Sony VAIO PCGFX210 PCGFX215 User Guide

							Using Your Recovery CDs
111
Using Your Recovery CDs
The following sections describe how to use the Application Recovery and System 
Recovery utilities. 
Using the Application Recovery CD(s)
The Application Recovery CD(s) allows you to reinstall individual applications if 
they become corrupted or are accidentally erased. Reinstalling an individual 
software title may correct a problem you are experiencing with your computer or 
software application; you may not need to reinstall the entire contents of your 
hard drive. If you need to reinstall all the software titles that shipped with your 
computer, use the System Recovery CD(s). See “Using the System Recovery 
CD(s)” . 
To use the Application Recovery CD(s)
1Turn on your computer. If your computer is already on, close all 
applications.
2When the Windows desktop appears, insert the Sony Application Recovery 
CD in the optical drive. The Application Recovery utility loads 
automatically.
3When the Application Recovery menu appears, select the icon for the 
application you want to restore and then follow the on-screen instructions to 
complete the recovery process.
✍You must be in Windows to run the Application Recovery CD. If you have any 
questions on using the Application Recovery CD, contact Sony Customer Support.
✍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. 
						

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112
Using the Driver Recovery CD(s)
The Driver Recovery CD utility allows you to reinstall individual drivers and 
repair software applications if they become corrupted or are accidentally erased. 
You can reinstall an individual driver to correct a problem that you are 
experiencing with your computer, hardware, or software application. VAIO 
Support Agent uses a vault feature on the Driver Recovery CD(s) to repair 
software applications.
To use the Driver Recovery CD(s)
1Turn on your computer. If your computer is already on, close all 
applications.
2When the Windows desktop appears, insert the Driver Recovery CD in the 
optical drive. The Driver Recovery utility loads automatically.
3When the Driver Recovery menu appears, follow the on-screen instructions 
to complete the recovery process.
Using the System Recovery CD(s)
You can reinstall software titles that shipped with your computer if they are 
corrupted or erased. You may not need to recover the entire contents of your hard 
drive. If you experience a problem with your computer, reinstalling an individual 
device driver or software title may correct the problem. Use the Application 
Recovery CD(s) to reinstall individual applications or device drivers. See “Using 
the Application Recovery CD(s)” . 
The System Recovery CD contains a backup copy of all the software originally 
installed on your hard disk drive. It can be used only to recover the hard disk 
of the notebook you purchased.
The System Recovery utility gives you Full Restore with Format, that is it 
formats the hard disk drive then restores all the original software.
✍You must be in Windows to run the Driver Recovery CD utility. 
						

							Using Your Recovery CDs
113 To use the System Recovery CD(s)
1Insert the Sony System Recovery CD in the optical drive.
2Shut down your computer as described in “Shutting Down Your Computer” .
3Wait four seconds and turn on your computer.
4Click OK to signify you have read and accept the Microsoft End-User 
License Agreement.
5When the System Recovery menu appears, follow the on-screen instructions 
to complete the recovery process.
If your computer does not start from the Recovery CD
1Press the power button and hold it for more than four seconds to turn off the 
computer.
2Turn on the computer. When the Sony logo is displayed, press the F2 key. 
The BIOS setup menu screen appears.
3Press the arrow keys to select the Exit menu.
4Press the arrow keys to select “Get Default Values” and then press the Enter 
key. The message “Load default configuration now?” appears.
5Check that “Yes” is selected, then press the Enter key. 
6Press the arrow keys to select “Exit” (Save Changes) and then press the Enter 
key. The message “Save configuration changes and exit now?” appears.
7Check that “Yes” is selected, then press the Enter key. The computer restarts 
from the Recovery CD.
Full Restore with Format removes all the information on the hard disk drive. 
You will lose any software you have installed and any other files you have 
created since you started to use your computer. This means you will have to 
reinstall any applications that were not included with the computer when you 
purchased it. If you have any questions on using the System Recovery CD, 
contact Sony Customer Support. 
						

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114 To repair software applications using VAIO Support Agent
The Driver Recovery CD utility has an information vault that contains the 
original characteristics for the preinstalled software applications that are 
protected by VAIO Support Agent.
✍Your system may include one or two System Recovery CDs. If you have two System 
Recovery CDs, insert the first CD to run the System Recovery program. You are 
prompted to insert the second CD once the information from the first CD has been 
installed.
The recovery process takes from 30 to 60 minutes to complete.
After recovering your system using the SRCD, you may be prompted to insert your 
ARCD after restarting Windows. Insert the ARCD to automatically complete recovery 
of your system. 
						

							115
Troubleshooting
This section describes how to solve common problems you may encounter when 
using your notebook. Many problems have simple solutions, so try these 
suggestions before you contact Sony PC Support (http://www.sony.com/
pcsupport).
Troubleshooting your notebook
When starting your notebook for the first time, the VAIO InitManager dialog box 
will appear. Please select “OK” to begin initial setup. If you do not execute the 
initial setup, you cannot use part of VAIO original hardware functions such as 
Power Management tool, scroll function of touchpad, and keyboard shortcut key 
function combined with the Fn key.
My notebook does not start
❑Check that the notebook is plugged into a power source and that it is turned 
on. Check that the power indicator on the front panel of the notebook 
indicates that the power is on.
❑Check that the battery packs are inserted properly and that they are charged.
❑Make sure there is no diskette in the floppy disk drive.
❑Confirm that the power cord and all cables are connected firmly, as 
described in “Connecting a Power Source” .
❑If you plugged the notebook into a power strip or UPS, make sure the power 
strip or UPS is turned on and working.
❑If you are using an external display, check that it is plugged into a power 
source and turned on. Check that the brightness and contrast controls are 
adjusted correctly. See the manual that came with your display for details.
❑Moisture condensation may have occurred. Do not use the notebook for at 
least one hour and then turn on the notebook.
❑Take the battery pack off the notebook, unplug the power cord and plug it 
again, then turn on the power. 
						

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116 My notebook starts, but my system doesn’t start properly
❑When the internal backup battery is low on power, it may not start your 
system properly. The message “Press  to resume,  to setup” 
appears at the bottom of the screen. Follow these steps:
1 Press F2. The BIOS Setup menu appears.
2 Set the date (month/day/year). Press Enter.
3 Press   to select System Time, then set the time (hour: minute: 
second). Press Enter.
4Press  to select Exit, then press   to select Get Default Values. The 
message “Load default configuration now?” appears.
5 Select Yes and press Enter.
6 Select Exit (Save Changes), and then press Enter. The message “Save 
Configuration changes and exit now?” appears.
7 Select Yes, and then press Enter. The notebook restarts.
My notebook starts, but the message “Operating system not found” appears 
and Windows does not start
❑Make sure there is no diskette in the floppy disk drive (non-bootable). 
❑If a non-bootable diskette is in the drive, follow these steps:
1 Turn off the notebook, and then remove the diskette.
2 Restart the notebook and confirm that Windows starts properly. 
❑If Windows still does not start, follow the steps below to initialize the BIOS:
1 Remove any diskette from the floppy disk drive.
2 Turn off the notebook.
3 Remove any peripheral devices connected to the notebook.
4 Turn the notebook back on.
5 Press the F2 key when the Sony logo appears. The BIOS setup menu 
screen appears.
6 Press the directional arrow keys to select the Exit menu.




 
						

							Troubleshooting
117 7 Press the arrow keys to select “Get Default Values” and then press 
Enter. The message “Load default configuration now?” appears. 
8 Select Yes, then press Enter.
9 Use the directional arrow keys to select “Exit” (Save Changes), and then 
press Enter. The message “Save configuration changes and exit now?” 
appears.
10 Select Yes, then press Enter. The notebook restarts.
If your notebook continues to display the message “Operating system not found”, 
and Windows does not start, contact Sony Customer Support.
My notebook stops responding or does not shut down
It is best to shut down your notebook using the Shut Down command on the 
Windows Start menu. Using other methods, including those listed here, may 
result in loss of unsaved data. 
❑Try restarting the notebook. On the Windows taskbar, click the Start button, 
click Shut Down, and then click Restart.
❑If you cannot restart as described in the preceding step, you can restart the 
notebook by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete (at the same time) twice.
❑If the previous step does not work, press and hold the power button for at 
least four seconds. This turns off the power.
❑If your notebook stops responding while playing a CD or DVD, stop the CD/
DVD, and restart the notebook by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete (at the same 
time) twice.
❑Unplug the notebook from the AC adapter and remove the battery pack from 
your notebook.
✍Pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete (at the same time) or turning off the notebook with the power 
switch may result in data loss in files that are currently open. 
						

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118 My notebook does not enter the power saving mode I selected. 
❑Click Start, point to Program, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, 
and then click System Information. 
The Help and Support window appears.
❑Click System Configuration Utility under the Tools menu.
❑Click the Advanced button on the General tab, and Confirm the following 
information:
1 The message “Standby function is enabled” is displayed. If the message 
reads “Standby function is disabled”, click the Enable button.
2 The message “Hibernate feature is enabled” is displayed. If the message 
reads “Hibernate feature is disabled”, click the Enable button.
3 Click OK and restart your notebook.
The Power Management setting is not responding
Your notebook is unstable. To restore your notebook to its normal operating 
stability: 
❑Close all open applications.
❑Push and hold the power button for four seconds or longer to shut down 
the notebook.
Troubleshooting the LCD screen
My LCD screen is blank
❑Check that the notebook is plugged into a power source and that it is turned 
on. 
❑Check that the power indicator on the notebook is on.
❑Check that the battery pack(s) is inserted properly and that they are charged.
❑The notebook may be in LCD (Video) Standby mode. Press any key to 
activate the screen.
❑The display mode may be set to external display mode. Press and hold the Fn 
key while pressing F7 several times. 
						

							Troubleshooting
119 My LCD screen continues to show the previous screen.
Press the Windows key and D key twice to refresh the screen.
The image on my connected external display is not centered or sized properly
Use the controls on your external display to adjust the image. See the manual that 
came with your display for more information.
I want to change the video resolution of my display
You can use independent controls to change the video resolution of your display.
❑Click Start, point to Settings, point to Control Panel, and then click the 
Display icon.
The Display Properties dialog box appears.
❑Click on the Settings tab.
❑Move the Screen Area slider to change your video resolution.
Troubleshooting the mouse and touchpad
My mouse does not work
❑If you are using an optional Sony USB mouse PCGA-UMS1 series, check 
that the mouse is plugged into the USB connector.
My touchpad does not work properly
❑You must restart the notebook to make the touchpad work again.
❑If your touchpad is interpreting a single tap as a double-click, you must 
adjust the button assignments. Follow these steps:
1 Click Start, point to Control Panel, and then click on the Mouse icon.
2 Change the button assignments in the Mouse Properties dialog box. 
(One of the buttons is assigned to the double-click action.)  
						

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120 The pointer does not move (while using the Touchpad or Mouse)
❑Click the Start button on the Windows taskbar, and select Shut Down to 
display the Shut Down Windows dialog box, then press Enter.
❑If you cannot turn off your notebook as described in the step above, press 
Ctrl+Alt+Delete (at the same time) to restart the notebook.
❑If you cannot restart your notebook as described in the step above, press and 
hold the power button for more than four seconds to turn off the notebook.
❑If the pointer does not move while playing a disc, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to 
stop playback and restart the notebook.
Troubleshooting drives, PC cards and peripheral devices
My floppy disk drive can not write to a diskette
❑If the diskette is write-protected, disable the write-protect feature or use a 
diskette that is not write-protected.
❑Check that the diskette is properly inserted into the floppy disk drive.
My optical drive is not playing my CD or DVD properly
❑Make sure the label of the disc is facing up.
❑If the disc requires software, make sure the software is installed according to 
the manufacturer’s instructions.
❑A dirty or damaged disc may cause the notebook to stop responding while it 
tries to read the disc. If necessary, restart the notebook, remove the disc, and 
then check it for dirt or damage.
❑If you see video but can not hear audio, check all of the following:
❑Check that your optical drive does not have the mute setting enabled.
❑Check the volume setting in the audio mixer. 
❑If you are using external speakers, check the volume settings, and then 
check the connections between your external speakers and the 
notebook. 
❑Click Start, select Control Panel, System, and then Device Manager. 
Check that the correct drivers are installed properly.
❑Do not use adhesive labels to identify the CD. The label may come off while 
the disc is in use in the optical drive and cause the drive to malfunction.