Official Sony VAIO F Series i5/i7 owners thread *Part 5*

Do you have any external drives of any kind connected?
Have you checked if you have the latest firmware on your SSD?

 

I'm afraid to say that your problem is not with the VAIO and installing Win7, but may be with the SSD. I've got questions, seemingly random, that I think should be answered so someone here will have more insight into helping you.

1. Does your HDD still have the OEM installation of the OS on it? Meaning, can you pop it in and boot up?

2. If "yes" to #1, do you have an external enclosure (eSATAp, USB) in which you can put either the HDD or SSD?

3. If "yes" to #2, can you boot from your HDD, put the SSD in the enclosure and connect it? Is it recognized by Windows that way?

My concern is this... and I'll use XP on a new machine as an example. XP was not written to support SATA drives. So... to install XP on a new machine, one must slipstream the SATA drivers into the installation disc so that the beginning of the OS can see the HDD. New machines are SATA by default, so SHOULD see any valid SATA device connected. The VAIO should also be able to see, from boot up, any SATA device connected via eSATA or USB (this includes bootable thumb drives, and ODD's in enclosures such as mine).

Where I'm going with this is that the SSD that you have SHOULD work out of the box with ZERO issues. As with any HDD, you simply purchase, insert, and install. That's how it was with my Hitachi 7K500 and my Intel X25-M. Given the supposed simplicity of how out of the box SSD's and HDD's are supposed to function... I find fault with your SSD.

Searching around, it seems others have similar problems as you:
Support Question Can't install windows 7 64 bit on vertex 2

Installing Windows Pro To OCZ Vertex 2 SATA 2 2.5 SSD MB is rampage 3 Extreem motherboard

Can't install Win7 64-Bit on OCZ Vertex 60GB SSD - Overclock.net - Overclocking.net

I do not know if any of these will help you get closer to a solution, but it seems to not be a problem with the VAIO other than the severely handicapped BIOS options.

 

Have you tried booting with the windows 7 ultimate installation CD and it didn't work? Am I missing something? I don't see why it shouldn't work (unless there are specific problems with this SSD).

You can also install win 7 ultimate with the recovery disc method. From Joe Bleau's guide ( Vaio F Series Clean Install Guide - F11 F12 F13 by Joe Bleau):

"After all that, I entered my Windows 7 Ultimate key in > Start > Anytime Upgrade to unlock the features already contained in the Home Premium OEM OS & voila, it was now an Ultimate OS in less than 5 minutes."

 

Did you try to put some load on he F13, get some rpm variation into the fan?

 

1 yes
2 yes
3 I don't have enclosure but I can find one. It can help me in any way?

When it is connected in the main hdd space directly to laptop I can see it on bios, it shows 115gb but it is not detected by windows setup

Any solutions?

 

I think you should try the post 3 above this one, or here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...7-owners-thread-part-5-a-376.html#post7256198

His solution seems easy enough.

 

Really? There's going to be an F14?

Gee, you think they'll finally fix the fan noise problem?

 

I suggest you using an enclosure just copy partition of HDD to an SSD. If it will work that's OK. However I doubt that this ssd is stable. I think it's faulty little bit

 

why do you think ssd is faulty little bit???

i connected it using a enclosure and it shows me just 107.1 mb. is this ok? it is a ozc vertex 2 120gb ssd.

i formated it using windows 7 tool in NTFS format. it is ok for ssd or what you suggest?

 

Since they have taken notice of the wide-spread problem and actually did something about it (F13 new bios update) then it's quite likely the new models will have improved on these issues. However, I do not expect a massive improvement on the noise issues since 2630QM also has TDP of 45 Watts. So dont' expect too much unless sony has installed a mini fridge inside the machine I currently own VPCF13S0E/B. I admit it's noisy in normal use but if i configure the power management to lowest as well as setting heat management to quiet when i need to leave it on overnight, I could hardly hear any noise and could fall asleep with the machine just 2 meters away from me. Probably even better result after updating the bios and disable c3/c6.

 

I think you should download the OCZ SSD support tool, whatever that is, and perform a Secure Erase on it.

If it tells you that it has partitions on it (whether you see them or not), which will get in the way of Secure Erase, I'm happy to give steps in diskpart.exe on how to remove them.

 

Sony update websites dedicated for one area displays only the models sold in that area. You will not see for example the US model mentioned on the EU update site. Also the same motherboard is used in all F13 models sold. Not to mention that the flasher tools verifies and will report if you try to flash an incompatible device. So I would not worry about that list of models from the Chinese site.

 

Very much so. The ever so slight whine and infrequent whistle that at times emits from my F11 could not be heard from the F13 in store. Putting my ear directly to the vent and keeping it there certainly got some odd looks in my direction. My ear got a little hot as well. First time in a Sony store so that was cool. Microsoft is opening up in the mall as well.

 

We've got a Microsoft store across the lake from me, Bellevue. I haven't been to it yet, but really want to check it out sometime.

 

While searching for something else I stumbled upon the following link. So, for who is interested, ScreenTek on their site advertise that they sell Sony Vaio VPC-F Series VPCF13Z1EB 16.4" Full-HD (2 CCFL backlight) LCD Screens. If it’s true, the VPCF13Z1E/B uses the EU Premium Display, so check it out and give them a call.

 

Does upgrading from a Core i5-560M to an i7-720QM on a F13M1E makes sense?

Not talking about prices. Just judging from work, skill and performance. How much work is it? Can it be done by a non-rookie (but also non-expert) guy, who at least knows how to handle a screwdriver?

I found some benchmarks and the i7 did not really outperform the i5. Has anyone any experience on this?

Is there something like a service manual for the F13?

And one last question: has anyone ever tried to exchange the fan and can maybe provide some information about this part?

 

Well yeah, I was specifically speaking of the "whistle" problem that has no known solution. A.k.a. the reason why I returned the F13 I got...

 

thanks for reply. as you saw from my previos replies i have troubles installing windows 7 on my SSD OZC Vertex 2 i have added to my sony vaio vpcf1390x. i finally managed to run windows from SSD but it isn't how i wanted yet. I created using vaio care 4dvd and restored OS to SSD and finally windows is running from SSD. Now i have 2 partitions(C: 47gb with OS on it and D 50GB).

if i'll perform a secure erase i'll not loose any information from my ssd. do you think is OK to have just 107GB on a 120GB SDD? let me know. thans!

 

-no, you can't upgrade the i5 to an i7.
-no one has posted a link to a service manual. One definitely exists but no one has got their hands on it or is not willing to post it so far.
-the fan can be exchanged. Here is a UK site selling or you can use the part number to search elsewhere Sony_Vaio_VPC_F Series CPU Fan And Heatsink - Panasonic UDQFRRH01DF0
Edit: You can also refer to my previous post for some helpful links re:replacing the fan: http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...7-owners-thread-part-5-a-336.html#post7199543

 

There are a couple of things to know here:

1. Storage media is marketed is GB that are calculated as 1000MB, not 1024MB. So, you have to do the conversion to get the true space. A 120GB drive is actually about 117GB (I think).

2. SSD manufactures partition off a part of the storage space for wear levelling. I think that accounts for the extra 10GB that you don't see.

Anyone - correct me if I'm wrong here.

A secure erase will wipe the SSD and cannot be performed from the OS that's booted from the SSD. You'll have to boot from the HDD, manage the SSD externally and then go from there.

I dunno how to coach you from here, but wanted to give you an idea for what I think is going on.

 

Hi all, so I just got confirmation that my Sony VAIO has been shipped out and is being shipped through FedEx .. My order is being shipped through Expedited shipping, and according to SonyStyle's website, Expedited Shipping means 'delivery in 2 business days' ... However my delivery date is showing about 5-6 days from now, March 21st .. I called up Sony and they said my laptop is being shipped from China ( ?!!) and the 2 business days is only applicable once the parcel is within the US .. ?!

Is all this normal ? I mean, 2 business days means 2 business days .. its doesnt say anything about international shipments .. ?!

Also, are VAIO CTOs built in China ? I thought they would be built locally here in the US ..

 

That's all normal. It depends where you live and the flight schedule how many days you get it but it's 2 for many people - it was 3 for me because they missed the connecting flight. Nothing is built in the US anymore.

 

hehe with my f13 you can hear the whistle loud and clear with your ears staying ice-cool

 

So is there a possibility for me to possibly get it, say, by the end of this week too ? Friday maybe ?

 

Well, I only perform fortune-telling services for pay.
Yes, it's possible. It's also possible you won't get it till next week. Many people get their Vaios from China in two business days. It depends whether it was actually shipped when they said or just readied for shipment. It depends on the flights not being delayed. It depends on where in the country you live. And it depends on your local FedEx delivery reliability. Where I live, FedEx is notorious for not delivering packages and letting them sit for many days and also saying delivery was attempted when it was not. So, many factors there. But yes it is totally feasible for your laptop to get to you by the end of week. No one here knows whether it will.

 

Nice find.

I emailed them- it's not in stock. I asked for a part number in a followup email, but the guy either doesn't know or won't tell me (he did mention it should be a Sharp "in most cases").

I may try giving them a call tomorrow and see what they say.

In the meantime, I've been looking for a matte LQ164M1LA4A (found one on ebay, but not sure about the condition it will be in...). It's incredibly difficult to find retailers that will sell you an EXACT part, rather than a "compatible" one...

 

Your post makes me smile. We can all remember placing our order and waiting for that box to arrive! It will be soon. Congrats.

 

If you chose the "Restore Complete System" or a similar option during the recovery process, then it would have also created a recovery partition which is about 8GB. 107 + 8 = 115GB = 123480309760 bytes. If you go into Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Disk Management, you can see all the partitions on the disk. In addition to C: and D:, there will be a 200MB boot partition and the recovery partition. If you chose to restore the OS only, then you shouldn't see the recovery partition in Disk Management, but you will be able to see if there is any unpartitioned space.

I think you had trouble installing Windows directly on the SSD because there was no partition table written to the disk. Now that you have a working set of partitions, the Win 7 Ultimate installation will probably work. However, I suggest you don't do that because you'll lose some of the bundled software and will have to download & install the drivers & Sony software. Instead, initiate a Windows Anytime Upgrade and enter your product key for Win 7 Ultimate. If you want a clean install, then follow the "semi-clean" install guide posted a page or two back and then do the Windows Anytime Upgrade.

 

Unless you run applications which really benefit from the 4 cores (8 with HT), there is no real gain switching from i5-560M to i7-720QM.
Not to mention that the change adds a +10W TDP requirement, so your fan will have to work more.
I think that it doesn’t worth it, but others may think different, and in the end it is more a “like” or a “want” to have that, than a real “need” to have that.

What are the limiting factors ?

Do you know if it is locked in the BIOS ? Is the thermal unit ? Is there a difference between the thermal unit used on the i5 versus the i7 ? If yes, is it possible to upgrade the thermal unit ?

 

Hi All,

I've had a VPCF11C5E for over a year and just today I started seeing that the battery doesn't charge past 0% or 1%. I tried to check if the battery is still good and in VAIO Care it shows that the charging power is excellent.

I have also tried to press the power button for 30 seconds without the battery and AC Adapter and that didn't work either.

Any help please before I have to go through the hassle of contacting customer support? (I think the laptop is just out of warranty 'conveniently'.

Thanks,
Alex

 

Needing to rule out the possibility... do you have the Battery Care feature enabled in the VAIO Control Center? It's possible to set a custom charge level. Not a likely solution, but would hate for it to have actually been the problem and have you go to tons of other troubleshooting.

 

Hi Anseio,

No I didn't have it enabled and enabling it didn't help anything either.

Thanks,
Alex

 

I think you have to at least replace the motherboard, which is different than the i7 models. Someone else tried to upgrade and found that Sony had designed the European i5 model to not support i7. I don't know if there is a different thermal unit. That wasn't the limiting factor because the upgrade still would have been allowed in that case - it just would have been overheating and causing problems in use - but the i7 processor did not work at all in the i5 motherboard, only in one of the i7 models.

Edit: This was on an F12 or F11 European i5 but it's not something Sony is likely to have changed in the F13, so I wouldn't waste the money on a processor in the very small chance the F13 is different. Also, you can sometimes kill your motherboard this way by putting in an unsupported chip.

 

That lets me wonder if you can switch from an i7 to an i5 or i7-640m. Seems sony has locked so much in the bios that people can not upgrade stuff themselves (sigh). Oh well, the secret will eventually surface once the F1 series dies out and user and maintainance manual is released.

 

Thanks for the very fast feedback and discouraging me to exchange the CPU.

 

From what I read so far, it seems there is only one motherboard architecture for all the F13 models (I already mentioned this in one of my previous posts). The difference between different motherboard units sold consists of the used video/graphic chip and associated components (including memory or lack of some memory chips). I assume it is the same for the F11 and F12 too.

From the beginning, starting with the F11, we know that Sony chose the Intel PM55 Express Chipset (Ibex Peak-M). This chipset supports both i7 and i5 CPUs, but it doesn’t support the integrated graphics from the i5. If we add to this the lack of support for NVidia Optimus in the used video/graphic chip, it is clear why there is no support for the switchable graphics on the F Series (with the i5 CPU).

If you compare the “F1x models with i5 CPU” with the “F1x models with the i7 CPU”, there is no difference which would indicate a different motherboard (architecture). All the differences are separate modules or the above mentioned video/graphic chip (+/- memory).

The i5 and i7 CPUs use the same socket and if the motherboard chipset supports it, they can be interchanged.

So the questions without answer for me would be the ones I posted previously:
- Does the BIOS enforce (locks) the CPU which is accepted ?
- Is the thermal unit different from the one used with the quad core i7 ?
And if it is different, is it possible to upgrade the thermal unit ? (Does it fit in the casing used for i5 models ?)

I have the feeling that the only limitation is the BIOS.

What do you guys think ?

 

Hello!

I still have problems with my touchpad (it's not working after the fresh install, worked perfectly before).

When I was installing Windows the touchpad didn't work. I was surprised and used a mouse instead (mouse worked).

That's how Device Manager looks on my F13:


And VAIO Control Center:


My Windows 7 DVD is brand new. Everything else works nice, so I'm guessing: is there some hardware switch on the notebook to enable/disable the touchpad (maybe a Fn key combination?) or... I don't know. The touchpad worked perfectly before the format and the installation of the fresh Win7 copy (I have to mention that I formatted the whole HDD, the recovery partition too).

And about all the drivers - here they are, please tell me which ones (or underline them in a graphic program if you will) do I have to install them to make my F13 work properly (Fn keys, S1 key etc.):


And in what order?

Thank you!

 

mods please remove

 

I believe within the bios, it has a list of cpu that it can accept and not others. This of course can be manipulated by sony.
If that is so, wouldn't that mean they have to have two different bios version for same series? (one for i5 models one for i7 models)

 

BIOS updates defines what is updated and how. It is not necessary to update all the BIOS writeable areas. Also there are read only areas which are never updated (more correctly: write once area) and also protected areas which needs special applications or configurations to update them (BIOS updates released to users never updates them). For example the area where your notebook serial number is stored, … . This is the reason why it is possible to have and we have only one BIOS update for all models.

 

I am not talking about the updates, I am speaking on the original bios that comes with the machine. So it could mean that the i5 and i7 models could have different settings in their bios (in "read only area" as you would say) so only certain cpu id can be recognize. But still, it would be surprising for sony to actually bother to do these differently for models in the same series.

 

This is the segmentation defined by their marketing department. You would be amazed of what some companies do to enforce their marketing policy! In the end if they don’t do that, everyone would buy the cheapest model and upgrade it as they want!

EDIT: Every single notebook has a few different values already! The serial number + the model, the service tag number, the UUID, … . So writing a few bytes more would not make a difference.

 

I beleave the best way is a meeting of 2 guys with 2 laptops f series with different CPU models and try to switch them I put 5$ that OEM I5 can be switched on I7-740m

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...s-vaios-alps-touchpad-z-tt-working-now-7.html

post #64 has the Alps 64-bit driver from Sony with multigesture support

No idea if this will work and if you like the features. Some seem to like it quite a bit.

 

Hi Everyone:

I have been spying on the F series for a while now but I have been held back due to the whistling/screech sound from the notebook. I am just wondering does the new F series line still have the same problems? Thanks in advance for any info or advice!

Cheers!

 

I received my 3 new "Power Over eSATA" enclosures today from geeks.com. They have nearly the same model number, but the package is slightly different.

When I opened them, they are definitely different inside. They have a different board...or, at least, the board has been hidden. My originals have a printed circuit board that you can see. The new ones have a white film covering one side completely and a piece of black felt like foam no the other side. These have an identical looking case as the old version, but the case is betgter made in that the ends are attached better.

Performance with HDDs is again superb, but I no longer have a spare SSD to try out. All-in-all, another great deal!

EDIT: UMMMMM, on the end of the enclosure, it REALLY looks like it says "SATA III". This would not help me with only a SATA II controller in my F11, but it may mean that internally, these will not be limited to the 135MB/sec. speeds that my first 3 enclosures topped out at. Dang, I wish I had a spare SSD!

 

Willscary, you have your SSD in your notebook (based on your signature). You have an external ‘normal’ HDD. Boot from a CD/USB and clone your current SDD to the ‘normal’ HDD. Swap the drives, benchmark the SSD in the enclosure, swap the drives back. No harm done, and you have the test result! If you have a little spare time, give it a try .

 

I finally decided to pull the trigger on a new FHD matte screen.

I found the Sharp LQ164M1LA4A with a matte finish here: Ersatzdisplay für LQ164M1LA4A 42cm /16,4" WUXGA FHD bei eBay.de: Notebook-Hardware (endet 03.04.11 20:11:54 MESZ)

To those thinking of doing the same, note that I paid a higher price than one can find on ebay, simply because I'd rather go with a European supplier (for speed of delivery and no worries about the customs). If this is not an issue for others, there are cheaper options for this particular screen with a matte finish (e.g. http://cgi.ebay.ph/SHARP-LQ164M1LA4...842?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f022ff852.

My advice to everyone is to email the suppliers beforehand to make sure they are offering the exact LCD brand and part number, and not a "compatible" replacement (which could be a different part).

Also note that I have no idea if this is the same screen as the one in the EU premium matte, as mentioned by someone in this thread (LQ164M1LA4A B). What I noticed during my search is that most LCDs can be found in either glossy or matte finish, even though the part number is the same.

The same German retailer has a matte LQ164M1LG4B (which is one... Z away from the LQ164M1LG4BZ matte LCD in Japanese premium F screens):
Sharp Display LCD LQ164M1LG4B 42cm /16,4" WUXGA FHD on eBay (end time 03-Apr-11 19:13:06 BST)

No idea what that one is, but he mentions that it is also for the FW...

Finally, I ordered a dual lamp inverter here: LCD INVERTER NOTEBOOK SONY VAIO VGN-FE FZ FW DUAL LAMP on eBay (end time 31-Mar-11 20:07:23 BST)


Hopefully this screen will be a vast improvement over my current glossy, single-lamp WXGA+... If all goes smoothly and I don't destroy anything during the upgrade process, I'll be back to give you my feedback

Edit: Thanks to all for posting such valuable info in this thread (you know who you are, I don't want to single-out anyone in particular)

 

wow that's a big investment for a screen. I hope it all goes well and install successfully.

I paid a lot for my F13S01E and I already thought it was already over the budget. I wanted to change my BD-ROM to a BR-Rewriter but halted because of the total amount I would have spent on a machine at the end. (Probably gonna wait a little while until the price drop)

There are so many things you can change/upgrade on a laptop, screen, SSD, backlit keyboard, RAM, BD drive, cpu (maybe), not to mention other eternal accessories such as mouse and laptop cooler.

That brings me in to thought that upgrading all these things and with the total amount spent on it at the end, is it all that worth it? I guess it's okay for people who thinks they can last on their F for a long time before getting a new lappy.

Anyway, I am wondering how long people will use their vaio F for until getting a new lappy. I got my F13 last November and had suvived on a Toshiba Tecra M2 for 5 and a half years before that (sometimes I actually think how did I even manage...haha).

 

You have a point, although as some people here have pointed out, some of the upgrades are cheaper if done by ourselves (with the price of having to do the manual work, of course).

In my case it has been worth it because the laptop was a freebie from work. I would have bought a better machine from the beginning, but there was a strict limit on the price, and I couldn't even add extra money (out of pocket) on top of it. The screen is a major issue for me as I use this laptop in the office and the lab, and the current screen strains my eyes bigtime (not just the reflections on the glossy finish, but also the colors are washed-out and the brightness low).

The screen is my final upgrade, after having installed an SSD (with the factory HDD as the secondary drive in an ODD caddy), a backlit keyboard and 8GB RAM. Given that I only paid for the upgraded parts, I consider it worth my money.

As for how long I expect to own it, who knows... My vgn-fe21b lasted me a solid 5 years and it's still a decent machine for simple use.