User manual SONY VAIO VGN-AW31M/H TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE

[. . . ] Important Be sure to create recovery discs immediately after your computer is ready for use because there are no recovery discs provided with the computer. For instructions on how to create the recovery discs, see "Creating your own recovery discs" on page 14. Recovery discs can also be purchased in case you cannot create them. Visit www. vaio-link. com for the contact details of your country/area. 2 Contents Introduction to this guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [. . . ] 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 the backup cannot be restored. 5 18 Before using your computer To restore your data from the backup copy made with the Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore feature Your computer may not work properly after the restore process because restoring your data changes system files. Be sure to make a backup copy of your data before restoring the data. 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. 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 are using BitLocker Drive Encryption on models with Windows Vista Ultimate, the BitLocker Drive Encryption Recovery window may appear. Follow the on-screen instructions to disable BitLocker Drive Encryption temporarily. 4 Select an operating system and click Next. 5 If you have saved a backup copy of your data to an external hard disk drive or discs with an external optical disc drive, connect the external device to your computer. 6 Select Windows Complete PC Restore. If you have saved the backup copy to CD or DVD discs, insert a disc to the (external) optical disc drive. 7 Follow the on-screen instructions. 19 To create a restore point What is a restore point? A restore point is created automatically, for example when installing a software driver, and used to restore your computer system files to a previous state. Even though the restore point is created automatically, it is recommended to create the restore point manually before installing software or a software driver on your computer because your computer may become unstable or slow after installing new software or changing the Windows settings. If you have created the restore point when the computer is working normally, use the restore point to restore the system files to the previous state. To create a restore point manually 1 Launch VAIO Recovery Center (see page 12). 2 Select Windows Backup and Restore and click Start. 3 Click Create a restore point 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, you may be prompted to enter an administrator name and password. 5 6 7 8 Click the System Protection tab in the System Properties window. Click to select the check box next to the drive for which you want to create a restore point under Automatic restore points. Follow the on-screen instructions. 20 Before using your computer To use the restore point for restoring system files If you can start Windows, follow these steps: 1 Follow the steps 1 to 4 in "To create a restore point manually" on page 20. 2 Click System Restore on the System Protection tab in the System Properties window. 3 Follow the on-screen instructions. If you cannot start Windows, follow these steps: 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 F8 key when the VAIO logo appears. 3 Make sure the option to repair the computer, which is listed on the top of the boot option window, is selected, and then press the Enter key. 4 Skip the 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 are using BitLocker Drive Encryption on models with Windows Vista Ultimate, the BitLocker Drive Encryption Recovery window may appear. Follow the on-screen instructions to disable BitLocker Drive Encryption temporarily. 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. 6 Follow the on-screen instructions. 21 Backing up and restoring your data with the VAIO software You can also make a backup copy of your data with the Rescue Data software and restore the rescued data with the VAIO Data Restore Tool software. To back up your data with Rescue Data The Rescue Data software enables you to rescue (back up) your data on the hard disk even when you cannot start Windows. There are two options to rescue your files. Normal data rescue Saves all the files which you can rescue on the hard disk to an external hard disk drive. Custom data rescue Saves files which you specified to an external hard disk drive, removal media, or an optical disc (CD, DVD, etc. ). [. . . ] You cannot specify the volume exceeding the amount of Size of available shrink space in MB. Total size after shrink in MB: Indicates the volume of the C drive after you shrink the volume. While you use your computer for a certain period of time, the unallocated hard disk space is getting smaller. In this case, it is recommended to defragment the hard disk. To defragment the hard disk, click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and Disk Defragmenter. [. . . ]