Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge

The screen looks best when you look straight on. When you tilt the screen away from you everything gets progressively darker the farther you tilt. When you tilt towards you (ie starting to close the laptop) everything gets lighter. The colors don't shift hue as you tilt, just intensity.

 

Closer reading of my posting reveals that the "plaguing" is going on with other manufacturers' notebooks using the same processor: lots of heat, lots of fan, etc. And there have been some issues about throttling on the Sony F, as well as with other notebook manufacturers.

P.S. the recent LED transformer story is not the first time it was reported on this thread, if memory serves correctly. And some people have posted fascinating suggestions involving power issues that just slide on by virtually (pun intended) un-noticed -- like the one about using a bigger battery pack with the i7 being required by another manufacturer.

Daily Mail, eh? What a riot!

 

That's what I wanted to know, thanks. That's not necessarily true with other displays.

 

Well, actually, if you put this information together with the report about the screen which you yourself posted (namely that the F's screen is the FW's screen married to a different GPU which doesn't show it off to advantage), then you should actually go back to the site of the flirtation and buy that FW with its HD4650 GPU.

P.S. With the money you'd save (like that FW is half the price of the F), you'll be able to buy a successor laptop in two years from Sony which will really knock your socks off!

 

Too bad the FW was black, not brown. One of the important reasons for getting a new system is to update video editing, and the F-series CTO is one of the few bundles to offer Premiere CS4, outside of a desktop turnkey, or Matrox or BlackMagic editing card package. There are other options and methods of getting video editing software, but none that are realistic for CS4.

 

Does it work in Europe and Asia too, or is it applicable only to North America ?

 

Should I choose 128GB SSD (2x64GB with RAID 0) when building this laptop on sonystyle.ca or 500GB 7200 rpm?

 

Thanks ! I have ordered mine. Like you said, I think it is going to reach earlier than promised (estimated ship date I mean). Because I am finding already that in my order status, the estimated ship date has changed to 02-01-2010, today ! So HAPPY AND EXCITED ABOUT MY NEW LAPTOP.

 

Any reason why you decided to pick Premiere CS4 than something like the Vegas pro 9.0 ? I hear very good things about the Vegas Pro 9.0, even though I don't have direct experience with either package.

 

Thanks for your perspective. I like long-winded responses, especially those that are as informative as yours.

I will be using the laptop for quite a bit of photo editing too, and plan to go for a Vaio F (with the SSD this time around) or the New Z. We'll see.

 

Hello Everyone,
I found a somewhat different workaround for the whining issue while browsing BB reviews and it seems to be working very well without muting the mic.

From Sound in Control panel, click recording tab then right click > properties.
Go to Listen tab and check "listen to this device".
Then pull down 'Playback through this device:' and set to Digital Output/Optical

So far so good for me. I hope this helps some of you as this forum has been remarkably informative for me and my new VPCF115FM! I check at least twice a day for a new update from Sony. I hope this can be addressed without board level component replacement. The thought of having to send in a brand new $1350 laptop for repair is just nauseating! (I actually scored mine for 1199.99 due to a pricing error at my local Bestbuy!)

Again, thanks to every contributor here at this forum. What a great resource and community!

 

What is your point? By bunching up different "issues" from different manufacturers, are you trying to make a point against the F's i7 configuration?

"And there have been some issues about throttling on the Sony F" - The only thing I saw is that when running on battery, the i7-720m by power management design is limited to 990 GHz and people (including me) would like Sony to give us the possibility in the BIOS of choosing full CPU power, even if it shortens the battery life. BTW, on battery, the 820QM is limited to 1.2 GHz.

Any other "issues about throttling on the Sony F" you care to quote?

"the recent LED transformer story is not the first time it was reported on this thread" - it's Drambuie who noticed this here: "As I said, my F111FD uses the AW power brick. It seems that this power brick has two levels of LED brightness, dim for idle and low current, and bright for higher current. It looks like the F at idle draws so little power that the brick is at idle". Looks to me like a feature, not an "issue" nor a "story".

"the "plaguing" is going on with other manufacturers' notebooks using the same processor: lots of heat, lots of fan" - one would expect the powerful i7 w/ a TDP of 45W to produce more heat & hence need more fan work than an i5 with a TDP of 35W, no?

This said, I'm not interested by possible problems encountered by "other manufacturers", this thread is about the F, no?

 

Wow! Thanks for your detailed and extremely persuasive response. I'm sold on the F.

 

Familiarity, and similarity (sortof) to Final Cut. Premiere is more of a professional package, tHough it doesn't have as many included effects as Vegas (or Final Cut Pro.)

 

He's talking about a commonality of issues when using the i7. It's more of a defense of the F11's throttling and heat management than a complaint.

 

That's great! Could other owners confirm that this whining workaround works w/o muting the mic?

"I check at least twice a day for a new update from Sony" - that's what I meant by anal fixation...

 

HeHe
You might say I am puckered up about this one! I love this thing and I want it to be perfect via software/BIOS update asap!
I have verified that I can still Skype with this workaround in place. I'm not sure about Rosetta Stone but I suspect that this would work.

That being said, I was unimpressed with the quality of the built-in webcam. My CW series cam works better than this one. Perhaps a driver update will remedy that.

As far as the noise issue goes, my wife has confirmed that she no longer hears the noise so I can bring my laptop to bed once again!!

 

Although I do not have the whine as I have said before, I finally got around to looking at my sound settings (default out of the box). Listen to this device is UNchecked on my system. If I check it and hit apply I immediately get the noise.

At the top of my Listen tab there is a disclaimer, "You can listen to a portable music player or other device through this microphone jack. If you connect a microphone you may hear feedback."

This seems to answer 2 things. Firstly, you can use the mic jack as line-in without issue (according to the disclaimer). Secondly, the noise I heard is indeed feedback. Although I do not have aything plugged into my jack I would presume that it is using the internal microphone at that point. If someone has better information please share. Summary, unless you are using the mic jack you should uncheck Listen to this device. With mine unchecked I still have my built-in mic monitoring all sounds in the office without any feedback.

 

So it's confirmed by a higher authority.

 

5 for this post ! I liked it a lot.

 

I have same problem when I have installed ubuntu 9.10 in my 64 bit sony VPCF115FM note book (NVIDIA Geforce CT 330M). I solved the wirless and sound card issue with help above suggestion. I want to solve the vedio card issue. When i intalled nividia driver (version 185) in ubuntu I have got black screen during booting. I had to reinstall the ubuntu again. It will be apprecited if someone post how to extract EDID profile from Wndows 7 using "Phonix EDID Desiner". Thanks

 

I am getting my F series soon ! All Excited. Couple of questions : 1) What is the average battery life people are getting out of this comp.

2) I reside in San Diego, CA. Can anyone comment on how many days it would take efor the laptop to reach me, once shipped ? (people who have previously ordered from a location near me etc).

 

Are you sure you are talking about the same issue here? The whining issue is somewhat subtle and not noticeable until you tune into it. It sounds like Morse code. It comes from the area just to the right of the touchpad. I have read about feedback issues thru the internal mic coming thru the laptop speakers. This is an issue where the noise emanates from the mobo itself or a component on it. I just want to make sure we are talking about the same issue. Cheers!

 

Thanks, actually the Vegas Pro 9.0 is as professional as they come, and out of the box (at $600) is, I believe, more expensive than the Premiere CS4.

The Vegas Movie Studio 9.0 is the consumer version and is in the $100 ballpark or so. Maybe you were referring to this ?

 

The CTO computers for North America are built in, and shipped from, San Diego, California. So I'm guessing it will take about three weeks to get to you after leaving San Diego. Especially if it wasn't SUPPOSED to leave San Diego..

Seriously, mine took two days, one hop from San Diego to Calgary Alberta for Customs Brokerage, then from Calgary to Toronto overnight, and Toronto Sort to Mississauga Sort then to me by 10 AM that day.

 

If someone post how to a create EDID - profile from Windows 7 using Phoenix program will help people like me who are facing problem to install NVIDA driver for ubuntu in their dual booting sony note book.

 

Premiere Pro CS4 is at least $1000 usd, some $2200 in the fully-equipped version. With a Matrox or BlackMagic it's $599 to $799 with proprietory effects. It's $345 with the F-series, and less than $100 bundled with an FW 4X0.

 

Well

I got notified from a sony rep not your daily customer rep, someone that was taking care of a case for me.

 

Hi Guys!

I recently bought a sony vaio VPC-F115FM/B at BestBuy. When I upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate all the drivers were lost. I tried downloading the drivers from the Sony website, but they were incompatible.

For example:

- the wireless driver, from the website was the Atheros AR9285, however the F115FM/B uses the AR9287.

- the card readers were not recognized.

- ASSIST, S1 and VAIO buttons stopped working;

- the light sensor stopped working. etc

If anyone knows where I can find the correct drivers and software for this model I will be grateful.

My best regards,

Rodrigo.

 

Hi Rodrigo,
I tried to do the same thing but I was met with these dialogue boxes that said the battery was incompatible and the system would enter hibernation mode. At that point I just restored the original disk image to the hard drive and was able to recover.
If you upgrade to Ultimate using the upgrade disk it will not work. It tells you to use the Windows Anytime Upgrade. Is this what happened to you? Did you happen to save a disk image prior to your upgrade? I assume you had to reformat to install. Sony includes a recovery partition that should contain drivers. Did you retain the recovery partition?
I am curious as I also intend on upgrading to the Ultimate version for the bit locker.

As far as the assist buttons, S1 buttons, and light sensor for display, those are assigned and controlled through the VAIO Control Center utility. I assumed that sony drivers and utilities for Win7 Home Premium would work for Ultimate 64?

 

So my guess is that you formatted the HDD & did a "clean install" w/ a full version of Ultimate?

You would not have lost any drivers if you would have used the Windows Anytime Upgrade: Windows 7 Home Premium to Ultimate instead. Just a tip for other users.

If one wants to go Pro the fast & easy way: Windows Anytime Upgrade: Windows 7 Home Premium to Professional

 

Maybe of interest from this post: "... I'll point out that if you want encryption, Bitlocker isn't the only option. TrueCrypt is open source, cross-platform, and simple to use. I use it to protect groups of files, especially on my laptop. And it works fine on Windows 7. That may be one less reason to splash out for Ultimate". See CNET editors' review: "...earns the freeware security tool a top rating...".

 

Hola Senior Bleau
Thanks for the tip. I will certainly check that out. I really don't need to run XP progs in VT so that might work nicely. Do you know if it will also encrypt jump drives, external HDD's, etc? Gotta protect my 'Treasures'!

 

Truecript Beginner's Tutorial

From CNET's review: "Encrypt an entire hard disk partition or a device, such as USB flash drive" and this user comment: "The portable version which you can put on a thumb drive or external hardrive is great if you want to open encrypted files on a different computer".

 

Hi STP12 and Joe,

When I upgraded to W7 Ultimate ( i did a clean install with the RC 7600) and tried to install Sony Utilities from the Sony Support website I also had this message about the battery. Solved by disabling the ISB Utility in msconfig.

Now I just found all drivers (INF files and installers) in the Windows.old/Windows/Drivers folder and Vaio Care solved the Sony Utilities problem!!!

Turn off my bedroom light and... voila!! The keyboard backlight worked!! ASSIST, S1 and Vaio buttons are ok too.

Now the Ultimate is working fine!!!

Thank you sooo much guys!!

 

This is another case where a poster should have simply asked for advice in this forum BEFORE making a mess of things.

"Anytime Upgrade" isn't even an upgrade, it simply unlocks functionality already existing in the install, a couple of replacement boot files are downloaded along with the key. So nothing should be lost whatsoever. The Anytime routine may attempt repairs on any corruption it finds. It only takes a few minutes to do the "upgrade."

 

Yo Melody Man,
You were the one that started scattering his VAIO and posted pix right? I was interested to know if the onboard speaker might be located just to the right of the touchpad on the mobo. I didn't know if you tore it down to that level.
Did you see the post referring to Sony saying they identified an issue with the F series and have resumed CTO's? I seriously hope that this is not an onboard component replacement issue.

 

The alternative fix you described in post #2462 works for you, right?

Why not focus on everything else you like about the machine & explore tweaking-it to get the max enjoyment & relax a little bit!

That's what we do in Costa Rica, we don't have megastores or Home Depots all over the place so we fix things, even if we don't have the exact part, or workaround the problem, or ignore it and just enjoy life...

 

I also got an Email saying the Hold on new orders (I think he meant SHIPMENTS, not orders) had been removed.

I don't know where the speakers are on the F11, but I have seen a cutaway of the unit somewhere. It seems as if people are saying the MICROPHONE is emitting the morse code noise. It's possible of course since any mic can be a (tinny) speaker, but what sort of Trick Circuit would produce that situation?

In tech parlance, a "trick Circuit" is an unwanted electronic result caused by an unsuspected congruence of other circuits that are each supposed to be doing something entirely different.

 

Is this attitude really necessary? I know you've been exceedingly helpful on this forum and we all appreciate it, but seriously. Many of us have learned loads by making a mess of things and then learning how to fix it. I know I have.

 

+1 for that part.

"Many of us have learned loads by making a mess of things and then learning how to fix it..." - that was my approach too when I was a kid, it was fun! Now I research a little bit before I jump.

 

Everybody has moods, I think I was sliding down the slope of hunger-induced dopiness when I wrote that.

 

Me too I thought so but after research, I just found this Z exploded view from this page:



You can download a cool large version of the Z exploded view here from the Sony Press Center. This see through the keyboard is nice too.

I would like to see some for the F.

 

In laymans terms you mean that they put some stuff too close together on the mobo?! Crapola. That means mobo modification?

 

What are the steps, in detail, to create a recovery disc for the F Series?

I know what a clean install is, but the ability to do one on the F confuses me since it doesn't come with a Windows 7 disc and instead has it on a hidden partition. I also am unsure about what I would lose when doing a clean install, so I don't know if those programs/apps would be missed and/or necessary. Is it possible to do a clean install using the recovery disc (after removing bloatware, of course) that approaches a clean install using an actual Windows 7 disc ?

Anyway, I'm primarily concerned about knowing how to create the recovery disc and would appreciate help.

 

Be careful not to blow a vein with all these red faces!

 

- How to create a set of Recovery Discs ( frame view) Note: "The Recovery Discs are not a backup utility. To back up personal data, use the Rescue Data feature which is avaiable after booting the computer using the F10 key or Recovery Discs".

- How to create a system repair disc ( frame view)

 

On my screen, the colors shift a little bit while tilting but then remain constant (and relatively close to the original). I have the European premium screen.

 

No no, nothing physical. For example, when configured for the desktop a Realtek sound card has six sockets, for line in, mic in, front out, rear out, etc. When you plug in a minijack the driver's client windows pops up asking what type of device has just been plugged, in, a mic, speaker, etc. The sound card's in and out is configured by software but it HAS default connections as defined by the colour of the socket, green for front, Blue for line, etc..

I can see the possibility of the wrong default connection being used to the sound chip, so that the mic is actually connected to rear output, or some such. And of course you can't "unplug" the mic and put it back in to let the client ask you what it is.. The patch provided in this forum seems to "find" the mic and tell the "wrong" connection (one not seen in the mixer) to shut up..

Either a misconnection, or an unsuspected control signal, is putting the mic on an output bus, and a trick circuit is generating a bit of controlled feedback to make a motorboating noise..

'Course the preceding guess is probably complete hogwash, except for the part about the layout of the realtek card.

 

How much does the contrast vary as the screen is tilted?