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

Hello Guys,

I bought a Seagate Momentus XT but now I'm getting some randomly BSOD.
I would like to know if someone of you had or have this issue with their Vaio S.

Thank You!

 

Two problems related to that:

* I had a Seagate Momentus - it was vibrating very badly so I only used it for 3 weeks before I resell it.

* Have had BSODs for a few weeks and was about to send the Vaio for repair when I found out that the problem comes from ZoneAlarm which seems to have LOTS of problems under Windows 7!! Nice little program for XP, but never again on Win 7.

Both points though have nothing to do with each other.

 

And checking disk for errors gave no results? I recommend you, to use this disk in external USB box and you will see, if the disk is OK or not. And you have ceated one 100 MB partition on beginning of HDD? Ony my old one there was such partition (without formating and assigned drive letter) and I exchanged my 5k4 HDD by Hitachi 7k2 HDD and everything works perfect.

 

did you clean install or use an image?

 

Hi,
Thank you for you answers!
I've been using this HDD for a couple of weeks, I did a clean installation of the system (2 times) and I'm having the same issue, even with no programs installed (just Windows). I think there is a issue between the HDD Intel Controller/Momentus XT SD23 AND OR BIOS.

The hard drive has excellent performance, but is really anoying and unsafe when dealing with BSOD and important data

 

Found this model of the VPCS111FM for private sale:

BRAND NEW Silver SONY VAIO VPCS111FM/S notebook Intel Core i7-620M dual core processor with 4MB L3 cacheWindows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit, 13.3" 1366x768 widescreen LED, 4.4lb weight, DVDRW Optical Drive, Intel HD Graphics with Intel Wireless Display compatibility and HDMI output, integrated webcam and mic, bluetooth, backlit keyboard, Intel Advanced-N 6200 Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, 4x2.66GHz-2x3.33GHz 4GB 1066MHz DDR3 RAM, 500GB 5400rpm HDD, and 6 cell battery

His Disclaimer:
3. Do upgrades void the warranty? With Sony, the computer less the upgraded components that were added is covered. Regarding our work and how it might affect the longevity of the laptop, we take care to provide professional and trained technical service with any configuration alterations that we perform (i.e. thermal paste on processor, eliminating potential heating issues by offering only processors that have a thermal design power (TDP) that the computer can handle, wearing anti-static gloves used at all times), so you will not have a laptop fail due to any upgrades that we provide.

I fell inlove with this computer wayyyyy back when it first came out and have been eyeing it ever since, but just felt the i5 430M processor it came equipped with just isn't worth the 1000$ price tag, but i soooo love the casing (metal frame EVEN around display that even on MOST aluminum laptops is a "black plastic bezel), the backlit keyboard and the 1368x768 res on their 13 inch model just REALLY is sooooo much nicer than all i have seen, plus, it loads everything soooo quick, even if it is ONLY the lower end i5. So i thought the one with the i7 might make it AMAZING.... This one is only 200 bucks MORE than Best Buys....

Anyone's thoughts? Appreciate all input, as i know "next to nothing" about over confirguring... : )

Thanks,

TGG

 

Unfortunately you are wrong here. the LID cover is in fact metal, but thin (go to the store and press it - you will feel how thin) and the front frame is plastic.

Regarding the CPU - I'd be more concerned about fast HDD, as this is what bottlenecks the system. Don't think you will feel much difference between i5 and i7 in everyday situations. i7 on a system with 5400 RPM HDD is like a ferrari engine in a 3-wheeled retro car!

About the Ad - it is up to you to decide whether the extra risk is worth to you I'm not sure it would be to me... just order a different configuration S from abroad The choice in Europe is great

 

Hey Gracy!

I didnt actually meant its REAL aluminum, i meant it matches the entire laptop, where most (except macbok) are silver colored (whatever material used) all over but then have a black plastic bezel. Funny, i LOVE ur idea of shopping Europe Sony, i actually did configure one 1269 Euros= 1600+ but worth every penny to get EXACTLY what you want) and they have the S Series still configurable, and WITH a fingerprint reader which i REALLY want)...

What makes me nervouse about that is from the many issues i have read, i'm assuming i would have to deal with Europe Sony to return if a problem, or would Sony USA honor my purchase? Any idea, and thanks for the heads up regarding the HDD, i'll def look for a 7200rpm in any future purchase.

Thanks again,


TGG

 

The warranty is international... but I don't know how it is with returning. Give them a call and ask

But yes - you can get whatever you need in europe (true not only for PCs) joking

 

lol joking but yet so true!

Problem i ran into Sony Europe was the ONLY models available with backlit keyboard is Violet & Wavy Black (ugh!)
https://shop.sony.co.uk/shop/ipc/di...000000009_S13&cCharGroupName=$BASE_GROUP)/.do

Bahhhh!! those Europeans have strannnnnge tastes...lol j/k

thanks again,

TGG

 

Not sure if this has already been asked (wasnt sure how to search this thread), but I'm having troubles with my keyboard. It seems as though there is a delay, especially when I type out words that have repeating letters. For example, when I type out the word "hello" it will leave out he 2nd "L" and just say "helo." Is this a common problem?

I have my keyboard set so that it has the shortest repeat delay and the fastest repeat rate. I just bought the computer last week so there shouldn't be anything stuck in the keyboard, or anything of that matter.

 

Hi again guys,

ive downgraded my s series VPCS12C5E to xp.

any thoughts on the fan? its constantly on..

i've got two unreconised devices - i need drivers i think.
i did use the sony xp pack but it seems these were left out.

they are :" Audio device on high definition audio bus"
video controller (vga compatible)

for future refs.

the backlit keyboard still works but its not automatic because the ambient light sensor does not work with xp.

thats abt it i guess apart from that evrything else works..

 

Have you tried " XP downgrade installer v4.0 for VAIO notebooks" from the Vaio support site?

 

yup - downloaded.

 

try the official nvidia driver for windows xp from nvidia.com should work

 

Hi harmz,

I flipped back and forth between xp and win 7 for quite a few months when I first got my S11 but eventually gave up on xp because I found that it ran hot, dropped drivers without warning and at the end of the day did not run all that much quicker than win 7. Eventually I could only conclude that these machines are simply not made for it.

If I do have the need to run legacy software nowdays I usually try it out on virtual pc first, although I normally find this less than satisfactory and end up hunting down some w7 compatible software anyway -- the very thing I was trying to avoid in the first place... :/ oh well.

 

i agree...

fan is constantly giving out warm air...
xp is sorta sluggish on the vaio..

guess i have no choise to put up with it..

is your fan usualy giving out warm air even on win 7? say after 10-15 min of light use?

i love these machines (i got 2 s12 series) but it looks like i might have to give them up...? (can i still do that? i got them last friday 15th)..

 

Don't really understand what the big deal about that is? Have you really expected COLD air out of it? When a machine work, it warms up and it needs cooling.

Compared to the old Pentium M CPUs that have TDP (Thermal Design Power) of 20-25 W, Multicore CPUs such as "i" have 35W and more !

If you find your cooler loud, that's something else - could be a FAN defect. But to expect no cooling at all is unrealistic!!

 

I wish there was a mode that would NEVER use the fan, instead stepping down the CPU or even disabling the other core.

 

Why spend hard cash on a powerful machine, only to limit it by disabling cores or lowering the clock speed?!?!? If the most important thing in laptop to you is the amount of noise it makes, get a 300$ netbook with a crappy 1,2 Ghz single core processor.

 

Unlike with xp I don't really notice the fan when running win 7 except when the CPU's under load or a vent is blocked. It works pretty much as you'd expect. If I were to take a punt, I'd guess that the xp fan speed might have more to do with the Nvidia GPU than the core i5. They've been the source of many of the recent problems on vaios.

 

The FAN activity has mainly to do with the NVIDIA anyway. Look at the Temp graphs of both - more often it is the GPU temp that triggers the FAN. But that again is absolutely normal. And it is so silent that I see absolutely no reason to be complaining.

 

I don't have a GPU in my S11 but the fan still engages from time to time. I"m not sure I can agree with the GPU is activating fan theory.

 

the fan is heat activated doesnt matter what gpu you have

 

Of course. It is just that the dedicated GPU generates more heat then the CPU itself (by light usage).

 

I think, that blowed air by fan should be warm. The fan is running only when it is needed to cool down CPU or GPU.

I suggest to install Battery Bar (v3.4.2 - which supports display of power consumption in bottom bar) and watch, how it is with consumption. In iddle state is normal consumption about 10W. By using internet and WiFi it may have consumption about 15W and by more opened programs up to 20W.

I have had prblem, fan was blowing after few minutes always hot air and consumption was with only one running program 40W and in idle state 30W. Then I opened TaskMan (CTRL + SHIFT + ESC) and enabled on Proces Tab to see proceses of all users and the problem was in Windows indexing and I also configured disk defragmentation tool and antivirus SW. It was running also on battery. On the net I found how to force indexing only when running on power and now is everything OK, fan is running only sometimes and the power consumption is again great.

 

hot on topic, Sony released a new BIOS for VPCS12C5E

VAIO : Sony Europe

Updated: improved fan controls

 

Yay, new bios is also available for the VPCS11V9E/B


Note there was a Graphics Driver (NVIDIA) - 8.17.11.9828 released for the S13 model about a month ago. I've been running that for a few days without problems.

 

So has anyone noticed any difference after updating the BIOS?? I'm curious...

I just updated but too early to say.

 

Is it just me or is the FAN going off and on more often with the new BIOS!???

I just downgraded back to R0300Q3 - the FAN seems to be running almost constantly with it which is far less noticeable than when it goes off and on every couple of minutes!

I'm not sure though - it could be just my imagination - I switched back to the older version to check the difference!

Let me know what you feel!?

BTW it doesn't only contain improved FAN controlling:

 

Wow, I was very happy with this update, but after what you'are saying I think I won't update the BIOS. And please, if you could keep telling us about your impressions

 

I think the best thing to do is to test it yourself - you can always go back to the previous version! Maybe it has positive effect on systems running integrated graphics.... and besides that I am really not sure about what I suspect - you know that when you pay more attention you always find something wrong

Try it yourself and share your opinion... it really could be my imagination only.

One thing is sure - I haven't been able to determine any difference with 100% certainty...

 

ok, so I'll try it, but I would know where you've found the old BIOS. thxx!

 

You either need to know it's number to download it or have it already. If you don't and need it - let me know - I have it here (VPCS11V9E) or you can use the Vaio Updater - it still shows the older version as "a new update available" and you can install it from there

 

I just tried this and it seems to work great. However, I tried testing it with Google Earth and could not get a fix. Is there a satellite test app that can be used to see which sats the gps receiver can see?

 

I own the VPCS12C5E and at the moment Vaio Updater doesn't show any update... I had thought update it manually downloading the BIOS update from the Sony website.
I don't understand you in relation to that Vaio Updater shows the older BIOS version. I don't see anything about the old version in Vaio Updater.
Thanks for your help and sorry for my English!

 

I have just tried the update it and if anything, the fan comes on a lot less! I'll let you know how i get on...

Sony Vaio VPCS11J7E, nVidia, 6GB RAM, 128GB SSD

 

After the latest BIOS my fan is off more than before, which is great.

 

That's what I'm afraid of - I find the constant on and off going far more disturbing than when it constantly spins!! It either needs to be off most of the time by light usage which I don't think is technically possible with "i" CPU and dedicated GPU, or rather spin silently all the time. I'm not a fan of that burst it makes every time it starts... but lets see - time will show.

Here is what I mean. I currently have the new R0310Q3 (updated again to make a comparison), but here is what Vaio Update shows:



It shows the older version is available as an update It's always like this on my PC. If I did have the R0300Q3 installed, it would show no BIOS updates available for at least a few days or even weeks I'm wondering why I even keep this program installed )

I tried it couple of times with Microsoft AutoRoute 2010 and it worked great (during mobility as well).

 

The fan does stay off a lot more than with the older BIOS. For me this is a benefit as it reduces the constant sound coming from the air vents, makes for a quieter laptop!

 

Don't you find the initial burst when the FAN starts much more annoying than a constant silent airflow?

 

i have the vpcs12c5e. I havent tried to update the bios yet. Actually i jus found out now while browsing from my phone.. Does it matter if u have xp or win 7 if you want to try the new bios?

 

No. It's a BIOS. It is not OS-dependent.

 

Gracy, with the older bios, the fan would come on and off all the time. With the nrew bios, the fan stays off most of the time!. This is obviously much better for me!

Is the photo on your avatar a picture of you? I hope you don't mind me asking.

 

I have just installed the new BIOS version, but I can't give my point of view about fan noise beacuse I'am in a noisy place. I'll do it as soon as possible.

 

I see, this is obviously a better way to go on your pc. It is quite the opposite here - with the old BIOS the FAN is spinning almost all the time which doesn't bother me at all - I hardly hear it and with the new one it goes off and on every couple of minutes :-/

Yes, it's me

 

hmmm nope. I prefer it this way, the overall sound noise is reduced i think despite the initial burst which lasts a second. Then again, this is my individual preference, other people might find the older BIOS more "comfortable" to the ears

 

I can see why you prefer it with the old bios. As I have an SSD instead of a HDD, I'd be able to hear even the slightest fan noise. with the new bios, the pc is totally silent most of the time so i'm really pleased with it.

VERY nice photo, if you don't mind me saying so... ;-)

 

Driver

SATA Driver 32 / 64 bits
263.41 KB 22/01/2010

Full Packages (Recommended)

XP downgrade installer v4.0 for VAIO notebooks 32 bits
81.24 MB 22/01/2010


guys,

quick question,

do i need to install the update for the sata driver even if i have already installed the xp pack?

edit: i dont have vaio update anymore .. where can i find it/download it?

 

I have an S series model VPCS117GG. Has there been any solution to the dark images/ colours for video playback?