Official Sony VAIO F Series i5/i7 owners thread *Part 3*

Yes, I need to because I live in the Tropics: I use a simple stick @ home or a triangle ruler on the road to lift the back of the F & the bottom of the laptop is a lot cooler & it reduces considerably the fan work, the typing angle is better, it's free, quiet, does not need a USB port for power and it's transportable:



I have a very old Toshiba_66mHz laptop with retractable back legs like the ones you find on all full size keyboards. I wonder why they don't use that on i7 quad laptops? Maybe it would hurt the notebook cooling pad industry? Maybe because it's low tech & does not need any power nor software?

Of note: I have been using the F with an HDD in the ODD bay w/o the bezel & noticed that a lot of air was being sucked around the ODD bay & that under very heavy load, my main HDD was hovering around 46c. So I blocked the ODD opening with a sock & noticed a lot more air being sucked in the F around the front wireless switch & the main HDD when back down to 34-39c quite fast as it is located just under it on the F. Check with your hand, you should feel it. The F sucks air in where devices/components produces heat, an intelligent thermal management design

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I haven't visited this forum in a while and I was wondering if they had XP drivers for this laptop. My model number is VPCF119FX. I tried the search function and wasn't able to find anything.

Thanks,

 

Has anyone else had the problem where some sounds are not heard through headphones via the headphones jack?

My problem, which recurs all the time is this: when I use Google Talk the sound of an incoming message is not heard from my headphones UNLESS I am playing music also at the same time on my computer. If I'm not playing any music/watching a video/etc just the short sound of an incoming message isn't heard on my headphones.

I've tried different headphones, adjusting the volume, etc and found no solution. Only if I have music playing will I hear the other sound, otherwise I just hear a very faint distortion sound.

Does anyone else have this issue? Can anyone else try to replicate it? Looked in the Unification thread and searched and couldn't find anyone else experiencing this so far.

Thank you!

 

the problem is the F11 does not have the option to change from sata to eide in the bios, so when you try and install xp it will not see you hdd.

So you will either have to slipstream the AHCI Driver to the Win7 dvd if you can , or see if you an load the AHCI Driver`s as Xp installs , also as you have said there are no Xp drivers for the F11 on the Sony website.

Also Xp is dx 9.0 only if you are a gamer.

 

I have no idea what you said Tinderbox I wanted to use XP for ProTools. I may just have to wait until Avid releases a Win 7 version; the one they have now is only a Beta.

Thanks,

 

You can install XP in the F series. But the Sony notebook utilities might not work as expected. Also you need to slipstream the SATA/AHCI driver into the XP install CD, as Windows XP doesn't include those drivers and won't see the HD.

 

Thanks coolguy,

I might just give it a shot on a spare HDD. I can always reinstall the Win 7 HDD if things don't pan out. Time to do a little net research on slipstream.

 

Makavelli,

Did Shakurspeare drop yet?

 

Why on earth would one want to install XP on a F_Series when there is all these free virtual things around & that's not talking about the XP compatibility mode in Win 7. Check this post with links: VAIO_F Series Virtual Machine: Virtual PC vs. VirtualBox.

Don't miss the Do I need Windows XP Mode? paragraph.

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Headphones or Google Talk Settings Problem?

No, I don't have any sound problems & I use a Bluetooth headset on... Skype. Check Google Talk support or forums or try Skype to see who is the culprit.

Check also the two Exclusive Mode mic settings in the bottom of this screen capture I just did & you won't "have music playing will I hear the other sound" if you do also the same for Playback devices:



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I agree - you would be surprised how much just propping the laptop up like Joe has helps with the cooling.

 

Didn't even know he's dropping a new album. I checked and it looks like September sometime.

 

I have my F11 sitting on a glass chopping board i bought for £2 and it`s the perfect size, being glass the air being sucked into my F11 will be a little bit cooler.

 

I like XP for running ProTools. Win 7 is beta only ATM, and I don't know if ProTools is stable in virtual mode. Will check it out.

Thanks,

 

Interesting. Would you be able to do give an old XP laptop (Vaio VGN-FS640) a new lease on life by adding a SATA SSD? The hard drive controller in Device Manager says Ultra ATA. Would the laptop blow up or would it give it a speed boost? Forgive me if this is a stupid question!

 

I have been having problems with VAIO update, one of the updates called "VAIO DVD Menu Data Update 2.0.01.02050" fails to install , I have tried a dozen times even deleting the download to force it to be downloaded again but it still fails.

I managed to install it but i had to download it off the net manually and it installed fine, is the one on the VAIO updates corrupt or something.

 

Wrong thread, this one is for the F-Series. Why not search on some VGN-FS640 forums? My guess is that it should work w/ the proper drivers.

 

Yo Tink, that supergirl pic is HOT!

 

She is that, I am also a Fire Fly fan as well

 

Read the notes on the esupport download page, you don't need that if you don't have PMB as I mentioned a few pages back here:

Of note: VAIO_DVD Menu Data Update:

Since I don't have a "VAIO Creations" folder then I don't need that update.

 

lolololol that picture is beyond words. Just watched all the episodes over again.

 

I have PMB that`s why i needed the update , I did your check and i have the "Click to Disc" folder

 

Can't help then except for asking: are you using PMB? Did you see how much stuff it installs & how much resources it uses in the background with PMBVolumeWatcher, PMBDeviceInfoProvider, etc?



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If only i could find a lady like that, and nearby....

I always am watching the episodes all over again. However, the photo is from "Dr. Horrible's sing along blog":

"Don't worry if it's hard, if you're not a friggin' tard, you will prevaaaaaaillll."

To make this related....
Go Sony Vaio F series laptop, go.

 

Hey guys!

The f12 is now too at the spanish sonystyle store.

Massive price hike, fully kitted (except the cpu) it runs 200€ more than the f11.

 

I was browsing the Spanish website's configurator for the F12...it shows the 330M with GDDR3 memory...will there be a huge difference from DDR3 for the GPU?

I hope the U.S. models have GDDR3...because the F11 that I just returned had DDR3 memory for the GPU.

 

Seen the news lately? The Euro lost more than 16% vs. the Yen in the last 120 days while the Yen is relatively stable vs. the USD or at least moving within a much narrower range. That may explain partly why the F11/F12 prices are practically unchanged in USA besides other factors like local markets characteristics & competition.



The Euro tourists are also seeing a price hike for them here in Costa Rica as everything tourism related is priced in USD (hotels, tours, etc).

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Aren't they the same? GDDR3 = DDR3 for GPU?

 

No. I hear GDDR3 is a lot faster. My F11 had DDR3 for my 330m...but the Spanish SonyStyle website says the F12's 330M has GDDR3.

 

Windows XP drivers are available here ftp://ftp.vaio-link.com/PUB/VAIO/XPDOWNGRADE/VPCF/

 

The F12 is on sale here in Japan.. I just used one tonight that was on display in Yodobashi Camera.. The price for the i7-740 base config was 254,000 yen.. which is roughly what was quoted above.. I am Canadian so that would be equivalent to about $2,800 I believe in CAD. Very expensive it seems..

 

Hmm i have the VPCF11M1E/H
and to tell ya the truth i cannot see really any difference in the same model in the 12 serie, i just did the compeare models on sony DK.

 

Sony UK have had the details of the F12 on their website for about 5 days now but still haven't revealed their pricing. The F11 is still shown on the site with "not available at present".

It appears that true to form, Sony UK are waiting to see how much they can screw out of UK customers, for the F12. They are probably waiting for the emergency budget on Tuesday 22/6, when it is expected that VAT will probably rise to 20% from 17.5%, so they can blame that for their price hike.

F Series : VAIO and Computing : Models : Sony

Amazon UK are advertising the F12 with a delivery of between one and four months!

Dave

 

Now they have: £ 926.81 ex. VAT and £ 1,089.00 inc. VAT for the basic F12X combination
Shipping in 3 to 4 weeks

 

anyone tell me wen the F12 is out in the UK, as i think its out in America and Canada.

Also can anyone tell me the major differences between the F12 models from America and Europe.

Jandg, wow is that the price for the F12, that is cheap, i want to get the laptop before the VAt goes up.

 

You can order on the UK Sonystyle now if you chose the 'customize it now' button

Not so cheap . If I put 20% VAT on it it will be allmost the same price as the basic configuration in Italy.

I don't understand why in the UK they dare to ask so much for more RAM and a Blu-Ray writer. Compare between VAT included prices:

• In Italy from 4GB to 8 GB = €150
  In UK from 4GB t 8 GB = £170 = €204
• In Italy from DVD writer to Blu-Ray writer = €170
  In UK from DVD writer to Blu-Ray writer = £220 = €263

 

What's VAT?

 

It`s sales tax that is added on before purchase, it`s 17.5% at the moment.

 

17.5%!!!!! Damn, where I come from it's 6% sales tax.

 

But there is 0% tax on basic foods, and children`s clothes.

 

I don't think those are UK models. They are not on the web site I was looking at.

F Series : VAIO and Computing : Models : Sony

 

I see what you mean now, you are talking about the CTO option. If you read through the spec with the extras you quoted above, plus some which I wanted, it's a massive price hike to almost £1600 (from £1400), including Blueray writer, 8GB ram & Win 7 Professional, and that's with a basic 320 GB 5400 hard drive. If you click on Win 7 Pro as an option, it comes up in the spec as "No Vaio software". What's that all about?

Regards, Dave

 

edit

I had the same when I made my replacement order for the F11. The client service in Italy said it was an error and later they corrected it.
But now I see it reappears also on the Italian site. I think I will call Sonystyle on Monday ...

 

Hi everyone, i just bought my VPCF12S1E from FNAC in Portugal the price was 1399€. They where puting them on the display shelfs when i passed by

Now i need some advice from you guys, this is my first laptop ever, so what should i do first to test if everithing is ok. Whats the best way to test for bad pixels, gpu, cpu, temps, and whatever.

Also, should i make a backup from everything as it come from the store?

I know to many questions , but feel free to ask anything about my new laptop, i will aswer as i can.

Thanx.

 

Okay so I guess it is confirmed the new 330m chips have GDDR3 memory...does anyone know how much a performance gain we'll see from the previous DDR3 330m chips?

 

First of all check for known defects on F11.

1)check if it has morse code issue, go to a very quiet room, turn on the computer and use it for 5-10 min, put your ear on the top of the keyboard and try to look for any machine sound.
2)The screen, go to hulu.com, play any movies with a dark scene and see if you have a light bleed coming from the side of the LCD, especially on the bottom one. If you arent sure, take a picture. We'll determine for you.

Cheers

 

The most important thing according to the gospel of Joe Bleau, is to make recovery disk(s) and a backup, before you start tinkering. You should find the useful information on the unification post on page 1. Good luck

 

Yes, first thing after you entered Windows, before anything else, is to make the recovery disks. Normally Vaio reminds you automatically to do this.
I'm glad I did it, because I was unlucky enough to have to return my Vaio. The recovery discs were the only way to get the notebook back to the factory settings, because the recovery partition on the hard disc didn't work.

 

guys i will really greatful if someone can reply to my previous posts. Man its taking ages to come out in the UK, it must be out in other countries. At least we got all the specs for the F12, anyone know what the main differences are from the f12 to f11.

 

Its been explained before, the F12 is mainly an F11 with all the issues fixed and faster processor. I noticed the screen of the F12 is better then the F11 and no more morse code sound on the demo unit. Someone have to confirm all that once they get their F12.

 

Thanks for you reply bud, but i'm almost sure that it's not a stuck pixel problem and the programs you're talking about are to solve that,i thinl it isn't my problem because stuck pixels are always in the same place... And the pixels i get in my screen are always in a random place (specially in darker colors of the image) and those pixels appear sometimes and others not... i've been looking for a solution and some people refer to this problem as an "screen artifact problem", the monday i'll send my computer to the technical service of sony, too bad i can't claim my warranty becuse itsnot international, i hope its not the video carda because as it is stick to the motherbord i will have to replace it and that will be very expensive for sure...