Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge *PART 2*

Thanks for your answers. I'll still order Home Premium and install Professional myself, which I get for free at university. That way I'll even get a clean install. :]
Although the F I had (Windows Ultimate) did not come with a lot of bloatware.

 

Check Unification Post #2 http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5992644&postcount=554 for guides about clean install on the F if you want the useful Vaio_utilities & get back WinDVD & Roxio.

When I installed OEM factory state on a new HDD using the recovery discs, the OS was already activated. The same could be possible with your Ultimate recovery discs if Sony_did not deactivate that serial number or if the original F unit's serial number is not linked to the OS activation. OTOH, it may work for a few weeks until they do deactivate the OS key.

 

I don't have an F yet, but if it's anything like the recovery partitions on my previous VAIOs you won't be able to customise it. It'll be recreated just like the original RP.

I've alwasy deleted it and used Acronis True Image. It's quicker to restore from and you can make incremental backups. Also means you can disbale Windows System Restore saving even more disk space and system resources.

 

Do you know "if the original F unit's serial number is not linked to the OS activation"? If not, Migu could you mail me a copy of your Ultimate recovery discs, I could use the multi language support here in Costa Rica.

So Mujja, are you saying that the recovery discs contain an OEM key that once activated gives each of us a different product serial number or do we have all the same one?

Or is the unique serial number embedded in the recovery discs?

Note that we are not talking here about generic OEM OS installation discs but user generated recovery discs.

 

You should be able to use any retail disk to install Windows 7 with the serial on the bottom of your machine, provided the retail disk is of the same version (or, you modify the image to give you the selection screen Windows Vista did so that you can choose the version you need).

The OEM disks are probably tied to the machine (DOH!). I'm not sure on that one, because I have a different machine now and haven't tried using my OEM disks from the first one in the second one. But then, I don't have enough DVDs to burn a new set >> .

For those that are wondering, the OEM disk lets you choose how you wish to partition your drive, or you can just simply reinstall windows (or repair it) on your existing drive.

It also lets you choose how you want to setup the HD's restore partition.

Also, if you stick the recovery DVD in (while in Windows), the autoplay setup program will let you choose the option to install any of the OEM drivers/programs onto any windows 7 install..

You know what that means? It means a really freaking easy "clean install"

(warning: The battery checker one.. don't install it on a clean install)

 

Thank you Fishon for the pointer, you were right on the money! +1 for your Rep power.

I wrote to Sony_support about the battery charge state reporting error, naturally the first reply was fast but useless & they told me "...the Battery will drain an average of 10-15% a day, even when turned OFF..." which is ridiculous.

To recap: mangosango, To no End & I made some screen captures of our Vaio_F_Series battery charge reporting at night & a few hours later as YBF suggested there may be a problem with the F. The battery gauge showed a dramatic loss of charge, mine by 18% as shown in the battery discharge unification post. The free, small & portable (meaning no install needed) SIW 2010 was used to show detailed battery charge data & a ton of other useful info about your system.





Trying to check the real battery charge state 100% vs. the 82% shown by the battery gauge the next morning, I ran @ night the free & portable (no install) Battery Eater Pro 2.70 (used by Tom's Hardware & notebookcheck.net) after setting the Power Management as I described in the VAIO_F Battery Calibrator Plan Creation post (it includes a How-to Calibrate a notebook battery customized for the Vaio_F11_Series). Guess what, this morning the battery gauge showed 100% charge instead of the mistaken 82%.

So by running BatteryEater, I did the recommended calibration by fully charging then fully discharging and re-charging the battery @ 100% again. The benchmarks night vs. morning are virtually identical with only a 2:09 minute difference.

So, can To no End, mangosango, OoTLink and Aethelred do the same battery calibrating on their Vaio_F to see if it fixed their battery gauge apparent discharge problem?

This by HP_Support confirms Fishon's suggestion: Calibrating the Notebook Battery. Could not find a similar article on Sony_Support and let's see if they do find that solution in my exchange with them and how many emails or calls as they are now suggesting. Eventually I will send them a link to this post & ask them to add the fix to their online trouble shooting documents.

YBF, maybe you could post Fishon's fix suggestion in that German message board...

 

@Joe Bleau

Will do the battery check tomorrow with your recommended tests. Sorry this is not a blow by blow but I have to pull a second all nighter to get some work that's been piling up out of the way.

 

I appreciate the response Joe. I've thought of everything you've mentioned here save the humorous note sent with the machine, great idea

I have thought about waiting to send it in but I'm afraid if I delay they will not take the cosmetic damage seriously...I don't want that to happen. That and I really don't like having my Wifi switch broken, I've already fixed the other issues.

 

You could simply do your "all nighter" on battery to drain it.

S1 > Vaio_care > Power Management > Vaio_Power Management Viewer > critical battery: 3% > shutdown (instead of hibernate), and > Reserve Battery Level: 3%.

Just make sure S1 > Vaio_care > Power Management > Vaio_Power Management Viewer > Low Battery Notification > ON and speaker volume is up and > right click speakers icon on taskbar > Sounds > Low Battery Alarm & Critical Battery Alarm do have a sound enabled so you can save your work & then keep on letting the battery drain until the Vaio_F11 automatically shuts down.

To make sure the battery was empty, I tried to boot again & it went only half way in the process. Then plug, let it charge normally & reset your preferred Power Management settings.

Removing & resetting the battery is just a simple way to make sure the contacts laptop/battery are well mated. The simple mechanical friction between them can help getting a better connection.

See the VAIO_VPCF Battery Calibrator Plan Creation post for more how-to details & screen captures.

--------

 

I need HELP with my internet connection.

While I'm on my home PC my internet works fine. As soon as I remove my Ethernet cord from my PC to my sony vaio laptop, I does not connect. I tried to repair and I turned the power off for 10 sec on the modem but nothing. Firewall disabled. HELP

 

Give us 2 lines of feedback on your F machine & we will help. Contribute & ask is a good mix.

 

Maybe we should ask Sony to issue a new BIOS to fix this throttle issue on battery like we did w/ Dell.

 

I've had the F series for about two weeks and love it--though I still have to wait for certain programs to open to some extent like previous laptops. It's not instant as one would think with I7 and 6G DDR3. Outlook and Word can still be somewhat slow searching and navigating through menus. Webpages still load slowly at times. Keyboard has a great feel, and I put a piece of electric tape over the keyboard sensor so that the keyboard backlight stays on. I think the screen is excellent--it makes my Dell Inspiron 15.5 look dull. Battery is pretty useless, I don't even think of running off battery power. Also good touchpad--better than the FW series, which wasn't great. Didn't like that there was no mechanical volume, but the FN keys allow you to go up and down. Runs seamless with games, but the side is red hot. Really a great laptop so far though, I'm very pleased with it.

 

A Bios upgrade would be nice, if they can do it on the Dell than it should be possible on the F11. If not it's still an amazing laptop and no other brand imho can compare. Toshiba is another brand I really enjoy as well and have had amazing experiences with. To me though when I am out and about I am usually not doing anything hardware intensive mostly surfing the web, watching a blu-ray or Microsoft Office.

 

Check: post by FredFrenzy, HP Gaming Staff replying to this question on the official HP ENVY forums: "... the processor gets locked at low frequency mode (x7) and all we get is 930MHz (on battery). This is unnaceptable. Has this been discussed?"

HP staff reply: "This is correct and as designed - turbo mode is disabled. We do this on many of our notebooks. Not only turbo, but the maximum speed are disabled while on battery. The maximum speed is not possible on battery power, the battery is 52 watts only (and the system needs ~110 watts for full performance)".

I saw in one of my utilities that the F's power consumption plugged was 116 watts when running with all carburetors full bore, similar to HP's data above. Will post power needs plugged vs. on battery later.

Edited to add this from notebookcheck's VPC-F11Z1/E review

If you look @ the Battery Eater & the SIW 2010 reports here, you can see: Battery Designed Capacity 57240mWh = 52.7 Watts/h which confirms the HP_staff quote & can't be fixed with a BIOS update.

So it's not an "issue", it's by power management design. I prefer to have the F running @ 930mHz x 4 cores (still kicking some butts) vs. a bulkier & heavier battery and body with more watts output. When I want to crunch big files, I just plug it.

 

What do you guys need to know. Its a CTO, USA model F series. Had it about a month, no high pitch whine, everything has been perfect so far. 500 GB hard drive, 7200 RPM, 6 GB of RAM, Windows 7 Home Edition.

It shows that I am connected to a LAN network, but I am getting no internet from it. As soon as I plug the ethernet cord into my home PC, internet works fine. I'm new to this stuff.

 

Well feedback by actual Vaio_F11 owners is always nice for shoppers & is refreshing.

Try: > Start > search: network diagnostics, to get access to the "Identify and repair network problems" troubleshooting wizard.

Maybe there is a password in your desktop to access the web? You could check it's internet settings & copy to the F.

You could also keep the desktop connected to the web, connect the F to the LAN & share internet connection setting on the desktop.

You could also call your ISP.

Thanks for the F feedback.

 

If it's a cable modem, most require it to be reset before you plug it into another computer with a different MAC address. So before you plug it into your laptop, unplug the modem for 10 seconds, and turn it back on. Once its up, plug your laptop into it. Then if you go back to your desktop you must do the same thing to reset it again. Cable modems are dumb and require this. If you had a router, this wouldn;t be a issue.

 

Joe, I wasn't able to solve the problem. I can't find "VAIO Hardware Diagnostics" in Recovery & Restore's list of bundles apps and original drivers.

 

I don't think that "VAIO_Hardware Diagnostics" is a standalone utility, it's part of the VAIO_Care software bundle.

Did you check step 3: Sony_Support Clean Install Instructions for Windows 7 (step 3).

Check this: VAIO_Care Software Update but I think it also needs the Shared Library as mentioned in step 3.

You did a clean install, right?

It's an interesting utility, I used it to check all the hardware, some say it's "bloatware".

 

Yes, it's a clean install with Win 7 Ultimate. It's still missing even after installing the Vaio Care Software Update. Attached a screen capture of the error msg.

 

Anyone experiencing problems reading burnt media on their F? I've had my computer for over a month but just tried the optical drive for the first time today. Tried inserting some old burnt CDs (containing pictures) to copy them onto the harddrive. The CDs are recognized and I am able to view individual files on the disc but as soon as I try to Import or drag-n-drop the folders onto the computer, there are problems. The drive obviously either stops spinning completely or slows right down because it's obvious to hear it. It will begin to transfer but shortly thereafter just stop spinning and I will have to eject the CD to 'un-freeze' it. I've tried 3 different types of burnt CDs (all approximatly 2-3 years old) and still it won't work. How am I going to get all the pictures off these CDs without transferring them all 1 by 1?

Edit: It's the VPCF111FDB and the BD-ROM drive is the Mats BD-CMB UJ141AS

 

Ahhh, clean install fun.

Again: Check step 3:

I would uninstall all those in the reverse order, reboot & re-install in the recommended order. Create a Restore Point for safety before doing that, takes about 15 seconds.

BTW, I just checked in my OEM Vaio_F OS & Vaio_Hardware Diagnostics does not appear in the list under > Control Panel > Programs & Features, so it's not a standalone program.

Edited to add: found on Sony_Asia (translate): "VAIO_applications, the relationship between dependence".

 

Thanks Joe! Will do that probably this weekend. Other than that, everything works fine.

 

Anyone got a part # for the EU 1080 matte screen? I have a friend going to japan over the summer and I could probably score one if I gave him something for his trouble.

 

... Maybe.

 

We'd ALL like that!

 

hehe so true. Whenever someone points that out to me, I like opening up task manager showing them the 8 cores I have.

lol, But in all seriousness, I've just spent 9 hours trying to get a mental ray render on a mac to get done only to have it crash, so my views are a bit skewed atm.

I'll be doing a bit of flying tomorrow, so I'll see how the F11's battery performs with the brightness/wifi etc turned down.

 

That's funny.

Does the post translated in German by Google makes sense?
http://translate.google.com/transla...wthread.php?p=6022055#post6022055&sl=en&tl=de

I sent the problem description, fix & link to HP's page to Sony_support, they said they will add it to their online kb database.

 

I'm sorry, I was planning to reply later but got distracted by other stuff.

Why not post your questions here to get a spectrum of replies?

I'm using Windows Backup @ the present because it's free, fast, simple, already included in the F & seamless. Last time I did a full backup to an external drive connected vie eSATA, it took about 1h20 min. to make a full system image with all my installed software and documents (about 110gb).

Mujja posted here that he prefers Acronis True Image because of the incremental backup option but I prefer to keep two sets of full backups & replace the older one as I go. Besides the powerful F i7 loves the easy exercise.

This search also tipped the scale in favor of W7B for me: acronis "windows 7" problem and also this: Windows 7 - MBR Error 3: "I suspect you have Acronis...". Since I have the Acronis 2009 which is problematic with Win 7, I did not want to buy the 2010 version which I suppose works fine now.

If you have a Seagate HDD, you can get the free Seagate DiscWizard which is made by Acronis (read the pdf doc).

I have a blank drive & plan to test the Windows backup with that HDD in the F but have been to busy with other stuff.

 

My laptop was picked up a week ago re the whining sound. I just called SonyStyle UK and they said it was awaiting a part which they should receive this week. She said it was a 'thermal module'. I asked if this was the same as a fan and she said she didn't believe it was. Any takers ?

 

I wouldn't even speculate at anything support tell you - they won't have a clue. You'll only get some sense out of the actual engineers. Having said that I don't believe a thermal module is the same as a fan - from doing a quick google that is..

 

Please see my post here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=6005699#post6005699

This is the only thermal module in the F. The fan itself is made by Panasonic but is integrated into a custom designed heat transfer system which extracts the heat from the I7 and GT 330M via the copper tubing.

 

You know I just realized this laptop is really quiet at idle.

Edit: Wait nvm. I'm just half awake XD I think I'm going to have to get a new power brick for my powerbook already so I can go back to my stealthy morning computing >>

 

Hi,
I just received my F series...from several hours using it, I didnt have any morse code or fan issue so far...but my spacebar is squaking everytime I press it (anybody have the same issue?) and there is some LCD bleed from the bottom of the screen, on the back it says 2010-02, I dont know if that means I have rev 2 or simply made on February. I'll post some picture later on.

EDIT : Actually I have the morse code...

 

Is your morse code noise coming from around the memory slots? I've found this laptop is just really noisy in a quiet room, especially when plugged in - there's the fan, yes, of course. But then there's a ticking sound, the inverter buzz if the LCD is below full brightness, and lots of random quiet squealing noises lol.

I think most of the ticking/squealing is the i7 chipset going in and out of power management.

 

Just go & take a peak in this forum: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=446193&page=382

 

Unification Post #2 http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5992644&postcount=554

 

I second that!

 

Google translates pretty much word for word, not taking into account that some words have multiple meanings. By the way Joe, "everything is relative?" I wasn't aware that was a title that we get.

 

It sounds like we have had the exact same attempt at a fix.

 

Hello everyone, I am new here and just picked up my Vaio F11 series with:
i7 Q720
6 Gb
64 bit windows 7
I'm on my droid so I'm not listing everything I think you all know the rest of my specs besides that I have the 500GB HDD.

I literally just read 300+ pages and I must have missed a couple of answers I was hoping to find.

1. It may just be me, but the screen seems dim even on maxed brightness. Any ways to modify this?

2. Suggestions on optimizing performance for gaming, I'm also very new to windows 7.

Basically any tips on making my new, beautiful Vaio run as best as possible would be greatly appreciated!

 

I dont know where exactly its coming from..at first I thought I didnt have that issue (coz I dont know how it sounds like), and after trying to do the "microphone fix" (just for fun), suddenly that machine sound is gone..but I dont have issue with the fan, what do you mean by inverter buzz?I set my LCD around 70% brightness. The no 1. disappointment is the screen. Anybody tried to replace it straight to the nearest sony style store?or our only option is to go through the retailer?

PS:I dont want to go through repair, seriously...if you open the case, it wont be the same again..its becoming a lemon. I fix notebook before and sometimes I do break some stuff.

 

As I've also had the same issue, I'm in the process of draining & re-charging the battery according to this procedure & will post the results. Thanks Joe.

 

I had a similar issue with my FW series--it ended up being my router--which was the old Wireless B. If you have an old router, this may be your problem.

 

so some keys on my keyboard spontaneously decided not to work. My z x v n m , keys are not responding anymore... They were fine last night... Anybody hae any idea what might be wrong?

 

lol ok so my numpad / * ad left arrow keys are not working as well....

 

Hi all, I've got a F11S1E and very happy with it... atleast after getting rid of the strange noises from inside... thanks to this forum!

I do though have a problem - if the machines hibernates / goes on standby then the machine will not recognise my logitech MX1000 usb mouse. why is this? i can't figure it out, it doesn't work in other ports either... i have to restart. any ideas?

thanks in advance

 

Really? I think those keys are on the same buss in the control matrix. (each key when pressed bridges X and Y serially-scanned lines). A connection has broken. Uh oh. And you had one of the good F11s.

It COULD be software, mouse driver or such, I've experienced partly-functioning keyboards that were NOT a hardware fault.

(edit)

Damn! You've been using the system heavily, gaming and such. Could indeed be keyboard failure or the connection to the motherboard. If it were mine I would actually remove the keyboard, check connections, but I know how to do that without risking warranty.