Official NEW SVZ Z series Owners Lounge

Has anyone tried creating an Fn key to toggle WLAN? VSN is horrible to use.

 

No worries, Ill try do do it in a day or to and report back here

Edit: Check your inbox

 

Hi All,

I have been monitoring my SSD 256GB usage since I got the laptop in early Dec 2012. When I got the laptop, my "wear leveling count" according to Crystal Disk Info was rated at 99%. After a month it dropped 1% to 98%. is 1% drop in wear leveling count normal? I haven't installed anything since I did a clean Windows 7 install on the first day.

Any comments appreciated would be appreciated. Is it even possible to keep the "wear leveling count" not drop? Also, I have noticed that the threshold for it is rated at 17%, does that mean my SSD will be in danger if the wear leveling count drops to that level?

Thanks.

 

I have a Sony Vaio Z series SVZ131190X with the VGP-PRZ20A docking station.
When I undock I always push the blue undock button, wait for the "continue" prompt, and push the "continue" button. If I plug the dock back in 10 seconds or 1 week later my dock video and blu-ray come back online but my USB devices plugged into the dock don't. In order to get the USB devices (mouse and keyboard) to start working again I have to reboot. This started happening within a couple of days of getting my computer in early December 2012 and has been happening ever since. A really annoying USB problem. I've seen this sort of thing with cheap USB hubs in the past, but this being a dock shouldn't have this sort of USB power problem.

Has anyone else encountered this?
Does anyone found a solution to this?
I've even updated USB and motherboard drivers.

 

I have this problem too. Sometimes when I plug in the PMD, the USBs attached to it wouldn't be recognized. But I didn't have to reboot. I just unplug the USB and replug it.
Is your problem only resolved through rebooting?

 

From this afternoon I have even bigger issues, I have Win8 PRO and it installed some updates, after that the following either not available or not working:
1) Bluetooth is disable, my mouse cannot be removed at all
2) Fingerprint logon does not exist any more on the logon screen
3) USB ports do not work
4) Wireless WAN option disappeared
5) Still working on the list of other failed devices

What could have gone wrong?! Has anybody experienced anything similar?

My model is SVZ1311C5E.

Could somebody pls post some pics of the devices in device manager? I'd be very grateful! Thanks!

Here's the deal - figured out what caused all this - it was Bit Defender Internet Security 2013. Before that I had Avast on Win 7 Ult, no probs at all, but later on it started cracking into pieces, now Bit Defender.

And I was told by a Sony guy that Windows Security Essentials is perfectly fine for Win 8, but I wouldn't listen

 

A request:

Could someone post photos of two things:

1. The cover for the sheet battery port for when it is detached (covers the laptops port where the battery attaches and connects to the laptop)
2. The little piece that lets you charge the sheet battery without being attached to the laptop.

Thanks in advance,

 

No, in my case unplugging and re-plugging the mouse and keyboard don't re-activate them, only rebooting seems to do the trick.

 

Once Sony sends me their replacement power adapter for my PMD (my original shipment came with the PMD but WITHOUT the power adapter for it, ugh!), I'll test it out and let you know if this is occurring across the board or not...

 

Thanks, it will be interesting to find out.

 

Hmm, and you are using Windows 7 right?

I have two PMD (one older model and one is the latest) and I haven't had to reboot to fix the problem.
I had the laptop and the latest model PMD since late August, and the older model PMD a month ago.
The older model PMD does take a while to recognize the USB drives at times though, sometimes up to 2 minutes.

 

I've found the problem. It turns out that just after I received my new computer I installed HealthyEdge Lite software for a Tanita scale. The scale communicates with the computer via a Garmin USB ANT+ wireless adapter. The driver for this Garmin USB ANT+ adapter is what caused the problem. ANT+ wireless adapters can be used to communicate wirelessly with fitness watches too.

I also installed some Garmin GPS map update software the same day. While this software didn't appear to cause a problem with the USB ports it *may* have been responsible for the error message "You cannot eject your computer because the driver '\Driver\amdkmdap' is preventing a device from being stopped right now. Try closing all applications and ejecting the computer later." that I still received even after uninstalling the ANT+ USB driver. Once I installed the Garmin GPS map update software then I didn't get the error message on undock either.

Thank-you for everyone's help.

 

Hi guys. My win8 install has been mostly smooth, even surprisingly so. The only snag was having missing items in the vaio control center, but after half a day, i found that was due to not installing the 'shared notebook libraries'... definitely not mentioned in the sony docs.

anyway the big challenge now is with Widi. I somehow had it working on Win 8 release candidate, but now that I'm on the real thing i have no idea how to get it working. I've tried the win7 drivers from sony, which seem to go through the process, but simply don't change anything. I've tried the drivers directly from Intel and it doesn't recognize my hardware.... so I'm at a loss and I really dont have hours and hours to experiment these days.

Any help or hope on any of these things???

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/o3mnvjwh78xug0k/2013-01-14 21.57.05.jpg

 

I would appreciate some help with bluetooth drivers. It is really driving me crazy! Installed W8, bluetooth worked fine. Then I did several updates, one was the latest bluetooth driver from Sony site. And no more bluetooth...

I have tried installing all the different bluetooth drivers I could find for the Vaio Z, even W7 drivers in compatibility mode, no luck. I either get the "installed successful" message, or "could not open key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE32\SYSTEM\CurrentContorlSet\services\BTHPORT\Paramaters\UnsupportedServices. Verify that you have sufficient access to that key, or contact your support personnel."

I am logged in as administrator.

 

@Imperial - Thanks!

 

Would a svz i7 512GB be a sensible upgrade for me? I have a vpcz1 i5 540m with 512gb ssd and bluray burner, 1600x900 screen which is very bright. I will miss the onboard optical drive.

Is it true as sony warns that the pmd does not work on the builtin panel under w8?

Sent from my GT-P6800 using Tapatalk 2

 

Does anyone have a good recommendation for a trackpad driver for Windows 8? The one from the Synaptics website is a bit dodgy (shaky mouse cursor etc), and the one from the Sony website doesn't seem to support two finger scrolling, which I like....

 

Just ordered the 128gb ssd ready to ship model yesterday. I got it for 1296$ in education store ( that is the only one I can afford...). Any one can tell me how much space there would be left for me after installation of win7 and vaio software? This is my first Sony laptop, no idea about vaio things.
I plan to buy the power media dock someday, but it is no longer available in store... Does Sony stop to offer this separately, or just out of stock?
Thx!

 

The SSD itself is around 125GB. 20GB Recovery partition. 8GB Hibernation Partition. Less than 100 left. Windows 35GB.60GB left.

You can make it more by deleting the recovery partition after creating recovery media. You can also delete hibernation partition if you do not need rapid wake.

 

Thanks! I am fine with 60GB. Maybe adding only office 2010, matlab and some old games is enough now. I may have to do something when I can buy the dock...

 

Also if you max out the 2 flash card slots in it you can add quite a bit more.

- Tim

____________________
Sent via TapaTalk

 

Just scored a 256GB i7 SVZ on ebay. Looks banged up in front left; it must have taken a fall. Is there a service manual for the SVZ? Has anyone seen parts offered? I would need a new top cover to make it look nice again. Would Z2 casing parts fit the SVZ?

Is the 256GB 2x128GB or 1x256GB or even 4x64GB?

 

2x128GB in RAID 0.

 

Thanks! Is the flash card only for storage? I mean can I install any software there?

 

That's up to what Windows allows - I don't know if you are allowed to install programs on external media, unless that program allows a "portable install" type (most programs do not)

____________________
Sent via TapaTalk

 

has anyone succeeded in getting the Z to use the fingerprint at logon instead of a typed password. i have fingerprints enrolled, tpm enabled in the bios etc, but it doesnt come up. my old Z from 2008, z590 or whatever use to do it. any ideas?

 

Do you mean loggin into Windows? It does that for me.
Do you mean website passwords? It does that for me in Chrome and IE.

 

szadzik. Would you please pm or email me? I'd like to buy your PMD.

Seems like my posts get deleted?!?

 

If anyone has a PMD to sell I would be interested in buying it.

 

You do not have private messaging enabled. Email me szadzik at gmail dot com

 

You have mail Sir. I'll see if I can find the PM settings. (Should be on by default IMO.)

 

Tried to find PM settings. No luck. Any pointers would be appreciated.

 

You need to post a certain no. of posts on the forum to be eligible for PM, i think. I can't remember how many.

 

Help! I recently received an SVZ1311GXX and am trying to use my PMD from a Z2 but it isn't being recognized! The port itself works with usb devices but not with the PMD. Anyone else had this happen to them? Am I somehow missing a driver or something? I tried to update the video driver for it and downloaded some system updates but no go. If anyone can suggest other troubleshooting I can attempt please help. Thanks!

 

you have the AMD/Intel driver package from Sony? Or just Intel drivers installed? PMD's are the same, it should work. My wife's Z2's PMD works just fine on my SVZ.

 

I need your help in decision making..

I bought a refurbished European VPC-Z23 ( I guess thats what you are referring a Z3!?) i7, 512SSD, 8GB RAM, FHD, WWAN, PMD w/ BlurayBurner for €1850.
I never bought refurbished products before, but of course this one has a defect. While it looks shiny and new a loud high pitched noise occurs randomly. Sometimes it lasts just for a few seconds while at other times I have to power off the machine to get rid of it.

Now I have two options.
Return it and get a refund or send it to service. I'm not sure with the latter as people reported long service times. Plus, in fact I don't have much trust in my purchase anyway.

If I take the refund I'd have to spent €3000 for a new SVZ with a similar configuration. I'm not sure if I'm willing to do that, especially since this model is on the market (chassis wise) for 2 years already and who knows if the successor will be released soon.

But alternatives a rare...
Right now I'm working on an 11" VGN-TT 128SSD, 1TBHDD, 4GB RAM, WWAN. A true gem which I'm still in love with, if I just wouldn't need more real estate on the screen.

While I don't need a powerful CPU, GPU & RAM (in fact I'd prefer ULVs) my requirements are:

• ≤ 14" FHD Display (preferably matte)

• ≥ 512GB Storage

• WWAN (I'm constantly on the move)

AFAIK there is no single machine out there meeting those requirements except the Z-Serie.
The Samsung Series 7 Ultra (although glossy) is about to be released soon and other manufacturers have announced they will add FHD Displays in there 13"-14" range too. However who knows when that will be?

So what I'm gonna do? Servicing, Buying SVZ, waiting? ...

 

I installed the AMD/Intel driver. I just checked and the usb port closest to hdmi port actually isn't functioning for some reason. Do you guys think this is just hardware related? I checked the bios and I know all usb ports are enabled. Just weird that the port works next to the power adapter but it won't recognize even just the dvd drive of the PMD. argh.

 

This is not the Z3. Z3 is SVZ13 series

You might think there will be a replacement coming, but I think not so soon. Haswell ha been postponed and I do not think they will be releasing a completely new version until they get Haswell. 2-year-old chassis is just as good as any other chassis. It is all about what is in the chassis abd this still is THE most powerful ultraportable laptop and if you are looking for that, you have your answer.

That is nowhere near the performance of the Z. RAID 0 SSD will trump the 128GB SSD, full time quad core CPU the same. 8GB RAM is a must nowadays, IMO.

Waiting is always an option if you have something to use in the mean time. If not...

I just got my first Z and I have to say I am enchanted with it (and I have had multiple high-end laptops).

 

I'm definitely not looking for that. As mentioned above I'd rather go for ULV and Battery life. All I'm looking for is an ultraportable with a FHD screen, WWAN and enough storage.

And the Z-Serie is the only notebook to date meeting those requirements. I'd probably keep my Z23 if it was working, but spending another grand for a new model would be a high price for power I don't need.

 

Check Acer S7

 

Recieved my z3, and it tured out there was only 40GB left! After the first updating, I deleted what I could, there is still 43GB! One friend told me I should give the hard drive a relatively large spare space, since SSD is more fragile, and I could not change it if it crashes with this model. I would like to keep the recovery partition, yet it seems I have no choice but deleting it...any one knows how much of the space I should keep empty ?

 

Recovery Partition after creating recovery media is not a problem
There is also Hibernation Partition and if you do not need Rapid Wake, you can delete that - 8GB space saved.

You do nnot need to worry about SSD's performance until you rachi 1-5GB of free space left. Read about current SSD lineups as a lot of people only remember stuff about old ones that were light years behind the current ones and tell you loads of BS about how SSDs are fragile.

 

Thanks! This is the most expensive computer I ever have. So I worry a lot.

 

The hibernation partition is an easy task to remove. The recovery partition might be a bit more tricky, but should not be a problem. It is not like you are going to break the laptop by removing partitions . As long as you know what you're doing, you are fine.

 

The only things i hate about this laptop are:

1) how grease magnet it is... After 5 min of typing i have to use a soft cloth to clean the grease it absorbs from my hands
2) how big the ac adapter is.. Do they have a small form factor ac adapter? for like traveling?

 

For an adapter, check one of these:

Notebook Adapters Overview

I use this one: Specification

I used to have a slim travel adapter from HP when I had an HP Envy and loved it for its small size and USB charging, but this is even smaller.

 

The tip fits the laptop?

 

Yes, it does. I have been using only this charger since day one (apart fro m3 ties when I used the PMD) and it works great. Comes with tips for other manufacturers too, meaning I will be able to use it with whatever brand I buy in the future.

Sony also makes a portable charger VGP-AC19V51

It is quite a lot bigger than Innergie, but maybe if you prefer Sony.

Sony 36.6cm x 3.5cm
Innergie 10cm x 5.7cm

VGP-AC19V51 | AC-Adapters | Features | VGPAC19V51.CEL | VGPAC19V51 | Sony

 

So the original adapter is a 95W, the slim one from them i think is 95W as well.. But the one from Innergie is 65W they got a 95W but its $50 more..

Im guessing it will only take a bit longer to charge but shouldnt matter much.. Amazon has a great price on the little one: Amazon.com: Innergie mCube Lite 65 Watt Ultra Slim Universal AC Adapter with USB Port for Notebooks and Portable Devices: Electronics