Sony Vaio VGN-AW11M/H, Troubleshooting And Recovery Manual

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Page 2: ...ns Guarantee EULA and Service Support Contains Sony guarantee conditions safety regulations modem regulations wireless LAN regulations wireless WAN regulations Bluetooth regulations end user software license agreement and Sony support services information On screen Documentation User Guide Explains features of your computer It also includes information about the software programs included with you...

Page 3: ... screen remains blank 9 What should I do if my computer or software stops responding 10 What should I do if the charge indicator light is blinking fast and my computer does not start 10 What should I do if a message window notifying of incompatibility or improper installation of the battery pack appears and my computer enters Hibernate mode 11 What should I do if Windows does not start and a messa...

Page 4: ...r computer does not work properly 27 If Windows starts 28 If Windows does not start 29 Recovering your VAIO system 30 Before starting the recovery process 30 Recovering your VAIO system when you can start Windows 32 To restore the C drive 32 To restore your entire computer system 32 Recovering your VAIO system when you cannot start Windows 33 To recover your computer system using recovery discs 33...

Page 5: ...ndows Help and Support is a comprehensive resource for practical advice tutorials and demonstrations to help you learn to use your computer Use the Search feature Index or table of contents to view all Windows Help resources including those that are on the Internet To access Windows Help and Support click Start and Help and Support Or go to Windows Help and Support by pressing and holding the Micr...

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Page 7: ...Troubleshooting ...

Page 8: ...the brightness and contrast controls are adjusted correctly See the manual that came with your display for more information Unplug the power cord or the AC adapter and remove the battery pack if applicable Wait three to five minutes Reinstall the battery pack if applicable plug the power cord or the AC adapter and then press the power button to turn on your computer Condensation may cause your com...

Page 9: ...press the Enter key 5 Select Exit Setup and press the Enter key At the confirmation prompt press the Enter key Your computer restarts If this occurs frequently contact VAIO Link What should I do if the green power indicator light turns on but my screen remains blank Press the Alt F4 keys several times to close the application window An application error may have been occurred Press the Ctrl Alt De...

Page 10: ...of unsaved data If your computer still does not turn off press and hold the power button until the computer turns off Remove the power cord or the AC adapter and battery pack if applicable Try reinstalling the software Contact the software publisher or designated provider for technical support What should I do if the charge indicator light is blinking fast and my computer does not start This probl...

Page 11: ... Windows does not start and a message appears when I start my computer If you enter a wrong power on password three times consecutively the Enter Onetime Password message appears and Windows will not start Press and hold the power button for more than four seconds to check that the power indicator light is unlit Wait for 10 or 15 seconds then restart your computer and enter the correct password Wh...

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Page 13: ...Recovering your VAIO system ...

Page 14: ...software drivers to the original factory condition Restore C Drive Enables you to restore the C drive on your computer to the original factory condition Restore Complete System Enables you to restore your entire computer system to the original factory condition Create Recovery Discs Enables you to create your own recovery discs to recover your computer system Backup and Restore Center Windows back...

Page 15: ...covery discs provided with the computer For instructions on how to create the recovery discs see Creating your own recovery discs on page 16 2 Backup copy of your data Recovering your computer system will delete all the data previously stored on a hard disk Be sure to make a backup copy of your data before recovering the computer system For instructions on how to make a backup copy of the data see...

Page 16: ...er by mistake Depending on your computer state you may need recovery discs to recover your computer system You may not be able to recover your computer system from the recovery partition in the following cases due to modifications of the recovery partition You have used software to modify the recovery partition You have installed an operating system different from the preinstalled operating system...

Page 17: ...e Blu ray Disc media DVD RAM CD R or CD RW discs as recovery discs To find out which types of media your optical disc drive supports see the on screen User Guide 2 Launch VAIO Recovery Center see page 14 3 Click Create Recovery Discs and Start 4 Read the on screen instructions carefully and then click Next 5 Select the disc you want to use By selecting the check box near the bottom of the window y...

Page 18: ...lable on models with Windows Vista Ultimate or Windows Vista Business only You can make a backup copy of everything on your computer including the programs system settings and files on the computer You can restore your computer system to the state when you made the backup copy For instructions on how to use this feature see To make a backup copy of your file with the Windows Complete PC Backup and...

Page 19: ...the Rescue Data software For instructions on how to make a backup copy of your data see To back up your data with Rescue Data on page 23 To make a backup copy of your file with the Back Up Files wizard 1 Launch VAIO Recovery Center see page 14 2 Select Windows Backup and Restore and click Start 3 Click Back up files 4 Click Continue in the User Account Control window If you are currently logged on...

Page 20: ...e in the User Account Control window If you are currently logged onto your computer as a standard user enter an administrator name and password and click Continue 5 Follow the on screen instructions You cannot select which files to restore when restoring the files from the backup copy you made with the Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore feature The files which you have changed or created after...

Page 21: ...e following step 2 and go to step 3 2 Press the M or m key to select Repair Windows Vista and press the Enter key 3 Select a keyboard layout and click Next If you have displayed the System Recovery Options window by pressing the F8 key select the user name and enter the password and then skip the following step 4 and go to step 5 4 Select an operating system and click Next 5 If you have saved a ba...

Page 22: ...or change settings on the left pane 4 Click Continue in the User Account Control window If you are currently logged onto your computer as a standard user enter an administrator name and password and click Continue 5 Click the System Protection tab in the System Properties window 6 Click to select the check box next to the drive for which you want to create a restore point under Automatic restore p...

Page 23: ...n using Rescue Data Handle rescued files with care to protect from unauthorized access Keep recovery discs in a secure place to protect from unauthorized copying of your data on the hard disk because this software can be launched from the recovery discs Rescued files which are not encrypted on the hard disk can be easily accessed by unauthorized users using recovery discs To protect rescued files ...

Page 24: ...hin 64 hours To resume the process follow the steps 1 to 3 click to select the Resume canceled process check box and Next Do not disconnect an external hard disk drive or optical disc drive during the rescue process You may need to install a software driver if you select removal media such as a Memory Stick media an SD memory card or a USB flash drive as a location to save rescued files The softwa...

Page 25: ...tart All Programs VAIO Data Restore Tool and VAIO Data Restore Tool 2 Click Continue in the User Account Control window If you are currently logged onto your computer as a standard user enter an administrator name and password and click Continue The VAIO Data Restore Tool window appears For instructions on how to use the software see the help file included with the software If necessary move the r...

Page 26: ...all the preinstalled software or software drivers you are going to restore Click Start Control Panel and Uninstall a program under Programs and select the preinstalled software or software drivers to uninstall If they are not uninstalled you may not complete the restoration process successfully 1 Launch VAIO Recovery Center see page 14 2 Select Reinstall Programs or Drivers and click Start 3 Read ...

Page 27: ...to normal before recovering your computer system in case of computer malfunctions If your computer does not work properly Your computer may become unstable or slow in the following cases Your computer has been infected with a computer virus You have changed the Windows settings You have installed software or a software driver which is not compatible with your computer ...

Page 28: ... working normally see page 22 Uninstall software or software drivers which are not compatible with your computer if you have installed such software or software drivers or restore the preinstalled software or software drivers to the originally factory condition see page 26 Restore your data from the backup copy made with the Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore feature available on models with W...

Page 29: ...ta Business only see page 21 You cannot restore your files which you have changed or created after the backup If you have such files and want to restore them make backup copies of them with the Rescue Data software For instructions on how to use the software see To back up your data with Rescue Data on page 23 2 Make backup copies of your files with the Rescue Data software if you have not yet mad...

Page 30: ...s designed to modify partition information The data modification or deletion may disable a system recovery Recovering your computer system can restore the preinstalled software only except certain software It cannot restore software applications that were installed on your own or the data you created after purchase Recovering your computer system cannot restore only the Windows operating system Ce...

Page 31: ...e data on the hard disk Make sure you have the backup copy of your valuable data On models with a fingerprint sensor recovering your computer system will delete all the fingerprint templates on the hard disk See the online specifications to see whether your model is equipped with a fingerprint sensor Disconnect all peripherals from the computer except the power cord or the AC adapter before recove...

Page 32: ... box and click Start If you have changed partition sizes and created another partition other than the C drive on your hard disk the data on the partition will remain unchanged even after recovering your computer system For instructions on how to create a hard disk partition see Creating a hard disk partition on page 34 6 Follow the on screen instructions To restore your entire computer system Foll...

Page 33: ...ter is on turn off your computer and turn on the computer again The Windows Boot Manager is displayed 2 Press the M or m key to select Start VAIO Recovery Center and press the Enter key 3 Follow the steps after step 1 in To restore the C drive on page 32 or To restore your entire computer system on page 32 depending on your computer state To recover your computer system from recovery partition 1 T...

Page 34: ...formation on how to create a partition see Creating a hard disk partition described below Creating a hard disk partition The steps described here take as an example the hard disk partitioning to change the size of the C drive and create another partition There are two options to create a partition Create a partition using the Windows feature Create a partition in the recovery process If you reduce...

Page 35: ... Right click Unallocated and select New Simple Volume 6 Follow the on screen instructions To create a partition in the recovery process 1 Insert a recovery disc to the drive while the computer is on turn off your computer and turn on the computer again The Windows Boot Manager is displayed If you have not yet created the recovery discs follow these steps 1 Turn on your computer 2 Press the F10 key...

Page 36: ...cally stops and your computer restarts if the process has not completed within 71 hours The process will resume after the computer restarts Be sure to connect and use the power cord or the AC adapter to power your computer when using this software 1 Make backup copies of your valuable files Make a backup copy of your data using the Back Up Files wizard if you can start Windows Make a backup copy o...

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