How to use the VAIO Care™ utility to check for and correct problems with the computer.

The VAIO Care utility includes a One Click Care feature that can be used scan your computer for potential problems. One Click Care generates a report that provides information about the following categories and solutions to resolve any problems detected:

NOTE: A detailed explanation of the reports included in each category is provided further down in this article during the evaluation of an example report.

• Startup
• Usage
• Security
• Settings
• Updates
• Maintenance

Follow the procedure below to generate the One Click Care report:

1. Click the Start button and then click the VAIO Care folder.
2. In the VAIO Care folder, click VAIO Care.
3. In the One Click Care window, click the Run One Click Care button.

   NOTE: A progress bar displays the status of the tests. Once the tests finish, a report is display.

   

The following information describes the results displayed on each tab of an example report:

NOTE: Click the name of the tab to switch between reports.

The Startup tab displays the following:

• Windows Startup Time: The time it took the computer to bootup the first time, as well as the boot time averaged over a month.
• Total Startup Applications: The number of programs that start automatically when the operating system loads. The greater the number of startup applications, the longer the Windows startup time.

  NOTE: Click the Advanced button to view the Windows Shutdown Time report.

• Windows Shutdown time: The amount of time it took the computer to shutdown the first time, as well as the shutdown time averaged over a month.

The Usage tab displays the following:

• HDD usage: A bar indicates the amount of space used on the hard disk drive, as well as the free space.
• Network Info: The IP address assigned to the computer and the IP address of the gateway (router). Also, the results of a ping test to the gateway.

  NOTE: Click the Advanced button to view the following reports:

• Network Bandwidth: The amount of data sent from the computer per second over the network broken out by the previous and current month.
• Disk Bandwidth: The amount of data written to and read from the HDD per second broken out by the previous and current month.
• CPU Available: The amount of CPU free time as a percentage broken out by the previous and current month. If the percentage is high the CPU was not performing operations most of the time and the system was performing faster. If the percentage is low the CPU was highly active and system performance was slower.
• Most Frequently Used Applications: The programs that were run the most often.
• Most CPU Intensive Programs: The programs that required the most processing time.
• Most Intensive Background Programs: Applications the were not opened directly by the user, usually launched during startup or by another program. The list shows the background applications that required the most processing time.
• Application Failures: The number of applications that were stopped incorrectly, usually due to an error, broken out by the two previous months.
• Windows Failures: The number of times the Windows operating system crashed, failed or restarted due to an error.

The Security tab displays the status of the following security applications:

• Firewall: A program that monitors and allows or blocks data transferred to and from the computer.
• Antivirus: A program that scans files for malicious software and disables or removes infected files.
• Antispyware: A program that scans files for malware and suspicious software and disables or removes the files.

NOTE: If the report shows any problems, click the Fix All button to correct the issues.

The Settings tab displays the following:

• Windows Automatic Update Settings: Shows the status of the application that checks for updates to the operating system.
• Internet Security Settings: Shows the status of the Windows Security Center operating system feature that secures an Internet connection.
• User Account Control Settings: The User Account Control (UAC) feature restricts access to certain operating system configuration applications or files, such as Device Manager or the Windows registry. This report shows the status of the UAC feature.
• Device Manager: Checks Device Manager for any errors that may show a problem with a hardware device, such as the WLAN adapter disabled or the driver is not installed properly.
• Internet Connectivity: Indicates if the computer is connected to the Internet.

  NOTE: If the report shows any problems, click the Fix All button to correct the issues.

The Updates tab displays the following:

IMPORTANT: It is critical to stay current with Windows and VAIO updates because the updates are used to resolve many problems or errors with the software on the computer, as well as adding new features and security.

• Windows Update: Indicates if all the available updates to the operating system have been installed.
• VAIO Update: Indicates if any updates to the bundled software applications or drivers are available and installed.
• Self Heal: Provides fixes created by software engineers that may reconfigure the operating system, bundled software or drivers to resolve certain issues.

NOTE: If the report shows any problems, click the Fix All button to correct the issues.

The Maintenance tab displays the following:

• Windows Restore Point: Indicates if a recent Windows System Restore point has been created. A Windows Restore Point can be used to restore the computer to an earlier time before a problem or error started to occur.
• Backup Files: Indicates if a backup of user data has been created and provides a link to the Windows Backup and Restore Center.
• Create Recovery Discs: Indicates if a set of Recovery discs has been created. Recovery discs can be used to restore the software configuration of the computer to its original factory condition.
• Disk Defragmenter: Indicates the number of fragmented files found on the HDD by the disk defragmenter application. A fragmented HDD will perform more slowly.
• Disk Cleaner: Indicates the number of potential issues on the HDD.
• Registry Defragmenter: Indicates fragmentation of the Windows system registry.
• Registry Cleaner: Scans the Windows system registry for potential problems.

NOTE: If the report shows any problems, click the Fix All button to correct the issues.