[. . . ] Macrovision: This product incorporates copyright protection technology that is protected by U. S. Use of this copyright protection technology must be authorised by Macrovision, and is intended for home and other limited viewing uses only unless otherwise authorised by Macrovision. Sony Corporation reserves the right to make any modification to this manual or the information contained herein at any time without notice. The software described herein is governed by the terms of a separate user licence agreement. Please note that the illustrations in this manual may not necessarily apply to your model. [. . . ] If the card is removed by mistake and is subsequently not detected, please shut off the power of the computer, wait ten seconds and then turn it on again. The Sony UMH-U HS-XX USB Device icon (or similar) is shown in the taskbar when a USB device is in use. However, it also runs Memory Sticks, CompactFlash cards and SmartMedia. It is important that you do not use this icon to disable these memory cards, as it disables all the slots. If you accidentally remove any of the cards via this icon, please restart your computer. Using your VAIO computer Hardware Guide nN 31 Write-protecting cards Memory Sticks and SmartMedia are designed with an erasure prevention switch to protect valuable data from accidental erasure or overwriting. (On the 128 MB Memory Stick, move the tab up or down. ) When the erasure prevention switch is off, data can be saved on the memory card. When the erasure prevention switch is on, data can be read from but not saved on the memory card. LOCK LOCK LOCK This image does not apply to the 128 MB Memory Stick, which has a vertical lock. SmartMedia locks may also differ. Using your VAIO computer Hardware Guide nN 32 Using CompactFlash cards Your VAIO desktop has a CompactFlash slot that supports Type I or Type II cards. And is used to interconnect digital cameras, digital music players, desktop computers, handheld PCs, personal communicators, Palm PCs, digital voice recorders and photo printers. Its advanced features include a high transfer rate for fast copy/download and a high storage capacity. This slot cannot be use anything except for writing and reading memory cards or storage device cards. Some CompactFlash cards may require you to disable idle devices during use. If the PC Card is operating abnormally, go to Control Panel, Performance and Maintenance, System, click the Hardware tab, and then Device Manager. If an "!" mark appears next to the PC Card device, remove the software driver and then reinstall it from the installation CD that accompanies the PC Card. For some PC Cards, if you alternate between Normal power operation and Standby or Hibernate power management modes while the card is inserted, you may find that a device connected to your system is not recognised. Reboot your system to correct the problem. Using your VAIO computer Hardware Guide nN 35 Removing a PC Card Follow the steps below to remove the PC Card while your computer is on. If it is not removed properly, your system may crash and unsaved data may be lost. If you want to remove a PC Card when your computer is off, skip steps 1 to 5. To remove a PC Card, proceed as follows: 1 2 3 4 Close any applications that are using the PC Card. In the Stop a Hardware Device dialog box, select the device, confirm that it can be safely removed from the system and click OK. Open the panel cover and press the PC Card release button once so it is extended and ready for use. 5 6 7 8 Push the PC Card release button to eject the card. Gently grasp the card and pull it out. Using your VAIO computer Hardware Guide nN 36 Expansion capabilities There are four expansion slots at the rear of your VAIO computer, as follows: Top slot: AGP slot containing the graphics card. Third slot: If your model has Giga Pocket functions, this is a PCI slot containing the Giga Pocket the ports. [. . . ] Use only specified peripheral equipment and interface cables; otherwise, problems may occur. Precautions Hardware Guide nN 63 Do not use cut or damaged connection cables. If the computer is brought directly from a cold location to a warm one, moisture may condense inside your computer. In this case, allow at least one hour before turning on your computer. As you may lose important data once your computer is damaged, you should back up your data regularly. [. . . ]