Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge

Don't be shy about posting stuff, that's what we want: owners opinions & tips. If I want to read pro reviews, I go elsewhere but funny, many times it's here that you get the true story.

BTW, questions posted here drove a lot of my research & I learned a lot through it as well as many tips, observations & fixes posted by the community. Thanks to everybody!

 

Any takers on these questions?

Mark

 

@mjtaylor

As far as I know, there are no keyboard skins for the F yet. The Sony sales rep also informed me that the keyboard skins for the E series wont fit due to differences in length.
Would be nice to have one though it will make the backlight useless if that feature is planned for use.
As for accesories, I would get the VAIO neoprene case for it from Sony. I also bought their bluetooth mouse so that it’ll be one less wire for me.

EDIT: I might just buy the keyboard skin for the E. Who knows, the Rep might be wrong as I doubt they have these accesories on hand at the time of the call and just check these things on-screen.

 

You you could put back in your OEM drive & use one of these: Top 13 Free Product Key Finder Programs: "If you're preparing to reinstall a program or an operating system ( like a clean install of Windows), you will need to find your unique product key (CD key) or serial number."

Check: Corel Support Where Do I Find My Serial Number and contact them.

 

But for running on battery, disabling Bluetooth & touchpad and a cable mouse is better.

 

There's a skins vendor on Ebay that I've dealt with. They have them for the FW and Samsung r620 (with numpad, the obvious syle inspiration for Sony's F11) and I'm sure that they'll have the F11 soon. Just enter "Vaio skins" on Ebay and takes yer chances.

 

I bought a new F11 a few days ago from the local Sony Style store. My first impressions were pretty good. Fast, quiet, very pretty.

However, today I decided to make some recovery disks. I drove to Best Buy and bought some Verbatim DVD DL disks. I got home, popped one in the Blu-ray burner, opened Vaio Care, selected "Maked Recovery Disks," and started burning Disk 1.

After 3 minutes the progress bar read 27% on the first disk. Ok, I thought, maybe that's ok. Then it took another 2 minutes to get to 29%. Then it took another 30 minutes to get to 50%. Not so good.

So I called the store and asked them if this was normal. They said No. I asked them if I should try another disk. They said Yes.

So I tried another disk. Same result, except this time an error message finally popped up: "Failed to start database service."

So I thought I'd call Sony support. I went online and and saw this:

To contact Sony for Product/Technical Support: 1-800-222-7669 (24 hours a day/7 days a week)

So I called. I got a recording that said I was calling after hours (!?) and that I should call the after hours support number. So I called the number they gave me (NOT an 800 toll-free call!) and I got another message: "Our office is closed! Please call back during office hours!"

Welll....

Now, I realize that someone is going to come on and say "Did you do THIS (check for updates)? Did you do THAT (read ALL the instructions)?" Etc.

Here's what I did: I drove 100 miles round-trip to buy the freshest version of the F11 (~$1,700), which had arrived in the store just that day. I followed instructions to put in a DVD DL disk. The procedure bombed. Twice.

I expect something this simple and state-of-the-art (and expensive) to JUST WORK. I don't expect to have to spend hours hunting around online for clues on how to fix it. Nor do I expect to be lured into telephonic wild goose chases.

Not real happy, Sony.

 

Seriously, people ignore a lot of good questions and talk about technical hoo-ha too much. I assume that yes a dual band would be pointless, I did phrase that similar question quite a few pages back, but I've been on here too long so I don't feel like searching for it...So can you upgrade to a dual band card then?

and to Erik: FYI- Sperm counts CAN be lowered due to laptops on groin. Your junk will heat up, not excruciatingly, but become warmer, which causes an inhospitable environment for the sperm. Some women actually have s that have inhospitable environments. (Yes I did learn that from "Friends", but I looked it up before posting!)

 

It took me about at least an hour to make recovery disks IIRC. Whats the speed of the burner?

 

Several people in this thread have had the same problem. In every case it was caused by software that was installed AFTER buying the laptop but before running backup. What have you put in since getting the unit? In particular ANYDVD and shareware programs with their own optical drive driver tend to cause the backup to fail.

 

Did you make recovery discs in factory state or installed other software that may conflict with the F?

Search this thread with recovery discs, other users had the same problem: added software messing things up. Hence the advice: do it out of the box.

Good luck!

 

Hi, MM. Thx for the response. I have installed Firefox. That's it.

 

Thanks again count_schmela...tough decision. Anyone have any idea on specs for the SSD? Sorry about all the questions...noob trying to learn from you all

 

I was one of the ones who had trouble initially making my recovery discs. A program that I had installed called Anydvd seemed to be the culprit. I tried exiting Anydvd and it still didn't solve the problem so I actually had to uninstall the software to get my recovery discs made. Mine required only 2 single layer DVD+R discs.

Tarrega, you mentioned that you are trying to make the discs using DVD dual layer so an obvious thing I would do is try with single layer discs. I would use DVD+R's and Verbatims are good quality so there is no issue with cheap media.

 

Could be the plugins also. Uninstall Firefox, How about I-tunes or any indexing program? Get rid of those. Cross your fingers and try again. If not then you need to wipe the drive and install from the recovery partition.

And yes, do NOT use dual-layer discs, they are tricky at best.

 

Working with online Sony tech support chat now...

Thx for replies, folks. I will post my results.

 

He's having me reset the BIOS to default values.

 

BIOS is reset. Attempting to burn disk again. Stuck at 44%. 8 minutes elapsed time. Tech guy is standing by, not saying much.

 

Why? Bad BIOS settings will cause complete loss of the drive, not slowdown. Unisntall firefox.

 

52% progress. Elapsed time: 14 minutes. Tech says "Please continue." Ok....

 

Yes, I may do that. But first I will see it through with this online tech support fellow. Thx.

 

A recent reply said it took 1 hour, poor tech!

Please report only when finish, not blow by blow.

It's like these delivery updates: I just ordered, I received an email, my laptop is there, update: it's now there, when will I receive it?

It drives me nuts!

 

Does IDE/atapi properties in Device Manger properly show AHCI enabled for the drives? The optical drive should be IDE with DMA enabled.

 

Don't make him do anything while burning is in progress! Gosh, I'm so excited I am chewing my finger nails!

 

I will check that after this procedure with the online tech is finished. He just told me that if this fails, I should recover the C: Drive, then try again to make recovery disks. That makes sense. But now he is escalating the case to another tech support person...

Joe Bleau: I think my posts will be very interesting and useful to the viewers here -- at least as interesting as some of the many frivolous posts I see from certain people here. ;-) Readers can get a sense of how Sony's online tech support works.

74% progress, elapsed time: 31 minutes.

I have been handed off to another "analyst". He says to stick with the process. Ok.

 

It seems that a lot of the newer, better routers are dual band, but I wonder if they are worth it, assuming the Atheros AR9287 is single band, if only for the better design, reliability.

I believe there are certain spots in my house that have 2.5Ghz interference as the cordless phone cuts in and out. It would be nice to take advantage of 5Ghz, if not for the improved speeds, but for less traffic and crosstalk/interference.

 

I went to Best Buy earlier tonight and indeed they have the Sony F with the same specs I bought mine with for $100 more so I am glad I bought mine when I did. It was too noisy in the store to check and see if the mic noise was there.

 

All of Sony in the States is San Diego-oriented. So, once 5 pm Pacific time hits, that's after-hours and you will be told to call a non-toll-free number (I know -- that isn't what Sony promises, is it?).

The good thing is that usually (I have never heard of them saying the office is closed), you then reach the Philippines call center where the techs are friendlier and often more knowledgeable than the American know-it-all geeks.

So, If you're on the phone right now with tech support, Tarrega, calling from the States, then you likely are in the Philippines call center. Looking forward to hear how it goes.

Ask the analyst if he or she is a Level II tech and ask if the highest level techs are only in San Diego (as has been rumored).

Thanks!

P.S. Are you "online" or on the phone, Tarrega?

 

I can't wait for the 75% progress update!


"I think my posts will be very interesting" we don't need 25 posts about the progress while burning DVD's.

 

How about 25 posts about how we don't need 25 posts about not needing 25 posts....

 

Tarrega, I'm interested....

Check my questions above.

Thanks.

 

If it prevents 500 other Blow by Blow posts, then it's a good investment.

 

I'll def be looking into this tomorrow. Not sure I want to pop out my harddrive or just wait until I get my external enclosure...would it be possible to just boot into the external on thru the bios and do this? Sounds logical to me. I just really hate opening and closing and handling harddrives

I'm curious about turning my optical bay into another Harddrive spot...although I'mnot sure I"m keen on swapping in and out the optical drive everytime I want to watch a movie....suppose it just depends on how often I watch movies on my laptop, doesn't it?

 

Hi Derrida. I'm in online text chat. But the session has been closed. The second analyst told me to stick with the burning, and if it fails I should try the C: Drive Recovery procedure, then try making recovery disks again. That makes good sense to me and I will try it if this burning fails (which I'm pretty sure it will).

Still not real happy that I have to go through all this folderol, but Joe Bleau has at least helped me pass the time pleasantly.

98% -- the suspense!

 

Not so sure you can blame Sony alone on this one. It's an industry trend. A bad one, but a trend nonetheless. In the old days, you used to get actual Windows software on CD/DVD. Then manufacturers decided to save $1 and now you get recovery partitions, which also eats into YOUR hard drive space.

Anyhow, I'm glad I forked over the $149 for an OEM copy of Windows 7 Pro, even though I supposedly have legal Windows with my purchase.

Time is money, and frustration is even more money.

I also know I'm putting clean Windows with no bloat ware on my computer.

Stupid, and I'm not happy about it, but I am happy I went ahead and bit the bullet on it.

I'm out the money, but I just finished my second clean install this week and I had zero issues.

I had the machine set up for a live show last week, now I'm wiping to use as a personal computer and I'll rock this install for 12-18 months, or until Windows starts misbehaving and/or I junk it up.

 

I hear you. I really wanted Win 7 Pro with a clean install, but I didn't want to wait two weeks for delivery. So I broke down and bought this machine at the store.

I've been installing clean Windows since Win 3.11. I'm sure I'll do the same with this machine at some point, after I'm sure I want to keep it.

Grumpy Old Geek

 

Everything about the slowness is screaming that the writer is in PIO mode, or not using the proper Intel driver. Nothing the Sony rep is saying would be on my list of to-tries.

 

I feel like we should be able to sue them for actual Windows software, or even pay an extra $9 for something and get the software in the mail if need be.

Recovery partitions are a low down dirty trick.

 

Yes, it depends on your needs. For example, for Sony Vegas or Photoshop, it's better to have the scratch disk on a different drive than the OS. I don't need the optical drive often but a second HDD all the time.

Maybe just connecting the external & running the key finder utility would work even if not booting from it as the utility looks into the registry, that's a good question.

One thing I retain from the key finder utility article is to do it before a clean install. Especially when going from XP to Windows 7, for example.

I use Lavalys Everest and there is a neat panel where it lists almost all the product keys & you can export it as .txt or .xls:

 

I'm looking in Device Manger under "DVD/CD-ROM drives". It says "Matsh*ta BD-MLT UJ240AS." Right-click, then Properties doesn't tell me anything about PIO or IDE. However, the status says "This device is working properly."

Well, the two DVDs finished burning -- successfully, it says. I'm reluctant to test them, but I suppose I should. Maybe tomorrow. Shouldn't take more than, oh, 25 posts or so to describe the epxerience. Be sure to tune in!

 

Did you guys see this page at the esupport site: http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/...ES_1_1&dialogID=75352932&stateId=1 0 75380060

Doesn't look like Sony thinks this is a simple software fix, does it? And notice it's only for Brazil Canada Latin America and the United States regions.

I also noticed that when you look up the F series you discover a huge number of different model numbers. Hmmm.....

 

Good find, thanks.

Why don't you call & tell us?

Note that the easy DIY whining fixes still work meanwhile: STP12's easy fix and Fix #2.

 

I was very concerned about the noise factor. That's why I waited until the second batch hit the Sony Style stores (after they briefly discontinued shipping while they checked out the problem). So far the wait seems to have paid off. My machine is very quiet. My model number is VPCF11JFX.

I should figure out how to make a sig now and put my config in, I guess.

 

Well I'm not sure it's the best deal unless you buy a preconfig with Home Premium & need the few extra features of Pro and don't want to use the Anytime Upgrade for $90.

With the CTO, you pay only $50 for Pro + Fresh Start which is as clean as a Pro Full Version but also includes the Arcsoft WebCam Companion 3, WinDVD & Vaio Care softwares & all the necessary specific F drivers.

Also, if you like the fun of the clean install & fishing for specific drivers, you can download a full copy of Pro here & use the product key included in the Pro CTO.

 

It was not the best deal, just the most convenient.

I need RDP, but not on this computer

They did not have Home Premium in stock or I would have bought that.

Maybe I'm finally at the point where I have more dollars than sense.

I don't recommend anyone do what I did, I just was on a tight time schedule and had no interest in messing with recovery CDs and for some reason, I didn't want to mess with the links on the mydigitallife site.

I would have needed Home Premium OEM anyhow, I think?

My orignal plan was to buy HP OEM, use my Sony Serial and install the HP on another computer, but, whatever.

 

No, it's under IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers - ATA Channel 0 or 1 - Properties - Advanced Settings..On one of the channels you'll see ATAPI CDrom, it SHOULD show "Ultra DMA Mode 4" with "Enable DMA" checked at the bottom. it should not be under AHCI.

The unnatural slowness is a problem somewhere here.

Also check the channel with AHCI or ATA to see if the hard drive looks right.

 

I show this:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2799/4358593710_dbe2947418_o.jpg

Right-click/Properties on any of the three items doesn't seem to lead to anything about channels, DMA, advanced settings, etc.

[I don't see how to show the image inline.]

 

......
img tags

 

Hm...



Ah so. Now I see the GUI button. Must need new goggles. Thx!

 

Hey All... Been reading this thread since January trying to extract the pearls of wisdom. New to the site but not to the technology (hardware and software development since IBM 360 days). Finally received an F11J from Sony Style on Thursday and have the following observations for the members and lurking guests.

Defects

No oscillator/feedback from mic and speakers. I did install the one and only driver update from Sony esupport.

Fan noise is prominent and at certain fan speeds, a harmonic ringing can be heard. I will have this looked at at the Sony Style store repair desk as it appears there is a replacement fan available to solve the problem. I believe this a fan related issue versus an acoustic "whistle" from the air flow path within the notebook. My Dell Latitude 820 also has a variable speed fan but all I here is a rushing wind noise but no variable pitch oscillations.

No pixel issues either . I have tried the various profiles posted on this thread but all have their problems when used in my environment. Will have to invest in some hardware/software (described in previous posts) to create my own profile. I am a bit surprised when using one of the profiles that just a slight deviation of the horizontal axis of the display has a significant impact on hues. Also noticed when scrolling text, the color of the text turns a rust color while moving up or down on the page. When using the Vaio profile, these effects are not present.

Also no performance or display issues when playing DVDs with the supplied WinDVD player which I upgraded from the Sony site before I played a DVD.

Other Observations

The power cord receptacle located in the left hinge plain has a lot of horizontal and vertical slop. The DC power plug does not feel solid but it is firmly in the receptacle and there are no electrical connection issues. Called Sony TS to find out if this is normal and they had no clue - told me to go to the Style Center and have it checked out. I live about 45 min away from one in PA. I did go to my local BB and checked out the F115 on display and it does the same thing so I assume that this is a design feature.

This is this first laptop I have had with an off-center touch pad and keyboard. Still trying to adjust - at this point in time, I would much rather have the the touch pad centered with the display - the keyboard is fine where it is. Also, I did noticed the softness around the enter key area but only when I looked for it. Otherwise no big deal with normal touch typing. I do like the tactile response from the keys as well as the back lit keyboard. I do occasionally work in darkened environments in video and audio productions and this will come in handy.

CPU Toggling Issues

There is indeed a problem when the F11 is on battery power. If the minimum processor percentage is increased to 100% in the advanced options on any Power Plan, the CPU throttles down to .933 GHz on all four cores when the power cord is disconnected. I used the Intel Processor ID Utility to verify this. Since Win7 will change the percentage in the I7 chip register when transitioning from battery to AC and back again and the processor frequency rate changes accordingly, I do not believe this to be a Sony problem and it is more a Windows 7 defect. Other posters have mentioned this occurs in HP notebooks. I have searched the Partner Microsoft support site and nothing has been posted. I will contact my friends in Microsoft about this issue. When I hear something, I will post the response.

Other CPU Frequency "Problems"

OK, here's a puzzle. The Intel Processor ID Utility also reports that it has detected a Core I7 720QM CPU and the expected frequency is 1.60 GHz. The puzzle is the actual base frequency detected is 1.72 GHz. PC Wizard 2010 reported that it found an 820QM and the base frequency was 1.733 GHZ. Hmmm. When the Intel utility analyzes for a few seconds when first executed, I can see that all 8 processors in the CPU Usage widget are pegging the needle at 100% which would force the I7 to drop to its lowest frequency rate of 1.60 GHz for the 720QM. So... is there a hidden bios setup function that sets the base oscillator on the mobo or is there a jumper on the board that is plugged incorrectly (for an 820QM).

Any theories?

I have a few more items which I will save for another post.