Sony PCG-FXA32, PCG-FXA33, PCG-FXA35D, PCG-FXA36 User Guide
Contents
Welcome.......................................................7
Using Your VAIO Notebook........................9
Using the Keyboard...................................................10
Combinations and functions with the Windows key .........12
Indicators ...........................................................................13
Indicator lights...................................................................13
Combinations and functions with the Fn key ....................14
Using the Touchpad ..................................................16
Using the Floppy Disk Drive ....................................18
Using the Optical Disc Drive ....................................21
To insert a disc...................................................................21
To eject a disc ....................................................................22
To play a DVD...................................................................23
To play an audio CD..........................................................24
Notes on CD and DVD discs .............................................24
To write data to a CD-RW or CD-R disc...........................25
Using PC Cards .........................................................26
To insert a PC Card............................................................26
To remove a PC Card.........................................................28
Using a Second Battery Pack ....................................29
To insert a second battery pack..........................................29
To charge the second battery pack.....................................30
To view remaining battery power......................................30
To remove the second battery pack ...................................31
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Using the Weight Saver............................................32
To attach the weight saver ................................................ 32
To remove the weight saver.............................................. 33
Using Power Saving Modes......................................34
Normal mode..................................................................... 34
Standby mode.................................................................... 34
Hibernate mode................................................................. 34
Connecting a Phone Line .........................................36
Connecting to a LAN................................................37
Setting up your Ethernet connection................................. 37
Connecting Peripheral Devices ...............39
Connecting a Port Replicator....................................40
To attach your notebook to the port replicator.................. 41
To remove your notebook from the port replicator........... 44
Connecting a PS/2 External Mouse or Keyboard.....46
To connect an external mouse or keyboard ...................... 46
Connecting an AV Device ........................................47
Connecting a Parallel Port Printer ............................48
To connect a printer .......................................................... 48
Connecting a USB Printer.........................................49
To connect a USB printer.................................................. 49
Connecting an External Display ...............................50
To connect a computer display ......................................... 50
To connect a multimedia computer display...................... 51
To connect a projector....................................................... 51
To select a display............................................................. 51
Connecting a USB Device ........................................53
To connect a USB device.................................................. 53
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Connecting an i.LINK Device...................................54
To connect a digital video camera recorder.......................54
Connecting with another VAIO co mputer ................56
Connecting External Speakers ..................................57
Before connecting external speakers .................................57
To connect external speakers.............................................57
Connecting an External Microphone.........................58
To connect an external microphone...................................58
Expanding Your Notebook Capabilities ...................59
Personal Digital Assistant..................................................59
Wireless LAN Access Point ..............................................59
Wireless LAN PC Card......................................................60
Customizing Your VAIO Notebook ..........61
Selecting the Display Mode ......................................62
Changing the window design of Sony software........65
Adding Memory .........................................67
Precautions and Procedures.......................................68
Typical expansion memory configuration.................69
Models with 128 MB memory...........................................69
Models with 256 MB memory...........................................69
Removing a memory module....................................70
Installing a memory module......................................72
Viewing the amount of memory................................73
About the Software on Your Notebook ...75
Software Overview....................................................76
Application, Driver, and System Recovery CDs.......81
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Using Your Recovery CDs .......................................82
To use the Application Recovery CD(s)........................... 82
To use the Driver Recovery CD(s) ................................... 83
To use the System Recovery CD(s).................................. 87
Troubleshooting........................................89
Troubleshooting Your Notebook ...................................... 89
My notebook does not start............................................... 89
My notebook starts but a BIOS error appears...................90
My notebook starts, but the message “Operating system not
found” appears and Windows does not start..................... 90
My notebook stops responding or does not shut down..... 91
The power management setting is not responding............ 92
Why does the System Properties dialog box display a slower
CPU speed than advertised?.............................................. 92
Troubleshooting the LCD Screen .............................93
My LCD screen is blank. .................................................. 93
My LCD screen continues to show the previous screen... 93
The image on my connected external display is not centered
or sized properly................................................................ 93
I want to change the video resolution of my display. ....... 93
I cannot switch the LCD display to TV, and vice versa. .. 93
Troubleshooting the Mouse and Touchpad ..............94
My mouse does not work.................................................. 94
My touchpad does not work properly. .............................. 94
The pointer does not move while using the Touchpad or
Mouse................................................................................ 94
Troubleshooting Drives, PC Cards and Peripheral De-
vices ..........................................................................96
My floppy disk drive cannot write to a floppy disk.......... 96
My optical disc drive is not playing my CD or DVD proper-
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ly. .......................................................................................96
My optical drive tray does not open. .................................97
I cannot use Digital Video (DV) devices. The message “DV
equipment seems to be disconnected or turned off” appears.
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My PC Card is not working. ..............................................97
Troubleshooting Software.........................................98
My software program stops responding or crashes. ..........98
When I click an application icon, the message “You must insert the application CD into your optical drive” appears and
the software does not start. ................................................98
I cannot use the DVgate™ software. .................................98
My computer’s start-up time seems longer after I have in-
stalled AOL. What can I do? .............................................98
Troubleshooting the Modem .....................................99
My modem does not work. ................................................99
My modem connection is slow. .........................................99
Troubleshooting Audio ...........................................100
My speakers make no sound............................................100
My microphone does not work. .......................................100
Troubleshooting the Printer.....................................101
I cannot print....................................................................101
Troubleshooting i.LINK devices.............................102
I cannot establish a connection between two VAIO comput-
ers when using an i.LINK cable.......................................102
Getting Help.............................................103
Support Options.......................................................104
Software Support Information.................................106
Sony Service Center.........................................................107
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Index.........................................................109
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Welcome
Congratulations on your purchase of this Sony VAIO computer, and
welcome to the VAIO User Guide.
This User Guide provides detailed information on all aspects of using
your new VAIO computer, from keyboard functions to preinstalled
software applications.
In the left navigation window, click the topics you want to learn more
about, and that information will be displayed in this main window.
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Using Your VAIO Notebook
This section describes the following aspects of your new computer:
❑ Using the Keyboard
❑ Using the Touchpad
❑ Using the Floppy Disk Drive
❑ Using the Optical Disc Drive
❑ Using PC Cards
❑ Using a Second Battery Pack
❑ Using the Weight Saver
❑ Using Power Saving Modes
❑ Connecting a Phone Line
❑ Connecting to a LAN
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Using the Keyboard
Your notebook keyboard is very similar to that of a typewriter, but the keyboard
has additional keys that perform specific computer-related tasks.
Keyboard
Print Screen key
Applications
key keys
Navigation
Correction
keys
hift key
Ctrl key
Fn key
Escape key
Alt key
Windows key
Function keys
Numeric key p ad
Key Description
Numeric keypad Contains the keys found on a typical calculator. Use the
numeric keypad area to type numbers or to perform
mathematical calculations such as addition and subtraction.
Note that you must press the Num Lock key to activate the
numeric keypad. (When you do so, the Num Lock light will
be on.)
Navigation keys Several keys are d evoted to moving the cursor on the screen.
Correction keys The Insert, Back Space, and Delete keys enable you to make
corrections in your documents.
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Using the Keyboard
Key Description
Function keys The twelve function keys along the top of the keyboard are
used to perform designated tasks. For example, in many
applications, F1 is the Help key. The task associated with
each function key may vary from one application to the next.
Escape key The Esc (Escape) key is used to cancel commands.
Print Screen key The Print Screen key takes an electronic snapshot of the
screen and places it in the Windows Clipboard. You can then
paste the screen shot into a document and print it.
Operator keys
(Shift, Ctrl, Alt
keys)
Several keys are alwaysused with at least one other key: Ctrl,
Alt, and Shift. When held down with another key, the Ctrl
(Control) and Alt (Alternate) keys offer another way to give
commands. For example, in many applications, instead of
choosing the Save command from a menu, you can hold
down Ctrl and press S (referred to as Ctrl+S). The Shift key
operates the same way as on a typewriter; it is used to
produce capital letters or special symbols such as @ and $.
Windows key The key with the Windows logo displays the Windows Start
menu; it is the equivalent of clicking the Start button on the
taskbar. See “Combinations and functions with the Windows
key” for more information.
Fn key The Fn key is used i n combination with other keys to issue
commands. See “Combinations and functions with the Fn
key” for more information.
Applications key The Applications key displays a shortcut menu of context-
sensitive choices. Pressing this key is the equivalent of
clicking the right mouse button.
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Combinations and functions with the Windows key
Combination Function
+ F1 Displays VAIO® Help and Support Center.
+ Tab Switches the selected button on the taskbar.
+ D Displays the desktop.
+ E Displays Windows Explorer.
+ F Displays the Windows Find: All Files window tofind a file or
folder. This is the equivalent of selecting Find and then Files
or Folders from the Start menu.
+ Ctrl + F Displays the Windows Find: Computer window where you
can locate other computers. This is the equivalent of selecting
Find and then Computer from the Start menu.
+ M Minimizes all displayed windows.
Shift + + M Returns all minimized windows to their previous size.
+ R Displays the Run window. This is the equivalent of selecting
Run from the Start menu.
Fn + + Insert Displays the Properties window. This is the equivalent of
double-clicking the System icon in the Control Panel.
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Using the Keyboard
Indicators
Indicator Function
Power Light is green when the power to the notebook is turned on,
flashes amber in Standby mode, and turns off when the
notebook is in Hibernate mode or powered off.
Battery 1 Indicates the status of the battery inserted in the battery bay
1
Battery 2 Indicates the status of the battery inserted in the multipurpose
2
Hard disk This indicator will light when data is being read from or
on the right side of the notebook.
drive bay on the left side of the notebook.
written to the hard disk. Do not enter Standby mode or turn
off the notebook when this indicator is on.
Indicator lights
Light On Off
Num
Lock
Caps
Lock
Scroll
Lock
The number keys in the numeric
keypad are active.
The letters appear in uppercase
as you type. The Shift key
lowers the case of typed letters
when Caps Lock is on.
The screen scrolls differently.
(Exactly how it scrolls depends
on the specific application. It has
no effect in many applications.)
The alphanumeric character keys
in t he keypad area are active.
Letters appear in lower case as
you type (unless you hold down
the Shift key).
Information moves across the
display normally.
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Combinations and functions with the Fn key
✍ If you swit ch user identities during a computing session, the Fn+F7 and Fn+F8 key
functionality (if available on your computer) will be int errupted. To switch to an
external display or monitor, see “Selecting the Display Mode” for more information.
Combinations/
Feature Function
Fn+ (F3)
Mute On/Off
Fn+ (F4)
Speaker volume
Fn+Shift+
(F4)
Speaker volume
Fn+ (F5)
Brightness control
Fn+Shift+
(F5)
Brightness control
Toggles the built-in speaker off and on.
Adjusts the built-in speaker volume.
To increase volume, press Fn+F4.
Adjusts the built-in speaker volume.
To decrease volume, press Fn+Shift+F4.
Adjusts the brightness of the LCD.
To increase light intensity, press Fn+F5.
Adjusts the brightness of the LCD.
To decrease light intensity, press Fn+Shift+F5.
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Combinations/
Feature Function
Using the Keyboard
LCD
Fn+ /
(F7)
Switch to the
external
monitor/LCD
Toggles through the LCD, external display (connected to the
Monitor connector) and both LCD and external display.
Only LCD
LCD and external display
Only external display
Connect the cable before youturn on the notebook, otherwise
Fn + F7 will not work.
LCD
Fn+ only/
(F8)
Control AV out
Toggles between LCD-only and dual LCD/TV display
modes.
Only LCD
LCD and external display
Only external display
Connect the cable before youturn on the notebook, otherwise
Fn + F8 will not work.
Fn + Esc
System Standby
Puts the system into Standby mode, a power management
state. To return the system to the active state, press any key.
✍ Some f unctions are not available until Windows launches.
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Using the Touchpad
The keyboard containsa cursor-pointing device called a touchpad. Youcan point
to, select, drag, and scroll objects on the screen using the built-in touchpad.
Touchpad
Pointer
Touchpad
Right button
Left button
Action Description
Point Slide one finger on the touchpad to place the pointer on an
item or object.
Click Press the left button once.
Double-click Press the left button twice.
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Using the Touchpad
Action Description
Right-click Press the right button once. In many applications, this action
displays a shortcut menu of context-sensitive choices.
Drag Slide one finger while pressing the left button.
Scroll Move your finger along the right edge of the touchpad to
scroll vertically. Move your finger along the bottom to scroll
horizontally. (The scroll function is available only with
applications that support a touchpad scroll feature.)
See Mouse Properties for information on touchpad features, such as clickingboth
buttons simultaneously, adjusting touchpad speed, and Easy Launcher functions.
To access Mouse Properties,open the Start menu, pointto Control Panel, Printers
and other Hardware, and then click the Mouse icon in the Control Panel.
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Using the Floppy Disk Drive
Your computer comes with a floppy disk drive in the multipurpose bay.
To insert a disk
1 Hold the disk with the label side facing up.
2 Gently insert the disk into the drive until it clicks into place.
Label side facing up
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Using the F loppy Disk Drive
To remove a disk
1 Wait until the LED indicator light turns off and then press the Eject button to
remove the disk.
Eject button
LED indicator light
✍ Do not push the eject button when the LE D indicator is turned on. Otherwise, data
may be lost.
To remove the floppy disk drive
1 Turn off the notebook.
2 There is a RELEASE lever on the bottom of the computer. Slide this lever in
the direction of the arrow.
Multipurpose bay release lever
3 Slide the drive out of the multipurpose bay.
4 Insert the weight saver. See “Using the Weight Saver” for details.
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To reinsert the floppy disk drive
1 Turn off the notebook.
2 If another device is in the multipurpose bay, remove the device. See “To
remove the second battery pack” for details.
3 Insert the floppy disk drive, with the VAIO label facing up, into the
multipurpose bay until the RELEASE lever locks into place.
Inserting the floppy disk drive
Multipurpose bay
Floppy disk drive
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Using the Optical Disc Drive
Using the Optical Disc Drive
Your notebook comes with an optical disc drive. Depending on the system you
purchased, your optical disc drive is either a CD-R W/DVD Combo Drive or a
DVD-ROM drive.
To insert a disc
1 Turn on the notebook.
✍ When t he notebook is in Standby or Hibernate mode, you cannot insert a disc. See
“Using Power Saving Modes” for more information on Standby and Hibernate modes.
2 Press the Eject button to open the optical drive.
The tray slides out.
Ejecting the tray
Eject button
✍ Avoid using adhesive labels to identify your discs. Adhesive labels may come off while
the disc is in use in your opt ical drive, and may cause damage to the unit.
3 Placean optical disc on the tray with the label side facing up. For DVDs that
can be played on both sides, the side of the disc facing up is the side that
plays.
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4 Press the disc onto the hub until the disc clicks securely into place.
Inserting an optical disc
Label side facing up
5 Close the tray by pushing it gently.
To eject a disc
When you finish using a disc, wait until the LED indicator turns off, and then
press the Eject button to remove the disc.
When the notebook is in a power saving mode, you cannot remove an optical
disc. See “Using Power Saving Modes” for more information about power saving
modes.
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Using the Optical Disc Drive
If the optical disc does not slide out when you press the Eject button, turn off the
notebook and insert a thin, pointed object (such as a paper clip) into the manual
eject hole.
Make sure to seat the disc firmly ov er the hub fingers. If you do not seat the
disc firmly, you could damage your optical drive and you may not be able to
open the tray.
Manual eject hole
To play a DVD
To play a DVD, you may use the optical disc drive and the preinstalled
WinDVD® application. For more information on WinDVD, see the Help menu
WinDVD application.
✍ Before you use the optical disc drive to p lay a DVD, quit any open applications.
Your optical drive can read most DVD-R media. When you are ready to play a
DVD, read the suggestions below to maximize your video viewing experience.
❑ If you connect your notebook to a TV display, you may need to adjust the
display resolution. Read the suggestions below to set the display resolution
to the proper dimensions. Also see “Selecting the Display Mode” for more
information.
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❑ If the notebook is set to the default display setting, part of the video screen
will not appear. To view the entire screen, adjust the display resolution to
640 x 480.
❑ You cannot use the Fn + F8 function to switch between LCD and TV once a
DVD is inserted into the optical drive.
❑ Change the settings to disable the screen saver and the v irus checker.
Some discs recor ded at 20 or 24 bits may produce noise while playing. If you
have audio device s connected, this may cause damage to your hearing and
the speakers. Reduce the volume before playing a DVD.
Do not switch between LCD and the external display while the DVD is playing.
This may cause a malfunction, and you may need to restart the DVD software.
Do not switch the power sav i ng mo de s while you are playing the DVD.
Do not use memory-resident utility software to speed up disc access. This
may cause the notebook to malfunction.
To play an audio CD
To play an audio CD, make sure the audio function is turned on. To do this,
complete the following procedure.
1 Open the Start menu, point to Control Panel, and then click System. The
System Properties window appears.
2 Select the Hardware tab and then click Device Manager in the Device
Manager box. A window appears, listing your notebook hardware devices.
3 Double-click DVD/CD-ROM drives. From the drop-down list, double-click
the drive name. A properties window appears.
4 Select the “Enable digital CD audio for this CD-ROM device” check box if
it is not already selected and then click OK.
Notes on CD and DVD discs
❑ Donotdroporbendthedisc.
❑ Do not touch thesurface of the disc. Fingerprints and dust on the surface of a
disc may cause reading errors. Proper careof the disc is essential to maintain
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Using the Optical Disc Drive
its reliability. Do not use solvents such as benzine, thinner, commercially
available cleaners or anti-static spray, as they may cause damage to the disc.
❑ For normal cleaning, hold the disc by its edge and use asoft cloth towipe the
surface from the center out.
❑ If the disc is badly soiled, moisten a soft cloth with water, wring it out well,
and use it to wipe the surface of the disc from the center out. Wipe off any
remaining moisture with a dry, soft cloth.
To write data to a CD-RW or CD-R disc
*
You can use Sony SonicStage and Microsoft® Windows® XP to write data to a
CD-R or CD-RW disc. To create a CD-R disc that is readable in a CD-ROM
drive, make sure that you finish the writing process before ejecting the disc. For
more information, see the instructions included with Windows® XP.
Notes on writing data to a CD-RW or CD-R disc
❑ For optimal writing speed, deactivate the screen saver and exit anti-virus
software before writing data to a disc.
❑ For best results, use CD-Rs that are compatible with 8x speed.
❑ Your notebook does not support 1x writing speed.
❑ If your notebook computer has preinstalled Microsoft® Office applications,
such as Excel, Word, and Outlook, turn off the FindFast application.
* For notebook models equipped with a CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive.
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Using PC Cards
Do not strike or shake the notebook while writing data to a disc.
Always use the AC adapter as the power source for your notebook if you are
writing data to a CD-RW or CD-R disc. Using battery power may result in data
transfer failure.
Your notebook includes two PC Card slots. PC Cards enable you to connect
portable external devices such as another hard disk drive, or a PC Network
Interface Card (NIC) to connect to a network.
✍ The PC Card slots can accommodate two Type I/II PC Cards, or one Type III PC Card.
These slots are compatible with CardBus. Use the lower slot for Type III PC Cards. You
do not need to shut down your notebook before inserting or removing a PC Card.
To insert a PC Card
1 Push the Release button once. The Release button pops out.
PC Card release button
Release button
Release button
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Using PC Cards
2 Pushthe Release button a second time. The PC Card slot protector pops out.
When you use a Type III PC card, you need to remove both the top and
bottom PC Card slot protectors.
PC Card slot protector
3 Insert the the PC Card gently into the slot. Make sure the front label of the
PC Card is facing up. ThePC Card isautomatically detected by your system.
The Unplug or Eject Hardware icon appears in the taskbar.
Inserting a PC Card
Insert with the
arrow facing toward
the slot
PC Card
Do not force a PC Card into the slot as this may damage the connector pins.
Do not carry your notebook w hile touching t he head of a PC Card (s uch as a
wireless LAN card), as pressure or shock may damage the connector pins.
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To remove a PC Card
The following procedure describes how to remove the PC Card while the
notebook is on. If you want to remove the PC Card while the notebook is off,
perform steps 4, 6, and 7 below.
1 Double-click in the taskbar. The “Safely remove ... PC Card” dialog box
appears.
2 Click the PC Card’s name or drive. The message, “Safe to Remove
Hardware” appears.
3 Click to close the message.
4 Push the Release button. The Release button pops out.
5 Click OK again and then click Close.
6 Gently grasp the PC Card and pull it out of the slot.
7 Insert the PC Card slot protector into the empty slot.
Notes on using PC Cards
❑ For some PC Cards, if you alternate between normal power operation and
the Standby or Hibernate power management modes while the card is
inserted, you may find that a device connected to your system is not
recognized. Restart your system to correct the problem.
❑ Some PC Cards may require that you disable idledevices when using the PC
Card.
❑ Be sure to use the most recent software driver provided by the PC Card
manufacturer.
❑ If an exclamation mark (!) appears on the Device Manager tab in t he System
Properties dialog box, remove the software driver and then reinstall it.
❑ You may not be ableto use some PC Cardsor some functions of thePC Card
with this notebook. If you have difficulty inserting a card, check that you are
orienting the card correctly. See themanual that came with your PC Card for
more information on its use.
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Using a Second Battery Pack
Using a Second Battery Pack
You can purchase a second rechargeable battery pack. With two battery packs,
you can extend the time that you use your notebook with battery power. When
using two battery p acks, the battery pack you insertfirst charges first. The battery
pack you insert second begins charging when the first battery pack is 85 percent
full. You can monitor which battery pack is charging by observing the battery
indicators.
To insert a second battery pack
1 If another device is in the multipurpose bay, remove that device.
2 Insert the battery pack into the multipurpose bay.
If the battery is being used, the battery 2 indicator turns on.
Second battery in multipurpose bay
Multipurpose bay
Battery pack
VAIO logo facing up
3 Attach the weight saver to the notebook to stabilize the b attery pack. See
“Using the Weight Saver” for more information.
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To charge the second battery pack
Using weight saver for second battery cover
Battery pack
Weight saver
Keep the battery pack in the notebook while it is connected to AC power. The
battery indicator flashes while the battery is charging. See also “To charge the
battery pack” in the printed Quick Start for more information.
Charging the second battery
Battery indicator s
To view remaining battery power
To view remaining battery power, perform the following steps.
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