3V 64-bit PC-100 168 PIN SDRAM DIMM modules. For more information on Digital Studio Computer compatible memory, call Sony at 1-888-4SONYPC (1-888-476-6972).

Using the Power Button on the System and on the Keyboard

The power button on the keyboard performs a system shutdown, but does not give you the options available when you use the Windows Shutdown menu. Shutting down from the Windows Shutdown menu allows you to choose options such as Standby, Restart, and Restart in MS DOS mode.

Shutting down your computer improperly may result in loss of data.

If your system "locks up" or crashes, hold down the power button on the system for several seconds to force it to power off. Repeat the procedure if required.

Pentium III Identification

Your operating system was created prior to the Pentium III processor release, so it does not correctly report the Pentium III name. Please be assured that your computer is equipped with the latest Pentium III processor.

Pentium III Unique Serial Number Feature

To protect your privacy, the serial number feature that uniquely identifies your system has been disabled. To enable this feature, use the utility provided with your system. From the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Intel Processor Serial Number Control Utility, and then click Intel Processor Serial Number Control Utility. In the dialog box, click Settings and then click Enable.

If You Get an Error Message When Your Modem Tries to Dial

If you get a message saying your modem is unable to complete a dialup connection, the message may be appearing because you are dialing from an area where an overlay area code has been implemented. In such areas, even local calls require dialing the area code, or 1 + the area code, before the 7-digit telephone number. If you are dialing from such an area, you need to configure your dialup software to dial the area code or 1 + the area code, before the 7-digit number. For instructions on how to do this, consult your dialup software's manual or online help. The same instructions will also tell you how to configure your dialup software to dial a 9 or other number to access an outside line (you may need to do this if, for instance, you are dialing from an office building).

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