Official NEW SVZ Z series Owners Lounge

Hi all, just setting up my i7 z series. Still backing up the old laptop.

I see there are a ton of startup services. Any suggestions on what I must keep and what can go? A number of items seem to be generating network activity, too. I'd like to maximally decr*pify this machine, it's quite nice and should become even nicer.

 

Hi all. This is my first post here.

I have managed to brick my notebook. I created optical recovery media and then proceeded to remove the recovery partition from my machine by using one of the recovery options from the newly created recovery media.

Turns out my disk 2 is corrupted. Would someone be kind enough to list the contents of the "data" directory on disk 2 (assuming you have created optical recovery media) ? I have a cloned copy of the original recovery partition and can try to recreate disk 2.

Thanks for any help

 

I also ordered my Vaio Z in Belgium on the last day of the processor upgrade deal. When I configure the exact same laptop today (10 days later) it costs € 60 less. This makes a total difference of € 140 (the processor deal was worth € 80).

I just send an e-mail to Sony customer support to report this and I'm asking for compensation. This really looks like fraudulent advertising practices.

 

Had ordered the i7/4gb/128gb model with premimum black, dont see any headphones (UK version) or laptop sleeve. Also there is no 15th anniv limited edition written ??

Is this alright ? Not sure if I should be happy or sad about the logo written
Most interesting is the part that i cannot see the long life battery... does it arrive separately ? it wasn't free when i ordered but at some discount of £20

 

It is only a cosmetic thing but if you don't mind the wait for a replacement (or maybe they could offer you something else to compensate (e.g. accessory, etc, ) if you don't want a replacement), than go ahead and complain about the 15th anniversary engraving.

 

Located the logo and its quite subtle - still feeling in b/w - think it looks better in photos
can anybody help with the mystery of long life battery...

also does reinstalling windows void any warranty ? and should i charge the battery for a set no of hours before initial use to have more longetivity ?

 

Is it just my imagination or is the fan profile slightly more aggressive after the available bios update?

 

Please, someone test and confirm this

Can the HDMI output do like 1920x1200? etc..

 

When I get home from work tonight, I'll connect mine to my U3011 via HDMI and check it's limits

 

Hi Guys, appology if this has been asked but is the RAM and SSD upgradable in this model.

I could live with the high base price if I could add my own but the thought of paying Sony about €930 to upgrade to 256GB and 8Gb RAM when I could do it myself for about €250 makes me feel a bit ill

Thanks guys!

 

Yes, but you have to buy the proprietary modules from Sony.

 

Have not noticed anything on my end.... how the bios resets to defaults as well. Made me panic for a sec with "OS NOT FOUND" since i use uefi mode.

 

How's the uefi mode going for you?
Can you point me to a thread that shows you how's it done? Search on the forum doesn't seem to work at the moment....

 

No dramas...uefi will give you a bit of speed boost in terms of sleep/resume etc. All you need to do is install w7 under uefo mode. GTP etc will be done automatically.

See Installing Windows 7 in native EFI mode from USB - bit-tech.net Forums for the usb instructions.

 

I got my z in the post today, the chassis seems warped however. There is a gap between the screen and keyboard when shut and when viewed from the side, both the screen and body seem to be bent concave away from each other so there is a gap in the middle. The memory stick slot also has a kink. Picture attached. I'm assuming this is a faulty build and will need to return, does anyone elses do this?

 

Several people, myself included, have reported a screen that bows a bit in the middle. Your is worse then mine, from I can tell in the picture. And that small strip below the card readers is very easily bent.

It shouldn't be that way OTB, so I suggest returning it for the reader slot dent. The next unit probably won't have the screen bow quite as bad.

 

That is pretty bad. Mine is quite flat.

edit: attaching pic

 

On close observation, the shape is concave for me as well. It looks to be having less gap on the edges and more in the middle. Not sure if this is a design thing or a fault build... looks more like former than the latter.... can folks from us confirm...

Not sure what you mean by kink on memory stick slot. Maybe a better photo would help with explanation. On closer look, the magic gate slot on mine seems to have a cut on the bottom side... not sure if it impacts anything... dont have any sony memory stick to check this!

again can others confirm...

 

My Z2 looks kind of like that. It was actually not bend, but the palm-rest piece goes a little further toward you in the center. No problem with SD/MS jammed due to that imperfection, though.

 

Can you please provide a photo so anybody in doubt knows what a normal one looks like... this is my second order from sony having returned a faulty laptop before... if this one has to go back... not sure i will purchase sony again. For the price tag, least they could do is ensure build quality!

 

Updated my post. Sorry for the quality, crappy cell phone pic is all I can do at the moment.

 

Thanks, does that just mean I have to pay the €900+ or are they available for less elsewhere?

 

memory stick slot pic attached, ive contacted sony, they have asked for pics, looks like im going to have to return it.

 

What kind of battery life are you all seeing? I just recieved my z3 i7 256gb and so far even with a bunch of power saving features tirned on I'm seeing less than 5hrs on a charge, wifi on.......

 

ARGHHHH why did you have to post that, I just noticed mine is an "innie" - the little piece under the SD card slot is dimpled in a little bit. I thought it was that way to help you grab the sd card, but its slightly off center. Oh well, I'm not sending mine back over it.

I wonder if you could try to pop yours back in to make it an "innie" instead of an "outie"

To be honest I have no idea. I've seen the official parts vendor posted in the forum before, you'd have to call them and get a quote I suppose.

 

I'm still waiting for my Z to arrive: is there an uefi boot option in the bios now?

 

yes.

10char

 

Hey Guys!

Today I was so happy when I got my SVZ13 from Japan. I have the premium black version as I love a all black laptop. The gossy finish is easy to clean, on my previous HP with brushed metal some fingerprints were hard to get out of the grain.

My previous laptop was a HP Probook 5310m and my VAIO makes that look fat!

So far so good I made some tweaks to the system. I love how the ambient light softly adjusts, 1080p screen is super sharp, responsive trackpad, keyboard is nice and quiet tho the shift keys are a bit tiny.

When the screen saver comes on the fan really speeds up like it is going to take off. It's never like that even when I watch 1080p footage. My only solution is to switch off the screensaver which is a shame, as I usually have it to display my photography. Never had this issue for a photo slideshow even on my previous systems.

Fingerprint reader, anyone else found this to not always work especially in darker conditions?

If anyone have any tips on how to solve these please let me know!

I've ordered a 64gb SDXC but noticed the memorystick slot is separate so I think a 32gb ms duo is needed

 

Can anyone confirm that Z3 supports WQHD (2560x1440) on HD 4000 via HDMI with a good cable?

Thanks!

 

Also curious about this.

 

Thanks for uploading photos. looks flatter if not definitely flat....

if i return it to sony...will sony take another 4 weeks to send a replacement one assuming i want sony again! ...i will not wait till then... there is asus ux31e pending returns from currys by tomorrow so tomorrow is last day if not saturday to make the decision... really angry at sony for just minting money on brand name!

did prev owners get any luck with sony on returning for such issue ? can they offer compensation if i decide to live with it... why i am not interested in return because they may send another one with another defect from their clearance stores! this was standard config so shouldnt be trouble

 

Would anybody mind telling me which headphones the US SVZ comes with? I need to replace these cheap earbuds I have right now.

 

Sadly via HDMI the max I have on my U3011 is 1920x1200. With VGA, my max is 2048x1280. I don't have a PMD yet, so I can't test that.

 

HDMI can only do 1920x1080 max.
That's why I hoped so much they'd get rid of that stupid VGA port and swap it for a mini displayport, but... No.

 

it's not 1080p max, i went up to 1920x1200 on my U3011. Sure not much higher, but higher nontheless

 

Oh right, 1920x1200. But that's really it.

 

Technically that is not correct! There are different HDMI hardware revisions (1.0, 1.4 etc.) and some will even go as high as 4096×2160 on a single link!

Oh why oh why do people keep stating that HDMI can max do 1080p... *sigh*

Thanks for confirming!

 

Then I guess we just need to wait for some nice person to connect his Z to a large screen and see what happens.
I'm not holding my breath though.

 

Uhh...some nice person already did

 

Mines is finally out for delivery today, three week wait basically

 

HI!
The Vaio z is silent?
The fan makes little noise?

Just curiosity...

Thanks

 

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Mines is exactly like yours its grand though

 

Compared to my Toshiba Z830 the Vaio Z is whisper quiet. The fans make a slight wine but mainly air rush sound when working hard running Skyrim. But for office work including some extremely large graphic models I can set one of the power options to favour fan silence and I have not noticed it in a room with only one other person in a quiet building. Z830 drove me nuts in the same conditions

 

Thanks for the reply
Good read this.
I have a vaio FZ21m (have 5 years) and makes enough noise and the temperature always round 60 degrees. When are in high performance rises to 70/80 degrees.

My next acquisition will pass through Z or S.

 

It looks like MDR-NC33, but without the control box(In SVZ body I think)

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDRNC33-Noise-Canceling-Earbuds/dp/B002M78JAM

 

Thanks. I'm still debating between this, the Asus UX31A and UX32VD. I have no clue if I want the expansion that the PMD offers but it's nice knowing the HD4000 graphics aren't going to be the bottleneck of the system when newer games come out etc.

 

My Z3 arrived yesterday (i7, 4GB, 128GB, fullHD, no PMD) and it's a really nice lightweight machine.

I've tested the amount of supported external screens without a PMD, so using the HD 4000 integrated graphics. And unfortunately it's impossible to use 2 external screens (Dell U2311H 1080p screens connected using HDMI and VGA) simultaneously (even when disabling the internal screen). The only options are 'Internal + HDMI' or 'Internal + VGA'. It's really weird you cant even use 'HDMI + VGA' while the internal screen is disabled. Maybe it's a driver problem, but i've only tested it in the default config with Win7 Home Premium with pre-installed drivers/software.

This isn't a real problem for me, because i'll be using it when i'm not at home, so i'll mostly use it without an external screen, but it might be a problem for some of you.

I think the Premium Black looks really nice! It attracts some fingerprints, but i don't mind. The back of the hinge (the metal-like piece) is black on the Premium Black finish, some photo's show a silver like hinge, but that's just the flash of the camera i guess. It really looks black in real life, which i prefer by the way.

Mine shows no gap between the lid and the base (like some of you showed) and the cardreaders are fine to.

The laptop's default settings is to put DPI to a 125% to make everything bigger. I personally prefer to put it back to 100% so i get more working space, but the letters are pretty tiny now. But i don't mind, it reads just fine for me.

I'm very busy at the moment but i'll take a more in depth look the end of next week.

 

The reviws about the UX31A say that there are mostly Sandisks without sandforce installed. Only some models will have the ADATA SSD and on the package it says nothing about which device.

Also the battery life is about 4 Hours surfing, office. Not very impressed. A freind have had two UX31A... both have had pixel errors. He now owns a S13A

 

Question: on Vaio Z3, how do you enable the fingerprint reader security at power-on/BIOS (instead of typing a password)?

My old SZ did this. I tried enabling TPM in bios, etc, can't find option. Is it possible ?

I don't think system is secured as well if you can boot as far as windows user login before asked for fingerprint.

 

I have both the TPM enabled with full disk encryption and fingerprint reader on my Z3. Fingerprint reader is only another option to the windows login password and so is not enabled until Windows boots. If you want to secure the system fully then you need to enable the TPM under Windows Ultimate or Enterprise using Bitlocker. Works perfectly and was a main consideration of the unit as I need this high level of security and only a few of these lightweight laptops offer it. If you dont have or dont want to upgrade windows to Ultimate or Enteprise then TRUECRYPT is an open source altrenative although not as convenient as doesnt use the TPM security code so have to type in a long password to unlock truecrypt