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    Official 2012 Sony S Series Owners Thread

    Discussion in 'VAIO / Sony Owners' Lounge Forum' started by Petrov, Jun 9, 2012.

  1. Tddoggy

    Tddoggy Newbie

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    my silver s15 doesnt show any scratches at all.
     
    Tddoggy, Jul 1, 2012
    #1451
  2. meansizzler

    meansizzler Notebook Consultant

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    Is there an exmor webcam on the 13.3" S on nothing listed in spec
     
    meansizzler, Jul 1, 2012
    #1452
  3. ngvuanh

    ngvuanh Notebook Deity

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    ngvuanh, Jul 1, 2012
    #1453
  4. ichaparadise

    ichaparadise Newbie

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    I am considering to buy S13 Premium. To reduce weight even further, I plan to remove the DVD drive completely. I almost never use a DVD drive anyway.

    1. Has anybody tried doing this? Will the BIOS allow the computer to still boot even when the DVD is removed?
    2. Can somebody weigh the DVD drive please? I want to know how many weight reduction I can get.

    Thanks!
     
    ichaparadise, Jul 1, 2012
    #1454
  5. Moobke

    Moobke Notebook Geek

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    Moobke, Jul 1, 2012
    #1455
  6. ascariss

    ascariss Notebook Deity

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    http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/673048-sony-s15-2012-disassembly-odd-caddy-video-tutorial.html

    should be a similar procedure.
     
    ascariss, Jul 1, 2012
    #1456
  7. david_k

    david_k Notebook Geek

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    I never get the extended warranty up front when I buy things. I will definitely exchanged this computer within the 2 year warranty that is already included anyway. If I change my mind apparently I can buy the extended warranty online within 360 days of receiving my computer, due to me ordering my computer online.
     
    david_k, Jul 1, 2012
    #1457
  8. Rema86

    Rema86 Newbie

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    Hi,

    Can someone please run the following program on a fully charged S15?
    Battery Eater (notebook benchmark tool) - Home
    It's a free program used by sites such as notebookcheck for example.

    I wish to know the worst case scenario for the battery, I work allot with architectural and 3d programs. Im hoping the vaio battery + extended battery will get me about 3 hours of on the move work time with the dedicated graphics. Also I have concerns that an IPS panel will drain significantly more power then a TN. Please run the test for everyone's sake who's been asking about the battery, im hoping the non extended battery will give about 83 mins as mentioned in the thai review for the s13. But I'm afraid to make the jump to the s15 due to possible significantly reduced battery life.
     
    Rema86, Jul 1, 2012
    #1458
  9. ZeiN7

    ZeiN7 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Ok I have got a silly question : Is there any hope that Sony may change the IPS panel to another one with no Red/Orange Issue when Windows 8 is released ??
     
    ZeiN7, Jul 1, 2012
    #1459
  10. Faceless Rebel

    Faceless Rebel Notebook Consultant

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    HP has already changed to the fixed IPS panel. It will depend entirely on when Sony depletes their supply chain of the Orangegate panels before they will use the fixed ones.
     
    Faceless Rebel, Jul 1, 2012
    #1460
  11. Cubic X

    Cubic X Notebook Consultant

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    Who says they will change the screen? They had about a year time for changing the screen from the SE to the S and they still use the troubled screen... :rolleyes: .
     
    Cubic X, Jul 1, 2012
    #1461
  12. i_have_a_bike

    i_have_a_bike Notebook Consultant

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    hmm..im also in holland so hopefully i will also get the fingerprint reader :)

    question: once your vio reached the european logistics center, how long did it take before you got it?

    thanks
     
    i_have_a_bike, Jul 1, 2012
    #1462
  13. Moobke

    Moobke Notebook Geek

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    Mine should arrive in the logistic center tomorrow or the third. Hopefully it will get to me the next day?

    P.S. Goed gedaan op het EK liefste Hollandse buren ;). Volgende keer beter he, dan kunnen wij Belgen toch ook nog supporteren!
     
    Moobke, Jul 1, 2012
    #1463
  14. Supranium

    Supranium Notebook Evangelist

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    I ordered my SV-S1511V9E/BPR W7P64 from german online shop (computeruniverse.net) , where i bought my Asus as well.
    They say 1-2 weeks. I hope its more 1 than 2. :D
     
    Supranium, Jul 1, 2012
    #1464
  15. Cooki3Dude

    Cooki3Dude Notebook Guru

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    Had a look at last year's Sony S laptops in John Lewis yesterday and was quite put off be the feel of the lid - very light and plasticky, didn't feel premium or durable at all. Can someone please confirm that the screen on the New S15 is all magnesium and feels more premium/durable than last years model?
     
    Cooki3Dude, Jul 1, 2012
    #1465
  16. i_have_a_bike

    i_have_a_bike Notebook Consultant

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    Mine too. Sounds like they might be travelling together ;)

    en ik volg geen voetbal, maar toch bedaankt :D
     
    i_have_a_bike, Jul 1, 2012
    #1466
  17. Supranium

    Supranium Notebook Evangelist

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    My wife´s 2011 S13 feels premium in every aspect. Its gorgeous and glassy notebook. She has the white color model. However it doesnt feel durable. You just cant get the laptop as thin and light as this and same time get durability of Thinkpad T/W. Not going to happen. If you want extreme durability, then go with TP.
     
    Supranium, Jul 1, 2012
    #1467
  18. Croak

    Croak Notebook Consultant

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    There is no difference in feel between the 2011 and 2012 S 15" models, the chassis is almost identical (main difference being slot loading ODD on the newer model instead of a tray loader).

    Also keep in mind that the part of the lid that you tend to touch the most IS plastic, the strip along the top where the Sony logo resides.
     
    Croak, Jul 1, 2012
    #1468
  19. Fruban

    Fruban Notebook Enthusiast

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    is there any point in keeping Vaio Care installed? I'm thinking of uninstalling it, one less thing in my tray. When am I really gonna use it?
     
    Fruban, Jul 1, 2012
    #1469
  20. darxide_sorcerer

    darxide_sorcerer Notebook Deity

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    you will get A LOT of flex on the left side of the keyboard if you remove the optical drive.
     
    darxide_sorcerer, Jul 1, 2012
    #1470
  21. Ninjazn

    Ninjazn Notebook Consultant

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    I've setup an RMA to send back my Vaio S 15 and get a new one. The messed up headphone jack and the constant fan noise were the culprits.

    Just need Sony to email me my prepaid shipping labels...
     
    Ninjazn, Jul 1, 2012
    #1471
  22. darxide_sorcerer

    darxide_sorcerer Notebook Deity

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    last year's SA has aluminum+magnesium alloy lid as well and is as "premium" as it gets. the reason it flexes is exactly because it's designed to be durable and withstand normal abuse. rather than designing such a thin component to be as stiff as a dry piece of wood which snaps under just a little bit of torque, the engineers designed it to be flexible and to return to its equilibrium position after the torque on it is removed.

    i'd rather have a thin display protected by a flexible Mg+Al alloy than a thick or heavy one protected by plastic or stiff aluminum.
     
    darxide_sorcerer, Jul 1, 2012
    #1472
  23. thrysty7gc

    thrysty7gc Notebook Guru

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    Totally agree with this. I must admit, it is nice to have a solid feeling laptop and it feels weird to have one that appears to bend but building "flex" into any structure makes it *much* more durable.
     
    thrysty7gc, Jul 1, 2012
    #1473
  24. Rufio84

    Rufio84 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hoping someone can help me here... I just installed my new Crucial M4 256 GB SSD today on my S13P. I loaded a clean version of Windows 7 pro on my USB drive using the instructions on the first page of this thread. When I try to boot I just get a black screen that says "Operating System Not Found". Perhaps I did something wrong with the USB, but shouldn't it be booting to the bios? Also, does it matter which USB port I use?

    Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.
     
    Rufio84, Jul 1, 2012
    #1474
  25. i_have_a_bike

    i_have_a_bike Notebook Consultant

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    you probably have to change the boot order in bios so that it boots from the usb first
     
    i_have_a_bike, Jul 1, 2012
    #1475
  26. Rufio84

    Rufio84 Notebook Enthusiast

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    How do I get into the bios to do that? I just get the black screen, can't seem to get to the bios screen to change any options.
     
    Rufio84, Jul 1, 2012
    #1476
  27. Rufio84

    Rufio84 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Think I got it, have to hold f2 as system is booting. external booting device was disabled.

    But now I have a new problem, early in the Windows 7 setup I get:

    "Windows could not collect information for [OSImage] since the specified image file (install.wim] does not exist". I'm pretty sure it does exist. Any suggestions on this one?
     
    Rufio84, Jul 1, 2012
    #1477
  28. Ninjazn

    Ninjazn Notebook Consultant

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    Just received my prepaid label and will be shipping off my S15 tomorrow morning. Sony Customer Support was really good with my order, easy to talk to, quickly gave me an RMA and e-mail and will be sending out a brand new S15 once they receive shipping confirmation of my current S15.
     
    Ninjazn, Jul 1, 2012
    #1478
  29. Darkimmortal

    Darkimmortal Notebook Evangelist

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    That's good news, it sounds like Sony has started to turn around its previously less than perfect support
     
    Darkimmortal, Jul 1, 2012
    #1479
  30. Petrov

    Petrov Notebook Deity

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    Hi there. In the bios, have you set it to uefi boot, or legacy boot mode?

    Secondly, how did you make the bootable win 7 USB install stick, exactly?

    Finally, have you tried swapping the USB port you're using to install from?

    Petrov.
     
    Petrov, Jul 1, 2012
    #1480
  31. Ninjazn

    Ninjazn Notebook Consultant

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    Yeah, I was pleased with my experience, but I'm not completely sold on their quality. For one, Sony sales and return support team is in Canada. Sony tech support is in the Philippines. While the people in the Philippines are nice people (the ones I have spoken with), they are harder to understand (in my opinion, and I myself, am an immigrant to the U.S.).

    Basically you get (arguably) better service with the sales team located in Canada than you do with the tech support team (since Sony already has you locked down as a customer) in the Philippines.
     
    Ninjazn, Jul 1, 2012
    #1481
  32. shlomi84

    shlomi84 Notebook Consultant

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    shlomi84, Jul 1, 2012
    #1482
  33. crackertime

    crackertime Notebook Consultant

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    So I remember reading that someone had gotten a free or heavily discounted sheet battery with their S15, as well as the playstation promotion. I am Canadian, and by the website it looks like all we are offered right now is a free dock. I should have mentioned I am a student. I am wondering if any Canadians have called to ask for a similar deal to the US student deal? Alternatively I wonder if I can order as a Canadian student, from the US in order to get these extras?

    Thanks.
     
    crackertime, Jul 1, 2012
    #1483
  34. Theory

    Theory Notebook Guru

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    I'm just curious, but where are you located? In Canada? I have had a poor experience with the turn around time for repairs. I had my VAIO SR290 repaired three times and it took approximately 2 weeks for each repair.
     
    Theory, Jul 1, 2012
    #1484
  35. shlomi84

    shlomi84 Notebook Consultant

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    it is true, i just ordered mine like 2 days ago, there is a promotion for college students u can get 8%, a free vita, or a free ps3
     
    shlomi84, Jul 1, 2012
    #1485
  36. Rufio84

    Rufio84 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hey, I currently have it set up for UEFI boot. I downloaded a copy of Windows 7 pro x64 and mounted it to a drive using virtual clone drive. I then used "wintoflash" to transfer the ISO to my USB drive and make it bootable. I'm trying to go through the process again to make sure all the files are transferring correctly.
     
    Rufio84, Jul 1, 2012
    #1486
  37. sancez

    sancez Notebook Guru

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    If any1 is looking for a SSD with lower power consumption then for example the Samsung 830 it looks like the Plextor M3 Pro might be a good contender. You can find a test here.

    How long did it took other laptops to ship to germany after they finished production? I hope my laptop will ship this week...
     
    sancez, Jul 1, 2012
    #1487
  38. Ninjazn

    Ninjazn Notebook Consultant

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    I live in the U.S. but I am not getting a repair. I am returning this laptop and they are building me a new one and it will be shipping from China.
     
    Ninjazn, Jul 1, 2012
    #1488
  39. crackertime

    crackertime Notebook Consultant

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    Hey, thanks. And you live in Canada?
     
    crackertime, Jul 1, 2012
    #1489
  40. Theory

    Theory Notebook Guru

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    I don't think we Canadians get anything unfortunately.
     
    Theory, Jul 1, 2012
    #1490
  41. nilosays

    nilosays Notebook Consultant

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    You can expect 30-40fps on medium/high settings.

    There's a little bit of keyboard flex. Other than that the build quality is solid. The speakers are horrible though - there's no bass at all and they're really quiet.

    The Sony drivers are fine. If you want to update the video drivers you need to do a simple .inf hack before installing.
     
    nilosays, Jul 1, 2012
    #1491
  42. Croak

    Croak Notebook Consultant

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    Well, I got a free Molson's today, in London (UK) just by showing my British Columbia driver's license. There was a Canada Day thing going on at Trafalgar Square.

    Didn't show them my US passport though. :)

    But yeah, the Canadian market incentives from Sony are weak compared to Europe and the US.
     
    Croak, Jul 1, 2012
    #1492
  43. yer_averagejoe

    yer_averagejoe Notebook Enthusiast

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    Try the steps outlined here: Installing Windows 7 in native EFI mode from USB - bit-tech.net Forums
     
    yer_averagejoe, Jul 1, 2012
    #1493
  44. drakon

    drakon Notebook Enthusiast

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    Have you already changed the default settings in Windows to use the built-in speakers as 'Full-range' speakers, as mentioned several times?
     
    drakon, Jul 1, 2012
    #1494
  45. Galaaz

    Galaaz Newbie

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    I am really disappointed. I was going to order the Premium S13 tomorrow but after reading that the battery only lasts 4 hours on stamina mode I prefer to continue with my Asus U36JC with a very old processor core i5 and with which I can browse on full brightness during 6 hours.

    I don't understand how they built 13" laptops with less durability than 6 hours...

    My 13 incher has a very bad GPU but all the other 13" have a bad battery.

    Even the so called ultrabook SONY VAIO T13 lasts only 5 hours...
     
    Galaaz, Jul 1, 2012
    #1495
  46. Faceless Rebel

    Faceless Rebel Notebook Consultant

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    You can attach the optional sheet battery to double battery life.
     
    Faceless Rebel, Jul 1, 2012
    #1496
  47. Galaaz

    Galaaz Newbie

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    If I did so... what's the point in buying a 13"? It would be too thick. Ah... damn!!! I am a Sony freak and had almost all possible laptops since 2004. Even the SR21M lasted 5 hours. No matter what laptop, its durability should be above 6 hours in any case.

    Pitty...
     
    Galaaz, Jul 1, 2012
    #1497
  48. barro32

    barro32 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Has anyone here managed to dual boot Ubuntu on the S?

    I added a Samsung 830 and did a fresh install of Windows, made a new 20GB partition and installed Ubuntu 12.04 successfully but it just boots straight to Windows without giving me a choice. I feel like it might be because of UEFI??
    Anyone have any insight to share with me?

    Apart from that my S13A is flying on the SSD with 12GB RAM, boots up in about 10sec! Haven't played many games on it yet but it ran Portal 2 on an external 1080p monitor with pretty high settings quite smoothly.
     
    barro32, Jul 1, 2012
    #1498
  49. pdagal

    pdagal Notebook Evangelist

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    Funny, my S 13.3 premium lasts longer than 4 hours on stamina mode.

     
    pdagal, Jul 1, 2012
    #1499
  50. Galaaz

    Galaaz Newbie

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    How much longer?

    Shouldn't you, all Sony Vaio S13P owners post durability of your battery.

    Can be useful for those who want to take their laptops from home without cables.

    Thanks in advance.
     
    Galaaz, Jul 1, 2012
    #1500
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