Sony PCV-RX590G, PCV-RX580 User Manual

VAIO Digital Studio™ Computer User Guide

PCV-RX580/PCV-RX590G

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Welcome

Thank you for purchasing your Sony VAIO® computer! Your new computer is a superb blend of high technology and easy-to-use functionality. The information provided here is designed to help you to become familiar with the hardware and software applications included with your system.

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Locating Controls and Connectors

Front Panel Overview

The front panel of your VAIO Digital Studio™ Computer enables access to the optical and floppy disk drives. On certain models, the front panel also provides access to Giga Pocket Personal Video Recorder jacks and ports, Universal Serial Bus (USB), and i.LINK® ports to connect compatible peripheral devices.

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i.LINK is a trademark of Sony used only to designate that a product contains an IEEE1394 connection. The i.LINK connection may vary, depending on the software applications, operating system, and compatible i.LINK devices. All products with an i.LINK connection may not communicate with each other.

Please refer to the documentation 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 an optical or hard disk drive, confirm their operating system compatibility and required operating conditions.

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Front panel (Model equipped with Giga Pocket shown)

1 Optical drive 1

See the Specifications sheet for more information.

2

Optical drive 2 See the Specifications sheet for more information.

3 Floppy disk drive

Reads and writes data from and to a 3.5-inch floppy disk.

4 Floppy disk drive access indicator light

Lights in green while reading and writing data from and to a floppy disk.

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Locating Controls and Connectors

5 Optical drive access indicator light

Lights in amber while reading and writing data from and to the optical drives.

6 Hard disk drive access indicator light

Lights in amber while reading and writing data from and to the hard disk.

7 Power switch and indicator light

Turns the computer on and off. The indicator light is blue while the power is on and amber when the computer is in Stand by mode.

8 (For models equipped with Giga Pocket)

S-video In port

Connection for an S-video cable (optional).

Video In jack

Connection for a video cable (supplied).

Audio L In jack/Audio R In jack

Connection for an audio cable (supplied).

9 Optical drive 1 eject button

Ejects a disc from Optical drive 1.

10 Optical drive 2 eject button

Ejects a disc from Optical drive 2.

11 Memory Stick drive and eject button

Reads and writes data from and to a Memory Stick media.

12 Floppy disk eject button

Ejects a floppy disk from the floppy disk drive.

13 Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports (2)

Connection for a compatible USB device.

14 i.LINK (4-pin) port (IEEE1394)

Connection for a compatible digital device.

For your convenience, your computer includes Giga Pocket, USB, and i.LINK ports and

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jacks on both the front and back panels. (The 4-pin i.LINK port is located on the front panel and the 6-pin i.LINK port is located on the back.)

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Back Panel Overview

The back panel of your computer contains the ports for supplied and optional accessories. The icons on the back panel locate and identify the ports on your computer.

Back panel (Model equipped with Giga Pocket shown)

KEYBOARD

MOUSE

USB NETWORK

ACT

LINK

PRINTER

i.LINK S400

HEADPHONES

SERIAL

LINE IN

MIC

1 PS/2® mouse port

Connection for a PS/2 mouse.

2 PS/2® keyboard port

Connection for a VAIO Smart™ Keyboard.

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4

MONITOR

3

VIDEO

VIDEO 1

OUTPUT

INPUT

2

S VIDEO

/

VIDEO

/

VIDEO

VHF /UHF

AUDIO

1

LINE

TELEPHONE

3 Ethernet port

10Base-T/100Base-TX Fast Ethernet interface. (The port marked with (Network) is for LAN connections only.)

4 Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports (2)

Connection for compatible USB devices.

5 Printer port

Connection for a parallel device, such as a printer or scanner.

6 SP/DIF (TOSlink) optical out port

Connection for a digital audio or optical device.

7 i.LINK 6-pin port (IEEE1394)

Connection for a compatible digital device such as a Sony Digital Handycam® camcorder.

8 Serial port

Connection for a compatible serial device, such as a digital still camera.

9 Headphones jack

Connection for the supplied speakers or optional headphones.

10 Line In jack

Connection for an audio device.

11 Microphone jack

Connection for a microphone (optional).

12 Monitor port

Connection for a standard CRT display.

13 (For models equipped with Giga Pocket)

Audio Out jack

Connection for an audio cable (supplied).

Video/S-video Out port

Connection for a video cable adapter (supplied) or an S-video cable (optional).

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(For models equipped with Giga Pocket) Audio In jack Connection for an audio cable (supplied).

Video/S-video In port

Connection for a video cable adapter (supplied) or an S-video cable (optional).

15 Modem line jack

Connection for the modem (supplied) cable to the wall jack.

16 AC Input port

Connection for the supplied power cord.

17 (For models equipped with Giga Pocket)

VHF/UHF port

Connection for a coaxial cable (supplied).

Locating Controls and Connectors

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18 Telephone cable jack

Connection for the phone cable to the computer.

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

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IEEE1394 connection. The i.LINK connection may vary, depending on the software applications, operating system, and compatible i.LINK devices. All products with an i.LINK connection may not communicate with each other.

Please refer to the documentation 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 an optical or hard disk drive, confirm their operating system compatibility and required operating conditions.

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VAIO Action Setup

VAIO Action Setup manages the settings for your computer’s Shortcut keys (S Keys) and i.LINK

Shortcut Keys

The programmable S Keys are linked with the following applications as their default settings:

S1 — Outlook® Express

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S2 — Internet Explorer

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S3 — SonicStage

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S4 — PictureGear™

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S5 — MovieShaker™

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S5 — Giga Pocket™ Personal Video Recorder (For models equipped

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with Giga Pocket)

S6 — Help/Demo

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You can reprogram the S keys to launch other applications.

®

interface.

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

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IEEE1394 connection. The i.LINK connection may vary, depending on the software applications, operating system, and compatible i.LINK devices. All products with an i.LINK connection may not communicate with each other.

Please refer to the documentation 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 an optical or hard disk drive, confirm their operating system compatibility and required operating conditions.

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Changing the Settings of the S Keys

1 Click Start in the Windows taskbar and select All Programs.

1 Select VAIO Action Setup, then click VAIO Action Setup.

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You can also double-click the VAIO Action Setup icon, located in the Windows taskbar, to launch VAIO Action Setup.

2 Click the S Key you want to change.

3 From the Select Application dialog box, click the option for the desired type

of function. The corresponding applications appear in the list box on the right.

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You can drag an application to place it into the list box.

4 The Confirmation Application Name window appears. Click Next.

5 You may now type a new name and description, if desired. Then click Finish.

To Change the Sony Software Window Design

You can select from different window designs for your Sony software and create your own personal computing environment.

Changing the window design

1 Click Start in the Windows taskbar and select the Control Panel.

2 Click Other Control Panel Options.

3 Click UI Design Selector.

4 Click << or >> and select the desired design.

5 Click Apply.

6 The “UI Design Selector” window design changes. The window design for

your Sony software will match the “UI Design Selector” window.

7 To try another selection, click << or >>, then click Apply.

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To Change the Sony Software Window Design

8 When you have made your selection, click OK. The UI Design Selector

closes and the Sony software window design displays.

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You may only use this feature with compatible UI Design Selector software.

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Configuring Your VAIO Computer

Hard Disk Drive Partition

To maintain optimum system performance, you should defragment your computer’s D partition regularly.

In order to improve the performance of Sony audio/video software applications, the hard disk drive on your computer has been formatted with two partitions, C and D. Some Sony software applications save files to the D partition. This prevents large video captures from consuming the available space on your C partition.

Defragmenting your hard disk drive

If you encounter frame dropping while recording digital video onto your hard disk drive, defragmentation may be necessary.

1 Deactivate your screen saver and close other open applications, if applicable.

2 Click Start in the Windows Taskbar and select All Programs.

3 Point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then select Disk

Defragmenter.

The Disk Defragment dialog box appears.

4 Select Action from the menu bar and click Analyze.

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It may take more than a couple of hours to complete defragmentation, depending on the data capacity and utilization of your computer’s hard disk drive(s).

i.LINK (IEEE1394) Compatibility

Your VAIO computer may include either 4-pin or 6-pin, or both types, of i.LINK ports.

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