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

ok... another question (totally different ). What is the max resolution i can drive a monitor over hdmi?

If it's a hdmi1.3 it should be 2560×1600... but for some reason i think the sony laptop is limited to 1080p only. Anyone have any idea on this?

 

Hi!

Did anyone try change GPU for something better ex. GT330?

 

1080p is the highest you can use on an external monitor.

You will have to solder... and I am not sure it is worth it? It was never intended to be a gaming laptop... 310M is good enough for business applications and Videos.

 

It will be great if we can unlock intel HD from CPU (good solution for buisness/travel) and using gt330 in home with 24" full HD and gaming. (almost Z series ) )

 

Well.... as you might think, Sony has put efforts to make your dream impossible so that you would go and buy a Z if you really need these features

 

only 1080p or can we squeeze in an extra 120 pixels and use the 1920x1200 (WUXGA) size?

 

Let us know if you find a way to do that

 

Hi guys,
My vaio screen sometimes flickers a line in centre while viewing some websites.
How to detect if lcd display or chip graphic chip is faulty ?

 

My first post on the boards so hullo to everyone.

Basically I own an S13 which I've found to be a very decent machine apart from the plastic casing, which has cracked very easily.

John Lewis paid for the repairs when it happened first time (in recompense for some initial uncharacteristic bad customer service), but the exact same cracks have reappeared - by the power button and the left-hand corner by the trackpad - shortly after these repairs were carried out.

I have taken good care of the laptop - it permanently sits in a Crumpler wraparound laptop cover - and spends most of its time on a desk.

Have other S13 users experienced any similar issues with the plastic casing?

I appreciate it's cosmetic just a bit annoying when you spend nigh on £1,200 on a bit of kit, take good care of it, but still get problems.

I have checked the majority of the pages in advance of this post, but acknowledge not all of them, so if this topic has already been raised sincerest apologies and I would be grateful for any indication of the particular page.

Many thanks in advance for any feedback...

 

I had a crack next to the power button recently, but this was a result of nearly 2 years carrying it around in a backpack twice a day, usage everywhere, but rarely on a flat surface, etc., etc.
I take good care of it, there is no single scratch on it, but I use it VERY intensively and move it around at least 20 times a day, so I consider myself guilty for this one, or more specifically my backpack which presses against the edge.
Where exactly was your crack?

Other than that one case - absolutely no problems with the chassis - it is the best I've ever had (my first laptop survived 4 months, second one - 5 months, third one - an year).

I am very satisfied with the overall quality of the machine. Of course a few minor things could have been done better to strive for perfection but...

And I have been following and participating in this thread from its start - don't know anyone else with a crack. The quality of the S11/S12/S13 actually turned out much better than the Z! One of the reasons I got an S.

On my end - I tend to have more problems with the keyboard and no one else seems to report such issues.
Could be again my extensive usage )

 

Thanks for the response Grace. Maybe I've just been a bit unlucky then. As you say the base and the cover are rock solid, and I bought this based on the good experience I had with my previous S, which was also very solidly built; the cracks that have appeared on my machine are located on the plastic that surrounds the keyboard / trackpad etc.

And I acknowledge cosmetic at this stage, I think my frustrations full within your comment about striving for perfection, it would have been great if more of the machine was made from magnesium alloy, appreciate cost implications but I personally would have happily paid more for that additional durability / reduced risk of cracks / fractures etc.

Ha, extensive usage indeed. Do they have Notebook Review 'Oscars'?! I think based on the sterling number of posts you have supplied to this thread you would be in with shout if they did! Again thanks...

 

No problem )

Could you upload pictures of the cracks? I for one would be curious to see what you mean...

 

Two years after buying VPCS11X9E with pre-loaded Orange WWAN / SIM (UK), I am out of 18-month Orange contract and I have decided to try my Three WWAN SIM from my Three broadband dongle.

Following the below from an old thread (there are not many ideas), I managed to connect to Three but it is not a very elegant solution (e.g. I cannot monitor usage through Three utility etc).

Has anyone tried other SIMs? Any suggestions how to do create new WWAN connections properly?

 

I fear this is another UK-specific problem!? Is the WWAN locked or what is the exact problem? I have used mine with different SIM cards (different operators in different European countries) and never had a problem. In fact I have never activated or used the Vodafone SIM that came with it.
I always use the OneClick Internet utility to dial in.

 

Sry for the late reply Gracy.

After you mentioned photos basically my hard drive packed in, last straw for me, so I persuaded the retailer I bought my machine from to allow me to trade in, I've switched to the dark side also known as Samsung. I'll hastily exit the thread on account of not being a Sony owner any more!

 

For your information: last official NVidia driver 296.10 is installable and fully compatible with Sony Vaio S1 2010 series, without any modification requirement.
I tested it on my S11 and everything appears ok.

Obviously, it is possible that some prior versions have the same caracteristic: I don't know, I haven't tested it.

 

Hello, does anyone knows where from i can get used sony vaio vpc-s11 s12 or s13 LCD screen ? It seems very hard to find one on ebay... Is there any other option, maybe somewhere in the form? Please help with links. Thanks.

 

There is nothing easier to find as a spare part. So many screens on ebay:

VPCS screen | eBay

 

Hi VPCS owners!

I'm thinking of buying an SSD for the laptop, but I just realized today that the stock HDD (TOSHIBA MK3264GSY) is running in SATA I (1.5Gb/s) mode in both win7 and linux instead of SATA II (3Gb/s). I checked this using both "Crystal Disk Info" and "PC Wizard" software. Has anyone encountered the same problem?

Thanks for your responses!!!


[EDIT]
I've just had introduced a WD HDD to the laptop and it runs in SATA II, so the problem is the stock HDD.
This is not a problem at all as the performance should be almost the same, and because I'll soon upgrade to an SSD.
Another day I'll try connecting the stock HDD to another laptop to make sure it's a HDD problem and not a compatibility issue.

It will be nice if someone with this stock HDD could tell me in which SATA version it runs.

Thanks all for your patience.
[/EDIT]

 

Hi.
Someone on this thread said there are only 3 screws to remove to change the keyboard.

But i don't see which screw...

I've removed these screws but my keyboard don't come :
http://hfr-rehost.net/http://self/pic/3bfba5996487c2efdd4237ecd76d3c9c6804ae60.jpeg

 

Long time since my last visit here...

Does anyone knows if I can buy a backlit keyboard for my VPCS12 (which has a non-backlit keyboard)?

 

Okay, I was told that the keyboards can be replaced, but only if motherboard has the connector for the backlight cable. Can someone confirm this? Those of you that changed the keyboard know if that is a separate ribbon cable?

 

I have a VPCS11J7E. Great machine. It came with Windows 7. I just installed Windows 8 on it today as an upgrade. It works fine apart from the battery error which i got rid of by removing IBS from the startup, and the power savings issue. Basically, the machine is always on full performance mode regardless of what I do. Full screen brightness and fan on all the time. The Fn F5 and F6 don't work, although Fn F3 and F4 (volume) do. So does anyone have any ideas on how I can save my eyes from burning from this mega bright screen and hot processor? How can I get balanced mode working again?

 

ok, I found and installed the latest official nvidia display drivers from the nvidia site and it has fixed the brightness issue. Not quite sure if the processor is cranking down when it should though.... I have one unknown device in device manager...

 

I think you might want to try reinstalling some of Sony's drivers taking care of these features.
Specifically you could do the following:
Go to: Sony : VPCS11J7E updates | Download updates for VPCS11J7E and scroll down to the preinstalled section.
There you'll find the following files (among others ;-)):
- SFEP
- Sony Shared Library
- Setting Utility Series
- VAIO Event Service

Download all four of them. Then turn to installing them in the order I give (the order matters!). In between always restart your machine. The first one (SFEP) is a driver that you might have to manually install in the device manager. Browse for Sony File Extension Parser in the device manager, right click it, and manually update the driver, pointing it to the contents of the archive you downloaded.

The other three are installable files. Should they already be installed on you device starting them will launch the uninstall-routine. Just go through with it, and then re-install the feature.
Finally you should have restarted your machine at least four times (you might want to add reboots after uninstallings) and all your buttons should work nicely.

I just went through with it yesterday after upgrading to an SSD and it worked perfectly.

Best wishes,
Philipp

 

Thank you, that was useful for me as well!

Yesterday I have upgraded my S12 with a SSD, installed Windows 8 and everything is working pretty well. No unknown devices on device manager and all FN keys are working. Amazing!

 

For those updating their VPCS111FM (non-NVidia S11) to Windows 8 and experiencing a dim screen, here's a solution:

Sony VAIO dim screen on Windows 8 - Super User

 

I just installed windows 8 and since that moment i'm having problems with the computer not being able to power up properly. The green light will go on a split second and it will power down again. It is supplying power to the usb for that split second but then it just goes off.

after it turned off after the split second, it'll try to power up again after a few seconds and it will power up just a split second again. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with the way it was turned off (i hibernate) but it seems so short that it couldn't be any driver issue.

Does anyone have any experience with this issue?

 

Actually, my Vaio VPCS137GG has been experiencing the exact same problem since two days ago. I got a random BSOD whilst browsing the internet, and now it's a brick (that's also out of warranty). I heard some scary things about the cost of fixing/replacing motherboards--and something tells me it's my motherboard...

 

this scares me alot. got it running some months ago... never turned it off, now it turned off again and i have trouble getting it to start again. it's a 2 year old laptop and it shouldn't have these problems

 

Questions before buy:
I'm thinking to go for an S13, but didn't decide on which model exactly (for example Sony Vaio SVS1312S9EB.G4).

1. SSD: if I buy a model with HDD, and add in my own SSD, how can I reinstall Windows onto the SSD with the same licence?
I would prefere not transferring the system image, but make a clean reinstall and install the drivers.

2. What is the experience regarding wear and robustness?
I plan to use it mostly on the go, carry in the laptop-compartment my backpack.
I had a look on the Lenovo W530, but due to weight and cost, I prefer the Vaio.

3. Any downsides of this laptop that I should be aware of?
I read the messages for a year back on this forum though.

 

@olee22:
Wrong thread buddy!! Read the name of the thread more carefully!!!

 

Thanks, message taken!

 

Hello everyone,

I own a Vaio S13S9 from 2010 and have some questions:

- Are there any BIOS mods available (like the ones for the SA/SB series)? The stock BIOS is very limited, with almost no options at all...

- I replaced the DVD drive with an SSD. From what I've heard, AHCI mode offers best performance in SSD drives, is it supported by the laptop? (There is no option in the BIOS);

- Is the service manual available anywhere? I've been searching for some time now - I want to disassemble the laptop to clean it but honestly I don't know how to do it...



Any help is appreciated!


Best regards

 

Hi folks,

I am owning the model VPC-S13 i5 with Nvidia GPU.
Now here's my problem. There are 2 DIP switches on the mainboard with each 4 pins. The one right underneath the keyboard is supposed to set the screen, whether to set HD or FHD screen panel and/or enable the nvidia GPU (??), and the other one is next to the 3g modul which you need to fully disassemble your mainboard in order to access it.

So, I changed the 2 DIP switches settings and now I have no more clue what their original settings are. Especially, the one under the keyboard. Without the correct setting, a blank screen will be shown.

Therefore, I kindly ask you owners at least to show me a pic of the DIP switch which controls the screen and state whether this setting refers to a model with or without the discret NVIDIA graphics.

 

Hi guys, anyone got a copy of C/Windows/Drivers for me? That is with a standard windows vaio installation. or maybe you have back-upped the folder. Can you please upload it to drive/dropbox ect? Then I can finnaly get Windows 8 working properly on my S15 (2012). Many Thanks!

 

Hi Everyone,

i have a S11 (2010) that is now dead..


SYMPTOMS:

No power when i press the power on button.
It flashes all green leds on keyboard (caps lock,numlock etc) and then flashes green the power button. this goes on forever if laptop is plugged in.


Diagnosis:

Power adaptor/jack -- ok Voltmeter shows correct voltage coming out and tested with 2nd adaptor just in case.

tried the power cycle, removed battery and power, pressed power for 30 secs, then connected all together, still no luck.

after a few days left not connected,i tried one more and it just magically turned on, left it running for a couple of days, when i noticed the time and date
kept on changing during these days.

tried another restart at some point, where it failed again.

so i am wondering now if that could be the CMOS battery causing the no power on or the whole motherboard for some reason is now providing correct power to start it up?

if its the CMOS batttery probably its worth replacing it, if its the motherboard, then im not sure if i want to spend x amount to replace it.

any ideas on how to verify if its the CMOS or motherboard?
also could not find service manual or sth for the specific model (how to open the boards, disassemble etc.)

thanks guys.

 

BUMP, has anyone had any joy with this last post?
I have exactly the same thing, I left it plugged in and it occasionally boots on it's own, then as fraxian, dies eventually.
I dont have a service manual, just undo all the screws on the bottom (regarding what screw goes where) and crack it open (watch out for hidden screws in the express expansion bay and one at the front.)
So, I have taken it apart, removed RAM, removed the SSD, gently blew a bit of dust off the CPU. removed the optical drive, poked a few things, no joy.
I might just take it apart again and try the CMOS.

one way to force a boot, take out the battery and repeatedly plug the power press button,
So I'm thinking it might be the battery.

 

Ok, so edit post doesn't seem to work for me, just spins...

The 'no battery, power cycling' thing is not totally workable.
Gets it booted though. after a couple of sleeps, it goes to power led flash, dead state.

 

Looking to get the: SVS13A190X (S 13.3 Premium) but can't really find any place that still sells it! that's weird..

what would you say about it ?!

 

Guys, decided to drop a line to see if anyone is still around and using the good "old" VPCS-series machines?
I still use mine and love it just as much as before!

It will be 4 years old in March next year, the problems I've had with it so far:

• Approximately 6 months after purchase: Broken key(s) of the keyboard and defect in the backlight. Keyboard replaced under warranty.
• Approximately 6 months after purchase: DVD not reading discs properly (problem I've had with every single laptop I've had so far!). Replaced under warranty.
• Approximately 18 months after purchase: Crack near the power button on the side. Chassis (top part) replaced under warranty.
• Approximately 23 months after purchase: Same crack on the same spot. Replaced again under warranty.
• Approximately 2,5 years after purchase: Crack appeared again but barely noticeable and not spreading. Laptop out of warranty. Not repaired.
• Approximately 2,5 years after purchase: Camera internal cable disconnecting/connecting by moving the screen. Unrepaired. Don't use the cam anyway, just annoying sometimes when the sound is on and "USB device not recognised"...
• Approximately 3 years after purchase: Crack on the front side next to the WLAN switch just on the edge. That one is relatively big. I suspect caused by the HDD caddy I put instead of the DVD just a few weeks/months before it happened, probably too tight somewhere and pressing up. Unrepaired.
• Just recently, 3 years and 9 months after purchase: Crack just on the front-left edge. No explanation, obviously some stress. Unrepaired.

Let me know what your experience has been?

 

Hi Gracy, glad to see that you're still getting a lot of use out of your S.

Mine died just a few days ago. I got it on Feb 11 2010, so just shy of its 4th birthday ;(
But up until then, it was solid and trusty as a rock. I don't know what the issue is, but it just seems easier to go scouting for a new one than sending it in for repairs at this stage.
Aside from being my travel companion and getting me through law school, below are some of my other (non software related) experiences:

Circa 6 months in, the paint started to wear off on the wristpad and sides (heavy typing usage). Started noticing the loose battery problem - ignored said loose battery problem.
Circa 1 year in, I started losing the rubber feet on the base. Took it to Sony Centre and got new feet (which were subsequently lost).
Around the same time, I bought an Intel X25 SDD (120GB) and greatly increased its speed. Being 2011, I had the fastest laptop amongst my peers (20 second boot time).
Circa 2 years in, accidentally hit it against something and had minor deformation around the power button. By this time, the printed icons on the sides had rubbed out (HDMI sign, MagicGate sign etc).
Circa 3.5 years in, AC jack became loose and would not stay put. This did not concern me.
28 January 2014. RIP. It suddenly turned off while I was surfing the net and would not turn back on. Not a battery issue, not a power adapter issue. Not the RAM, and not the SSD.

It has given me almost 4 years of joyous (if a little heavy) use. Hard to shake off that experience so I am very inclined to go with a VAIO again. Its back to doing hardcore laptop researching again, as I am 4 years behind track. Any suggestions? =D

Hope yours has many more years to live!

 

In fact, scrap the above post. Just disassembled it completely, dusted all the components, reconnected everything and it turned on!

 

Wow, I did not check here for a while as I almost got the impression I am the last survivor of the group :-/
So glad I am not alone )

Mine is not 4 y.o. yet but hope it will make it, another approx. 6 weeks to go
Some comments on your issues:

Paint:
No issues with it at all. Pretty much as new. But my top cover of the base was replaced twice so maybe that's one reason

Rubber feet:
Yes, the rear two came off some time ago and I glued them back in... I think I had to do that couple of times for the one but they are holding now. I think the reason was using it in bed, sliding it on sheets etc... not that good for the rubber feet i would guess...

SSD:
I also have an Intel 120GB SSD + my fast 7200rpm HDD in a caddy - gives me all the speed and space I need (total 620 GB)

No issue with the jacks.

I forgot another issue though - the cam started disconnecting and reconnecting every time I move the screen. I never use it anyway it just bothers me sometimes when the sound is on and I hear that terrible windows "disconnect" and "connect" sound.... together with "USB device not recognised" message sometimes. That started happening very long time ago.

I must say it was heavily used and transported almost on daily basis during the first 2 years, after that I started using it only at home in the evenings and weekends, not moving it too much around or only when I travel during holidays ... during the day I use my corporate lenovo. But still some good usage, I am kind of an Internet junky )

What I stopped however is constantly checking for new drivers and updates as I used to do (even here in the thread, creating tables).... it works fine for what I use it as it is and I don't bother looking for driver updates anymore.
I am definitely going Vaio again once it is time for that, but I do not see a point to do that yet the "old" vpcs11 serves me perfectly fine at the moment Never had a laptop that lasted so long... Ops, untrue - my Fujitsu Siemens died just a month before it turned 4y. but it had very serious problems along the way, it was a miracle my fixes prolonged its life to almost 4 years. The quality of the chassis was just terrible!

 

Hello all,

Did the Service Manual/tech docs/schematics ever surface at all for this series?

 

Not that I know of. But what do you need exactly? Some things are easier learned by doing and not reading...

 

Hi
I try to solve problems since a while for my screen. First of all excuse me for my poor English.
I have a vaio S13C5E. The original screen does not work anymore. It was a Chungwah CLAA133WA01A. I went on Ebay to buy a new LCD screen. I bought a LG panel 13,3” TN Compatible. However, the picture was very grainy. I like looking through a tapestry so pixels emerged. In the end I traded for this lcd panel AUO B133.
Unfortunately, it's the same! See for yourself. What do you think? I've never had it on my old PC ViewSonic. I encountered the same problem on an HP desktop screen against and it was unpleasant but not as bad as my VAIO for this laptop I am closer to the screen.
What can I do ?

 

Well, my S11 has hit essentially 4 and a half years old (Jan 2010). Over the last 5-7 months, it developed the flashing green light problem that a few before have mentioned. It would power on occasionally by itself, or would do so if I heated the whole motherboard up with a hair dryer. While the S11 is no longer my primary machine (I've been using a MBA and I picked up a Flip 13A when it came out), I still use it to manage basic file storage and run the occasional Minecraft server for my friends.
I've upgraded it to 8GB of ram shortly after purchasing it, and a Samsung 830 256GB SSD when that came out. Its very snappy, and I'd say its performance isn't bad when compared to an Ivy Bridge MBA or the Haswell i7 in the Flip. It only loses out in the display (especially vs the Flip), battery life, and the sheer size & weight versus modern ultrabooks.

A few months ago, even heating it would not power it on. I thought, well, its been a decent machine for 4 years, so I kind of just tossed it into storage. A few weeks ago, I was a little bored, so I decided to try to fix it. I had already disassembled the machine several times, so I know that it wasn't loose contacts or any physical damage to the boards. Judging from other laptop threads, I was guessing it was just solder fracturing due to heat and age. I looked up a few reflowing tutorials, and decided since there was nothing to lose, to bake the motherboard (the larger board with the CPU + GPU). You must remove everything (I didn't remove the stickers though), and apply some foil to protect the capacitor, sockets, and other plastic parts (even though they technically melt at a higher temperature), then set it on a stable tray with several aluminium foil "balls". Set the oven to 385F, let it preheat a little (but not fully), and then toss the board in. I was a little scared so it only sat in there for about 10 minutes total, it took the oven 7 minutes to reach 385, so it only sat there for 3 minutes at that temperature. However, it works! I'm typing on it now, after finally having the time to put everything back together. While I was doing this, I popped a spare i7-720QM into it to see if it would work, but sadly it does not. To anyone that feels bored and wants to revive a broken laptop, the oven is a good method to start! But keep in mind its only if you have nothing to lose!

Still, the S11 amazes me, its been dropped a few times, carried around constantly, overclocked, almost constantly on (running server applications), and still continues to chug along. For a laptop, I'm very very pleased at the investment.

 

hello everyone, have anyone tried to upgrade to a samsung 840 evo ssd? is there any known compatibility issue?

thanks in advance

 

Hare Krishna _Tyrell-Corporation!
Yes, may find this schematics on this link
http://www.elvikom.pl/download/file.php?id=13053

Hope you find it useful