SYSTEM TROUBLEHOOTING - SONY VAIO - Does not Start - Operating System not found - Does not Shut Down

TROUBLESHOOTING

  [Windows Me only] When starting your notebook for the first time, the VAIO InitManager dialog box will appear. Please select “OK”to begin initial set-up. If you do not execute the initial set-up, you cannot use part of VAIO original hardware functions such as Jog Dial, Power Management tool, scroll function of touch pad, and keyboard short-cut key function combined with the Fn key.

DOES NOT START

• Check that the notebook is plugged into a power source and that it is turned on. Check that the power indicator on the front panel of the notebook indicates that the power is on.
• Check that the battery packs are inserted properly and that they are charged.
• Make sure there is no diskette in the floppy disk drive.
• Confirm that the power cord and all cables are connected firmly, as described in “To Connect a USB Device”.
• If you plugged the notebook into a power strip or UPS, make sure the power strip or UPS is turned on and working.
• If you are using an external display, check that it is plugged into a power source and turned on. Check that the brightness and contrast controls are adjusted correctly. See the manual that came with your display for details.
• Moisture condensation may have occurred. Do not use the notebook for at least one hour and then turn on the notebook.
• Take the battery pack off the notebook, unplug the power cord and plug it again, then turn on the power.

NOTEBOOK STARTS, BUT SYSTEM WON'T

• When the internal backup battery is low on power, it may not start your system properly. The message “Press <F1> to resume, <F2> to setup” appears at the bottom of the screen. Follow these steps:
• Press F2. The BIOS Setup menu appears.
• Set the date (month/day/year). Press Enter.
• Press ▼ to select System Time, then set the time (hour: minute: second). Press Enter.
• Press ►   to select Exit, then press ▼ to select Get Default Values. The message “Load default configuration now?” appears.
• Select "Yes" and press Enter.
• Select Exit (Save Changes), and then press Enter. The message “Save Configuration changes and exit now?” appears.
• Select Yes, then press Enter. The notebook restarts.

Notebook starts, but the message “Operating system not found” appears and Windows does not start.

• Make sure there is no diskette in the floppy disk drive (non-bootable). If a non-bootable diskette is in the drive, follow these steps:

1. Turn off the notebook, and then remove the diskette.
2. Restart the notebook and confirm that Windows starts properly.

If Windows still does not start, follow the steps below to initialize the BIOS:

• Remove any diskette from the floppy disk drive.
• Turn off the notebook.
• Remove any peripheral devices connected to the notebook.
• Turn on the notebook.
• Press the F2 key when the Sony logo appears. The BIOS set-up menu screen appears.
• Press the directional arrow keys to select the Exit menu.
• Press the arrow keys to select “Get Default Values” and then press Enter. The message “Load default configuration now?” appears.
• Select Yes, then press Enter.
• Use the directional arrow keys to select “Exit”(Save Changes), and then press Enter. The message “Save configuration changes and exit now?” appears.
• Select Yes, then press Enter. The notebook restarts.  If your notebook continues to display the message “Operating system not found”, and Windows does not start, contact Sony Customer Support.

STOPS RESPONDING OR DOES NOT SHUT-DOWN

It is best to shut down your notebook using the Shut Down command on the Windows Start menu. Using other methods, including those listed here, may

result in loss of unsaved data.

• Try restarting the notebook. On the Windows taskbar, click the Start button, click Shut Down, and then click Restart.
• If you cannot restart as described in the preceding step, you can restart the notebook by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
• If the previous step does not work, press and hold the power button for at least four seconds. This turns off the power.
• If your notebook stops responding while playing a CD, stop the CD, and restart the notebook by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
• Unplug the notebook from the AC adapter and remove the battery pack from your notebook.
• Pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete or turning off the notebook with the power switch may result in data loss in files that are currently open.

Does not enter the power saving mode (Windows Me only)

To enable your notebook to enter the power saving mode you select, proceed as follows:

• Click Start, point to Program, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Information. The Help and Support window appears.
• Click System Configuration Utility under the Tools menu.
• Click the Advanced button on the General tab, and confirm the following information:

1. The message “Standby function is enabled” is displayed. If the message reads, “Standby function is disabled”, click the Enable button.
2. The message “Hibernate feature is enabled” is displayed. If the message reads, “Hibernate feature is disabled”, click the Enable button.
3. Click OK and restart your notebook.

System enters System Idle mode when System Suspend mode has been selected.

• If you are connecting an optical disc drive with a PC card, disconnect it by stopping the PC card. Use the Sony Notebook Setup utility to disable devices that you are not currently using. See “Removing a PC card” for more information.
• Make sure the PC Card is compatible with your notebook’s Windows operating system. [(Windows 2000 only) When the notebook enters and returns from a power saving mode after removing the optical drive, the message “Unsafe Removal of Device” may appear and the device name is shown listed as Secondary IDE Channel. Click OK.]

The Power Management setting is not responding.

Your notebook’s operating system may become unstable if a lower power state, such as system hibernation is initiated and then changed before the notebook completely enters the lower power state. To restore the notebook to its normal operating stability:

• Close all open applications.
• Push and hold the power button for four seconds or longer to shut down the notebook.

The sound of  notebook’s fan is too loud.

Use the Power Panel utility to change the Thermal Control Strategy setting to Quiet. This setting slows down the CPU speed.

LCD SCREEN TROUBLESHOOTING

LCD screen is blank.

• Verify that the notebook is plugged into a power source and that it is turned on.
• Verify that the power indicator on the notebook is on.
• Verify that the battery pack(s) is inserted properly and that they are charged.
• The notebook may be in LCD (Video) Standby mode. Press any key to activate the screen.
• The display mode may be set to external display mode. Press and hold the Fn key while pressing F7 several times.

LCD screen continues to show the previous screen. (Windows Me only)

Press the Windows key and D key twice to refresh the screen.

The image on my connected external display is not centred or sized properly.

Use the controls on your external display to adjust the image.

To change the video resolution of my display.

• Click Start, point to Settings, point to Control Panel, and then click the Display icon. The Display Properties dialog box appears.
• Click on the Settings tab.
• Move the Screen Area slider to change your video resolution.

Mouse does not work.

• If you are using an external mouse, verify that the mouse is plugged into the mouse connector. See “Connecting a Universal Serial Bus (USB) Device” for details.
• If you are using an optional Sony USB mouse PCGA-UMS1 series, verify that the mouse is plugged into the USB connector, and restart your notebook.

Touch pad does not work properly.

You may have disabled the touch pad without connecting a mouse to the notebook. To enable the touch pad:

• Click Start > Programs > Sony Notebook Setup.
• Select the Touch pad tab.
• Click Use touch pad and click OK.

If your touch pad is interpreting a single tap as a double-click, adjust the button assignments as follows:

1. Click Start, point to Control Panel, then double-click on the Mouse icon. The Mouse Properties dialog box appears.
2. Change the button assignments in the Mouse Properties dialog box. (One of the buttons is assigned to the double-click action.)

Pointer does not move while using the touch pad or mouse.

• Click the Start button on the Windows task-bar, select Shut Down to display the Shut Down Windows dialog box, then press Enter.
• (Windows Me): If you cannot turn off your notebook as described in the step above, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete twice to restart the notebook.
• (Windows 2000): If you cannot turn off your notebook as described in the step above, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and click Shut Down on the Windows Security screen to restart the notebook.
• If you cannot restart your notebook as described in the step above, press and hold the power button for more than four seconds to turn off the notebook.
• If the pointer does not move while playing a disc, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to stop playback and restart the notebook.

DRIVES _ PC CARDS & REFERRAL DEVICES

• CD-ROM drive is not playing my CD properly.
• Make sure the label of the disc is facing up.
• If the disc requires software, make sure the software is installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• A dirty or damaged disc may cause the notebook to stop responding while it tries to read the disc. If necessary, restart the notebook, remove the disc, and then check it for dirt or damage.
• If you are using an optional DVD Rom Drive, and can see video but not hear audio, check all of the following:
• Check that your DVD-ROM drive does not have the mute setting enabled.
• Check the volume setting in the audio mixer.
• If you are using external speakers, check the volume settings, then check the connections between your external speakers and the notebook. VAIO Notebook Quick Start 58
• Click Start, point to Settings, point to Control panel, then double-click System. The System Properties dialog box appears.
• Click the Device Manager tab.
• Verify that the correct drivers are installed properly.
• Do not use adhesive labels to identify the CD. The label may come off while the disc is in use in the optical drive and cause the drive to malfunction.
• Moisture condensation may have occurred. Leave the notebook idle for at least 1 hour with the notebook turned on.

Optical drive tray does not open.

• Make sure the notebook is turned on.
• Press the Eject button on the optical drive.
• If the Eject button does not work, open the tray by inserting a thin pen tip in the hole to the right of the Eject button.

Cannot use digital video (DV) devices. The message “DV equipment seems to be disconnected or turned off” appears.

• Verify that the DV device is turned on and that the cables are properly connected.
• If you are using multiple i.LINK devices, the combination of the connected devices may cause unstable operation. In this case, proceed as follows:

1. Turn off your notebook and all connected devices.
2. Disconnect the devices that are not in use.
3. Ensure that all other devises are properly connected.
4. Restart your notebook.

The i.LINK-compatible devices connected to my notebook do not work.

• Use the i.LINK connector that is located on your notebook.
• If the message “There are no Digital Video devices connected to this computer, or the power is off” appears, unplug the i.LINK cable and try plugging it in again.