Official Sony VAIO AW Series 18.4" Owners thread

Can Windows XP 32bit be installed on the AW? I dont see any official XP drivers available.

Thanks for the input!

 

Intel SpeedStep. When your computer is not under heavy load, it will automatically throttle down the CPU to 6x to save power/heat. Once you put load on the CPU it will go back up to max.

 

I don`t think that this is the case because my 3dMark Vantage CPU score is 2000 points lower with the 2x4GB Elpida memory then with the 2x2GB Hynix.

 

Make sure the powermanager setting is high performance. Otherwise, perhaps the memory timings are not a good match.

 

I assume you mean crackling and distortion at max volume? That is a typical complaint for notebook/laptops.

 

Yup. At max volume. I've been sitting 4ft away when I'm watching a Blu-ray on this thing, and not doing any computer functions. When I sit that far back and have it at max volume, every now and then the crackling will be noticable. It's if I sit right in front of the laptop is when I notice it constantly.

Good to know that it's not just a problem with my machine. Wasn't sure if it was defective until I researched it. But I mean, it's not a big deal. By going into the Dolby Control Center and also adjusting the main computer volume, I can get the loud sound level I want without hearing the crackling/distortion. So I'm not complaining, the max volume is friggin loud, wouldn't always want to have it at that.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=5176346

anyone can resolve this issue?

 

Please tell me guys that this is not a dead pixel?

I`m talking about the blue dot, ignore the black smudge in the lower left corner, this is from my camera lens.
The blue dot howerever is visible always when the screen is on, in windows, while booting and so on.
Please tell me that this is not a dead pixel on my brand new notebook.

EDIT:
Here`s another shot:
It`s definitely not a dead, but a stuck pixel, but I`m not being able to fix it so far.

Anyway, how can I make my fn brightness buttons work on Windows 7 RTM x64?

 

Dead pixel would show up as black. always. This looks like a stuck pixel by your description.
There are apps available for fixing these. google 'Stuck Pixel Fixer'.

-J

 

it's a stuck pixel on your brand new notebook.

 

That looks like smutch

 

Hey guys, any of you having trouble with the DVD drive not being visible?
I installed this driver on Windows 7 RTM x64 which is supposed to fix this issue, but it`s still not visible...
http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-download.pl?mdl=VGNAW290J&upd_id=2031&os_id=34

 

I'm not sure what the sony update does, but I had a similar issue and resolved it following the steps I described here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=5171127#post5171127

 

This link originally posted by Chikarin helped me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defective_pixel


Not the same as yours: the tiny mass(es) on my new screen had no color but appeared gray & amorphous. Turned out mine were the 2nd of the 3 images included in this article along w/instructional video (defective mfgr'ing process). Since you haven't been able to fix it so far, have you phoned Sony support yet? Maybe they can walk you thru a fast fix or better. Their after hrs # (area code 239) worked out especially great for me. Note: I have only the basic standard 1-yr warranty that states phone & email support only -- which is why I'm surprised they sent a tech to my home instead of me mailing the unit in then having to go w/out a notebook). My display was promptly replaced w/ a flawless one (happy happy!).


I've mentioned this more than once in hopes that should someone else need a hardware fix then they'll receive in-home service, too (to spread the joy;-)

 

tbNB: Real nice of you to write the full instruction!

substance90: Not an uncommon problem, for sure. This same fix worked reliably for me too on a # of different brand PCs when the optical drive "disappeared" from the computer. Might've had to do w/the ODD's software (like Roxio, etc) altho yours may have to do w/Win7 install. I forgot the Code # listed in Device Mgr for this (that is, WHEN the drive even appeared in Device Mgr;-) but Microsoft had an automated fix (wizard) for the repair, too. Really, it took less time for me to do the simple registry edit (of both upper & lower filters) than to search for that Microsoft KB article to have that Wizard do it for me. Like tbNB said, careful w/that registry---double/triple check the correct info's being deleted &/or backup the registry 1st.

Yea, pls do let us know if it works on the AW & if yours is due to ODD software or Windows 7 install. I plan on doing Win7 so I really want to know.

 

Thanks!

My drive's disapearance issue started after updating the blu-ray optical drive firmware (from Sony) and I thought it was toasted in the process because it disappeared from device manager! I was pretty relieved to find that fix!

 

Feels so good when you can get things working normally again!

About the Blu-Ray firmware update, must be the one issued in March, huh? (the only one I know of anyway). Ever since I updated the new 101-MB version of BD for VAIO from Sony issued in March followed @ a wk later by that f/ware update---I lost the ability to playback BD movies. That function had been working just fine till I installed the new version. Anyway, the only thing that's worked to get my BD playback functioning again was to reinstall the original BD for VAIO (via Recovery partition). Haven't spotted a single post by anyone else here who had a problem w/that one Sony update or the 1 Matsh*ta f/ware (except for you mentioning the f/ware now). I now have the older (orig) program running but w/the updated F/ware. Hope my explanation is coherent;-)

I don't know if there are any caveats to using the old version of BD for VAIO w/new f/ware. Only difference I can notice is that, originally, when this AW was new & BD playback was working normally, whenever I popped in a BD disc, I always saw the usual system tray notification msg that Vista Aero (eye candy) was being turned down to Vista Basic theme until Blu-Ray activity was over. After BD use, Vista Aero theme was automatically resumed by what seemed to be some power mgmt setting. Every so often I actually remember to manually switch to a Basic Theme to, I guess, conserve power. There's probably more to this I know nothing about yet! One victory so far is that after several tries, finally my ACS Key has been updated/re-validated so the warning msgs stopped (whew).

QUESTIONS:
Am I harming anything by running the older version of BD for VAIO? Is there any way to get the current/updated BD for VAIO s/ware to work right? Should I uninstall the firmware update & if so, how? (never removed f/ware before). I'm all ears (& eyes)! Haven't found a remedy online.

 

Hello - looking to either buy this, an HP HDX18, or a macbook pro. This would be my first Vaio purchase, heard great things about it. How well does the AW handle heat/cooling? Is it sturdy? It's a big worry for me since my current laptop, two years old HP dv6500t, runs too hot to touch sometimes and randomly shuts off for no apparently good reason. D: Thanks!

 

anyone knows how to turn on the advertisements of "Caps Lock" & "Num Lock". Few days ago when i pressed CapsLock or NumLock on display i saw messages like Caps Lock On or Num Lock OFF. But no this messages don't appear anymore. Does anyone knows how to fix this?

 

I considered the HP HDX18 as well, but to me it feels poorly constructed and rather weak. The AW is very plasticy too, but well built and sturdy. It was the RGB LED screen that won me over. I can't speak for the new models but I would pick my AW over an HDX18 any day.

Now, the MacBook. If you need to travel a lot with the notebook, then you need to really think about how you are going to like carrying around an 18 inch notebook and large power brick. If you move around a lot and want something that you can just whip out and start working on then get the MacBook.

Good luck!

 

Does anyone else plan to slam 2 Western Digital 1TB drives in their notebook when they are available?

 

I prefer to wait till the black series (7200rpm), of this monster become available, that would be a big step forward from my favourite 2x320 config.

 

Well I deleted UpperFilters, but this didn`t fix the problem and my DVD ROM is still invisible.
Here`s a screenshot:

Also it seems to be a Pioneer, but still I cannot update its driver via the Device Manager.


EDIT: Interestingly enough when I opened device manager right now I saw that the driver for the DVD ROM is installed correctly and when I tried a disc it appeared in My Computer. So the fix seems to have worked, thanks a lot guys.

 

Nah, it isn't going to be moved at all. Ever. So weight/size is fine, hence why I want an 18" desktop replacement..How's the cooling on this? O:

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil

"Derrida has been speculating a lot in this thread. As a moderator I can not do anything against it, as much as I would like it. But there's no rule against speculation." http://forum.notebookreview.com/show...=397678&page=9


I have always said that I am engaging in "spec"-ulation -- reasoned and researched speculation, but speculation nonetheless. Never said any of this could be taken to the bank, so to speak. Just giving "If it were me" suggestions.

Lastly, as for "moderator power", I suggest that my own "rep" perhaps reflects my "rep with the moderators". (For more information about the administrative powers of the moderators, see http://forum.notebookreview.com/atta...9&d=1203437054 and

"This [image] shows:
The user that left the reputation
The user that received the reputation
The date and time the reputation was left
The amount of reputation this user received
The reason or comment the user giving the reputation left
The post that prompted this user to leave reputation
You may also edit or delete the reputation that was left."
- from "Viewing Reputation Comments" in the vBulletin Manual http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/.)

All in "fun", of course, right? ;-)

Have a great day, all, moderator and member alike!

P.S. I see that one of the only two green reps I was allowed to have has just disappeared. The moderator had to deliberatley "red" dock me twice at the exact same time to achieve it, of course. I do wonder, if speculations (despite having been so declared as such) turn out to be true in the future, do you get your green squares back? ;-)

 

Then get the AW. As far as cooling goes, I would say it runs very cool. The vent is in the top left corner and and it gets warm in that area. Otherwise it's very quiet and cool.

 

Everything runs cool, but when I play Blu-ray's I hear a slight noise in the top right corner on the power hinge. Is this something to be worried about? Also, in between the VAIO and Microsoft Corporation screen on start-up, I see a flashing underscore briefly. Is this normal? I heard that this is the BIOS doing the Power On Self Test, just want to confirm.

And lastly, my keyboard gets very dusty overnight. Anything I can use/buy to prevent this? Thanks, if anybody can answer these that'd be great, other than that I'm very happy.

 

Eh, my first post...

1. I've had my AW-390 for about a month now and have not noticed any noise coming from the hinge during Blu-Ray playback. I only hear the disc spinning.
2. The underscore is not a problem. This is normal.
3. For 17-19" Laptops: http://www.shaggymac.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_6&products_id=20

 

Good first post. Hmm I didn't notice the noise the first few days I had my AW390, but now it sticks out. Hard to tell if it's coming out by the power hinge or the Blu-ray drive. Kind of like a small grinding noise. It's not that loud, but I can def. hear it, and I'm wondering if this is something I should be worried abou

 

An Optical drive should not make a grinding noise.

 

Wow. I like the keyboard cover. Do you have one and what do you think?

 

No, I do not have one, but I'm thinking about getting one or possibly having my wife sew one for me which would be much cheaper.

 

Hello! I recently purchased a Sony AW290jfq from ebay and want to know what i can to do with it's piano finished, the paint on the edge of the outer lid is pealing off. take a look on pictures:


is there any solution to make it to look better?

 

I have the ShaggyMac and it works awesome. Protects the screen perfectly and keeps the dust out of the keyboard. You can get it custom fit. It's worth the 25 bucks.

 

yikes. I guess I know what I have to look forward to.

I don't really have any recommendations that would improve this situation aside from sanding the whole piece down. probably not a realistic option, but aside from replacement, I don't know what else can be done. I'm tempted to take that piece off and spray it with lacquer, to be quite honest. I used to use lacquer a lot with my hand-made wooden creations. don't know if it damages plastic yet, though.

edit: you know what? if they make any of those plastic protector films for these AW's, it might make that less noticeable.

 

I was thinking the same thing. How long is it going to be before that happens to mine

 

My piano finish AW chipped exactly like yours. After going back and forth with Sony a couple of times, they authorized me sending it in for evaluation by their service techs. They did not admit it but I think the edge portion of the lid had a manufacturer's defect. The replacement is fine. If you are like me, you will pursue a lid replacement. If at first they try to say that cosmetic damage is not covered, do not accept that answer. It is an inconvenience, but they did repair and return it within a couple of days. Everytime I looked at the chipping lid, I was disappointed to put it mildly. After all, this is their premium laptop.

 

That problem with the paint on the lid, is it happening only with US models?

 

TV Tuner : Yes - NTSC (Internal) this is from the specifications of my laptop aw290jfq.
I'm located in Baltimore area and tried to watch some channels but nothing was found. Can anyone help me to get it working? With this internal tv tuner i use windows media center to watch channels but nothing is working. Help me please!

 

well...premium-priced, anyway.

 

NTSC is not what you want, ATSC is what is broadcated now in the US. Does the specs say the ATSC is internal or external?

 

Has anyone tried a clean install of Windows 7 on their AW yet? O:

 

its to complicated to install windwos 7 or xp on the aw

if you want to downgrade to xp you need to do 1 million things to install

the drivers ! its not worth the time and the nerves

if you want to install windows 7 you can use for 4 month only and again

1 million things to install it !

soo if u ask me stay with the vista and dont damage your os or recovery

center !

good luck

 

I just installed Win7 x64, it works without a problem.

 

I have a clean Windows 7 RC install and everything works fine. You must extract some drivers and software from the recovery partition. Others are available from Sony's eSupport site. Windows 7 is definitely worth installing if, like me, you loathe Vista.

Installing Windows 7 is straightforward. The hardest part is getting the various drivers installed in the proper order.

 

Are you using the sony graphics driver?

 

The hardest part is getting the various drivers installed in the proper order.

Is there a guide that I can look at? Thanks!

 

ATCS is external. I have it also. But i want to know if it is possible to use NTCS internal tv tuner in usa.

 

Has anybody updated the AW audio with Realtek's newer driver or heard of any issues doing it? The Sony Audio driver is rather old.