Official 2012 Sony S Series Owners Thread

I had the same issue on my S13. After running the automatic maintenance from Action Center, it was able to fall asleep after being left idle.

EDIT: Scratch that. It worked for one day and now its back to its old habits. Anyone else have any idea why 8.1 refuses to sleep when idle?

 

Today I installed a Logitech unifying receiver internally into my SVS13. Now I have got all my external USB ports free and don't have the unifying receiver sticking out the side of the notebook..

To do the mod I used a mPCIe to USB converter card bought off ebay for about $7


Here you can see the receiver plugged into the card's USB port. The usb port is a USB3.0 port however the mini PCIe spec only supports USB2.0 signalling so it is limited to USB2.0 speeds (not an issue for most applications)


Sony seems to have white-listed this port to only provide power when an OEM WWAN card is plugged in at post so to get around this we must take power from the WLAN card's mini PCIe slot.
I used a very fine gauge wire from a telephone cord as this was what I had lying around at the time. The connection needs to be made to the far left pin of each slot which is covered when the card is installed
If you are having trouble soldering I find it is much easier if you melt a bit of 40/60 tin/lead solder on the contacts you wish to solder to before attempting the connection as this lowers the melting temp of the Pb free solder used by SONY.


WLAN card and USB adapter are connected and screwed down. The unifying receiver just clears the mainboard. Not much of the wire is visible now.


The notebook is reassembled. You can see the tips of the adapter card through the hdd/mem/battery door opening


A pretty bad photo of the unifying receiver in its new home. It only just fits between the motherboard and chassis but only just is more than enough!

This mod is fairly straight forward but if you don't understand the proccess from these photos I would not recommend you do it. The notebook must be disassembled and the motherboard fully removed to install the new card/ solder. Hope this helps some people wanting to use the secondary mini PCIe Port!
Also thanks go to user drakon for his thread regarding how to get the secondary mini PCIe port working

 

Pretty neat I must say. But I tend to just unplug the receiver because sometimes SetPoint likes to activate my GPU for no apparent reason and I have to unplug it and if I plug in the receiver in USB 2.0 I get that high pitch sound when AC adapter is plugged in so I have to replace it into USB 3.0 port away from charge jack. I am talking about S15 here btw.

 

Also I would like to give an Update on Nvidia GPU being ON all the time after computer resumes from sleep on Windows 8.1

There is no fix for it yet (unless you are willing to reinstall the Windows I assume)

I tried reinstalling the latest Nvidia driver and it would behave normal for few days only to go back to old bad habits again.

Right now I installed the default Nvidia driver from July 2012 but I have to give it a few days as well.

Note was made to Sony about this problem btw so hopefully they do something about it.

*UPDATE*

CAUSE ID: wwahost.exe triggers GPU on and dwm.exe hold on to it. Going into Task Manager you can End dwm.exe (Desktop Windows Manager) and it will restart itself thus turning GPU off till the next awake from standby.

 

That's interesting I'll have to look out for that one. hopefully it wont affect me!
If it does I may just replace the Logitech receiver with a USB drive to boot a live Linux install from.
Being able to boot from USB with F11 is a pretty cool feature IMO especially if the boot drive is always connected and unseen..

EDIT: I've been using it for 4 days now with no issues. perhaps it is an issue unique to your computer's configuration or something like that..

 

My S15 sometimes wakes from sleep at night and stays on in its case for hours. I have Win 8.1 pro and everything else is working fine. Has anyone else had this problem?

 

Hi all, I'm new to this forum but have been lurking for months now following this thread. I have a Vaio SVS15113FX/B and I'm currently running on Windows 7 (factory, though with a lot of the bloatware uninstalled). Originally I was going to do a clean install of Windows 7, but I've decided I'm just going to upgrade to Windows 8.1 instead. I plan on doing a fresh install tomorrow, and I have only Windows 8.1 on hand (not 8.0). I noticed on the Sony website that some of the drivers and installations seem to be geared towards users who are upgrading to Windows 8.1 from Windows 8, and therefore, there's a note saying "Must be installed before Windows 8.1 Upgrade!".

I'm a little confused on the logic...if I'm doing a fresh install...why would it matter if I install before the upgrade if it's all going to be wiped out anyway?

Additionally, I noticed that there is a slightly newer BIOS available in the Windows 8.0 download section for my machine ( Sony eSupport - SVS15113FXB - Drivers & Software). Should this be installed prior to installing Windows 8, or afterwards?

 

Do you have any USB dongles attached to it or Bluetooth mouse?

 

anyone having problems with their battery connection? i have the SVS13 since last year and just now, the battery indicator seems to be going on and off. it seems the battery connection is getting loose. when the battery indicator is off, it says there is no battery connected. even with a sheet battery, none of them gets charged. it won't turn on without the AC adapter. but once in a while, the indicator turns on again and the battery became available. anyone knows how to fix it? probably a loose wire or something?

 

I would try uninstalling and re-installing VAIO control centre as that has been known to sometimes fix issues with the battery..
The battery connector really shouldn't be loose if you haven't disassembled the notebook multiple times...
Unfortunately the power wires for the battery connector are soldered to the motherboard so it is not a straightforward replacement. If you feel comfortable disassembling the notebook (to an extent) then once the palm-rest/keyboard section has been removed you can check that the connector for the battery's data lines.

My primary concern would be ensuring that the contacts on the battery connector are clean.. Use some rubbing alcohol on them to make sure they are clean. Sometimes I spread some dielectric grease on intermittent electrical contacts and it does a nice job of improving the connection.

 

Removed everything but it still wakes up around 3-4 AM. The event log shows different things going on at the time, its Vaio care or windows error reporting or a win 8.1 app which i never use.

 

It's gonna be the tricky one. For starters lets disable Rapid Wake in Vaio Control Center and see what happens.

 

Let me try that and get back to you

 

Got to cleaning my lovely new Sony Vaio when I got home from work this evening... as per usual, some moist kitchen paper, followed by an antistatic cloth, and boom like new!

However now have sporadic touchpad, not registering taps, and no multi gesture controls... a reboot resolves for a few minutes, then again sporadic activity.
Any tips?

edit - neah mind, it started working again
*NOTE to self, dry cloth on the touchpad next time!

 

Still wakes up at night, any other ideas?

 

It happened on my Vaio S15 on Win8, but it happened after some liquid got inside the keyboard. Some months later, it started typing random stuff, so I had to replace the entire keyboard plate, after that, it never waked up from sleep by itself.

 

I havent had any kind of liquid going into my S15 but this started happening after the 8.1 update i think.

 

Hi guys!

Have been having some WiFi problems with my sony S13, like random connection drops and such.
I have the same problems like people in this thread
https://communities.intel.com/thread/31090?start=945&tstart=0
Any one else have similar problems?

The computer worked fine when it was running widnows 7, then i did a ordinary ( not a clean installation) upgrade to windows 8 and it work fine as well.
I didnt like windows 8 so i decided to do a clean install of windows 7 and then all the problems started. Since then i have done a clean install of windows 8 and then a upgrade to windows 8.1 and the problem is still there.
I have tried almost everything but I have now given up on finding a solution so I am now looking for a new WifI card, dose anybody have any suggestions on what I should buy?

 

I had this issue on VAIO F - I had to go back to an earlier version of the driver (I used the one from 2009).

 

Is there any known problem about the newest intel driver package? tried to install the newest intel hd graphics driver for 3rd generation chipsets but i get an error during installation.

The last driver packages i could install without problems on my s13 wit intel hd 4000 and nvidia GT 640M LE, but now?

 

Are you trying to install the stock drivers from Sony Support? or the drivers from the Intel site?

For the latter you're going to have to go into device manager, uninstall the stock Sony Intel HD 4000 adapter, tick "Delete the driver software for this device".

After you've done that you can install the latest drivers from the Intel site.

 

Hi, I'm thinking about buying a docking station for my vaio s13 in order to work on a 21" display. I saw the official three on sony's website but they're very expensive compared to the old models sold on Ebay and I ask if somebody knows if some of the old are compatible or adaptable to my laptop. I don't care about buying an old version being obliged to modify it, I want the docking station but I don't want to spend more then 40-50€... ;-) I saw that some old versions works with a 16V power supply instead of 19,5V, but is that power supply needed to make the docking work or it's only to charge the laptop when plugged in the docking? in other words, can I use an old 16V version for my laptop and, instead of plugging the electricity in the docking putting it directly in the laptop? I thank you in advance for any useful reply

 

Anyone having experience with S13 running Windows 8.1?
Any problems and solutions to them?

 

Where can I download the Sony Shared Libraries for Windows 8.1?

The Stamina-Speed switch doesn't work on my S13 (SVS1312S9EB) either.
What is more, I have issues with reading DVD+R DL on the internal combo drive, and I cannot write any DVD on the internal, and on an external DVD burner.
I have upgraded to Windows 8.1 in September, and have updated all the Windows 8.1 drivers from the sony website.
Sony : SVS1312S9EB updates | Download updates for SVS1312S9EB

 

Sony VAIO Port Replicator VGP-PRS30 is only compatible with the Sony S13 late 2012 model. The earlier Sony S13 has a different connector+dock (VGP-PRS20), and the S15 has again a different connector+dock (VGP-PRS35).

I wrote a review about it here:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R20LDDSPQ0JNEK/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R20LDDSPQ0JNEK

Official product link:
VGP-PRS30 | VAIO Docking Stations | Features | VGPPRS30.CEL | VGPPRS30 | Sony

Some other accessories you might need for the docking stations:
Amazon.com: Sony Vaio S13 (late 2012) Accessories, Connectors

 

I'm having the same issue and it's driving me insane.

 

Dear All

I've signed up to post regarding white marks that have appeared on my S15 screen after approximately 6 months of ownership. These look very much like pressure marks, but I see from another thread on here that other people have been having the exact same problem - thread here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/716240-sony-s15-white-blobs-screen.html

There's also another reasonably thorough discussion of this issue in the SE series:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony-owners-lounge-forum/614822-sony-se-owners-thread-201-print.html

I was wondering if anyone else has this issue? From the placement on my laptop it would appear that this is also related to the placement of the logo.

Thanks all...

 

Thank you very much! Am I the only one very upset about the policy of changing docking standards for every model?!?

 

Hey everybody , does any one of you guys have successfully put the core i7 3612qm or 3632qm into our vaio s 13p ? I plan to make it because it have the same tdp 35w with other cpu that used into vaio s 13/p , so please share your advise , thanks for read and sorry for my bad english

 

I believe that CPU on S series is soldered. There is no socket for easy upgrade.

 

Hi,

My computer is currently making a grinding noise that increases with CPU activity. I think its the CPU fan and I am trying to replace it.

Anyone know what fan to buy?

 

Thank you so much for posting about this mod. Got mine today and did it. First time opening up the laptop like that.
Took me some guessing and pics from the Display mod guide to figure it all out but it was worth it.
I stripped a very thin wire from an old motherboard cable. Didn't solder anything but just twisted it and put it in between the pci-card and the connector.
We'll see how that will hold up.

I may have to revisit things sometime anyway since I now have 2 screws left, and no idea where they came from.


Cheers :thumbsup:

 

IMPORTANT

I am not sure if this is an isolated incident or its a trouble on mass scale but after updating Windows 8.1 on December 11th my S was not able to go into sleep mode without closing the lid. It would get stuck, cpu would work hard, fans would blow at high and whole Windows would freeze. Manual shut off was the only option,

After system restore everything got back to normal.

 

Hey everyone.

I recently bought the Windows 8 S13 model Vaio (SVS131290X) and installed a new SSD and clean install of Windows 8.1, along with all relevant drivers.

I've been confused by the behavior of the stamina-speed switch however.

My previous laptop was a Vaio SA, and whenever I toggled the stamina-speed switch, it would flash me a warning message if I had any hardware-accelerated programs open and the screen would go through a series of flashes while the laptop switched from onboard graphics to discrete and vice versa.

But whenever I toggle the stamina-speed switch on my new Vaio S, not only does it not warn me about closing any programs, the screen doesn't flash at all either. Has Sony just improved their drivers to the point where a smooth transition is possible or is my stamina-speed switch not working properly? It DOES switch between balanced and high-performance battery plans when I toggle it, so some functionality is still there. Is this how it's supposed to work now?

Should I even care whether it works? My Nvidia card still works for 3d programs and I'm pretty sure that Nvidia Optimus is active, which would give me the battery saving advantages that the stamina-speed switch would afford me anyways. Or did Sony remove the graphics-switching properties of the stamina-speed switch precisely because Nvidia introduced Optimus into their drivers?

 

The stamina mode doesn't prevent the nvidia card from being used, it just sets a different power profile and fan profile.

What you're seeing is correct

 

Gotcha. Thanks for the reply.

 

Intel has had a bunch of trouble with the 6235 drivers/cards, there's a gigantic thread on the Intel forum. The best advice is to remove all your drivers back to the default Microsoft driver using Device Manager and then update to the latest via Intel's website. I think it's on version 16.7 now.

 

That is the clear coating, ironically it is meant to protect the finish of the metal from pitting.

The same thing happened to my son's S13, he had it before the S15.

You might be able to pick away at it and remove all of the finish to get an even look.

 

Anyone tried the new intel 7xxx series wireless cards in their S?

Also finally got my S to output 2560*1440 over HDMI 40 Hz looks like but it's good to know it can be done

 

Hey guys,
after i figured out how to do a clean install with working buttons and everything in windows 8.1, I have a problem with a windows update (KB2903939). Everytime I install it, my log-on screen stays black. Somebody has the same problem?

 

I have that update installed without any problems, though I updated from 8 to 8.1 rather than a clean install

I've had that black screen bug happen before on 8.0 after a windows update (don't know exactly which) - had to give up and reinstall in the end as my system restore points were all borked

 

Ah okay, thanks for the info. Then it's a strange bug.
For all the others, do some Restore Points before u update

 

I tried twice to install windows 8.1 twice i get a black screen on startup (tried connecting another screen but that doesn't work). After a hard shutdown the pc reverts to windows 8 properly.

Any idea how i can fix it without doing a clean install ?

edit : i'm on a Vaio SVS1313C5E, i just upgraded my HDD to samsung 840 SSD but i tried the update on both without success. (windows 8.1 preview worked fine when i tested it)

 

The switch also clocks processor at around 1.5 and limits it to two cores. Open up task manager, flip the switch and you'll see speed dropping down immediately.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

 

Does anyone know if you can retrieve sony vegas/transfer it to another hard drive? I wiped and went to 8 but have a backup, I would have sworn i seen a thread or a post on how to do it, but i cant find it for the life of me. Thanks!

 

Log into your Sony Creative account. Your serial numbers should be in there. If you don't have one, try creating one with the email address you registered the programs with. I would think you could then just use those after downloading the latest versions of the programs from the Sony Creative site.

 

Caution

Don't load the latest Intel video driver for Windows 8.1!
You will end up with a black screen.

 

Just ordered one of these bad boys for my S13. Looking forward to dual screen portability.

Asus MB168+ USB monitor.

 

Just a quick PSA: I have installed an intel 7260 in my s13p and it works fine. Definitely seeing much better range on all network types but haven't yet got an AC router so I can't comment on speed - other than it is the same if not slightly better on N networks. definitely a worthwhile upgrade for the ~$25 it cost

 

Hello guys,

My song VPCS12L9E Fell down from bed & got damaged from on/off button & middle body broke, could any one tell me from where i can
order its parts online ? any sony aio spare parts site ?
thanks