BIOS and Video Upgrade For VAIO PCG-R505CT And PCG-R505DT Users Who Previously Upgraded To Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition Before 29th June 2002.

2002-06-28
Sony recommends the following guidelines and procedures when installing Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition on Sony VAIO computers with the pre-installed operating system.
To obtain more information on the Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition operating system, please visit the Microsoft® website.

Important Notes Before Installing Windows® XP Home Edition
* All mentioned softwares (drivers, utilities or programs) in this site, is strictly for use with the selected models only. Do not attempt to install any of these softwares on other VAIO models.
* All softwares (drivers, utilities or programs) have been tested and used for Windows® XP Home Edition.

* Back Up Data and Settings
- User's data/e-mail
- Internet Service Provider (ISP) and Networking configuration settings

* Support for Third-Party or Non-VAIO Products
For device drivers and other softwares required by third party or non-VAIO hardware devices, please visit the support website of each manufacturer for Windows® XP compatibility information, and any updated drivers or softwares.

* Preparing the Hard Disk Drive
Sony recommends users to restore the computer back to its original shipped state using the supplied Recovery CD. For complete instructions on the recovery process, please refer to the User Guide on Reconfiguring Your Computer Using the Product Recovery CD-ROMs.

* Uninstalling Pre-Installed Softwares
The performance of the software pre-installed in VAIO computers is optimized on the pre-installed operating system. These softwares become unusable when the operating system is upgraded. We recommend that user uninstall these softwares first. Depending on the configuration of the computer, some models may not have some of the listed softwares.

The Uninstall2.exe program provided here will uninstall the following softwares.
- BatteryScope
- HotKey Utility
- PowerPanel
- Sony DV Shared Library
- Sony Notebook Setup
- Sony Utilities DLL
- VAIO Action Setup
- DVgate
- PictureGear
- Smart Connect
- Smart Connect Monitor
- OpenMG Jukebox
- PPK Setup

For Adaptec® DirectCD, Adaptec® Easy CD Creator®, Drag'n Drop CD, OpenMG Jukebox, McAfee® VirusScan® and Norton AntiVirus®, please use the Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel to uninstall these softwares manually.

* Required Memory Size
Windows® XP Home Edition requires a minimum RAM memory size of 64MB (MegaBytes). To ensure the computer has sufficient resources to operate Windows® XP Home Edition, Sony recommends to have at least RAM memory size of 128MB.

* Recommended Installation Method
Sony recommends user to select the Upgrade (Recommended) option as the Installation Type in Windows Setup. This will allow Windows® XP Home Edition to incorporate most of the configuration settings and the programs from the previous operating system.

* Upgrading of BIOS Software
Some VAIO computers may require an upgrading of the BIOS software when upgrading to other operating system.

* Restoring to Pre-Installed Operating System
Once the new operating system has been installed, restoring to pre-installed operating system will be complex without the supplied Recovery CDs. For complete instructions on the recovery process, please refer to the User Guide on Reconfiguring Your Computer Using the Product Recovery CD-ROMs. Downgrading of the BIOS software may be required in some models.

* Digital Signature of Drivers
Some drivers among the supplied drivers do not have the digital signature. Therefore, during the installation of drivers, the message Couldn't find digital signature may appear sometimes.