Official Sony S11/S12/S13 (2010) Owners Thread

the m11xr2 is like the sony s and sony z are.

its a light form factor, maybe you need to open the eyes and look instead of being in the dark.

it does the same minus the optical drive yet provides performance in a smaller form factor

 

Ok... not going to argue... obviously to you all laptops with i CPUs (no matter if UM) are all the same.

 

i cannot find the resemblance between the Sony VAIO S and the Dell M11XR2 either. Apart from the specifications, which quite frankly mean nothing since most manufacturers allow custom to order these days, the two laptops have nothing in common.

 

Absolutely nothing in common. Totally different concept! S is a business solution and the other a gaming one. Totally different features and idea behind.

 

DISCLAIMER: backup your system before trying. After some WWAN drivers reinstallations I've seen OneClickInternet crashing.

I managed to get it working on both S11 and S12 and I'm going to explain how.
To be able to use the GPS present in the WWAN module (so, no WWAN no GPS), you need three things:
1) make the OS support the GPS device (through a COM port providing NMEA Standard output), so we need to change the drivers.
2) turn on the GPS receiver.
3) run an application that reads data coming from the COM port

Let's consider every single step:

1) About the S12, it's quite easy: there is a parameter regarding the GPS functionality, left disabled by Sony; so you simply need to reinstall the WWAN drivers provided with the notebook changing the GPS parameter. You can download them from your regional support site and save where you like. I suppose you can retrieve them from the recovery partition. Then:
- turn the WWAN module off (using Smart Network or the hw wireless switch) and uninstall the already installed WWAN drivers
- unzipping the drivers edit the WWAN_setup.bat file
- find and replace the GPS parameter, changing from GPS=0 to GPS=1
- save the file and run it, it will start the (quiet) installation process; at the end reboot the system
- turn the WWAN module on, windows will inform you that a new device has been found and that is configuring it
- when done verify in the device manager that you see, along the usual Qualcomm USB network device and diagnostic COM port, a new NMEA COM port. Without that port we can't read GPS data, so don't go further until you see it.
Note: when I received my first S11 months ago the only way I found was to install the Vaio X drivers, probably the same procedure described above can be used now, with older and newer drivers (for both S11 and S12).

2) We need to turn on the GPS receiver. Unfortunately, despite the image present in the help, it seems that Sony disabled the GPS switch in Smart Network. I've seen images of Smart Network coming from different Vaio models with the GPS switch, but I didn't manage to get a fully working SN. That's a bit sad because I can't see any reason for such limitation. However a workaround is still possible: in the USA, Sony sells the Vaio Z advertising the GPS feature and fortunately it uses the same Gobi 2000 WWAN module (and Wi-Fi module). However no SN is installed there, there is a similar, but more limited, utility called Smart-Wi. You can download it from the USA site and install it even without removing Smart Network. The downside is that with this utility you cannot have both WWAN and Wi-Fi turned on (only Wi-Fi, and GPS off, or only WWAN and GPS on). Well, you have to turn the WWAN module and the GPS on and then go to SN to turn the WLAN back on, it's a bit annoying. The other downside is that Smart-Wi seems "predominant", so the SN switch configuration is discarded or superseded by SW.
I'm still looking for a GPS capable Smart Network, maybe coming from a different Vaio, maybe you can contribute.

3) Now you can connect to the COM port and read the NMEA coded output, for example using Putty. It's still human readable but not really comfortable, so a specific application is preferable, such as Google Earth, VisualGPS and so on. While using the Vaio X software I installed "Location Search Update", that add some GPS controls in the Vaio Control Center and a useful IE bar that you can use to locate yourself using the GPS and, for example, Google Maps. Will upload later the exe I'm using right now (don't remember exactly where I downloaded it).
Note: if you're unable to see any NMEA output try a different COM port. For example, if you see COM 5 in the device manager and no output from that port try also port 6 and 7, a mismatching is possible.

The real issue is the lack of the GPS switch in Smart Network, but Smart-Wi is an acceptable compromise if you really care about the GPS device. Let me know if you find a GPS capable Smart Network fully working for our Vaio S.

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks SheldonCooper. I'm still considering if it is worth playing with the drivers, as most likely I would never use the GPS, whereas I do use the WWAN every now and then, but I might do it out of curiosity

thanks for your manual!! I'm sure it will be of help to many of us!

 

Anyone know how to swap out the keyboard? I'm changing from QWERTY to AZERTY. I've purchased an AZERTY backlit keyboard (ebay) for under $25.

 

Just out of curiosity - who uses AZERTY? I hear that for the first time...

If you find how to remove the keyboard please let us know - it would interest me for cleaning purposes...

 

French use AZERTY. Belgium as well

 

Hi, I see from your sign "WWAN + GPS". How do you manage to start/turn on the GPS receiver? Are you using Smart-Wi?

 

keyboard removal is easy 2 screws under the battery and 1 screw in the hd compartment

 

Most keyboards you can just "pop" the keys out and swap them around (and then change the keyboard configuration in Windows)... Was this not an option with the S series?

 

Yes you can... but maybe the AZERTY has some special symbols, the same way QWERTZ has Ü, Ö, Ä, etc... and for under 25$.... that's a present.

 

Lot's of good info here:

Keyboard (computing) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Anyone know about the DIP switch sequence to activate the mpcie that is for the WWAN for some model , my model doesn't come with wwan.

 

Yes this is my first laptop
Cheers

I created a partition Called D But when I restored my vaio that partition is deleted So Is there any way to keep that partition even though if i restore ?

 

You can choose to restore C: only ....

 

As compensation for my bent S Series, Sony have offered either a 1 year extended warranty (on top of the standard 1-year) or £50 off an accessory.

Which would you go for?

 

Definitely 1 Year extra Warranty!!! Funny that where you are there is only 1 year! Here it is 2 Years by default. 1 year is nothing!

 

Yeah I spoke to them earlier - something about if you order with Win7 Pro (+£50) you get two years warranty by default, but only one year if you stick with Home Premium. But they don't advertise this anywhere...and the sales guy admitted to that! Perhaps this is a good thing for new buyers who read this thread to know!

So definitely the warranty then? I still would really like to get an extended battery - any tips on how to get it a bit cheaper?!

I'm in England...where are you?

 

Very different in England then - we get Win 7 Pro and 2 Years Warranty by default in Germany. All new technics MUST have at least 2 years Warranty here, it is against the law to offer 1 Year only (excluded are consumables of course, like the battery - it only has 6 Months I think).

Really a good thing to know... I wouldn't buy from England -----> More expensive + only 1 Year Warranty + Win 7 Home instead of Pro....

not really e deal.....

 

Clearly not!

I'm not to bothered by the Home Premium/Pro difference, but the warranty thing is big!

Any thoughts on the battery?

 

I wouldn't be bothered by the OS either - I'd have bought it without any if I could... but 1 year warranty on new laptop is ridiculous. I think they give here 1 year on second hand.

No idea about the battery... the life of the original is more than enough to me...

 

As we now know from your recent frustrating and bitter experience, Gracy, the legal situation is meaningless when the manufacturers are free to exclude parts of the product from the warranty cover at their discretion.

In the final analysis, whether it's Germany, England or elsewhere, we the end users have to look after ourselves. Until such time as Sony (and the others) are challenged by someone with expensive lawyers, that means buying and fitting our own spares on occasion.

 

on site tech came out. now I have 3 screw marks where he used the wrong size screw and it pushed up through the pastic. a huge dent by a hinge and one hinge is warped out of its mind.

they had to do it on a friday so I cant call and ream them out. though I contacted a sony style store and they said they would have management give me a call. maybe my s series is going away

 

Exactly because of small issues most users have, 1 year warranty is a mockery. Does that mean that you don't give a damn about how long your 1000 bucks new laptop is covered by warranty? You've got to be a rich man. then.... ))

If I was to get 12 months warranty only I could just buy a second hand much cheaper here! This is ridiculous!! 1000 bucks and 1 year warranty... no thanks. Those are some really interesting laws you have there. I know that even in Bulgaria S is offered with 2 years by default, not sure about the OS. I'm even still thinking of buying an additional 3rd year.

Reading the above post from Boo Boo proves the need of more then 12 months support - so that they can fix at least one issue throughout the warranty period

 

Don't forget that in the UK the Sale of Goods Act states that the consumer can put a warranty claim with the seller/manufacturer for within a "reasonable" amount of time.

This leaves it open for translation depending on the item you are purchasing but also makes it more flexible. If you buy a laptop which costs £1k and it breaks on year 2.5, you are still entitled to a warranty claim because of this fuzziness of the UK law which doesn't give a any limit on time.

Obviously, all other EU directives apply such as the minimum 2 year one which is effective across all EU countries.

 

That's nice... but I don't think that Sony would do anything else than send you back home with a nice souvenir-pen if you claim warranty for a 1,5 or 2 years old notebook when the official warranty is 1 year. As you can see from our experience - manufacturers in best case only take the responsibility they MUST, but more often 70% of what they must, even in the official warranty period. Corporations pay a fortune to corporate lawyers to be able to establish the absolute minimum of warranty services they must offer, without breaking the law too much I wouldn't count on such a fuzzy law containing 1001 "if"s

I also thoguht 2 years is an EU standard, but UK has always been a bit extravagant...

But it is good that this came up... I guess many of us now know where not to buy technics, besides the price difference.

 

VAIO Smart Network 3.3.1.08110 available for download (09.09.2010)

 

Hi,

Does anyone know if I can download Media Gallery somewhere? Because it's not installed on my computer, and I would like to have it.

 

No idea what Media Gallery is but it definitely does not come with Vaio S, so has nothing to do with it.

 

it may come with Vaio S if the OS is Windows 7 Home Premium or Ultimate.

 

Could be true. I know 2 things for sure:

1. My S with Win 7 Pro does not have it
2. It is not included in the list of preinstalled software on Sony's Support Website for Vaio S11.

 

Is it the media gallery which is part of the Media Center?

 

my sony s has been in the shop for 35 days now because of they can't find the plastic for the repair. argh, does anyone have any tips on how to speed this up??

 

I DON'T recommend updating! I'm downgrading back to 3.1, because of the following bugs:

1. Every time I restart or wake up the PC, Smart Network 3.3.1.08110 switches the WLAN off and
2. switches the LAN profile in use to the first in the list

At the same time I see no positive changes or additional features.

 

yes, i realised that, but you only have to switch the WLAN on clicking on the icon of Vaio Smart Network

 

True... but why should I? It is bothering me doing this every time! I see no benefit from having 3.3 instead of 3.1. It's not about having the highest number, but about having the one that works best.
Or maybe you can give me a reason to use 3.3. instead of 3.1. that I didn't notice?

Is automatically switching back to the first listed profile an "improvement"? To me it's a bug.

I really saw no improvements or additional features - only additional issues. So I'm back to 3.1 and happy

 

me neither, but i think i'll keep the update

 

Do you mind mentioning one reason why?

 

I have noticed that my S whistles and it annoys the hell out of me. It is a very faint whistle but the frequency of it sticks right in my head and gives me headache.

I initially thought it is the i7 but after playing around with different things, i discovered that is the hard drive. When Windows 7 forces the hdd to sleep due to power settings, the whistling stops.

Do you think the drive will die soon?

There are currently no warning messages on SMART and i performed a full HDD scan and that didn't show anything either. I obviously backed everything up.

The sound is just the one i cannot live with because i work in a quiet environment. The problem is that if i send it to Sony for repair, they would probably not be able to hear the sound depending on the environment in the service centre.

 

beacuse i don't mind too much that bug...
sorry for my english! maybe i don't express myself clearly

 

I personally haven't heard anything, but I only used the original Toshiba HDD for like a month. I am still using it but as external drive - no whistling either.

It is not really worth sending for repair. If the sound bothers you - replace the HDD with a new, different one. If you are happy with the speed of a 5400 RPM HDD, you can buy one for about 50 euros.

But I recommend buying a 7200 RPM .... You are bottlenecking your i7 extremely with that HDD...

 

The HDD that came with it is the Toshiba MK5056GSY (500GB) which is already a 7200 rpm drive. The performance is fine it is just the noise that is annoying me a lot.

I thought about purchasing a new HDD but the way the S Series is designed I assume it would void my warranty if i replace the drive myself.

 

I had the same whistling noise in mine. 320gb 7200rpm drive. It was kind of annoying - and I too thought it was the i7 at first. If my replacement comes back making the same noise I may whinge at Sony, but I wouldn't want to send it away...so not sure what I'd get out of the whinging (perhaps another year's warranty )

Replace with a SSD? I don't really know which ones would fit, or how much they are, but I bet that would be super quiet!

Any advice on SSDs anyone?

 

Strange, I also had a Toshiba but a different one (5400 RPM). Anyway this model is still quite slow - it ranks pretty low among the 7200 RPMs (424th place overall) - if you decide to replace it - buy something better.

You DO NOT void the warranty by swapping the HDD Surprise - this isn't a crappy APPLE where you aren't allowed to even turn it around without loosing warranty!
I don't know what you mean with "the way the S Series is designed" - it is designed perfectly as you have an individual compartment (and cover) for the HDD.

I also swapped mine myself

There are a few SSD Threads in this forum - you can start HERE. Any SSD with the same size (2.5") would fit (SATA connector).

They are completely silent, but I think you have another specific to your drives problem... I hear absolutely nothing out of mine. (Neither out of the original Toshiba).

 

I was searching on Google on how to replace the drive on the S Series and i thought i saw a tutorial which showed that i had to remove the keyboard to get access to the HDD.

On second thoughts, this does not make any sense! lol Thanks for prompting a thought Gracy123!

I am happy with the speed of the Toshiba drive. I considered SSD but its just too expensive for the capacity i need it for. Do you have any other suggestions on HDD?

 

Unless you need vast storage on your laptop, SSDs are definately the way to go. And I wouldn't send it back either just because of this. Just use your current drive as a spare for backups or something (or get rid of it on ebay - obviously making clear that it makes this noise - no need to unload your problems onto someone else!). If you're worried about the guarantee, you could keep the drive and if you have any serious problems in the future, put it back in when you send it back (I'm not so sure about what Gracy123 says about the guarantee, I think it's a bit of a grey area). BTW, re SSDs, the Intel X25-M 2nd gen are supposed to be good, if you wait a few months third gen should be available which would I guess bring the price of 2nd gen down... If not OCZ have some nice models...

 

Hi!

I purchased a sony Vaio VPCS1100C laptop, Great little machine, but the time has come to give it a clean down and reformat..

I have an official Windows 7 home premium DVD with codes, but an a little worried as the only direct driver support for this model seems to be through the eastern side of the company and so i have been unable to find what i take to be enlgish versions of the nessary drivers ill need for a reinstall.

Does anyone know if this model will be able to use drivers from a european/US conterpart (Similar model) ? or if indeed there are english drivers available but are seeminlgy impossible to find?

Also has anyone format a machine purchased in china and had any issues installing an english OS?

Thanks for your time folks

Paul

 

Nothing grey there! I informed myself before replacing it.

Replacing the HDD does not void Warranty... not by Sony.