Sony PCG-GR200K User Manual

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

VAIO Action Setup...................................................18

Center Jog Dial Control.............................................19

Using the center Jog Dial control ......................................19

Launcher mode ..................................................................20

Guide mode........................................................................21

Center Jog Dial back button...............................................21

Using the center Jog Dial control with Sony software ......22

Using the center Jog Dial control with other software ......22

Using the Removable Hard Disk Drive.....................23

Using the Optical Disc Drive ....................................24

To insert a disc...................................................................24

To eject a disc ....................................................................25

To play a DVD...................................................................26

To play an audio CD..........................................................27

Notes on CD and DVD discs .............................................28

To write data to a CD-RW or CD-R disc...........................28

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Using PC Cards.........................................................30

To insert a PC Card...........................................................30

To remove a PC Card........................................................ 30

Notes on using PC Cards .................................................. 31

Using a Second Battery Pack....... .............................32

To insert a second battery pack......................................... 32

To charge the second battery pack.................................... 33

To remove the second battery pack................................... 34

Using the Weight Saver............................................35

To attach the weight saver ................................................ 35

To remove the weight saver.............................................. 36

Using Memory Stick Media......................................37

Types of Memory Stick media.......................................... 37

Write-protecting Memory Stick media ............................. 39

Formatting Memory Stick media...................................... 39

Notes on Memory Stick media.......................................... 40

Power Saving Modes ................................................42

Normal mode..................................................................... 42

Standby mode.................................................................... 42

Hibernate mode................................................................. 42

Connecting a Phone Line .........................................44

Connecting with another VAIO computer................45

Connecting to a Local Area Network (LAN) ...........46

Setting up your Ethernet connection................................. 46

Connecting Peripheral Devices ...............47

Connecting an External Floppy Disk Drive..............48

To connect an external floppy disk drive.......................... 48

To insert a floppy disk ...................................................... 49

To remove a floppy disk ................................................... 49

Removing an external floppy disk drive when the notebook

is on....................................................................................49

To carry an external floppy disk drive...............................50

Handling floppy disks........................................................50

Connecting a Port Replicator ....................................51

To attach your notebook to the port replicator ..................51

To remove your notebook from the port replicator ...........53

Connecting a PS/ 2 External Mouse or Keyboard......55

To connect an external mouse or keyboard .......................55

Connecting an Audio Device ....................................56

Connecting a CD player, active speaker, or an amplifier..56

Connecting an Audio-Video (AV) Device................58

Connecting a Parallel Port Printer.............................62

To connect a printer ...........................................................62

Connecting a USB Printer.........................................63

To connect a USB printer ..................................................63

Connecting an External Display................................64

To connect a computer display ..........................................64

To connect a multimedia computer display.......................66

To connect a projector .......................................................66

To select a display..............................................................66

Connecting a Universal Serial Bus (USB) Device....68

To connect a USB device...................................................68

Connecting an i.LINK Device...................................69

To connect a digital video camera recorder.......................70

Connecting External Speakers ..................................72

To connect external speakers.............................................72

Connecting an External Microphone.........................73

To connect an external microphone...................................73

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Expanding Your Notebook Capabilities...................74

Personal Digital Assistant................................................. 74

Wireless LAN Access Point.............................................. 74

Wireless LAN PC Card..................................................... 75

Customizing Your VAIO Notebook..........77

Displaying the Sony Notebook Setup Screen...........78

To display the Sony Notebook Setup screen: ................... 78

Sony Notebook Setup tabs................................................ 79

Controlling Power Management...............................80

Viewing the Power Management status icons .................. 80

Power Management profiles ............................................. 81

Power Management commands ........................................ 84

Conserving battery power................................................. 84

Optimizing clock speed settings ....................................... 84

Displaying Battery Information................................86

Battery icon descriptions................................................... 86

Displaying detailed battery information ........................... 87

Selecting the Display Mode......................................89

Changing the window design of Sony software................ 91

Adding Memory.........................................93

Precautions and Procedures ......................................93

Models with 128 MB memory.......................................... 94

Models with 256 MB memory.......................................... 94

To remove a memory module...................................95

To install a memory module.....................................97

To view the amount of memory................................98

About the Software on Your Notebook ...99

Overview...................................................................99

MovieShaker ...........................................................104

Importing images and sound clips ...................................104

Creating a movie using Shaker ........................................104

Editing clips and scenes...................................................106

Adding effects to a scene or a clip...................................106

Saving a movie.................................................................107

OpenMG Jukebox ...................................................108

Electronic Music Distribution (EMD) services ...............108

To start OpenMG Jukebox 2.0.........................................109

To record a CD ................................................................110

To transfer songs (check-in/check-out) ...........................111

Additional OpenMG Jukebox features ............................113

Notes on using Portable Players ......................................114

PictureGear..............................................................115

Managing your pictures ...................................................115

Creating a photo album....................................................115

Using Panorama Maker ...................................................116

To make still images and panoramic from MPEG ..........116

Smart Capture..........................................................117

Using Still mode ..............................................................118

Using Net Movie mode....................................................122

Using ImageStation..........................................................125

VisualFlow™ ..........................................................129

To use VisualFlow software ............................................129

DVgate ....................................................................130

To defragment a partition ................................................130

DVgate plug-in for Adobe Premiere................................130

Application, System, and Driver Recovery CDs.....132

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Using Your Recovery CDs .....................................133

Using the Application Recovery CD(s) .......................... 133

Using the Driver Recovery CD....................................... 134

Using the System Recovery CD(s) ................................. 134

Troubleshooting......................................137

Troubleshooting Your Notebook............................137

Troubleshooting the LCD Screen ...........................141

Troubleshooting the Mouse and Touchpad ............142

Troubleshooting Drives, PC Cards and Peripheral De-

vices ........................................................................144

Troubleshooting Software.......................................146

Troubleshooting the Modem...................................147

Troubleshooting Audio...........................................148

Troubleshooting the Printer ....................................149

Getting Help.............................................151

Support Options ......................................................151

VAIO Support Agent..............................................153

Using the Quick Fix Wizard ........................................... 153

Using Common Solutions............................................... 155

About automatic updates................................................. 157

Update notification.......................................................... 159

VAIO Support Agent properties ..................................... 159

Using Support Central..................................................... 160

Software Support Information ................................165

Sony Service Center........................................................ 167

Index.........................................................169

Welcome

Congratulationson your purchase of the Sony VAIO® notebook. Sony has combined leading-edge technology in audio, video, computing, and communications to provide you with state-of-the-art personal computing.

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Using Your VAIO Notebook

This section describes how to use your keyboard, touchpad, and optical drive. You will also find information on how to connect your notebook to another computer or network.

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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

Alt key

Function keys

Numeric keypad

Print Screen key

Applications key keys

Navigation

Correction keys

Escape key

hift key

Ctrl key

Fn key

Windows key

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.

Using Your VAIO Notebook

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 Windows® Help.

+ Tab Switches the selected button on the taskbar.

+ D Displays the desktop.

+ E Displays Windows Explorer.

+ F Displays the Windows Find: All Files window to find 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.

Using Your VAIO Notebook

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

Battery 2 Indicates the status of the battery inserted in the multipurpose

Memory Stick Indicates that the Memory Stick® slot is in use.

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 C aps Lock is on.

The screen scrolls differently. (Exactly how it scrolls dependson the specific application. It has no effect in many applications.)

The alphanumeric character keys in the 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

Combinations/ Feature Function

Fn+ (F3) Mute On/Off

Fn+ (F4) Speaker volume

Fn+ (F5) Brightness control

LCD

Fn+ / (F7) Switch to the external monitor/LCD

Toggles the built-in speaker off and on.

Adjusts the built-in speaker volume. To increase volume, press Fn+F4, then or . To decrease volume, press Fn+F4, then or .

Adjusts the brightness of the LCD. To increase light intensity, press Fn+F5 and then or . To decrease light intensity, press Fn+F5 and then or .

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.

Combinations/ Feature Function

LCD

Fn+ only/

(F8)

Toggles between LCD-only and dual LCD/TV display modes.

Control AV out

Connect the cable before youturn on the notebook, otherwise Fn + F8 will not work.

Only LCD

Using Your VAIO Notebook

LCD and external display

Only external display

Fn+ (F12) Hibernate

Provides for the lowest level of power consumption. When you run this command, the state of the system and state of the peripheral devices are written to the hard disk and the system power is turned off. To return the system to its original state, use the power button to turn on power.

Fn + Esc Standby

Puts the system into Standby mode, a power management state. To return the system to the active state, press any key or press the power button on your notebook.

✍ 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

Left and Right buttons

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.

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 cl icking both

buttons simultaneously, adjusting touchpad speed, an d Easy Launcher functions. To access Mouse Properties, open the Start menu, point to Settings, Control Panel, and then click the Mouse icon in the Control Panel.

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VAIO Action Setup

VAIO Action Setup manages the settings for your notebook’s center Jog Dial™ control, Memory Stick® media, and i.LINK®

interface. For more information on changing the settings using VAIO Action Setup, right-click the Jog Dial Utility icon or in the taskbar and click Help Topics.

* i.LINK is a trademark of Sony used to designate thata product contains an IEEE 1394 con-

nection. The i.LINK connection may vary, depending on the software applications, operating system, and compatible i.LINK devices. All products with an i.LINK connector may not communicate with each other. Refertothedocumentation that came with your compatible i.LINK device for information on operating conditions and proper connection. Before connecting compatible i.LINK PC peripherals to your system, such as a CD-RW or hard disk drive, confirm their operating system compatibility and required operating conditions.

Center Jog Dial Control

Your notebook is equipped with a center Jog Dial control located below the left and right buttons. The centerJog Dial control enablesyou to open an application, folder,or document from a predefined lis t by rotating and pressing the center Jog Dial control. In addition, when you press the center Jog Dial control, you can turn on your notebook automatically and start the selected application or document.

Center Jog Dial Control

Turn

Back button

Press

Center Jog Dial Control

The center Jog Dial control window always appears in the display. It is either in the launcher mode or in the guide mode.

Using the center Jog Dial control

This section explains how to use the center Jog Dial control. For information on how to change the settings of the center Jog Dial control, right-click the Jog Dial Utility icon or in the task tray and click Help Topics.

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Launcher mode

The center Jog Dial control window is in launcher mode until a software application is launched or the Jog Dial control window becomes active. When you select an item in the Jog Dial control window and it is displayed between orange bars, you can press the center Jog Dial control to view a submenu of that item.

Using Launcher mode

To use the center Jog Dial control, click the Jog Dial control window or the Jog Dial Utility icon in the taskbar. Alternatively, you can press the Ctrl key and the center Jog Dial control while the Jog Dial control window is active to switch to launcher mode.

Jog Dial Launcher

To select a desired item, proceed as follows:

Center Jog Dial Control

1 Rotate the center Jog Dial control to select the item you want, then press the

center Jog Dial control. The Jog Dial Launcher window switches to guide mode and shows the function of the center Jog Dial control.

Jog Dial Guide

2 Rotate or press the center Jog Dial control to use the desired function. 3 To select another item, repeat steps 1 through 3 above.

Guide mode

The Jog Dial control window is in the guide mode when software is in use and the software window is active. Depending on the software you are using, you can select items from the displayed list using the center Jog D ial control. You can switch between guide mode and launcher mode by pressing the Ctrl key and the center Jog Dial control.

Using Guide mode

The Jog Dial control window displays the function of the center Jog Dial control.

Center Jog Dial back button

The center Jog Dial control includes a back button located to the right of the control. Pressing this button brings you back to the previous screen.

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Using the center Jog Dial control with Sony software

If Sony software that supports the center Jog Dial control is active, you can use the functions of the center Jog Dial control that are allocated to that software. For more information on functions allocated to software, see the software application’s Help.

Using the center Jog Dial control with other software

If the software you are using supports the center Jog Dial control, you can still use the center Jog Dial control to scroll the window or adjust the window size.

Using a Di alog box

When a window such as Screen Properties is active, the Dialog box is displayed in the Jog Dial window. You can select an item in the window by rotating the center Jog Dial control. Pressing the center Jog Dial control is the equivalent of pressing Enter or Select.

Jog Dial Guide Dialog Box

Using the Removable Hard Disk Drive

Your notebook is equipped with a removable hard diskdrive, located on the right side next to the battery bay.

The hard disk drive is preformatted and ready to let you take full advantage of all Sony VAIO® features. You can upgrade to a higher-capacity hard disk drive as your computing needs warrant.

✍ Sony does not guarantee interoperab ility with removable hard disk drives other than

the one provided with your VAIO

Removing the hard disk drive

1 Shut down your notebook and locate the latch for the hard disk drive. 2 Loosen and remove the screw on the bottom of thenotebook that secures the

hard disk drive. Use an appropriate screwdriver.

3 Slide the hard disk drive out of the drive bay.

Installing the hard disk drive

1 Slide the hard disk drive into the drive bay until it clicks into place. 2 Replace and tighten the screw that secures the hard disk drive.

notebook.

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Using the Optical Disc Drive

Your notebook comes with a removable optical disc drive located in the multipurpose bay. Depending on the system you purchased, your optical disc drive is either a CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive or a DVD-ROM drive.

The optical disc drive is removable when the power is on, but do not remove the drive when your notebook is in a power saving mode. Any attempt to do so may result in malfunction and/or data loss.

To insert a disc

1 Turn on the notebook.

✍ When the notebook is in Standby or Hibernate mode, you cannot insert a disc. See

“Controlling Power Management” 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 optical drive, and may cause damage to the unit.

Using the Optical Disc Drive

3 Placean optical disc on the tray with the label side facing up. For DVDs that

can played on both sides, the side of the disc facing up is the side that plays.

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 “Controlling Power Management” for more information about power saving modes.

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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 t he disc firmly ove r the hub fingers. If you do not seat th e disc firmly, you could damage your optical drive and you may not be able to open the tray.

Manual ejec t hole

To play a DVD

To play a DVD, you may use the optical disc drive and the preinstalled WinDVD® software. For more information on WinDVD, see the Help manual that comes with your software.

✍ Before you use the optical disc drive to play a DVD, quit any open applications.

Systems equipped with a CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive can read DVD-R media, but systems equippedwith a DVD-ROM drive cannot read DVD-R media. When you are ready toplay a DVD, readthe suggestions below to m aximize yourvideo viewing experience.

Using the Optical Disc Drive

❑ When playing a DVD on battery power, set the power managementprofile to

DVD. You can also set the power management profile to Automatic Profile Selection if the display is not clear when using other profiles.

✍ Automatic Profile Selection sets the power management profile to DVD whenever a

DVD is inserted. See “Controlling Power Management” for more information.

❑ 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.

❑ 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.

Some discs record ed at 20 or 24 bits may produce noise while playing. If you have audio devices connected, this may cause damage to your hearing and the speakers. Reduce the volume before playing a DVD.

You cannot use the Fn + F8 function to switch between LCD and TV once a DVD is inserted into the optical drive.

Do not switch between LCD and the e xternal d isplay while the DVD is playin g. This may cause a malfunction, and you may need to restart the DVD sof tware.

Do not switch the power saving modes while you are playing the DVD. Change the settings to d isable the screen saver and the virus checker. Do not use memory-resident utilit y software to speed up disc access. This

may cause the note book to malfunctio n.

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.

✍ The optical disc drive must be installed in the mul tipurpose bay before you begin.

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1 Click Start in the Windows taskbar, select Settings, 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 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 byits edge and use a softcloth to wipe 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 Easy CD Creator® software to write data to a CD-R or CD-RW disc. Easy CD Creator works only iftheCD-R or CD-RWdiscis formatted; otherwise, your notebook will not recognize it. To create a CD-R disc that is readable in a

* For notebook models equipped with a CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive.

Using the Optical Disc Drive

CD-ROM drive, make sure you finish the writing process before ejecting it. For more information, see the instructions included with the Easy CD Creator software.

✍ For optimal writing speed, deactivate t he 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, as Easy CD Creator® is

preset to that speed. Your notebook does not support 1x writing speed. If you use CDRW or CD-R writing software othe r th an Easy CD Creator, use PowerPanel to select the DVD Profile. Mem ory-resident disc utilities may cause unstable operatio n or data loss. Deactivate these ut ilities before writing d a ta to a disc.

When using Easy CD Creat or Standard, be sure to exit all other applications. If your notebook comput er has preinstalled Microsoft® Office applications, such as

Excel, Word, and Outlook, turn off the FindFast application. Do not put your notebook into power saving mode while using Easy CD Creator.

Do not strike or shake the notebook whi le 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.

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Using PC Cards

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 Insert the PC Card into the PC Card slot. Make sure the front label of the PC

Card is facing up.

Inserting a PC Card

Insert with the

arrow facing toward

the slot

PC Card

2 Push the the PC Card slot gently into the connector .The PC Card is

automatically detected by your system. The Unplug or Eject Hardware icon appears in the taskbar.

Do not force a PC Card into the s lot as this may damage the connector pins. Do not carry your notebook while touching the head of a PC Card (such as a

wireless LAN card ), as pressure or shock may damage the connec tor pins.

To remove a PC Card

The following procedure describes how to remove the PC Card while the notebook is on. If you want toremovethe PC Card while the notebook is off, skip to step number 6 (below).

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