Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge *PART 2*

I use a 16Gig ultrafast SD as the archive store, pictures, software etc, that can then be plugged into the netbook or Desktop. Yup the port runs well, like a second hard drive.

 

That's regional.

The best Vaio F here costs £1100, where as the XPS with similar spec costs £1250 and the Asus G71 costs £1900. Those are some steep steps.

 

Hmm, I now suspect I also have this issue on my i5. I powered it off last night at over 80%, when I turned it on this morning it was reading 19%.

 

Studio_XPS_16 $1,749 >>>>>> Vaio_VPCF115FM (@ BB) $1,349

Price @ 3/11/2010 11:37 PM Central Time

i7-720QM Quad Core >>>>>> same

Windows 7 Home Premium >>>>>> same
64bit

6GB DDR31333MHz >>>>>> same

Bluetooth, Wifi, network >>>>>> same

Reads BD & Writes DVD/CD >>>>>> same

15.6" WLED LCD 1080p 143 DPI (small OS UI) >>>>>> 16.4" CCFL LCD 1080p 134 DPI

500GB 7200 RPM HDD >>>>>> 500GB 5400 RPM HDD (for $120, get a 7200 + enclosure for backup w/ 5400, see here)

ATI 4670 – 1GB >>>>>> Nvidia GT 330M - 1 GB (same class of video cards, 4670 is slightly better, see benchmarks here)

2 Year Service Plan >>>>>> 1 Year Service Plan

 

This is in both Windows and Linux, and there's hardly a problem with the software in both.

There might be a h/w fault causing this to be reported despite the actual charge being higher, but either way I suspect it'd probably shut down/suspend/hibernate due to this low reading, although I haven't tested it.

I'm just on the verge of bringing this back to the shop anyway due to the loud noise problems, plus the dreadful backlight bleeding, this would just be the icing on the cake

 

As I understand it as long as the battery is in the computer it will drain power. I found this out when I purchased my FW. I charged up my Toshiba and unplugged it and packed it up to sell. When I had gone to the buyer to meet up at a retail store I had tried to power it on and it wouldn't start. After doing research I found out that info. Now with my FW that I am selling I take the battery out and only plug it in when showing it.

 

FML! My LCD has a loud inverter buzz/hum when the screen isn't at full brightness!

 

What are we supposed to check exactly?

I disconnect my brick every night because it's a waste of energy to keep it connected for no season & in the morning, the battery is the same as when I shot down the machine: 100%. Here is a screen grab of SIW's report I just did:



Now if one choose Sleep instead of Shut down, then some power consumption will occur.

A tip I read somewhere: disconnect laptop, remove battery, press power button to drain all leftover current then re-seat battery properly. Check new power reading.

 

If your battery is depleting and the machine is off - but doesn't deplete when you remove the battery, then maybe your machine has electrical problems.

 

I will post battery reading in 8 hours or so using SIW again.

Is there anybody with this problem in this thread or are we fishing?

 

There is myself and Straden posted about it recently as well. I thought I was seeing things several times, but last night I shutdown completely and unplugged the power as I usually do, and disconnected the cable. The charge level was reading in the 80s at shutdown, but was only 19% when I powered back up this morning. I'll be damned if I take out the battery as well every night ;-)

 

Lol ! No, it is quite nippy but not that cold

 

Thats the issue... while I understand that while battery is attached, it will lose some charge but losing 60% overnight seems to be problematic. I've owned several laptops in the past but nothing had this much of drainage in one day

 

Maybe the webcam is damaged. That would be a new one on this thread. I spent a lot of time with Sony care with no success. They keep uninstalling the broken device and reinstalling the Webcam Companion software. The next step they are suggesting is to wipe out all and do a full recovery.

Sine some of you are advanced can you help me providing me clues to where are the webcam drivers located?

This is the problem Win7 recognizes the webcam as a USB device but can't find the proper drivers for the webcam.

This how the machine looks without any usb attached so I assume the unknown device is the webcam. Notice there is not Imaging category and a broken USB device.



This is what I get after uninstalling the device and rebooting the machine.

 

I received my Vaio F from being repaired (the morse code issue and loud optical drive when playing normal dvds) yesterday and they've replaced the panasonic matsh*ta drive with their own sony optiarc blu-ray drive.
The original mata drive was bd-rw and the one received is read only. I rang them back to let them know and because they had some "technical problems" with their systems, they said they'll ring back within 24hrs.
After using the laptop to play a dvd last night, not only the morse code was back but the optical drive was as loud as the previous one. It sounds like a cat purring (altough i know its the drive spinning). This only happens when playing DVDs and not blu-rays. When playing blu-rays the drive is silent.
Has anyone come across this? Try muting the volume when playing a normal dvd and see if you notice anything. You dont notice straight away, but when watching a film and there are quiet moments, you can tell straight away.
Then try again with a blu-ray dvd and see if it's any different.

I didn't get a phone call back since yesterday so I rang them again, got through to the repair centre and told them the issues. They will ring me back not WITHIN 24hours but within a couple of days to arrange another pick up. They are "very busy".

I don't have a couple of days, which will most likely turn into a couple of weeks knowing Sony. Does anyone know if I can just return the thing and get one from the new batches that have come out? Its out of the 30day return period but when I rang them about the first issues it was within the 30 day return period and I decided to repair it than go through all the hassle of getting a new one. What a big mistake. Can anyone give some advice? Or know how to deal with this? (UK) Thanks

 

Sure thing.

 

Does anyone know what Vaio Messenger is and if I need it? It runs at startup. I don't use any instant messaging. If this is part of the Vaio support system I suppose I do need it. But if it is just bloatware I'd like to get rid of it.

Thanks

 

Hmmm that's really weird! I found out that my F kept waking up from sleep mode when I put it to sleep every night, and that was why it drained... But that doesn't sound like the problem you have.

I leave my vaio plugged in btw, and it doesn't show the drain any more.

 

Have you tried downloading the webcam software from sony's Esupport page?

Here's a link: http://esupport.sony.com/perl/select-system.pl

Just enter your model number and download the appropriate webcam drivers.

 

Sounds like the program that Sony use to send you important news. You can access via Assist>Vaio Care>Check for important news

I'm sure the Unification post (see page 1) has some info in there for deleting bloatware*. Personally, i haven't deleted anything from mine (Fresh Start not available in the UK) and my machine is quick, lag and error free.

*Edit: here... http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=5924807&highlight=clean+install#post5924807

matt

 

Yeah, he deleted my post as well. I understand that the thread needs to stay on topic and away from the personal attacks but I don't believe my post was in violation of any off-topic rule. It had a few questions for other users in there and now it is gone. It doesn't even show up in my User CP that I typed it so I cant just recover my questions.

I wish, instead of just deleting the posts, there was a setting in my User CP that I could choose to show/hide posts the mods wanted to not be in the thread. Because as it is, they are just deleting posts without telling the offending user. I had no clue that my post was deleted till I logged in this morning and tried searching for it in the thread. A little notification and reasoning behind the deletion would be nice.

 

Delete and let us know- system restore. I hate computer manufacturers not being clear on their software, what it does, and if it can be safely removed not to effect other services. HP was real bad. A program called toolbox took loads of resources. But too aggressive with the removal and it did effect other services. I don't think this 'messenger' is running in the background.

 

Yes I tried that and sony tried that too. Also they reinstalled: Firmware Extension Parser Device Driver. But no luck. I think a OS driver or the hardware is causing the problem.

Webcam software:
http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-download.pl?mdl=VPCF119GX&upd_id=4859&os_id=47

Firmware Extension Parser Device Driver
http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-download.pl?mdl=VPCF119GX&upd_id=5262&os_id=47

 

Joe bleau

thankyou for helping fill my knowledge gaps

off I go!!! I got premiere cs4 and dp intend an external write to drive, quite excited at finally getting my first borns footage off the canon hf10!!!

 

Well mine has been returned and refunded with no problem, much to my surprise (seeing the trouble I had with them with another laptop three years ago). They weren't impressed with the fan noise issue, nor with the horrendous screen bleeding, but as soon as they heard about the battery it was straight back to Sony with it.

I had another look at their display model but found it impossible to really tell what the screen or fan noise was like in the showroom, but it did seem better than the one I returned.
However, they did have some core 2 model beside it with ati graphics and a similarly sized full hd screen (for 250 euros more, for a core 2!). That had a label on it saying something about xtra-black display and the difference was astonishing, it was black from every angle and knocked the glossy i5 into a cocked hat, seriously nice.

Now I'm back to my old dv2000 and it feels like a netbook, and the low resolution, ugh.

 

Hey guys,

I just received my laptop today. I got the european matte screen, premium black edition and i just have to say, the screen looks absolutly incredible. ITS BREATH TAKING. The colors are so saturated and the i played a HD video and looks sweet.

I did notice my fan getting loud at some occasion but i got to say, compared to other laptop with high range processors, its actually quite.

The only thing that was nagging me was the optical drive. I customized it to a dvd drive and has a very cheap build quality. You can pretty much hear the components scratching each other when you open it.

This is the one and only thing that depressed me. But everything else is just perfect and im very happy i got this laptop.

Cheers,
Hackgoogle

 

So to get things straight. Your webcam hasn't been working ever since you first tried to use it?

I'm thinking that there's possibly something wrong with the webcam on your unit, seeing as I am having no trouble with mine (I video chat quite often, and the camera, and the arcsoft software has already worked).

 

Premiere CS 4 works amazingly well on the F11. I'm not sure how well mirroring works with the GT330 on an external monitor, I thought only ATI cards did that, but we'll see.

I may mount the 500 gig Samsung drive IN the computer using that hard drive caddy, take the bezel off the UJ240 and put it on the caddy, dump the optical drive--jet engine in the closet, ($160 wasted) and have an external BD writer - Esata on a 5 1/4" form factor maybe. After all the hard drive is always with the computer to do the captures and cross-drive rendering, but the BDrom is only needed for saving the final project. If there's an extended period where I need the F11 for things other than Premier then I can put the lawnmower back in the laptop, it only takes a few minutes to swap.

 

Just weighing in on the "battery" issue.

If i "shutdown" my laptop, and then return in 2 or 3 days, there is almost no battery drainage (unplugged, battery is in the laptop).

Once this issue is explored a little more, I'll be sure to add it to the unification post, I'm just waiting a bit to see if a fix pops up, or if the cause can be isolated.

Sleep mode does drain a little bit of battery over time, and the F11 battery isn't stellar to begin with, so a bit of drain could be expected I believe.

Please remember, we are dealing with a variety of systems, installations, and operating modes.

A proper shutdown should result in minimal battery drainage. If this is NOT the case, can a few users confirm the exact procedures they followed, model specs, current system installation, and power plan and power settings (which shouldn't matter after a shutdown) which resulted in a battery drain?

 

Err... turn the computer off & save the planet maybe? Mine boots in 1:04 minute, what is the point of using Sleep or an other mode overnight? Just curious.

Check the huge amount of energy wasted by standby power here (18 power plants in USA just for standby!). I turn off my brick at night, it's painless: flip the on/off switch on a mini power strip where my power adapters for external drives are also plugged in.

Touch the A/C power adapter when the notebook is off, feel the heat? That's energy being consumed.

When you sleep at night, are you hungry in the morning?

" my F kept waking up from sleep mode" - Check this post about List Devices that Can Wake Up the Computer and also VAIO_F Sleep & Hibernation Wake Up Problems Fix with many links.

You guys that mention the battery being charged only @ 80%, did you delete some Vaio_utilities you deemed as "bloatware" or did a clean install?

From Sony_Support:

The battery only charges up to 50% or 80%.
http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=C508163&sliceId=1&mdl=VPCF115FMB

The battery stays charged at 100 percent even when the Battery Care Function is enabled.
http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=C1003450&sliceId=1&mdl=VPCF115FMB

How to maximize the battery life on the computer.
http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=C515888&sliceId=2&mdl=VPCF115FMB

Those who say that the battery depletes overnight & used Shut down and no other mode, did you try running on battery to see if the reported charge value is correct or not? From Notebookcheck's VPC-F11Z1/E review:



Have you tried the free SIW 2010 & "A tip I read somewhere: disconnect laptop, remove battery, press power button to drain all leftover current then re-seat battery properly. Check new power reading." as suggested here?

 

Melody, you wrote earlier that in your first F, the ODD was fine but that your current one was noisy. Did you try to exchange it with Sony_Support w/o sending the whole laptop as you said?

 

Erm, some of us have commented on problems with losing the Bluetooth mouse, the cure was to go into Device Manager - Bluetooth radios - Foxconn and disable power saving. well I just lost the mouse again, went to reinstall it, the Bluteooth dialogue froze as usual, but then the whole system locked up. The only way to get out was to press and hold the power button. Windows would not reboot except into safe Mode. Next restart Win7 offered to "repair" the installation, then it restarted normally excpet all the gadgets are gone and there are no cookies, all passwords have to be reentered, and Outlook won't open. Also there's no right-click menus, and JUST as I write this I've lost the mouse again...Oh the mouse has come back. There is a trick to recovering Outlook but I'm still looking for it.

 

Have you tried Microsoft Win 7, the manufacturer of your Bluetooth device and Sony_Support?

How to troubleshoot Bluetooth device connectivity issues
http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=C1010007&sliceId=1&mdl=VPCF115FMB

Add a Bluetooth or other wireless or network device: FAQ
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/...-or-network-device-frequently-asked-questions

 

I had disabled the Battery Care Function in Windows as I work away from power a lot of the time, and this function was also affecting charging under Linux so it obviously changes something in the bios.

I had been working in Linux, charged it back up to 100% and did some more work with no power supply attached, hence it was down into the eighties when I was shutting down.

I had thought something was wrong several other mornings, as in the reading was lower than it should have been, but hadn't taken particular notice of the reading as I've never even heard of something like this happening before (and I just had the laptop a week in total).

Anyway, last night I had a look at the reading, and when I fired it back up in the morning I saw straight away that I'd lost an insane amount of charge, rebooted straight into Windows to see what that was saying in case Linux was reading wrongly, but it was the same, so back to the shop with it.

That was an i5, 6gb ram, GT330m, 340gb drive, full hd glossy screen. I seemed to have got an especially duff machine in that I had ridiculous noise, I think you've seen the pics of the backlight bleeding which I put up yesterday, plus this. A right PoS !
But at least it's known now that these problems aren't solely the preserve of the i7.

 

I guess for me it's just more convenient. There are times when I need to check my e-mail in the morning and am late to classes (lol this happens more often then I'd like) and the few seconds that it takes for the laptop to wake from standby is really key.

The electricity use for computers during standby mode is something ridiculously small anyway (<6 watts, I think - just enough to keep the RAM powered). In comparison, an energy-saving cfl bulb that puts out the same power as 60W incandescent bulb uses about 13-18 watts of power.

I also only get about 4-5 hours a sleep a night, so I figure it's worth it to just sleep the computer

Getting back to the battery issue though - I thought somebody said that the indicated charge level wasn't representative of the actual battery life... Is this confirmed?

 

That is correct. I never tried before. But because USB is showing a broken device and every time I uninstall it and reboot tries to install it again without having anything connected, makes me assume that maybe my os is missing the driver for it somehow, something I installed deleted it. Or maybe is just wishful thinking. I would hate to repair this machine. I really like it.

 

On battery I just press the power button to "hibernate." I can leave it a day, come back, open the lid, press any key, and the thing comes back to life with about the same amount of battery left. I'm not seeing any "secret" discharge. Even sleep, where the memory and CPU are still active, seems to last most of a day.

No, you can bash a wall with your head only so long.

 

Thank you. The suggestion that it could be too close was an idea. It always disconnects when I have the mouse right against the right side, or with the mouse and laptop both on my lap. But this crash, the first I've encountered, has damaged Windows beyond a simple application error. No right-click context menus anywhere, including with the touchpad, is a pain.

This is with a Razer Pro 1. I'm thinking of getting a VAIO bluetooth mouse; has NO one had any experience with such? How is it?

I guess there's no Logitech Bluetooth gaming mouse, otherwise that would be my first choice (also good for multimedia.)

 

Mine is gone now so I can't do any more checks. However, both Linux and Windows were reading the same so it was likely a hardware fault not software.

Whether or not the battery had actually discharged, or whatever it is that reads the levels was faulty (something in the battery?), I don't know.

 

I have a vaio mouse and I have had problems .

 

For battery help stuff, check: ASSIST button > Vaio_Care > type in search box: battery monitoring for many interesting articles.

I knew I should stop spending so much time in this thread, now I have an "issue" too!

Using the free SIW 2010 & booting the F on battery after being unplugged overnight, I too have the 83% charge reading instead of the 100% when plugged last night before shutting down.



Note that SIW 2010 offers much more info then the Sony_battery meter (note minor data differences), including Discharge Rate which is cool to tweak power consumption as you can disable some stuff & programs, hit the blue refresh arrow & see if you reduced it & extended battery life. Also shows the Charge Rate when plugged.



I will investigate that battery charge reporting mystery or more troubling real battery drainage & post back here. It may have to do with the: S1 > Vaio_Control Center > Power Management > Battery > Battery Care Function > Advanced Settings > 80%. Hopefully.

 

So I tried a blu ray disk in the vaio at best buy today. The upper half of the screen looks good, and the definition is fantastic, but the whole bottom half is washed out by backlight.

 

I feel for everyone trying to make an educated decision on their laptop purchase. The screen did look horrible at the store. I can say my F's monitor (US), with the monitor calibration, has a narrow viewing angle, but looks great. When I ordered there was a lot of talk about noise etc, but my laptop is issue free ( besides the squeaky space bar). Still difficult to order when you think your computer may have these issues. Remember, Sony does not charge a restocking fee like many of the others. This should give you greater comfort in taking a chance. Happy shopping.

 

I don't care about the Bluetooth issue, I'm sure it will be the same with a Sony or Razer mouse, I'm asking about the USABILITY, how does it FEEL for heavy use? - unless handling IS the problem.

 

Yes, the Vaio_F_Series notebook's power consumption in Sleep Mode is small but the brick's is much higher. I'll try to find data about it but just by touching it seems so obvious.

Millions of people do as you do to save a minute booting time & it all adds up. Have you read the energy wasted by standby power article I linked to?

 

@MelodyMaster

I have the Vaio VGP-BMS33 bluetooth mouse with the matte black finish and silver band around the sides. Look wise, I think the matte version is a nice complement to the F11 because of it's close finish.
*Mine has started to give a light buff in the areas where the left right button areas are. I guess it is unavoidable.

The feel of it takes some getting used to though. The oblong and pebble-like shape is a different feel to any mouse i've used. I don't dislike the feel, it's just different. It not heavy too so dragging it around the mousepad is not a chore.


It seems precise to me (as a user opinion). It goes where I want it to go.

I've had the original Sony batteries on this mouse since the 20th of December of last year and it is about to drain past 1% any time now. I admit that I don't switch the mouse off more than I should be but started to after I got the 20% remaining message.

Windows easily finds the bluetooth mouse and after Sheena's tip on unchecking the powersaving option in device manager, my mouse is behaving nicely... No more bluetooth errors in event viewer as well.

If you're considering it, don't bother getting it at SonyStyle. I got it brand new off ebay for less and tax free.

EDIT: the feeling of handling this mouse feels more like guiding with light contact to the body. The left right buttons just need a soft touch.

 

This is incredible, even with Bluetooth turned off left-select is often not working, and Windows freezes requiring a cold reboot the moment I go into Mouse or Touchpad properties. I'm looking for Virii now, next is a memory test, then after that I can only think of a fresh install from recovery discs or safety partition, I didn't make an image of the system after programs had been installed, darn it.. However this only feels like a Mouse driver problem..

Thank you, that's invaluable, and the first post about the VAIO mouse in the F11 threads.

(edit) the matte black mouse is not available from Sonystyle.ca, only the glossy black, which would be a stylistic clash, so I was looking at the Onyx Green, a nice, neutral, complementary colour, which also fits in with the woodgrain desk. (/edit)

The quoted accessory that was part of my package was not available when my F11 shipped, therefore, instead, I'm entitled to any mouse or case or speaker system free. I know they're listed cheaper elsewhere than on Sonystyle.

I probably WILL get a case elsehwhere, since cases for the F11 are simply non-existent in Canada. My VAIO is not being kept in any protection, and is already showing scuffing and a rather nasty scratch which I can't explain. I have thought of using a spare Samsonite Security briefcase with a foam insert added, cut to the F11's shape.

 

What???

Before going back to factory state & waste countless hours, did you try:

- try with a plugged mouse or none & use touch pad

- Vaio_Care > Run System TuneUp

- System Restore > back to last good known working state?

I posted this so many times but once more may help somebody out there:

Before attempting anything (out of the box!):

1- create recovery discs (to preserve factory state, DL not good, 2 DVD's. 1 or 2 more may be needed if you added optional software via CTO.

2- create a system repair disc (one CD)

3- - after customizing & adding software, create a system image, which contains a copy of Windows and copies of your programs, system settings, and files with Windows Backup or an other backup utility. I used Acronis before but with 7, Windows Backup is fine.

Vaio_Care > Run One Click Care will analyze your Vaio_F & will remind you if you did not do a system image yet.

4- Backup your personal data & files, if any.

Again: before making big tweaks on any Win 7 computer, I strongly suggest: > Start > Search > type: create a restore point > and create one before updating the video driver or anything else that's significant so you can return easily to your actual OS working state if there are any problems. It's a good practice before ANY major tweaks & big software installation.

If you have problems with the tweaks you made: on re-boot > F8 > Repair Your Computer > Last Know Good Configuration which is much better than having to restore to the factory state.

 

@MelodyMaster

Ouch...Well now that I have this notebook for good, if any scuff or light scratches befall on it and would tick me off i'll just use Meguairs Scratch X to buff it out. Works wonders for light scratches on the finishes of my Gibson and Epiphone guitars. It is lightly invasive to the finish material and will give a luster after repeated use I suppose.

I've never tried this on a matte finish actually. If it ever comes to it, the F11 will make for an interesting experiment

Disclaimer: Don't know how this stuff works for this unit being a different finish from the nitro finish on my guitars. If I do try it, this thread will be the first to know.

 

So I think I'm having issues with the battery as well... I've been carrying my computer around with me all day. I put it (completely shut down) in my bag and when I got it back out, the computer was hot (yikes...) and the battery was drained to 3%... I think the computer turned itself on... Anybody else have this issue? I don't think it was the button being pressed, because the power button doesn't do anything when the lid is closed. I hope my battery isn't completely shot b/c of this....