Official Sony VAIO AW Series 18.4" Owners thread

If you do not mind me asking, how did you clean the lens and what was the problem?

 

my VGN-AW41MF/H comes with 9600M GT graphics and 1000gb hdd

 

can anyone comment on the sound quality of the vaio aw please my laptop hasnt arrived yet and was wondering about any comments people have. its 2.1 virtual surround i think so I assume left right and sub are in this laptop?

any comments would be great

 

The sound has good separation and mostly adequate volume except if playing Blu ray movies. Then the sound is very low and external speakers will be a better choice. And there is not too much low end from the built in subwoofer. Also, some have said the speakers vibrate somewhat but others have said this rattling is due to the speaker grille being sort of bent downward towards the speaker themselves and with a flat tool or blade, pulling up on the grille has eliminated this problem.

 

Thanks.
Fixed for 9600GT.
I think 2 Intel SSD Raid-0 is faster then your 1000gb HDD.
You can always connect 2TB USB external HDD for capacity.

 

Or use a Optical Bay Hard Drive And have up to 1 TB of HDD space instead of you BR/DVD...

 

Hi. Does anyone know why the AW series is not shown in the official sony sites model rotator (co.uk and .com)? If you try the search textbox, it finds the AW models, but declares them all (on the thumbnail) as not available. Have they ceased production of this series? The only big-screen laptop they show is only the F-series with 16.4" lcd.

 

Production from Sony U.S.A. has ceased. Your options are ebay or maybe Amazon.com UK, or another third party retailer, or the link the post after this one. Hmm...interesting.

 

here you go sony.ie ftw !
http://www.sony.ie/comparison/vgnaw41zf-b.cek/vgnaw41xh-q.cek/vgnaw41mf-h.cek

 

thanks for the info!

 

no prob

 

Exchanged my F11 for a AW2XRY/Q! Kinda happy now!
Is there a way to quickly remove the Optic Disk Drive? On F11 it was a matter of two screws... I've got an OBHD and wanted to use a 12.5 mm HDD instead of my Blu-Ray (that I don't need much). Or does the original HDD bay fit a 12.5 HDD? And finally: where to find a cage for a HDD that would fit inside the HDD bay? I want to istall an SSD drive instead of this ridiculous SSR Raid-0 made out of some crappy Sumsung stuff...

UPD: So, in short, I've got the following problem: one of the HDD bays has two uSATA connectors for the SSD Raid-0 that is originally installed. What do I need to swap this for a single SATA? I don't think that Sony uses a hardware Raid (most probably, it's software), so it is just up to replacing the uSata chain that goes somewhere inside the motherboard with s simple SATA chain?

 

can someone tell me if the emule is working on windows 7 64bit ?

i have error problem...

 

How do I get all those color profiles back after a clean Win7 install? Can anybody upload them here?

 

now im not sure about posting torrents in a forum so I apolgise in advance if its not allowed but if you go here:

http://www.ziddu.com/download/6060263/windows7all.zip.html

and download the torrent there is a file with 109 themes for windows 7 that you can use

 

Umm... I was talking about Color Profiles that were present in Color Management -> Profiles associated with this device. There were more than 5 Sony profiles...

UPD: after win7 clean install the TV Tuner doesn't work and drivers from sony don't install Seems like this thread is almost dead! The F thread flourishes with activity, while this one is silent...

 

qBot

You'll find the W7 drivers in my x64 drivers thread, see sig.

The TV drivers and colour profiles have also been posted/discussed somewhere between the last 10 pages.

 

Thx, Mujja. I'll try to search, thx! But as for the additional HDD: so far I've found that one needs to spend about $150 to order the caddy and the cable Is there any cheaper way?

 

Hi qBot,
If you planning to install 12.5mm Seagate 1TB drive.
It will not fit in the caddy.

Cheaper way is self made caddy.
orionz made caddy from homemade foam cushions. $0.
Cable is special so you need to buy from Sony.

 

Ok, most important was the cable. Seems to take about 2-3 weeks for this to be delivered from sony and the price is more or less reasonable: $25 for a cable and $15 for the caddy. As for the 1TB drive - so far I couldn't find any in Moscow, so maybe I'll just install a WD 640 (I hope it's not slow) or whatewer is the largest among 9 mm.

And another idea/question: as far as I understand, it's possible to use RAID-0 with 2 2.5" HDD inside VAIO. In case I want to have a RAID is it still the same SATA cable that I need or not?

UPD: and does such RAID-0 (two 500GB HDDs, for example) really double the speed or not?

 

I been having problem with my Nvidia driver , the screen goes black for a few second any idea?

 

I also had this problem accompanied by some message box saying that the driver made an error and has been restarted. Solved by installing a newer driver from http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/

I've order myself a SATA cable and a HDD caddy, so in a few weeks I'm going to make myself a RAID-0 with two Hitachi travelstar 7k500. And I'm going to replace the useless (for me) Blue Ray with an OBHD that has my 128 GB SSD disk

 

(I think the last sentence, you meant 4GB not 8GB, eh?)

Good to be reassured of this since it was such a disappointment to discover my AW160 was missquoted as having 8 GB max capacity RAM in Sony Official Specs. However, all reviewers & resellers of my model + memory retailers listed 4 max. Sony phone tech support & retail stores gave out the same info (Too bad, 4 max, buy a AW180 or 190). Went to BiosMods.com to learn how to unlock the BIOS but that was over my head. Then in less than 7 mos, my AW has had need for 2 major repairs (major hardware replacements).

Haven't heard of RAM increase being done with an AW160. Wonder if, For Absolute Sure, the 160 & 180 have the Same Mobo & BIO (AMI / American Megatrends). Guessing (?) they do. Nearly bought a private resale 180Y last Sept in which the original owner (AleicGrant) had also upgraded to 8 gigs, CPU to T9800 or 9900, HDD to 2x500 @7200rpm, & Wifi up to Intel 5300 + installed Win7. Everything I wanted---just as you built!

Unless I overlooked something, I have never read in this AW forum that anyone's tried to upgrade to 8 GBs but it didn't take (just now thought of that). Mind if I ask how much your upgrades cost?

 

About the touchpad...

Anyone found a workaround or new info re MULTI-TOUCH features on the AW's touchpad? I understand Sony locked out multi-touch but that, with s/ware from the mfgr, at least 1 or 2 of the multi-touch gestures would work.

Any info welcome!

 

2 real-eyes:
And how did you connect the third antenna on the Intel 5300 wifi? Couldn't find any post about a successful wifi upgrade... And which size is the right one for AW:
533AN_MMW 30х50
533AN_НMW 26х30

UPD: And has anyone tried using Intel® WiMAX/WiFi Link 5350 or Intel® WiMAX/WiFi Link 5150 with AW? Having some WiFMAX support for almost nothing is a good thing

 

Oh, how I can`t wait for the new Macbook Pro 17s... I know their screens will be of no comparison to Sony`s RGB LED but in the last 24 hours I`ve had at least 5 BSODs with Windows 7 and I used to praise MS`es new OS....
Besides, I hate the AW series crappy 9600M GT!

 

oh, please, don't start all that bullsh...t about MBP! There are enough comparisons that showed thst by no means is MBP better or worse than AW: they'r pretty much identical, sony being a bit brighter and having a wider gamut.

 

I meant Apple`s OS. I know they are identical hardware-wise.

 

Phew Sorry, for attacking you, then
OK, so far I'm still left with a question about DDR3 (whether it is experimentally compatible) and the third antenna of Intel 5300 WiFi (or compatibility of 5350).

 

Anyway, does anybody have a clue why I might be getting these "IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL" BSODs? I`ve read in some forums that this error is hardware related...
EDIT: What`s the newest nvidia driver compatible with the 9600M GT? I`m using 196.34, can the error be graphics driver-related?

 

I have no idea why you have got this error message, if I were you I would check in 'Device Manager' check all you hardware, if there is problem they will either YELLOW or possible RED ! or ? next to item that needs your attention,

If everything is OK in device manager, use your recovery disks to restore your laptop to previous time, say the last check point or Windows update.

 

Yup...last sentence should have been 4GB which is the Sony spec max RAM for the AW180Y/Q! WHY do they do that? My 190 CTO came with 8GB so I fgured the 180Y/Q would take it!

As for the cost I already had the 8GB in my 190CTO which got sold as part of this upgrade...just swapped the 2x4GB chips for the 2x2GB chips. No direct cost to me. 1TB HD was $165 from ebay and T9900 was $475 on ebay then sold T9800 for $200. Also larger faster uSATA HD's are available but I don't need'em yet. Intel X25M might just be a bettter faster way to go anyway...I already have the cable for it. Biggest limitation on the series in my opinion is the non-upgradable video processor but for me that is not yet a problem as I do only limited gaming...although I have played Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 at 1080p settings and it works quite well!

 

Yea, why do they do that crazy thing with the specs? Wish I knew!! Never have such a hard time getting product info from ANYone before this purchase. Since I initially believed what I was later told to be yet another error in Sony's specs, most of my pre-purchase ?'s were about the display. And I couldn't even get a straight answer @ that (the star of the show)! Finally figured I wouldn't know anything for sure until I received the unit & held it in my own hands.

And still I didn't know^(cc)^ Took even more time.

You have both a 190CTO & the 180Y/Q, whoa. Sounds like you're more adventurous (& knowledgeable) than me.... so I'll just have to learn how to do what you did (take the plunge!). uSATA drive, hmmm. that's the only ATA drive I don't know of yet (guessing u for ultra?). I don't yet know @ uSATA's (Black Scorpion maybe?) - but Intel X25M has been on my wish list. You already had the necessary parts for HDD swap (caddy, cable, screws). IMO $165 was a decent price for 1 TB notebook HDD. 7200rpm's adequate for my purposes---yet a better quality SSD pulls less power + faster + cooler + quieter---would the ultimate.

You're right, can't upgrade gfx card---EVER. What I miss @ my desktop. As for gaming here, mostly simulators like Century of Flight & Need for Speed series. The nVidia card has done fine with those (also @ 1080p). In my dreams....an i7 & ATI 5800 series, aaah;-)

I realize both BD drives AND movies vary. Yet mine in the AW doesn't look nearly as good as my previous notebook's BD drive. Instead the picture appears flat & dimmer even w/adjustments. Guessing it may be a better idea to just get an external BluRay than to replace the ODD that came with the AW. With such a gorgeous display & Sony entertainment, I expected more of the BD quality.

Thanks lots for taking time to tell me about the upgrades & costs, appreciate it.

 

uSATA is for micro-SATA used with 1.8" SSD (and HDD). I don't think that 1.8" is a good idea, it very slow. I would recommend upgrading that to a good 2.5" SSD

And what's the point of spending some $200 for upgrading T9800 to T9900? Who might ever notice that infinitesimal increase in performance?!

As for the BD drive - how can it in principle influence the quality of a DIGITAL video signal? )) I'm going to replace mine with a hdd and buy an external BD if I ever need it (haven't bought a single DVD/BD in past 2 years, as you can download everything these days).

 

I have the AW290J w/LED display and upgraded to Windows 7 as a clean install. The display doesn't look quite right. I am sure it is because the Win installation did not provide the proper video driver. How do I get the proper video driver and how do I install it? Thanks

 

hi all

i install clean windows 7 on my aw11z/b and i cant roll the page with the touchpad , what can i do ?

 

I've installed the pointing device drivers from the AW4 series (check the sony website) and the scrolling works Tons of options there in the touchpad settings you can play with...

 

Here's one that may help someone one day:

Problem: Without explanation the finger print scanner stops working, unrecognised USB device. At the same time my mouse, plugged into one of the USB ports on the RHS, stops working also.

I tried a system restore to no avail. I uninstalled my USB controllers and reinstalled. Still no joy.

Solution: After contacting VAIO Support (US), they suggested doing a power cycle: Shut down, unplug the AC, remove the battery, press the power button for 30 seconds, then put it all back together. Hey presto, finger print reader, mouse, USB back to life...! All to do with static build up apparently.

Hopefully this may help someone searching one day.

p.s. I had the exact same problem when I first got my VAIO. Supports (UK) solution was to remove the battery, pack the machine up, send it back to them...! When it arrived they couldn't reproduce the problem...! I wonder why...!

 

Did you install the sony esupport driver for Win7?

The optical drive does not affect image quailty.

 

I installed the driver from Sony esupport and all is ok. Thanks for the help.

 

Actually, I don't have the Intel 5300, only the 5100 that came preinstalled. I was referring to someone else having upgraded their AW, not mine. So I'll be looking out for whoever answers your questions!

But doesn't the 5100 have WIMAX capability, too?

 

Ok, I'm learning;-) So what I've been noticing is a matter of different BD movies of different qualities... nothing to do with the BD player/drive itself. At 1st, about 2 yrs ago, I thought BluRay movies would all have same/similar video & audio qualities (wrong!). Never watched the same title on different BD players (now I'm laughing at myself;-) Hadn't considered that the movies I've viewed on past BD drives were not the same as those viewed on the AW's drive (duh!;-o)

External BD player sounds good to me, too.

Of course....u=Micro. NOW I know what a uSATA drive is!

Yep, I definitely get your point about spending so much for what wouldn't be noticeable. Too many other things need to be fed dollars;-)

@ laptodd5 - Thanks, too.

 

Is there anyone who knows which LCD (model) is used in 1920x1080 AWs and is it possible to change 1680x1050 LCD with them?

 

@CoreRepublican
why would u do that ?

 

Anyone having trouble installing WinDVD from the Sony site? There are 3 files on the support site. All 3 appear to install on my AW290J but I can't find them. They are not even on the uninstall programs list. I just did a clean install of Windows 7 Ultimate.

 

As 1080p is discontinued in newer models., I just wonder if it is possible to buy a lesser one and change LCD.

 

What do you mean by newer models? F series is not an AW replacement at all

 

Did you look under Start->Programs->Intervideo WinDVD ?

 

Are there any news about hardware calibration of an Adobe RGB screen? Can Eey-One Display 2 handle this?

 

I mean later AWs especially having Win 7. By the way it is 1680x945 not 1680x1050, my mistake.

as i read somehwere 1680 lcds seem to be LTN xxxxxx but I don't know about 1920s