SONY A2 S, B S2, K3 S Service Manual

Software Guide

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Notice

This product contains software owned by Sony and licensed by third parties. Use of such software is subject to the terms and conditions of licence agreements enclosed with this product. Software specifications are subject to change without notice and may not necessarily be identical to current retail versions. Updates and additions to software may require an additional charge. Subscriptions to online service providers may require a fee and credit card information. Financial services may require prior arrangements with participating financial institutions.

Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

ENERGY STAR

As an ENERGY STAR Partner, Sony has determined that this product meets the ENERGY STAR guidelines for energy efficiency. The International ENERGY STAR Office Equipment Program is an international program that promotes energy saving through the use of computers and their office equipment. The program backs the

development and dissemination of products with functions that effectively reduce energy consumption. It is an open system in which business proprietors can participate voluntarily. The targeted products are office equipment such as computers, displays, printers, facsimiles and copiers. Their standards and logos are uniform among participating nations.

NERGY STAR is a U.S. registered mark.

Software Guide

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Trademarks

Sony, Battery Checker, Click to DVD, DVgate Plus, HotKey Utility, Keyboard Utility, Memory Stick Formatter, PictureGear Studio, Prepare your VAIO, SonicStage, SonicStage Mastering Studio, Sony Notebook Setup, VAIO Edit Components, VAIO Launcher, VAIO Media, VAIO Power Management, VAIO Power Management Viewer, VAIO System Information, VAIO Zone, Memory Stick, the Memory Stick logo, VAIO and the VAIO logo are trademarks of Sony Corporation.

Microsoft, Internet Explorer, Windows Movie Maker, Windows Media Player, Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Works and the Windows logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.

i.LINK is a trademark of Sony used only to designate that a product contains an IEEE1394 connection.

Adobe, Adobe Acrobat Elements, Adobe Acrobat Professional, Adobe Photoshop Album, Adobe Reader, Adobe Premiere Standard and Adobe Photoshop are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated.

MoodLogic is a trademark of MoodLogic, Inc.

Norton Internet Security 2004 and Norton Password Manager 2004 are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation.

RecordNow! is a trademark of Sonic.

WinDVD for VAIO is a trademark of InterVideo, Inc.

Sun Java VM is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Google Toolbar is a trademark of Google.

Yahoo! Messenger is a trademark of Yahoo!.

SafeGuard PrivateDisk ia a trademark of Utimaco Software.

All other names of systems, products and services are trademarks of their respective owners. In the manual, the ™ or

Specifications are subject to change without notice. All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners.

marks are not specified.

Please see the printed Specifications sheet to see what software is available for your model.

Elements

Software Guide

Registering your VAIO

It only takes a few moments to register your Sony VAIO computer.

By registering your computer, you can take advantage of Sony’s commitment to quality customer support and receive the following benefits:

❑ Club VAIO – Online support, tutorials, tips and tricks, news, news forums, competitions, free downloads and software updates.

❑ VAIO-Link – If you are experiencing any problems with your computer, you can check the VAIO-Link website for a possible

solution: http://www.vaio-link.com

❑ Guarantee – Protect your investment. See the Guarantee sheet for the terms and conditions and refer to your Guide to

Troubleshooting and Recovering your VAIO System for more information.

To register your Sony VAIO computer, proceed as follows:

1 Set up an internet connection (see also Configuring your modem (page 43)).

2 Launch VAIO Online Registration.

You can find the link on the Start menu (Start/All Programs/VAIO Promotions/VAIO Online Registration). Change your language if necessary and click Next.

3 Click Register Now and then click Next.

This brings you to the registration website.

4 Fill in your first and last name.

The serial number of your computer is entered automatically.

5 Click Submit.

6 Enter your details as required and click Submit.

Your VAIO is registered and a thank you screen appears. If you entered an email address, you will receive a confirmation email from Club VAIO.

✍ Once you have registered, you can access VAIO Online Registration at any time to update your details without filling in the survey.

Software Guide

About the software delivered with your computer

This section gives you an overview of what you can do with the software delivered with your computer.

The software package includes preinstalled software as well as applications which you can install from the supplied VAIO Recovery Disc* or from the hard disk drive (depending on your model).

If you recover your system, some of the applications will no longer be preinstalled. Please read the Guide to Troubleshooting and Recovering your VAIO System for more information.

Not all the applications listed in this section are delivered with your model. Please see the printed Specifications sheet to see what software is available for your model, and then the Guide to Troubleshooting and Recovering your VAIO System for installation details.

* If you have 2 DVDs, the first DVD is called VAIO Recovery Disc 1/2 and the second one VAI O R ecovery Disc 2/2.

Software Guide

❑ Audio (page 8)

❑ SonicStage (page 8)

❑ SonicStage Mastering Studio (page 8)

❑ MoodLogic (page 9)

❑ CD/DVD Burning (page 10)

❑ Click to DVD (page 10)

❑ RecordNow! 7.0 (page 11)

❑ Media Sharing (page 11)

❑ VAIO Media (page 11)

❑ Office Applications (page 12)

❑ Adobe Acrobat Elements 6.0 (page 12)

❑ Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Professional Try & Buy (page 13)

❑ Adobe Reader 6.0 (page 14)

❑ Microsoft Works (page 15)

❑ Photo (page 15)

❑ Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition (page 15)

❑ Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 (page 16)

❑ PictureGear Studio (page 16)

About the software delivered with your computer

Software Guide

❑ Security & Utilities (page 17)

❑ Google toolbar (page 17)

❑ HotKey Utility (page 17)

❑ Memory Stick Formatter (page 17)

❑ Norton Internet Security 2004 (page 18)

❑ Norton Password Manager 2004 (page 19)

❑ Sony Notebook Setup (page 19)

❑ SafeGuard PrivateDisk (page 20)

❑ VAIO Power Management (page 20)

❑ VAIO System Information (page 21)

❑ VAIO Update (page 21)

❑ Yahoo! Messenger and Yahoo! Personals (page 22)

❑ Video and TV (page 23)

❑ Adobe Premiere Standard (page 23)

❑ DVgate Plus (page 24)

❑ tvtv (page 24)

❑ VAIO Edit Components (page 25)

❑ WinDVD for VAIO (page 25)

❑ VAIO Zone (page 26)

❑ VAIO Launcher (page 27)

About the software delivered with your computer

Software Guide

About the software delivered with your computer

Extra chapters in this manual:

❑ VAIO Recovery Disc (page 28)

❑ My Info Centre (page 29)

❑ Operating system (page 31)

❑ Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 (page 31)

❑ Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2 (page 32)

❑ Sun Java Virtual Machine (VM) (page 32)

❑ Internet Explorer 6.0 (page 33)

❑ VAIO Promotions (page 34)

❑ VAIO Online Registration (page 34)

❑ Language Selector (page 34)

❑ Your voice counts (page 34)

❑ Adobe Companion Pack for VAIO (page 35)

❑ Upgrade your Software (page 38)

❑ Adobe Store (page 38)

❑ Symantec Store (page 38)

❑ Utimaco Store (page 38)

❑ VAIO-Link (page 39)

✍ If you want to know how an application actually works, please refer to the online help files delivered with the application. In many cases you can press the <F1> key to

make the help file appear.

Software Guide

About the software delivered with your computer

Audio

SonicStage

Sony Corporation

SonicStage is a software application that uses OpenMG technology, a copyright protection technology developed by Sony Corporation and designed to allow recording and playback of digital music data on a personal computer. Once the data is encrypted and recorded onto the hard disk, OpenMG technology allows it to be played back on the PC but prevents unauthorised distribution. The purpose of OpenMG technology is to create an environment in which larger quantities of high-quality music can be distributed without subsequent unauthorised distribution of the music files. The SonicStage software encrypts and manages music files either downloaded to a personal computer by using the EMD services or created from your own CD or the internet.

SonicStage Mastering Studio

Sony Corporation

SonicStage Mastering Studio* is an application that lets you record songs from analogue records or cassette tapes onto your computer, and output them to CD-R or CD-RW discs or audio files. This audio processing tool dramatically improves the audio quality for VAIO users when recording analogue source music to PCs and writing to audio CDs with very high quality sound.

* Available on all desktop and certain notebook models.

Software Guide

About the software delivered with your computer

MoodLogic

MoodLogic, Inc.

MoodLogic organises tracks according to tempo, genre, artist, year, song title and even by mood, like happy, romantic or mellow mood. You can then produce playlists based on moods and music styles.

Furthermore:

❑ you can pick a song and create an Instant Mix of similar songs,

❑ automatically organise the music on your computer,

❑ automatically add ID3 tags,

❑ click and transfer songs and mixes to your MP3 player or to a CD*,

❑ tap into the MoodLogic database for the most comprehensive song data available.

As a Sony customer you receive 100 free credits!

For more information on the credits and on the above topics, please read the MoodLogic HTML files. You can find the HTML files under: Start/All Programs/MoodLogic/MoodLogic HTML.

* CD burning software required.

Software Guide

About the software delivered with your computer

CD/DVD Burning

Click to DVD

Sony Corporation

With Click to DVD* you are only a single mouse click away from creating a Hollywood-style DVD masterpiece. By simply connecting a Sony Digital Handycam to this Sony computer via an i.LINK cable, you can turn your family memories into a DVD for all to share. Click to DVD will even guide you through a simple 4-step procedure so you can create DVD menus packed with actively moving chapter icons. With Click to DVD you can capture video from analogue video devices as long as your computer is equipped with a TV tuner**. Click to DVD supports the Surround Rec function of the Digital Video Camera Recorder DCR-HC 1000 and can burn 5.1ch Dolby Digital DVD.

★

For more details, see the online help file of Click to DVD.

* Applicable only for computers with a DVD-RW drive or DVD+/-RW drive. ** TV Setup must be executed before capturing from an analogue video device with Click to DVD.

Software Guide

About the software delivered with your computer

RecordNow! 7.0

Sonic

Sonic RecordNow!* is the state-of the-art CD and DVD mastering tool that takes the guesswork and complexity out of CD and DVD burning. With an award winning task-based user interface designed by usability professionals, it has never been easier to get the most out of your CD or DVD burner. Sonic RecordNow! includes all the features needed for burning CDs and DVDs, exact copies, and disc images, and it can all be done with just a few clicks of the mouse. And now, with dual layer support, you have double the storage space you once had because dual layer support writes two layers of information on one side of your DVD! For more information and support, visit the website:

http://support.sonic.com/

* Only available on computers with CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive or DVD-RW drive.

Media Sharing

VAIO Media

Sony Corporation

VAIO Media software brings multimedia features to your network, enabling you to share music, video, and image files between your VAIO computers. VAIO Media allows designated computers ("media clients") on your wired or wireless network to access the multimedia files stored on your VAIO computer ("media server").

Software Guide

About the software delivered with your computer

Office Applications

Adobe Acrobat Elements 6.0

Adobe Systems Incorporated

With Adobe Acrobat Elements 6.0 you can easily create PDFs by:

❑ Right-clicking the source file and selecting Convert to Adobe PDF.

❑ Clicking the Convert to Adobe PDF toolbar icon.

❑ Launching Acrobat Elements, and clicking Next. You can then create your PDF using your favourite settings.

❑ Printing the file to the Adobe PDF printer.

For questions and technical assistance, go online to:

http://www.adobe.com

Software Guide

About the software delivered with your computer

Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Professional Try & Buy

Adobe Systems Incorporated

Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Professional software* enables business, creative, and engineering professionals who work with graphically complex documents to improve the reliability and efficiency of business-critical document exchange. Try it for 30 days.

❑ Reliably exchange documents

❑ Streamline critical document reviews

❑ Protect intellectual property

❑ Ensure high-quality printed output

For questions and technical assistance, go online to:

http://www.adobe.com

* Only available for selected languages: English, French and German.

Software Guide

About the software delivered with your computer

Adobe Reader 6.0

Adobe Systems Incorporated

Adobe Reader 6.0 is software that lets you view and print Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files on a variety of hardware and operating system platforms. This new version of the familiar Adobe Acrobat Reader provides a host of rich features that enable you to:

❑ Submit Adobe PDF forms that are created with fillable form fields in applications such as Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Professional and

Adobe Form Designer.

❑ Play a variety of embedded multimedia files.

❑ Read and organise high-fidelity eBooks.

❑ Activate search and accessibility capabilities built into your PDF files.

❑ Display Adobe Photoshop Album slide shows and electronic cards and export images for online photo processing (online photo

services vary regionally).

For questions and technical assistance, go online to:

http://www.adobe.com

Software Guide

About the software delivered with your computer

Microsoft Works

Microsoft Corporation

Microsoft Works gives you the basic tools you need for working on your PC. Use the various components for your everyday emailing, accounting, organising and much more. The software includes an online Getting Started guide. For more information and support, visit the website:

http://www.microsoft.com/products/works/

Photo

Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition

Adobe Systems Incorporated

Explore the basic features of Adobe Photoshop Album software with Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition. This limited-feature version of the full product has everything you need to find, fix, share, and preserve your memories. Instead of searching through endless folders, you can use a convenient calendar to find photos by date, or revolutionary keyword tags to pinpoint the exact group of photos you want. Quickly fix red eye, lighting, and other basic flaws. Have fun creating custom slide shows, cards, hard-bound photo books, and more. Then share your creations with anyone, anywhere - even on mobile phones and handhelds - in just a few clicks. For questions and technical assistance, go online to:

http://www.adobe.com

Software Guide

About the software delivered with your computer

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0

Adobe Systems Incorporated

Adobe Photoshop Elements introduces the next generation of image editing with powerful new features that offer something for every user. Delivering the broadest and most productive toolset available, Photoshop Elements helps you explore your creativity, work at peak efficiency, and achieve the highest quality results across all image media.

Serial number for this Adobe upgrade offer: 1057-4301-0399-4601-1957-8646 For use when upgrading to Adobe Photoshop, or when you register your copy.

For questions and technical assistance, go online to:

http://www.adobe.com

PictureGear Studio

Sony Corporation

PictureGear Studio is easy-to-use software that is designed to help you get the most enjoyment out of your photographs taken with a digital camera. With the PictureGear Studio software, you can easily load photos onto your computer, create photo albums and make prints.

Software Guide

About the software delivered with your computer

Security & Utilities

Google toolbar

Google

Google toolbar can automatically fill out web forms with AutoFill. You only need to enter your personal information once in Google toolbar, and your data appears automatically each time you open a web form . Furthermore, thanks to Pop-up Blocker, Google toolbar prevents new windows from being automatically opened when you visit a website. Searching on the web has never been so easy. Use the advanced Google toolbar search options to restrict your search. For questions and technical assistance, go online to:

http://toolbar.google.com/help.html

HotKey Utility

Sony Corporation

HotKey Utility gives you quick access to various functions using the <Fn> key, for example, increasing the brightness. Please refer to the Combinations and functions with the <Fn> key chapter in the notebook Hardware Guide for more information.

Memory Stick Formatter

Sony Corporation

Memory Stick Formatter is a specific application for formatting Memory Sticks. Use this software whenever you reformat Memory Sticks. Moreover, you may be able to reformat Memory Sticks that can not be identified by Windows by using this software.

✍ When you format Memory Sticks with this software, all data on the Memory Stick will be lost. If necessary, take a backup of your data before formatting.

! Do not format Memory Sticks with the Windows Format command.

Software Guide

About the software delivered with your computer

Norton Internet Security 2004

Symantec

Symantec's Norton Internet Security 2004 provides essential protection from viruses, hackers, and privacy threats. Included are full versions of:

❑ Norton AntiVirus: contains an expanded threat detection that alerts you to certain non-virus threats such as spyware and

keystroke logging programs. It also automatically removes viruses, worms and Trojan horses. It scans and cleans instant message attachments, incoming and outgoing e-mail messages, and other files.

❑ Norton Personal Firewall: a Web assistant lets you block ads and access other program options from Microsoft Internet

Explorer. Furthermore, it also hides your PC on the internet so that hackers cannot see it.

When enabling the firewall, Norton asks you some questions. Please allow/permit all messages related to VAIO applications.

❑ Norton AntiSpam: filters unwanted e-mail messages in any POP3-compliant e-mail program by adding a ’spam’ tag in the

Subject field.

❑ Norton Parental Control: prevents confidential information from being sent out without your knowledge in e-mail, instant

messages, Microsoft Office attachments, and web forms.

This software package includes a 90-day free subscription to virus definition updates. For more information, see the online help files and the website at:

http://www.symantec.com/techsupp

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