• The operating temperature is below 5 °C (41 °F).
  Battery life becomes shorter due to the battery characteristics. This is not a malfunction.
  
• Battery charging time is not sufficient.
  Charge the battery until appears
  
• By adjusting the settings or managing the power supply properly, it is possible to save the battery power and use the player for a longer time.
  
• You have not used the player for a prolonged period.
  The efficiency of the battery will be improved by repeatedly charging and discharging it.
  
• When usable battery life becomes half the usual time, even after charging the battery fully, the battery should be replaced.
  Consult your nearest Sony dealer.
  
• Copyright-protected contents are played.
  When copyright-protected contents are played, battery life may be shorter.
  

• The USB cable is not connected to a USB port on your computer properly.
  Disconnect the USB cable, and then reconnect it.
  Use the supplied USB cable.
  
• The battery is charged in an ambient temperature out of the range of 5 °C (41 °F) to 35 °C (95 °F).
  Charge the battery in an ambient temperature of 5 °C (41 °F) to 35 °C (95 °F).
  
• The computer is not on.
  Turn on the computer.
  
• Your computer has entered sleep or hibernation status.
  Release the computer from sleep or hibernation status.

• To avoid unnecessary battery consumption, the player automatically turns off.
  Press any button to turn the player on.

• If the battery is already almost fully charged when charging begins, little time is needed to reach full charge.

• If a malfunction occurs, the player turns off, and then on again automatically.

• Computer:

  IBM PC/AT or compatible computer preinstalled with the following Windows operating systems*1:

  • Windows XP Home Edition (Service Pack 2 or later)
  • Windows XP Professional (Service Pack 2 or later)
  • Windows Vista Home Basic (Service Pack 1 or later)
  • Windows Vista Home Premium (Service Pack 1 or later)
  • Windows Vista Business (Service Pack 1 or later)
  • Windows Vista Ultimate (Service Pack 1 or later)
  
  *1 Excluding OS Versions not supported by Microsoft.
  Not supported by 64 bit version OS.
  Not supported by OSs other than above.
  
  
• CPU: Pentium 4 1.0 GHz or higher
• RAM: 512 MB or more
• Hard Disk drive: 380 MB or more of available space
  More free space may be required depending on the version of the operating system installed. Also, more space is required to store data (such as music, videos, photos) on the hard drive.
  
• Display:
  
  • Screen Resolution: 800 × 600 pixels (or higher) (recommended 1,024 × 768 or higher)
  • Colors: 8 bit or higher (16 bit recommended)
  
  
• CD-ROM drive (supporting Digital Music CD playback capabilities using WDM) To create original CDs, a CD-R/RW drive is required.
• Sound board
• USB port (Hi-Speed USB is recommended)
• Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or 3.0
• QuickTime 7.3
• Internet Explorer 6.0 or 7.0
• Windows Media Player 10 or 11 (Windows Media Player 11 recommended. Some computers that already have Windows Media Player 10 installed may encounter file limitation (AAC, video files, etc.) that can be transferred by dragging and dropping).
• Adobe Flash Player 8 or higher needs to be installed.
• Broadband Internet connection is required to use Electronic Music Distribution (EMD) or to visit the web site.

Not supported by the following environments:

• Personally constructed computers or operating systems
• An environment that is an upgrade of the original manufacturer-installed operating system
• Multi-boot environment
• Multi-monitor environment
• Macintosh

Notes:

• Some computers that already have Windows Media Player 10 installed may encounter file limitation (AAC, video files, etc.) that can be transferred by dragging and dropping. If you install Windows Media Player 11 (for details, see “Installing the Operation Guide and software” of “Quick Start Guide”) from the supplied CD-ROM, you can solve this problem, then you can transfer by dragging and dropping again. Before installing Windows Media Player 11 on your computer, make sure to check whether your software or service corresponds to Windows Media Player 11.
  
• Data hierarchy may differ, depending on your computer environment.
  
• Some WMV files can be played back only by transferring using Windows Media Player 11.
  
• Do not disconnect the USB cable while “Do not disconnect.” appears on the player or the data being transferred may be damaged.
  
• You cannot change folder names or delete the “MUSIC”, “MP_ROOT”, “VIDEO”, “PICTURES”, “PICTURE” and "PODCASTS" folders.
  
• Do not change folder or file names directly under the “MP_ROOT” folder or “MPE_ROOT” folder. Otherwise, they will not be displayed on the player.

For songs

On Windows Explorer
Drag and drop files or folders into the “MUSIC” folder. However, beyond the 8th level, neither files nor folders will be recognized.
On the player
Folders are displayed in the folder name order first, then files are displayed in the file name order. In this case, upper or lower case letters are not distinguished.

For videos

On Windows Explorer
Drag and drop files or folders into the “VIDEO” folder. On the 1st level, the “VIDEO” folder will recognize either a file or a folder. Files on the 2nd level will be recognized. However, folders beyond the 1st level and files beyond the 2nd level will not be recognized.
On the player
Video files are displayed in the order they are transferred by dragging and dropping. (The latest data is at the top.)

For photos

On Windows Explorer
Drag and drop files or folders into the “PICTURE” folder. On the 1st level, the “PICTURE” folder will recognize either a file or a folder. Only files on the 2nd level will be recognized by “PICTURE” folder. However, beyond the 2nd level, neither files nor folders will be recognized.
On the player
Folders under the “PICTURE” folder is displayed in alphabetical order. Files in the 1st level of the “PICTURE” folder are stored in the <PICTURE> folder.

For Podcasts

On Windows Explorer
Drag and Drop channel folders into the “PODCASTS” folder and episode files into the channel folders. On the 1st level, the “PODCASTS” folder will recognize only folders. The episode files on the 1st level will not be recognized. On the 2nd level, only files will be recognized and any folders will not be recognized from the level. Beyond the 2nd level, neither files nor folders will be recognized.
On the player
Folders under the “PICTURE” folder is displayed in alphabetical order. Files in the 1st level of the “PICTURE” folder are stored in the <PICTURE> folder.

• Your computer’s system environment has changed, perhaps due to an update of the Windows operating system.

• The USB cable is not connected to a USB port on your computer properly.
  Disconnect the USB cable, and then reconnect it.
  Use the supplied USB cable.
  
• A USB hub is being used.
  Connecting the player via a USB hub may not work. Connect the player to your computer using the supplied USB cable.
  
• The computer is running another software other than the one used for transferring.
  Disconnect the USB cable, wait a few minutes, and reconnect it. If the problem persists, disconnect the USB cable, restart the computer, and then reconnect the USB cable.
  
• “Connecting” or “Connected USB (MTP)” may not appear on the player, depending on the software environment that is running on your computer.
  Activate Windows Media Player, or Windows Explorer.

• The USB cable is not connected to a USB port on your computer properly.
  Disconnect the USB cable, and then reconnect it.
  
• A USB hub is being used.
  Connecting the player via a USB hub may not work. Connect the player to your computer using the supplied USB cable.
  
• The USB port on your computer may have a problem.
  Connect the player to another USB port on your computer.

• Transferring may be stopped due to noise such as static electricity, etc. This happens to protect data information.
  Disconnect the player, then reconnect it.
  
• If you transfer files by dragging and dropping on some computers that do not have Windows Media Player 11 installed, there may be limited files (AAC, video files, etc.) that can be transferred by dragging and dropping.
  Install Windows Media Player 11 from the supplied CD-ROM, then transfer files by dragging and dropping again. Before installing the supplied Windows Media Player 11 on your computer, make sure to check whether your software or service corresponds to Windows Media Player 11.

  For details on usage, or support on Windows Media Player, visit the following web site: http://support.microsoft.com

• The USB cable is not connected to a USB port on your computer properly.
  Disconnect the USB cable, and then reconnect it.
  
• There is not enough free space in the built-in flash memory.
  Transfer any unnecessary data back to your computer to increase free space.
  
• Songs with a limited playing period or playing count may not be transferred due to restrictions set by copyright holders.
  For details on the settings of each audio file, contact the distributor.
  
• Abnormal data exists on the player.
  Transfer usable files back to your computer and format the built-in flash memory on the player.
  
• The data may be damaged.
  Delete the data that cannot be transferred from your computer, then import it to your computer again. When importing data to your computer, close any other applications to avoid data damage.
  
• Transferable limit of files and folders has been exceeded.
  Delete unnecessary data.
  
• You are trying to transfer .m4a, .mp4, .3gp or .m4v files on a computer that already has Windows Media Player 10 installed.
  Install Windows Media Player 11 from the supplied CD-ROM.
  
• If you transfer data using an appropriate software for transferring, but the transfer is not made, refer to the manufacturer.

• There is not enough free space in the built-in flash memory.
  Transfer any unnecessary data back to your computer to increase free space.
  
• Data that cannot be played on the player is stored on the player.
  If data other than song, video, or photo data is stored on the player, less data can be transferred. Transfer back data that cannot be played on the player to the computer to increase the available space.

• A USB hub or USB extension cable is being used.
  Connecting the player via a USB hub or extension cable may not work. Connect the player to your computer using the supplied USB cable.

• You cannot delete or rename the “MUSIC”, “MP_ROOT”, “VIDEO”, “PICTURES”, “PICTURE” and "PODCASTS" folders.

• The maximum number of files that can be displayed is reached.
  The maximum number of files is 1,000 files for videos, 10,000 files for photos, and 10,000 files for podcast episodes. Also, the maximum number of folders is 1,000 folders for photos in the photo folder list, and 1,000 folders in the podcast channel list.
  Delete unnecessary data.
  
• Data was placed in the wrong location by dragging and dropping.
  Place the data in the correct place by dragging and dropping.
  
• Available capacity is insufficient.
  Delete unnecessary data to increase free space on the player.
  
• After dragging and dropping in Windows Explorer, data hierarchy levels do not correspond to the player.
  For more detailed information about data hierarchy levels, look in the Computer section under "Data hierarchy levels (Folder structure)".

• The built-in flash memory of the player was formatted using Windows Explorer.
  Format the built-in flash memory on the player.
  
• The supplied USB cable was disconnected from the player while data was being transferred.
  Transfer usable files back to your computer and format the built-in flash memory on the player.
  
• After dragging and dropping in Windows Explorer, data hierarchy levels do not correspond to the player.
  For more detailed information about data hierarchy levels, look in the Computer section under "Data hierarchy levels (Folder structure)".
  
• Transferred files are not in a playable format.
  For more detailed information about supported file format, look in the Playback section under "Supported file format".

• Characters that cannot appear on the player are included in the title.
  Rename the title with appropriate characters using the software you used to transfer or Windows Explorer.

• The data has no data information, such as an album or artist name, etc.

• The wrong language is selected.
  Correct the setting of “Language Settings”, and then transfer data to the player again.

• There was no operation attempted for the time selected in “Screensaver Timing”.
  Press any button.

• There was no operation attempted for more than 3 minutes while the player was in the pause mode.
  Press any button.
  
• There was no operation attempted for the period you set in “Screensaver Timing” when “Screensaver” is set to “Blank”.
  Press any button.
  Set “Screensaver” to other than “Blank.”
  
• “On-Hold Display” is set to “No.”
  Slide the HOLD switch to the opposite position.
  Set “On-Hold Display” to “Yes”. You can play back a video even when the HOLD function is activated.

• “New Song Pop Up” is set to “On".
  Set “New Song Pop Up” to “Off ”

• Songs do not have cover art information whose file format is supported by the player. Thumbnails are displayed only when songs have cover art information whose file format is supported by the player.
  Transfer again using the supplied Windows Media player 11, or another transfer capable software.
  
• Thumbnail name does not match its video file, or the video file is not in the correct location.
  Place a JPEG file of the same name as the video file into the folder under the “VIDEO” folder.
  
• If the photos do not have thumbnails that are complied with Exif file format, the thumbnails cannot be displayed.
  Retransfer the photos using supplied Media Manager for WALKMAN.

• Cover art information is not included with the data.
  The cover art only appears if the cover art information is included. You can set cover art using the supplied Windows Media Player 11, or another transfer capable software for setting cover art. For details on operation, refer to the Help or maker of the software.
  
• Some cover art is not displayed, depending on its file format.

• The icon has been changed because the player has accessed an online service (available only in the U.S.A.).
  To restore , format the player
  

• The battery is consumed.
  Charge the battery fully.
  If the player does not react, even after charging the battery, press the RESET button to reset the player.
  
• No data is stored on the player.
  Follow the instructions in the displayed message, and transfer data from the computer.
  
• Transferred files are not in a playable format.
  Convert the ATRAC audio data using the supplied MP3 Conversion Tool.
  Songs or videos may not be played back, depending on the file format.
  Photos may not be displayed, depending on the file size or the file format.
  For more detailed information about supported file format, look in the Playback section under "Supported file format".
  
• You are placing audio MP4 files in a video folder by dragging and dropping.
  Place them in the “MUSIC” folder by dragging and dropping.
  
• The playback limitation period of the song has expired due to subscription conditions, etc.
  Songs with an expired playback limitation period cannot be played back. Update them using the software used for transferring.
  
• After dragging and dropping in Windows Explorer, data hierarchy levels do not correspond to the player
  For more detailed information about data hierarchy levels, look in the Computer section under "Data hierarchy levels (Folder structure)".

• The audio files are not in folders under the “MUSIC” folder.
  Place them in folders under the “MUSIC” folder by dragging and dropping.

• “Playback Range” is set to “Selected Range.”
  Change the playback range setting.

• The file is a .3gp file. (.3gp only supports audio)
  
• The video file is not in a video folder.
  Place the video files in a video folder by dragging and dropping.

• With this player, there is no difference between stopping and pausing. When you press the button, appears and playback pauses/stops.

• The remaining battery power is insufficient.
  Charge the battery by connecting the player to a running computer.
  
• The songs or video files that cannot be played are played.
  Play back the other song or video files.

• “Beep Settings” is set to “Off.”
  Set “Beep Settings” to “On”.
  
• The beep does not sound when the player is connected to the optional cradle, or another device.

• The volume level is set to zero.
  Turn the volume up.
  
• The headphone plug is not connected properly.
  Connect the headphone plug properly.
  
• The headphone plug is dirty.
  Clean the headphone plug with a soft dry cloth.
  
• No songs or video files are stored on the player.
  Follow the instructions in the displayed message, and transfer songs or videos from the computer.

• Noise Canceling is set in a quiet place.
  Noise tends to be more noticeable in a quiet place or depending on the noise type. Release Noise Canceling.

  Furthermore, the supplied headphones are designed for fairly high sensitivity to maximize the effectiveness of Noise Canceling in noisy places such as outside or in a train. For this, you may hear white noise in a quiet place even if you release Noise Canceling.

• A device emitting radio signals, such as a mobile phone is being used near the player.
  When using devices such as mobile phones, keep them away from the player.
  
• Music data imported from CDs, etc., is damaged.
  Delete the data, then import and transfer it again. When importing data to your computer, close any other applications to avoid data damage.
  
• Transferred files are not in a playable format.
  Convert the ATRAC audio data using the supplied MP3 Conversion Tool.
  Some songs may not play back, depending on certain file specifications.
  For more detailed information about supported file format, look in the Playback section under "Supported file format".

• When outputting to external audio speakers using the optional cradle, “VPT(Surround)” settings and the “Clear Stereo” function may not be effective because the player is designed for compatible headphones only. This is not a malfunction.

• “AVLS (Volume Limit)” is enabled.
  Disable “AVLS (Volume Limit)”.

• The headphone plug is not fully inserted.
  If the headphones are not connected correctly, sound will not be output properly. Insert the headphone plug into the jack until it clicks.

• The NOISE CANCELING switch is set to the off position.
  Slide the NOISE CANCELING switch in the direction of the arrow .
  
• You are using headphones other than the supplied ones.
  Use the supplied headphones.
  
• The supplied headphones are not being used properly.
  Change the size of the earbuds or adjust the earbud position to fit your ears snugly and comfortably. If you change the size of earbuds, turn to install them firmly on the headphones to prevent from detaching and remaining in your ears.
  
• The player is used in a quiet place. The Noise Canceling function may not be effective in a quiet place or depending on the type of noise.
  

• The player may become warm when the battery is being charged and just after charging. The player also may get warm when a large amount of data is transferred. This behavior is normal and not cause for a concern. Set the player aside for a while to allow it to cool down.

• If you left the player for a while with the battery used up, the date and time may be reset. This is not a malfunction. Charge the battery until appears on the screen and set the date and time again.

• You cannot delete songs and photos on the player.
  Delete them using the software you used to transfer the data, or Windows Explorer.

• The HOLD switch is set to the HOLD position.
  Slide the HOLD switch to the opposite position.
  
• The player contains moisture condensation.
  Wait a few hours to let the player dry.
  
• The remaining battery power is low or insufficient.
  Charge the battery by connecting the player to a running computer.
  If you charge the battery and nothing changes, press the RESET button to reset the player.
  
• While “Connecting” or “Connected USB (MTP)” is being displayed, you cannot operate the player.
  Disconnect the USB connection, then operate the player.

• The remaining battery power is insufficient.
  Charge the battery by connecting the player to a running computer.
  
• If you charge the battery and nothing changes, press the RESET button to reset the player.

• The remaining battery is low or insufficient.
  Charge the battery by connecting the player to a running computer.
  

• The computer is started or restarted while the player is connected to it.
  Reset the player by pressing the RESET button of the player. Disconnect the player when you start or restart the computer.
  

• The receiving frequency is not fully tuned in.
  Select the frequency manually to improve reception using the button.

• The radio signal is weak.
  Listen to the FM broadcast near a window since the signal may be weak inside buildings or in vehicles.
  
• The headphone cord is not fully extended.
  The headphone cord functions as an antenna. Extend the headphone cord as far as possible.

• A device emitting radio signals, such as a mobile phone is being used near the player.
  When using devices such as mobile phones, keep them away from the player.

• If there are no songs to match the theme of the channel, the channel is not displayed on the “SensMe™ Channels” screen.

• If you have not set the clock of the player, “Morning” always appears for the time-based channel.
  Set the clock of the player.

• If there are no songs to match the theme of the time-based channel, all the songs in “Music Library” are played back in the shuffle play.