Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge

"Bought this machine 3 days ago and no complaints so far. The "whine" or "screech" people have been talking about appeared almost immediately, but I fixed it as follows (2 days ago and no problems so far):

First, you can alwas stop it by muting the Mic (under the Mixer control at the bottom of the Speaker control at the lower right of the screen). But if you want to leave the Mic on, go to Control Panel - Hardware and Sound - Sound - Manage Audio Devices. A window will appear with 2 devices, the Speaker/HP and the Digital Output. Click on the Speaker/HP device and the Speaker/HP Properties window will appear. Click the "Enhancements" tab. Check the "Pitch Shift" box and reduce the setting until the sound disappears.

For me, setting "Pitch Shift" at -1 worked fine, but I imagine you may have to shift it further if you are recording and/or playing at high volumes.

 

From this Test Son*y Vai*o VPC-F11Z1/E Notebook review (note: EU Premium Matte): (* added because of the automatic Coupon link parsing cr@p done by notebookreview breaking the links )



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Have you disabled Auto Brightness? The review reports: Average: 252 cd / m², which is quite good compare to (and the F US semi-glossy should be brighter):

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I wish we could see the same data for the US 1080p screen.

 

To be honest, I think there just should be some problems (like the heat issue) with the second hdd... Otherwise there's almost no need in AW's As soon as the OBHD arrives, I'll write a report. I should also sell my 9.5 mm 500 GB OEM HDD and find a new 12.7 mm 1TB HDD prior to that.

As for the screen: all these test are good, but raw numbers is nothing compared to personal perception (as far as it's more or less advanced) - go to http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/viewing_angle.php and see for yourself. I'm going to make a few live pictures of those lagom tests with my F (premium display), a MBP and any other random laptop around (hopefully I've got some friends with matte screens).

 

I have used 2-3 of those free key finder programs, but the Win7 key that they are showing is different than the key that is listed on the bottom of the computer. What is the reason for that?

 

"Adjust Brightness Automatically" is unchecked in the Vaio Control Center and it's at 100%. Is that the setting, or is there another setting?

It's not Dell Latitude dim or anything like that, but I have a 15" and a 17" Macbook Pro, both 2008 models with LED screens and both seem considerably brighter to me. Like I almost have to turn them down, especially if I'm in the dark.

It's not horrible, but I feel like it could be "just a tick" brighter.

There is a good viewing angle, but vertically, I find it to be pretty narrow, too narrow, maybe. Side to side seems ok.

I have a house full of Sony TVs, I love Sony screens in general.

 

Note that since crzytimes' post you quoted, he fixed himself the audio quirk & did a DIY squeaky key fix. All is OK now.

 

I will report too. With a HDD Optical Drive HDD Caddy, Temp Monitoring with a small utility that also includes sound & message alert is essential IMHO.

Here is a freeware that monitors CPU & GPU, works w/ Win 7, 64 bit & i7. Only 290 KB and "High temperature alarm and shutdown feature based on CPU or Nvidia GPU temperature" and "No installation or registry modifications required": Real Temp.



Maybe I will not install the faceplate & drill some holes on the visible external face for ventilation. My lappy will look geeky.

"As for the screen: all these test are good, but raw numbers is nothing compared to personal perception" - yes, but since Notebookcheck is using the same measuring stick for all the reviews, you can compare app*les to app*les. Sometimes I love the German mind (except the one of my ex-girlfriend).

 

I believe this issue is by design and is present in Linux as well. Core i7 throttling is handled mostly in hardware and this parameter is most likely set by the BIOS. Its rather unfortunate that we can't at least reach base advertised speeds on battery.

 

Found the answer online, the key that the key finder is finding is the key that the manufacturer uses to mass produce computers. So it will not work later on, I need to use the one on the sticker.

 

Today i burned a blu-ray BD-R 25GB media with my F11, it took almost 1 hour and 47 mins to complete 22GB of data.
I noticed the following in ROXIO ,

Target Max Burn Speed 4.0X.
Current Burn Speed .089X

BD Burner spinning noise was very very low.
Also the CPU was always below 3% during the burning process. i yet to check the disc data after burning.

 

Should I?
I would like some response to this post so if you have time please read, I would appreciate it.

I owned a Sony Vaio VGN series for 6 years and I loved it. One of the most durable and advanced laptop of its era, although it did cost me a little more than the dell, hp etc.. it lasted a lot longer performing beautifully.

Now I upgraded to a DV8 HP laptop 2 1/2 months ago. It has an 18.4 inch screen 1080p resolution blue ray drive etc.... It is almost the same specs as the Sony F series except it has only 4 gigs of ram, no blue tooth and gforce gt230m 1 gig. Sony has the 330 m which is slightly better, 6 gigs of ram, bluetooth connectivity and a backlit keyboard. The hard drive is 5400 instead of the hp's 7200 but it will be an SSD soon so its no big deal, the screen is 16.4 inches so 2 inches smaller.

I also read about the low qulaity screen etc.. issues with the Sony. My old VGN has and exceptionally bright and clear screen, I heard that they lowerd the quality on the screens. I am not sure on the HP but it seems pretty good except lots of glare.
I got my laptop from costco so returning is not an issue, and they do not charge restocking fee like the greedy s at best buy, although I will buying the Sony from Best Buy

Anyhow if you were me would you return the HP, lose 2 inches of screen space and get a slower hard drive to gain a sony, 2 gigs of ram, slightly better video card, backlit keyboard and bluetooth capability? I am also drawn to the sony's overall design and quality too. I guess i just need a little push

Also if you did this, what would be the fastest way to transfer data between my DV8 and sony. Crossover cable?

Last question, I am planning on getting at Bestbuy for $1349. Is there a coupon or something like Bing Cashback to get it cheaper? I tried bing and i don't think it is an eligible item.

 

That's interesting, thanks for the info!

 

Thanks Got that issue taken care of awhile ago. Not quite the same way you did it, but i'ts all quiet!

 

The specs are comparable regardless. The Sony can come with 4 gigs and GT310, a lesser card than the 230. If you like the HP, and believe it has the better screen - keep it.

For transferring data there's gigabit ethernet. personally I take out the drive from the source computer and put it in a docking bay, connected via Esata or USB2, there are no permissions and locked files to worry about, and it's fast.

TALK to a Sonystyle rep, and see if you can get a good deal, mention you're thiinking of buying it to replace the HP. Use that discussion as the basis of your decision whether to switch. That's what I did with Dell trying to downprice an Alienware M15X (with Adobe RGB LED screen) versus the F11. I got quite a reduction but I still couldn't quite afford it.

 

I reviewed this Intel manual (specifically section 4.2.1) and tend to disagree IMHO for 2 reasons. First, section 4.2.1 states: "Frequency selection is software controlled by writing to processor MSRs." (Model Specific Registers). That's the function of Windows 7 Power Options subroutines. Second, I confirmed that the Power Option function "works correctly" on my Dell Latitude 820 Core 2 Duo running Vista Business. I can control the CPU frequency rate in rather large increments by raising the percentage in the minimum processor state advanced option tab. By default, both Vista and Win7 set the minimum, when on battery power, to 5%.

I sent an email to a buddy earlier today who works for Microsoft. We first need to duplicate the problem in their environment.

The tech manual also indicates that functions that used to be handled by BIOS are now handled on-board the I7.

 

Just purchased a new Vaio 350 fs day before yesterday. All the information I read was saying an average of 4 hours of battery life. I full charged it and when I used it for the second time only checking mail and the weather it only had 2 hours of battery life left at a full charge. I used it to just read the news, and a few forum, no music, no videos and nothing that would use up a lot of battery life and I only got one hour and 30 minutes out of a full charge.

It has to has a better battery life than that doesn't it?

My Dell XPS M1710 gets better life than that..

So far I am not impressed...I love a high resolution and am having a tough time getting used to having to scroll and zoom out to see a whole page..

I hope it gets better..otherwise I might end up paying the restocking fee and taking it back..and that is unsual for me..I am pretty easy to please.

 

A what? s350F?

 

it is a 350FS VGN-NW

Sorry, I don't have it in front of me I forgot the correct name lol

 

What kind of CPU do you have on your Dell XPS M1710? One may expect a Ferrari to consume more fuel than a Smart car.

Disabling unused devices when on battery will extend the life:

Vaio Quick Tip: 5 Steps to Maximize Battery Life (... Turn Off Unused Ports)
http://vaio.sonyelectronicscommunity.com/vaio/blog_post/?contentid=6638749211843751573

Win 7 support: Conserving battery power (... Turn off or remove devices that you aren't using)
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Conserving-battery-power

Win 7 support: Power plans: frequently asked questions
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Power-plans-frequently-asked-questions

Low Tech Cooling devices that extends battery life. s s

 

I think you're saying it's an S-350F, there's EB, NW, Z, CW, S and F11 with Arrandale CPUs. Anyway this is the wrong forum if it's an S. Model numbers DO matter..

90 minutes is pretty typical for an upper-range i-core laptop.

 

Can some of the VAIO F series Owners please respond to what laptop i have to buy? http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=460027

 

Anyone found the registry settings or 3rd party app to manage the backlit keyboard ?

I keep my screen adjusted fairly bright and when gaming/surfing a white screen will produce enough light that it kicks the keyboard backlight off. Very annoying. I am sure I can use a piece of tape but would like to just be able to tone down the scale on the ambient light sensor so the keyboard is not lit during the day.

I wouldn't mind finding a way to tone down the backlighting as well. Sony has it cranked up so high and there is so much bleed through. Surely there has to be a setting in the registry for these? If not, I hope there is a control panel update soon that includes options to manage the ambient light sensor and the level of backlighting.

 

Tried to install Adobe CS4 Master Suite tonight. Four disks. Took me about 20 minutes on my ancient XP Pro, Core 2 Duo e6600 desktop. Took over an hour on this shiny new Win 7, i7-720qm laptop.

The first problem was an error message that said my screen needed to have a resolution of at least 1024 x 768, and that I should please check the resolution and restart the installation.

So I quit the install and checked. Yep, 1920x1080, alrighty. So I restarted the install, got the same message, ignored it, and proceeded with the install.

On the third disk I heard a knocking sound coming from the DVD drive. A repeated start/stop knocking sound. I let it run another minute, during which time there was no progress being made on the progress bar and no change in the knocking sound, then ejected the disk. Then I reinserted the disk and got a message to resume the installation. I resumed.

The knocking sound came back each time the installation program tried to install a "language pack" associated with each program in the suite. I ejected the disk each time, reinserted, and resumed -- all the time thinking that this couldn't possibly work out.

And I was right. At the end of the installation, there came a message that some parts of the installation had failed, and that I should try reinstalling.

Hm.

Maybe the problem is with Windows 7. Maybe CS4 Master Suite doesn't install correctly with Win 7? I dunno. It installed just fine on my XP Pro desktop. But I tend to think it's a problem with the DVD drive, since the drive has been somewhat problematic already.

I guess I'll get on the phone with some tech support tomorrow, but this is getting pretty old already. This stuff should Just Work. If they tell me to send this in for repair or exchange, I'm just going to ask for a refund. Life is long, but not that long.

 

That's a question for the Adobe forums. You can't compare XP 32-bit Adobe install with Win 7 64-bit install.

"windows 7" Adobe CS4 Master Suite install problem.

Your recovery discs creation ended up working, right? So the problem was not hardware.

If you think it's a Sony hardware problem, well just get a refund.

 

The knocking sound is the laser in the BDrom failing to find focus on the disc. This is not a case of the infamous CS4 dll bug.

Some readers just don't like some discs, particularly ones that have been around a while. Make full image copies of the discs, which you should have anyway, and try those. Also try a plugin external USB DVDrom. If ALL your DVDs are giving trouble in the F11, then it's hardware; if it's just this one setup, then it's circumstance. The Panasonic Drives Sony uses in their notebooks are good units.

 

Good points.

It may be possible to download a fresh trial version & activate with the product key. That's a question for Adobe.

I also prefer to install from USB or drive vs. cd or DVD's.

 

That's a funny question. If I just bought an F, it's because it was the best for my needs & price point @ the present.

So you want owners of the 3 brands you are looking at to fight it out in your thread?

 

Product: US-VPCF1190X
Component: No additional Photo Editing Software
Component: 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3-SDRAM-1333
Component: Blu-ray Disc™ player/burner
Component: No additional AntiVirus Software
Component: Keyboard Backlight
Component: Large Capacity Battery
Component: Black
Component: No Engraving
Component: Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64-bit
Component: 500GB Hard Disk Drive (7200rpm)
Component: No Additional Video Editing Software
Component: Intel® Core™ i7-820QM processor (1.73GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 3.06GHz
Component: 16.4" VAIO Premium Display (1920x1080) with NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 330M GPU (1GB VRAM)
Component: Fresh Start
Component: No additional Office Software
Quantity: 1
Description: VPCF1190X Configure-to-Order
Ship Method: Standard
Estimated Ship Date: 02/23/2010

Ya Baby! Ordered this evening! Thanks for all the great info from the many very helpful posters! Briefly considered trying a MBP but I am sold on the F...
Will post impressions and any other info requested info when it arrives.

 

I got that knocking noise when I tried to play a regular DVD. (Zonbieland) It went away when I played it with media player, but not the other player that is included(forgot the name).

 

Yeah I just bought mine too off Best Buy. 6gig ram iq720 1 gig gt330 backlit keyboard bluetooth 5400rpm 500gig HD. $1279 after the bing cashback, well worth it. I like it so far, huge difference sitting next to my 18.4 inch hp but also in a good way , that is is actually portable, unlike when HP means desktop replacement, they dont shy you off the the , 4 inch case and brick like weight

 

Tarrega: I spent a few days trying to install Adobe CS3 on my older LG laptop on a fresh install of Win7 with my usual go to Apps installed. My CD Drive made the same noises and seemed stalled just like yours. Eventually it would complete with a varying number of errors etc and please reinstall!

I suggest you first try MM's suggestion - Make full image copies of the discs and run from the hard drive. But in my case it was not the CD drive causing the problems it was the numerous goofy Adobe install programs that could not figure out how to play together. I've heard CS4 has a better install bundle.

The only way I could get it to complete the install was a totally clean Win7 with no other Apps (Office, Antivirus, whatever). I spent a lot of time searching the net and following Adobe's on site and my case file instructions, all useless.

Hopefully you won't get to the point that I did, but when you are tearing your hair out and telling Adobe where they can stuff their @#$$ing not so Suite, remember to try this. Good luck.

 

@Tarrega

I installed my CS4 Design Premium with no issues with Win7 Pro 64Bit in my first F11 using original discs. Installation was done in native enviroment and not in any OS compatibility mode. I don't remember how long it took but it was a complete installation and it was fast until the 2nd disk where the libraries slowed it down for a few minutes.

Installation on my FW590 however was quite slow but still under half hour but then again it's the Design Premium and not the Master Suite Collection.

Edit: Yes, psychologically I too believe that at some 'monetary' point these things should just work - software and hardware alike but unfortunately that is not the case most times.

 

Hi.... In idle if i am in balanced mode or high performance i can hear the fan working more than usual... In Power Saver i can hear it too but less... The temps are ok ( 34/40º) for I5 and 42º for GT 330 M!
Can i control the speed fan? Or is there anyaway to reduce the noise in idle?

 

Can anyone confirm ( or not ) whether the F11Z will drive an external TV at full HD 1080p resolution, please. Seems that some people are having issues here.
Many thanks.

 

Joe, I haven't seen if anyone has already replied to this, but here are the pics of the cd drive detail, sata and rails.

 

Hey,
Long how long it take for your F-series to be put to sleep when closing the lid?
Mine takes 20-30sec, its soo long!

How do I make it sleep faster?

 

I have no issues via HDMI at both 1920x1200 and 1920x1080. What's more, the NV drivers are even smart enough to output at 24Hz Iif desired) to my Sony display.

 

Looks identical (right down to the screw recesses) to my work Lenovo T61 DVD/CD drive. They must be universal then.

matt

 

I switch my HDMI at full 1080p through my Integra DTC 9.8 Home theater processor to my 60 inch plasma, and it works great. When I use the TV as my Desktop, it's larger than my TV, & I've had to adjust the screen size through Nvidia Control Panel, and on my TV settings. Now it works great for watching Blu Ray's & anything else.

 

Increasingly they are the same standard for most manufacturers. I know Toshiba and Dell and Sager were on board. I didn't yet know about Sony or Lenovo (IBM were the earliest notebook manufacturer to try to set a standard for a QUICK optical drive change.)

 

Hello again,

I just received a shipping notice from SonyStyle that my Sony
VPCF11MFX/B has shipped. I also ordered, from Seagate, an external
HDD, model Seagate FreeAgent Xtreme 640GB. It's the same size as
the internal HDD an has an eSATA connection. I have never used an
external drive; what problems might I expect during set-up?

Regards,

Mark

 

No problems, just don't disconnect the drive while it is being accessed.. When booting the system have the external drive already powered up.

 

Finally it has arrived!!!!

The screen is much better than my First F11 (Defective screen)
BIG DIFFERENCE!


Edit: No morse code noise

 

Are there any new Win7 clean install guides for the new F laptops? I've used the old one, but I'm not completely happy, so far, as even the Wireless doesn't work. My network adapter is not found for some reason, although I've installed Intel drivers. But the Fn buttons work

I've also replaced my HDD with an Apacer a7 Turbo 128GB 230/200 MB/sec SSD, but so far no increase in windows performance meter, although windows loads in 10 sec (yes-yes, I'll try to use that vaio care thing to measure the boot up time). Should winwos performance meter be influenced by SSD (I mean the primary hard disk subscore)?

 

From some of the comments and reviews in this thread it appears others have the bad screen and don't realize it.

Just for reference, at the best viewing angle the WHOLE screen should be a visibly even brightness and contrast, with no vertical blue to indigo shading on a solid blue screen.

 

Prior to the attempted CS4 install, Finale (music notation program) and Adobe Audition installed without issue, so I'll allow that it might not be the hardware, but I'm still plenty suspicious. I just wish I could get on to my music projects instead of screwing around with all this. Too much to expect, I guess.

 

I found a bug in the install procedure that might have an easy fix. (Need to create a "shared documents" folder that the install procedure expects to find already in existence.) If that doesn't work, I'll try installing according to some of the suggestions here (from an external drive or from an image).

Thanks for the response.

 

On mine, it's a delicate balance to get an optimal vertical viewing angle. Not much margin. In fact, with some images, I'm not sure it's possible to get the top and bottom of the screen to show correctly at the same time. If the top is right, the bottom is a little off; if the bottom is right, the top is a little off; and trying to split the difference is quite a fussy proposition.

 

I made that observation a couple of days ago. Vertical viewing angles are almost a deal breaker with my 1920x1080 screen.

 

That's the bad screen. If it were typical of the F11 I'd buy the Asus G51Jx.

(edit) by "bad" I don't necessarily mean defective.