Official Sony VPC-Z2 (VAIO Z 2011) Series Owners' Thread

I think my PMD might be defective. When the PMD is plugged in (AC adaptor), the light on the 'light peak' connector is not on. Based this video (1:57 - 2:07), the connector light is always on, when connected to power.

Can someone please confirm the light should always be on? In my case, the light doesn't turn on at all... In the attached pictures, the PMD is powered.

 

The blue light on the connector is on, when the PMD connection is active; the green light is on, when the PMD is powered on/running. Usually both lights should be synched, as the PMD will power off automatically after a short moment when not attached (i.e. after clicking the undock button).

If the blue light is not on, I guess the drivers are not installed correctly and Windows does not recognize it as a docking station.

 

Thanks Poke for the quick response! My problem is that I don't see the green light (when powered) or the blue light (when connected).

I understand the blue light has to do with the connection / drivers. But I need to figure out why the green light doesn't work. Any suggestions?

 

Is the PMD getting power? When you first plug it in, do you hear the optical drive cycle? I can always hear that right away.

 

Yes, it is. I can load and eject CDs and light on the power brick is active.

 

Sorry, with “green light” I meant the LED on the PMD itself, which is on

 

Adobe Premiere Elements 10 gives me a message "We have detected an incompatible display driver" when I try to edit video with the PMD docked. It works fine when using the internal video (not docked). I wonder if Premiere is being confused by the dual video/driver configuration?

 

Have you tried switching your Windows theme? I was running the Basic Windows theme, and I got an "incompatible display driver" error when trying to run Blu-rays. When I switched the theme to the "architectural" theme, I could then run Blu-rays. That may help you?

 

Does anyone feel that the touchapd is just not as responsive as it should be?

I feel that the gestures just don't work as smooth as other laptops. I've uninstalled and reinstall different drivers with the same results. Sometimes I need to swipe multiple times for the two finger scroll to work and even then there is a lag. It is quite annoying and was looking at registry hacks to try and fix this.

UPDATE: I've noticed it happens only in Chrome

 

How do you change the theme?

 

Switching themes didn't help. Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

Are you using an external monitor on your PMD? I´ve checked my system, when connected an external monitor the gdi generic driver is used with no hardware acceleration or open gl support. Bad driver. Using PMD with internal monitor only, everything´s perfect.

 

If you look underneath the Z2, you'll see the product key sticker and the yellow warning sticker. In between these two stickers is a small pin hole. Does anyone know what its for? I actually struck the base with this power surge protector and thought I nicked the bottom of it, but after careful inspection, it was too fine a circle. You could see a gold plate covering it internally. You would think there would be one of these pin-hole on both sides, but there isn't - just this one. Odd?

 

Yeah, sometimes it’s a bit weird. But when I look at the driver, it has to be the touchpad software that messes these things up. For example when you try Scrybe, the recognition of touches is very precise. So ideally they should just improve their gesture software more; or have someone else develop something.

I could actually imagine that touchpad being as good as a drawing tablet (just without the pen)..

If it wasn’t at the bottom I would have said, it’s a microphone.. Weird.

 

I'm using two external monitors. One connected to the PMD and the other to the laptop HDMI port.

 

After doing a bit of research and testing I got the touchpad to work better, but it's still not perfect. Basically, I ended up installing an extension for Google Chrome called Smooth Scroll,　which adds smooth scrolling to Chrome. I also put the touchpad sensitivity all the way to the left, to the lightest setting. These settings have made the touchad tolerable, but I wish it was more like the Mac touchpad. I'm sure there is a driver out there somewhere that will make this happen. Still searching for that driver

BTW, I'm using version 15.3.2.2. Does anyone have a never driver than this?

 

^

I think the newest version on the Synaptics site is 15.3.2.2. I agree that the touchpad is pretty mediocre. It frequently fails to recognize two-finger and one-finger scrolling.

 

Which LED part/ component does this one use for?

13.1" LED backlit Full HD display (1920 x 1080)

 

Hi all,
I have a problem with my vaio z which I could solve. What happened was that I was trying to remove the recovery partition yesterday (something which I regretted doing now) but Easus partition master hanged in the middle of the process. I panicked so I hard reset the computer. When I reboot again it could not find the op system and it asked me in DOS to break the Raid. I did that then somehow able to boot with the recovery disc. Now that the system is recovered, my hard drive turned out to be half the size! (128gb instead of 256gb!!!!!). On top of that, bios csnnot detect the second drive. I dont know what to do now so hoping that someone can help me here. Thank very very much!

 

I believe you should be able to rebuild the RAID with Intel Rapid Storage.

 

Please tell me how. I did manage (cant remember how though) to get into Raid bios but when I tried to create raid volume it failed. I am thinking there must be some settings that werent correct in the bios but everything's hidden by Sony so I cannot do anything.

Please help!

 

Before I along with another member had complained about the fan going off while the screen was off but not in sleep mode. I discovered today that it was microsoft security essentials trying to do a scan. It was set up to do a scan weekly whenever the system was idle. I turned off scheduled scans and the problem was fixed.

Also, I had complained before about windows not saving my mouse settings after a reboot. I discovered it was a logitech process conflicting with it. Details: Mouse settings not saved after reboot/restart - Microsoft Answers Now it is fixed.

I hope this info can help anyone that has similar problems

 

I'm having a problem with external monitors flickering. Just bought 2 cheapie Acer monitors (1920x1080). Hooked up one via VGA through the PMD and it flickers. Then I hooked it up to the laptop directly (VGA) and the exact same thing. Thinking the monitor may be defective, I tried the other Acer but got the same results. Thinking it might just be the Acers in general, I grabbed my Dell 24" (1920x1200) and got the same flickering (still using VGA).

I then hooked up the laptop directly to my TV using HDMI and it works perfect. Why is there flickering when using VGA? Anyone have any suggestions for a fix?

 

Is that nice leather case that clips on laptop like a book cover already available for z21?

 

Out of curiosity, why are you using VGA? I'm doing two monitors via HDMI (one with a HDMI to DVI converter) and not having a problem. One is a cheap Asus and the other a not cheap Dell. Both running 1920x1200.

I did have a problem with using a KVM switch and my Dell monitor. It turns out the cable was bad. I bought a new cable and everything worked.

 

I don't have any HDMI/DVI adapters. So I thought I'd use the VGA. I did change cables and it did get a bit better. It gets much better if I disconnect the PMD from my computer (and just leave the VGA hooked up to the laptop). I then connected the smaller A/C adapter to the laptop and the flickering came back, but not as bad as with the PMD hooked up.

So it may just be a cable quality issue. I need to go buy some HDMI/DVI adapters. If I go daring to search the garage, I may find one, but that's a big chore in itself!

 

Update on the flickering external screen issue. While searching for some DVI/HDMI adapters in my garage, I found some older heavy duty VGA cables. I just tested the two external monitors with these VGA cables and the flickering has stopped.

It seems like you really need some good quality VGA cables, specially if you have your laptop connected to the PMD. The cables that came with my Acer monitor just weren't sufficient and caused flickering.

Hope this helps someone else out there.

 

Dude! Amen to that. Vista had me swear off another PC. After 5+ years of Apples hardware specs, it made me realize I was getting my moneys worth.

Although,

I do like Apple's iLife suite and still have not found a suitable replacement (Clean and easy) for PC. Also, there is NOBODY in the computer business with repair turn around like Apple. Their service is the best.

If they were to produce a 13" laptop with a good screen and dedicated GPU, I might look again at their products.

 

On the boot time, prove it.

On heat, show me an i7 that runs cooler in the same form factor.

On the $2,500, you said you got it for free. Seeing that most people here purchased theirs, you being indignant about something that cost you nothing makes you a d*uche. If you think you are being helpful, you aren't.

If you like Mac's, get another one. It's fairly obvious you are looking for problems with the Z2.

Weird, if you broke the RAID 0 volume, all data would have been deleted. Not sure what "DOS" command would have asked you to do this.

Anyhoo, if you have the recovery media burned off to DVD, you should be able to use this guide to rebuild your RAID volume. You would then run a restore from the recovery media.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/467519-how-configure-raid-jbod-new-vpcz1-series-ssd.html

 

i don't think i'd trade my z2 for anything running on osx

 

hell, I wouldn't trade my Z2 for anything.. except Z3 and so on.

Only thing I miss, is the portability of integrated powerful graphic card, but at least, I'm not distracted from doing bussines and save all the fun for home.

And after few das of use, I can say, it's completely troublefree. I've used every aspect, including WWAN, and everythings works better then expected. Touchpad is too small, I would prefer it bigger, but I will tune sensitivity and stuff when changing driver.

And the keyboard is nice, absolutely no time getting used to.
Run it for 12h with slate on constant wi-fi with half brightness, and I except more then 16 without wi-fi and dimmed display.

 

There is a huge difference in retail pricing being ignored here between Macs and PC's. Apple price locks their retail pricing while its almost a lock that you can get 20% off PC pricing daily.

The resale value is reflected in this respect, but having owned and sold SEVERAL mac within the last few years, I can say the resale values aren't what they once were due to more products being sold.

The MBA boots quick, no doubt about that. However, OSX in general is far more efficient in this respect compared to Win 7. Your findings would not be the same running Win 7 in boot camp on the Air Vs. the Z I guarantee that. Also, living in.the desert and using the MBA outside is an absolute no go. OSX detects the heat and throttles the MBA to a snails pace. No so with the Z1 or Z2.

If Apple put balls in the Air, but in a package like the Z (with larger trackpad) it would sell like hotcakes. I suspect the new MBP will be more along the lines of the Z2 anyways. Apples greed is plainly obvious as they continue to ignore the 13" market with their heavy, poor screen and the absent GPU 13" MBP. At this point, aside from the optical drive, they have basically killed the 13" MBP. In all honesty, the 13" MBP, being labled a Pro machine, is todays standard MacBook.

Reading your post reminds me how I felt using a PC after running OSX for awhile. OSX is a nice OS, and I wish it was usable on more powerful and advanced hardware. Unfortunately, that tight grip is what ultimately made me sell my Mac's and iPhone. Having to upgrade every cycle to keep up was getting really annoying Win 7 is a good OS and viruses aren't nearly the issue they were in the past. (Unless you like norp and stealing programs)

Again, slap an Apple trackpad and OSX on this and you would have the best selling Mac of all time!

 

In case anyone is interested in yet another Z review, this one from Singapore and generally favorable except for the trackpad and price.

 

Hi, thanks for your post. I actually tried that but when I deleted the volume and try to recreate RAID, the result was unsuccessful (ie status is failure and bootable = NO). There was no way that I could get it work given the limited number of options. However, when I tab F2 and got back into BIOS, it did show the disks there.

Does that mean one of my SSDs died? Or are they further settings that I need to tweak?

 

Is there a driver for the monitor? My monitor is showing up as Generic PnP and I think this is preventing my color profile from loading during start. Is the Generic PnP driver installed with the factory install? I did clean install and didn't check the driver before fomatting.

 

Do you have Windows installed? Also, did you install Intel Rapid Technology? This should have installed when you install the chipset driver.

If it's installed you can right click on the icon in the taskbar and click "open application". Then click on "Manage" to see your current configuration. Here you should be able to delete and install a new RAID volume. Make sure you backup your information because you will lose everything on the drive when you create a new volume.

 

I'm glad I got to try the Z2 for a full week. I think I'm going to keep my Z1 and wait for the Z3. I really like the Z2, but based on what I use it for, there's really no need to upgrade and spend a couple more grand.

 

Thanks for providing the instructions. I do have Intel Rapid Technology instealled but when I opened the application, I can only see one disk there, with the other port shown as empty. I cannot perform any of the actions which you suggested under the "Manage" tab.

Any idea of how I can get the second SSD shown in Intel Rapid Technology?

 

^If you only see one drive, something is amiss. Regardless of the setup, you should see two drives in the "Storage System View"

Should look something like this



Mind posting a screen cap of your RST window?

All I can recommend is to re-install the RST package, I use the latest from Intel's site. If you don't see two drives, it is time to call Sony service and support.

 

Agreed on OSX.

It looks nice and runs efficiently but I find it so limiting to use.

 

Does anyone have the service manual for the Z2?

 

If anyone is interested, Sony is offering a free upgrade to FHD and a couple of other discounts (i7 and RAM) on the Z.

Since the discounts end Oct 1, I'm guessing that's a hint as to when the Z's slight processor upgrade becomes available.

 

Haven't seen one floated yet

 

I've just connected my Z2 to my 70" Sharp LCD via Intel WiDi and a Netgear Push2TVHD. Setup up was a total breeze! It seems to prefer 1280x720 although I had 1080 working once when I had the laptop screen turned off. Lag was really bad with the 1080 however. I'll have to stream some video both ways to see how it looks.

So far no breakups or connection issues. I did update the Intel software and the device firmware.

Anyone else used one of these?

 

I have. I ended up abandoning it due to the lack of DLNA and the lag. Oh god the lag. Works ok for HD netflix streaming, but I'm just using a 40FT HDMI cable routed around the living room.

I'll try it again when another update is available, but I don't think it is ready for prime time even with the FW/driver updates available now.

 

Thanks for the reply.
I don't know how but the corner of my Z2 got badly dented and it's driving me nuts...I thought of maybe buying the part and changing it.
Perhaps you have the part number of the bottom plate that also covers the sides?

 

Bleh, sorry to hear it. I'm guessing you have a gash in the plastic side-bits of the bottom plate. Plastic is used where there are bends or detail work and welded to the CF main section, probably ultrasonically

Can't say for certain, but I think the bottom plate's PN is 11062215

It is the only number on the plate itself. If there is another number on it, I didn't photograph it during the teardown.

 

^
Thanks for the swift reply and answer.
I tried looking at the Sony parts site with the part number...no go.
Does anyone else know of any other sites?

 

Can you guys check your "s" key for me and tell me if it behaves similarly to mine?

It seems that the left half of the key is more sensitive than the right side. If i hit the key on the top right, middle right, or bottom right, it doesn't register. If i hit it dead center, top center, bottom center, top left, middle left, and bottom left, it will register. This is annoying because i ususally hit the S key at the top right. Non eof my other keys do this

 

^
My S key is fine.

I have mentioned this before that some keys just feel differently when you press on them (even the noise seems a bit different)...