Official 2012 Sony S Series Owners Thread

Apologies.but i don't know what fresh start is
Also if it is something specific when we order through sony store online then i guess it does not apply to me as i will be buying the laptop only from amazon.com

 

Today I finally tried the S13 at my local store and I noticed something weird: I couldn't use the 4-fingers gesture to switch between applications or bring the desktop.
There was no option in the Synaptic configuration while in the Vaio T next to it the gesture worked and there was the option for it in the Synaptic panel!

Anyone?

 

Fresh Start is not available in all regions, like in the UK.

 

Hey guys, I'm thinking of maybe getting this laptop for university. I'm not too sure about whether I should get the 13.3P or the 15.5. I have just a few questions that maybe you guys can answer.

I'm worried the 15.5 may be a bit too heavy to lug everywhere everyday. Can anyone comment on that?

What's the biggest con on these machines (I don't care about fingerprints lol. I wipe down my desk once a week so it's not a problem).

What's the reason that the 13.3P starts more expensive than the 15.5?

How is the battery life compared between the 2? Which has longer?

I'm going to be going to the States on July 30th. Would the Vaio S be cheaper there (assuming I get it from a store)? Or is it best to order it online from where I am usually (Canada).

Are there any discounts for people like me who live in Canada? From the research I've done, it seems the Education Store is US only which is a pity. And I seem to have missed out on the PS3/Vita deal as well. Should I call a sales rep to see if I can get any discounts/stuff added in?

Thanks to anyone who can help me out.

 

There are quite a few posts about Canadian pricing and available discounts. Search the thread.

 

It comes down to what you want the pc for. I went with the 15.5 its light even with the sheet battery. I do a little gaming, visual basic and school. Biggest con to this model? I have seen that some users on this forum have the red is orange issue, other than that I haven’t really found many issues. Discount wise? Well I think you missed out on the free ps3/vita but I’m pretty sure the free sheet battery is still available and there are Sony education discounts. Check Amazon too. It might be beneficial to get from the online store but you will want to look around.

 

I had called Sony to ask about educational discount but they said there is no such thing for Canada. He did offer me a $50 discount but that isn't much. In the end, I ordered using a coupon code to get $100 off $999.99 [Coupon code: VOUCHERCODES or GREATCANADIAN]. I also noticed that base pricing in Canada is cheaper than in US. In my case, S13A started for 999.99 in Canada and around $1170 or something in US (with educational pricing) so other than getting a free PS3, I don't really see the benefit.

Couple of other things.
1- Sony Back to School will begin in later half of the August in Canada [at least that's what Sony reps on phone/instore told me]. If you can wait, you might get a better deal. In my case, I was switching provinces from Alberta to Ontario and the 8% additional sales tax will nullify the back to school deal for me.
2- I don't know about elsewhere but sony custom laptops cannot be returned in Canada (only exchange). However, there's a 30 day price guarantee but that probably won't give you a PS3. The rep said that they only match price, not the promotions [free sheet battery, PS3 etc].

 

D'oh. Should've done that first. Thanks.

Well, I'm buying for university so anything a student would need and some more.

So like:
Word processing (Excel, Word etc)
Photoshop
Internet
Email
Skype/Webcam stuff
HD Video (watch + download)
Casual gaming

And how light is light in your book? Do you know the exact weight because the Sony Store doesn't list it. I'll be carrying this around basically everyday along with my books and what not. Do you think the weight is fine for that? And how "severe" is the Red = Orange thing?

The free sheet battery sounds good. Is that for online only? I would hope not. I'll research about that.

So would you recommend the 15.5 over the 13.3?

Thanks!

I'm in Ontario lol. So the B2S sales won't do much for me?

Thanks for the info about Educational Discount. It's a pity Canadians can't get it. Do you know when the coupon codes you listed expire?

And in the end, would you recommend the 13.3 or the 15.5 for my purposes?

Thanks again!

EDIT: General question, do all the 13.3P and 15.5" Vaio S' come with a click pad or is there a version with discrete buttons?

 

I just ordered my vaio last Friday... would it still be possible to get in on that ps3 deal? Or if something good comes up in August within 30 days or so, would I be able to get in on that deal by calling a rep?

 

I know this has been discussed throughout this thread, but I still am not completely clear on the advantages and disadvantages of doing a clean install when I add my SSD. When I ordered my laptop I received it with the "fresh start" option. So my original plan was to use the recovery disks to install on the SSD. Is there any particular reason I would want to do a clean install vs using the "fresh start" recovery disks?

Also, if using the recovery disks, are there any changes I need to make to the OS to work properly with the SSD? I know old SSDs had an issue with limited number of write cycles (severely limited due to being MLC) so we needed to turn off some caching in Windows OS.

Any help appreciated.

 

Sony does list weight on the website. Its 3.8 lb for S13, 3.69 lb for S13 Premium, and 4.42 lb for S15. All three are very lightweight [S15 at 2KG is quite light for the size in my book]. I'd advise you to visit a sony store and check for yourself.

Whatever you buy, you'll be paying in 13% HST in Ontario. In my case, if I buy it from Alberta, I'll only pay 5% GST so I decided not to wait for back to school deals as I'd be in Ontario from middle of August. Back to school will arrive for whole Canada but we don't know when exactly or what will they offer. Hopefully, we'll also get the same PS3/Vita deal. Lastly, GREATCANADIAN coupon is working till 30 Aug according to Sony Canada - Cash Back Rebates & Online Coupons @ Great Canadian Rebates

Now between S13 Premium and S15, S13 is lightweight with longer battery life and S15 has a much brighter/better display (if you can live with orange problem). S15 is also slightly cheaper with similar configuration. However, I did not want anything more than 14 inch so I decided to go with S13 Premium. The simple S13, IMHO, is not worth the saving due to low-res display, lack of graphics card and being slightly heavier. But it was totally personal decision and you should consider your own usage before anything else.

There are no S series notebooks with "discrete buttons".

I asked the rep exactly this and he said No. However, once the promo is live and you're still in the 30 day period, you can call them. May be a nice rep does this for you.

 

What is the battery life with and without the sheet battery? Also, is there any noticeable keyboard flex? Thanks

 

I'm really thinking of getting this laptop but as someone who does some photo editing I'm afraid of the Orange-Red issue, just how prevalent is this issue since it almost seems like you don't have it, and how bad is it?

 

I'm kinda sad. I think I'm finally going to have to stop following this thread. I don't know if I can stand to read any more questions asking about orangegate or battery life. I know we're at page 287 and the search function is broken but these same questions have been answered dozens and dozens of times now.

 

Guess I'll hope for the best. Thanks!

 

Yup, you're right... I think I have to bite the bullet & go for SVS13...
Another question that still bog in my head is how big the performance different between 5400K rpm, 7200K rpm, hybrid & SSD in real life... Since the SVS13 only comes with 5400K rpm against hybrid one in the UV32VD... Anybody have real life experience about this?

 

A hybrid HDD is noticeably faster than a 5400 RPM HDD. However, if you get the S13A then you can upgrade to a SSD very easily. I just purchased my 5th Crucial M4 and threw it into my system 2 days ago. The 256GB unit only costs $180 and absolutely destroys even hybrid HDD's in terms of real world performance. My S13A, even though it is running at 3 GB/s, can boot in 10 seconds and be usable in 13 seconds.

 

You should stick around. Someday you might be a moderator, or worse, a parent of a 4-year-old, and so enduring the same questions over and over will help hone your patience. Trust me, it's a valuable skill!

-Matt

 

Hybrid is only faster when info is already loaded once. Until then HDD = HDD. Hybrid or not.

 

Come on, don't try and pull that one. We all know students don't really carry around books.

You mean beer and weed ;-)

 

Who the hell carries around their beer and controlled substances in their backpack?

Sorry for the off topic.

 

Hmmm, the problem is the S13A hasn't showed up yet in my country & I don't know whether it will be available or not... So for now the S13 is the only option...

So, the real option will be HDD or SSD then...

 

I'll ask again, because I still got no answer to that: Does anyone know if it is possible to add the WWAN-card later on or to use the free mini PCIe-Slot for a mSATA-SSD? Has anyone even got a look at the mini PCIe-Slot fpr the WWAN-card?

 

I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt for now (probably a glitch with my account), but if I haven't heard anything by the end of the week I will be calling them.

I use Chrome and had a similar issue with logging into my Oyster account and had to switch back to IE for that, unfortunately hasn't fixed the problem here, I still get the same error message:

"Please chack the following error(s):
- The email address you entered is unknown
- Your account is locked, and it will be automatically unlocked in 30 minutes"

Still no response to my emails either!!

 

i so love my S13P

 

I ordered my S13P on the 17th. Should be here any day. Love the photo, but I am a bit curious... I am pretty sure you're running win7, but I've never seen a bar like that at the bottom. Can you please explain what you did to get this? I love it! It reminds me of the subtle things on MacOS that I really like.

Blitz

 

its called rocketdock...i dont like the vaio gate. been using the same minimalist setup on my previous notebook as well...my taskbar is also set at the top...

you can download it here for free..

About RocketDock - RocketDock.com

then just download some skins and customize your dock...

this is how my screen looks like...

 

That's awesome. Thanks. Going to totally give them a go!

 

Can someone please answer this, I too would like to know if an mSATA can be used? Otherwise I'll just be sticking my logitech USB receiver in there

 

I agree it looks good. The website says 64bit Windows isn't supported but presumably your Vaio S came with Windows 7 64bit. Is their website wrong?

 

Anyone know about any good laptop sleeves for the S15?

 

RocketDock will run 32bit on the 64bit OS...no probs...

 

how are you guys getting 9-10 second boot times?

i just installed a samsung 830 256gb and it takes about 35 seconds before the mouse curser stops spinning.

all the drivers are installed and i used samsung magician...anything im missing?

 

im also looking for a sleeve for my 13...crumpler sleeves are quite ok...i saw a nice thinktank bag (artificial intelligence v3.0 13, 15, 17)...sad to say...the 13 is about a cm short...cant close the zip....not sure about the 15 though...

 

You may have the Intel RST LPM issue. Check this out: http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...ny-s-series-owners-thread-53.html#post8720381

 

hmm.

when i try to run performance optimization in samsung magician i get the following log:


24072012/16:05:39:052: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI *************************SAMSUNG SSD MAGICIAN STARTED***********************
24072012/16:06:10:143: ERROR OPTIMIZATION COptInterface::TriggerOpt:1 or more drives not found on Disk S0XZNEAC511294
24072012/16:06:11:391: ERROR OPTIMIZATION Failed to create file on drive.
24072012/16:15:27:128: WARNING OPTIMIZATION COptimizationMgr::StopAll: No running instance available to stop.
24072012/16:15:27:128: WARNING BENCHMARK CBenchmarkManager::StopAll: No running instance available to stop.
24072012/16:15:27:130: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI ****************************************************************************
24072012/16:16:53:296: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI *************************SAMSUNG SSD MAGICIAN STARTED***********************
24072012/16:17:11:142: ERROR SITELINK CXMLParser::GetFirmwareVersion() Xml file format is not matching.
24072012/16:20:34:507: ERROR OPTIMIZATION COptInterface::TriggerOpt:1 or more drives not found on Disk S0XZNEAC511294
24072012/16:20:40:213: ERROR OPTIMIZATION Failed to create file on drive.

 

Is this a clean install, an image of the OE HDD, or an install from the Sony recovery discs?

 

a clean install

edit: it seems to be getting even worse. it now takes 45 seconds. and about 20 seconds before the vaio logo dissapears and windows even starts to boot up

 

From the 2011 VAIO SA owners page, I rmb someone mentioned that the free mini PCIE slot is indeed there, but the bottom of the chassis doesn't have the rubber cover to reveal and insert the SIM card. So even if you add a WWAN-card later, you'll have to disassemble the entire laptop just to put the SIM card in.

The design's probably similar for the 2012 vaio S

 

Sounds to me like your boot options are messed up. Either it it waiting for a LAN boot or there is a bootable disc in the optical drive or a bootable card in the card reader.

Make sure both are empty.

Also, go in your bios (F2) and reset to defaults. Be sure to change UEFI boot to Legacy boot if necessary.

The BIOS logo should be on the screen for less than 2 seconds. Mine takes around 5 seconds from button press to get to a logon screen, 10 seconds total for a settled desktop.

 

If you replace the ODD (DVD) for a caddy with HDD, I guess the warranty is void? Because according to the disassembly video on Youtube you almost have to take the whole notebook apart.

 

Thanks a lot for the reply.

And I found the weight too. I was just looking at the customization options lol and not the actual specs.

Good to know the coupon will work until August. Does Sony typically allow someone to use a coupon + say the back to school deals?

I'm still weighing my options on the 13 or 15. I'll definitely go to the store and check it out.

Hahahahahahahahaha. Good one.

 

thanks alot for the advice. Resetting bios back to default cleared up the problem of the vaio logo. only shows up for a split second now

however boot time is still around 27 seconds. and the samsung magician performance optimization is still not working

i tried going into legacy mode, but it wont boot and says no OS found... was i supposed to install in legacy mode in the first place?

heres the most recent samsung magician log:


24072012/16:05:39:052: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI *************************SAMSUNG SSD MAGICIAN STARTED***********************
24072012/16:06:10:143: ERROR OPTIMIZATION COptInterface::TriggerOpt:1 or more drives not found on Disk S0XZNEAC511294
24072012/16:06:11:391: ERROR OPTIMIZATION Failed to create file on drive.
24072012/16:15:27:128: WARNING OPTIMIZATION COptimizationMgr::StopAll: No running instance available to stop.
24072012/16:15:27:128: WARNING BENCHMARK CBenchmarkManager::StopAll: No running instance available to stop.
24072012/16:15:27:130: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI ****************************************************************************
24072012/16:16:53:296: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI *************************SAMSUNG SSD MAGICIAN STARTED***********************
24072012/16:17:11:142: ERROR SITELINK CXMLParser::GetFirmwareVersion() Xml file format is not matching.
24072012/16:20:34:507: ERROR OPTIMIZATION COptInterface::TriggerOpt:1 or more drives not found on Disk S0XZNEAC511294
24072012/16:20:40:213: ERROR OPTIMIZATION Failed to create file on drive.
24072012/16:35:30:087: WARNING OPTIMIZATION COptimizationMgr::StopAll: No running instance available to stop.
24072012/16:35:30:087: WARNING BENCHMARK CBenchmarkManager::StopAll: No running instance available to stop.
24072012/16:35:30:087: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI ****************************************************************************
24072012/16:35:56:429: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI *************************SAMSUNG SSD MAGICIAN STARTED***********************
24072012/16:36:31:946: ERROR OPTIMIZATION COptInterface::TriggerOpt:1 or more drives not found on Disk S0XZNEAC511294
24072012/16:36:32:585: ERROR OPTIMIZATION Failed to create file on drive.
24072012/16:44:01:746: WARNING OPTIMIZATION COptimizationMgr::StopAll: No running instance available to stop.
24072012/16:44:01:746: WARNING BENCHMARK CBenchmarkManager::StopAll: No running instance available to stop.
24072012/16:44:01:746: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI ****************************************************************************
24072012/16:44:53:079: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI *************************SAMSUNG SSD MAGICIAN STARTED***********************
24072012/16:45:12:002: ERROR OPTIMIZATION COptInterface::TriggerOpt:1 or more drives not found on Disk S0XZNEAC511294
24072012/16:45:12:377: ERROR OPTIMIZATION Failed to create file on drive.
24072012/16:48:07:624: WARNING OPTIMIZATION COptimizationMgr::StopAll: No running instance available to stop.
24072012/16:48:07:624: WARNING BENCHMARK CBenchmarkManager::StopAll: No running instance available to stop.
24072012/16:48:07:624: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI ****************************************************************************
24072012/16:48:59:872: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI *************************SAMSUNG SSD MAGICIAN STARTED***********************
24072012/16:50:05:365: ERROR OPTIMIZATION COptInterface::TriggerOpt:1 or more drives not found on Disk S0XZNEAC511294
24072012/16:50:06:192: ERROR OPTIMIZATION Failed to create file on drive.
24072012/16:55:58:238: WARNING OPTIMIZATION COptimizationMgr::StopAll: No running instance available to stop.
24072012/16:55:58:238: WARNING BENCHMARK CBenchmarkManager::StopAll: No running instance available to stop.
24072012/16:55:58:238: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI ****************************************************************************
24072012/16:57:31:864: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI *************************SAMSUNG SSD MAGICIAN STARTED***********************
24072012/17:00:53:871: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI *************************SAMSUNG SSD MAGICIAN STARTED***********************
24072012/17:20:53:455: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI *************************SAMSUNG SSD MAGICIAN STARTED***********************
24072012/17:21:03:999: ERROR SITELINK CXMLParser::GetFirmwareVersion() Xml file format is not matching.
24072012/17:23:12:716: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI *************************SAMSUNG SSD MAGICIAN STARTED***********************
24072012/17:23:22:610: ERROR SITELINK CXMLParser::GetFirmwareVersion() Xml file format is not matching.
24072012/17:23:35:967: ERROR OPTIMIZATION COptInterface::TriggerOpt:1 or more drives not found on Disk S0XZNEAC511294
24072012/17:23:36:529: ERROR OPTIMIZATION Failed to create file on drive.
24072012/17:23:47:917: WARNING OPTIMIZATION COptimizationMgr::StopAll: No running instance available to stop.
24072012/17:23:47:917: WARNING BENCHMARK CBenchmarkManager::StopAll: No running instance available to stop.
24072012/17:23:47:917: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI ****************************************************************************
24072012/17:24:35:309: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI *************************SAMSUNG SSD MAGICIAN STARTED***********************
24072012/17:24:46:280: ERROR SITELINK CXMLParser::GetFirmwareVersion() Xml file format is not matching.
24072012/17:26:52:075: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI *************************SAMSUNG SSD MAGICIAN STARTED***********************
24072012/17:27:02:394: ERROR SITELINK CXMLParser::GetFirmwareVersion() Xml file format is not matching.
24072012/17:27:12:754: ERROR OPTIMIZATION COptInterface::TriggerOpt:1 or more drives not found on Disk S0XZNEAC511294
24072012/17:27:13:378: ERROR OPTIMIZATION Failed to create file on drive.
24072012/17:27:54:219: WARNING OPTIMIZATION COptimizationMgr::StopAll: No running instance available to stop.
24072012/17:27:54:219: WARNING BENCHMARK CBenchmarkManager::StopAll: No running instance available to stop.
24072012/17:27:54:219: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI ****************************************************************************
24072012/18:12:31:168: UNKNOWN MAGICIANGUI *************************SAMSUNG SSD MAGICIAN STARTED***********************
24072012/18:12:40:782: ERROR SITELINK CXMLParser::GetFirmwareVersion() Xml file format is not matching.
24072012/18:21:39:455: ERROR OPTIMIZATION COptInterface::TriggerOpt:1 or more drives not found on Disk S0XZNEAC511294
24072012/18:21:39:985: ERROR OPTIMIZATION Failed to create file on drive.

 

I've only handled the S15, but weight-wise (oh, pun not intended) I think it's superb for the student lifestyle. Very, very easy to carry. On the other hand, battery life is definitely "meh" and the 15" footprint might be a bit more of a challenge on lecture-hall desktops.

-Matt

 

The Samsung tool may not support UEFI GPT disks, only legacy BIOS disks.

Did you try my reg file?

 

no ill try it now....ummm..could you please tell me how do i use it?

edit: so i drag&dropped it onto regedit. didnt help though unfortunately

think im going to do another fresh install in legacy mode and see if that helps

 

Thanks for your opinion. What is the battery life? I'm assuming 3-4 hours without the slice.

EDIT: Yup 3-4. That really is terrible without the slice.
EDIT 2 : WOW the free slice is only available for US. Damn you Sony.

 

I just got my Samsung 830 256gb! I'm installing it at the moment using the windows 7 cloning utility. Has anyone encountered any problems with this approach? Any other tips about optimizing my SSD are also appreciated.

I noticed that the 5200rpm 320gb HDD that Sony uses is also a 7mm drive. And as they had installed it without using a spacer, this eliminated any remaining doubts from my mind about if I would need one. If Sony thinks that the spacer is not necessary, so will I. Images attached below.

 

Change the file extension to reg (instead of txt) and double click it. Then reboot.

What cloning software are you using? Mechanical disks and SSDs have differernt requirements for sector alignment, you may compromise your SSD if the clusters do not align with the blocks. See here: Partition Alignment for SSD

 

well, actually the search function is now working fine so there's no excuse for not searching the thread for answers.