Official Sony Vaio CW Core 2 Duo Series Owner's Thread

Don't worry, Blu-Ray will disappear soon when people realize how much easier it is to stream movies over the net.

 

Just like Blu-Ray disappeared last year when people realized that HD DVDs were better.










Oh wait...

 

Let me put it this way... For photoshop and music editing/encoding etc a better processor speed will be helpful...

For gaming, Surfing the web, Watching Blu ray movies, streaming etc...a better Ram will help...!!!

Again I believe.... a .30Ghz increase in processor speed wont really be very noticable...!

 

you can always re order it from Sony now...and use your 100$ coupon...and consider it a free bluray upgrade...
and once you get that return the one you have now back to JR.com...or atleast return it with the 30 days... not sure if they accept returns though....!

 

Just ran 3dMark06 on my laptops. Also ran it on my desktop to have something to compare it against.

My laptop:
Win 7 Pro (x64)
Core 2 Duo T9600 (2.80 GHz)
8 GB DDR3
nVidia GT230m 512 MB


My fiance's laptop:
Win 7 Pro (x64)
Core 2 Duo P7450 (2.13 GHz)
4 GB DDR3
nVidia GT230m 512 MB


My desktop:
Win 7 Ultimate (x64)
Core 2 Duo E8400 (OCed at 3.60 GHz)
4 GB DDR2
nVidia 8800 GTX 768 MB


The CWs are quite a ways behind my desktop. But the CW runs at a much lower resolution. Maybe tomorrow I'll install COD6 and see how that runs.

 

does any one have the 3d mark scores on some other Laptops? like an Asus or the alienware...?

 

I have the same problem , also i have a fresh install windows7 pro. If anyone find solution....

 

This is normal. Mine does it, My wifes CW does it, The ones in the store run all the time too.

It must be to stop the constant heat-cycling of the components that caused the premature failure of the 8 series graphics cards.

There seems to be a lot of laptops coming out with dedicated graphics that have the fan running on low constantly.

 

Woops ye, I mixed them up with the nw series -_-'.
O well, the cw series in belgium are also limited to a 2.1 ghz core 2 duo. If id want the one with 2.53 ghz, id have to buy one from sonystyle with an english windows version, which is no problem, but it has a qwerty keyboard (we use azerty in belgium). If i want one with azerty, I have to get the one with french vista lol...
I wish i lived in the netherlands, same language, better government, far bigger laptop hoices.

 

i read somewhere agessss ago that when you recieve a laptop, or anything that runs on a battery for that matter, that you should fully charge it, then deplate it fully and then charge it fully again... something to do with maintaining the mwh level over a long period of time. you could do that if you wanted to

you could remove the battery, but obviously that kinda makes it awkward to hold and it would look strange. you could set the battery care function that prolongs the life of your battery. just set it to super battery care function which will only let it charge to 50%

"Battery life will be about 50% shorter than the one of the fully charged battery, however, this mode prevents battery degradation and is more effective if you usually use the computer with the AC adapter."

you SHOULD make recovery cd's. just incase anything happens, because if you didnt and the recovery partition on the HDD also didnt work that you would be in a bit of trouble. i should really make mine soon ive had my CW for 2 week now...

the only driver i would really update is the graphics driver. it seems to have solved my bluescreen problem so i highly recommend updating that just so you know you shouldnt get any bluescreens. i would also download vaio update 5, which will find updates for you CW and install them

heres a link to the updated graphics driver:
http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-download.pl?mdl=VPCCW1XGXU&upd_id=5292&os_id=47

link for vaio update 5:
http://support.vaio.sony.eu/computing/vaio/downloads/info/info.aspx?l=en_GB&url=VAIO/Updates/EP0000211610.exe&m=VPCCW1&ip=EP0000211610.htm

you also may want to adjust the colour settings of your screen. if you dunno how to do this then 1 or 2 pages back i posted how so go look

Also, i would remove some programs. things like toolbars, google chrome(unless you want to use it) or anything that you generally dont think you'll find useful. i would just leave the 20-25 programs titled VAIO as im not sure what half of them are, or what they do. o and remove mcafee and norton backup if you dont use them

hope this helps. i think ive answered everything you wanted if i havent please say

 

i am trying to semi-clean install my laptop but i am having trouble finding the vaio recovery folder. i have the vpccw13fx model with windows 7. please help!

 

Hello people! I've been looking at getting a laptop for a few months now and this forum has been really helpful in making a decision. I ordered a CW on 14th December was sent an email yesterday saying that my order is in production and that it should be shipped to me between 25th and 30th December

Quick question though. Does anybody know what date Sony put on the invoice? Is it the date that the order was placed, the date production starts, the date that they ship it, or some other date? I only ask because it was purchased through a business and it would be nice if it was invoiced before the end of this year even if it doesn't arrive until after then.

Thanks.

 

Congrats on not getting cancelled. As far as the battery goes, with the new li-ion batteries, there is really no need to fully cycle the battery as it does not have the memory like ni-mh or ni-cad batteries do. Leaving it out is not a bad idea. Not because of memory, but because of life cycles. You can only charge a battery so many times before it starts to lose its holding capacity. Leaving it out would reduce your charge cycles. One other NO-NO is DO NOT charge your battery when the battery itself is colder than 32 degrees F. Not that you would let your laptop get that cold, but charging a battery that is "frozen" can damage the cells inside and those cells will never hold a charge again. Cell phones are more prone to this just because people leave them in there vehicles when it is below freezing and then hook them up to the car charger when the get back in the car. Hope this helps.

 

Open Vaio Care from your start menu (it is a folder further down the program list), from here you can both burn recovery disks and restore the OS, among other things.

 

Anyone? I'm really curious

 

I'm not sure actually. when i make my recovery DVD's later, i will try again afterwards to see if you can make more than one copy

 

Here's a link to the update page for my computer (VPCCW19GX). It has the US Sony VAIO Update 5 on it. I actually uninstalled the update software and I will check for updates manually myself.

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=VPCCW19GX&region_id=1

Question about the pointing device and 2 finger scrolling...how do I enable this or even get this? I got into my device settings and under "Scrolling" it only has "One-Finger Scrolling." The update sight doesn't have an update for it. Only the original driver.

 

I have been following this forum from the beginning itself, and sure was of immense help to me in taking a decision on cw. I have been to many forums but I think this one is the best .....especially the willingness of majority of members to help each other ........keep up the good work.....

 

Just wanna report for those interested... I'm playing GTA IV.

GTA IV is a really odd game when it comes to hardware support. The higher the settings are on some specific details in the options, the better it performs. Lower settings makes it perform much worse on the CW (GT 230M).

And this happens to pretty much anyone who plays the game, though. Been following GTAforums.com for a while and everyone appears to report the same. No matter how high-end, middle-end your PC is, it doesn't really do much of a difference. The PC port is just bad for GTA IV.

However... In general the game plays decently. Not smoothly, but decently. My NVIDIA control settings are set to balanced.

If anyone wants screenshots, just ask... I'll upload some.

 

Yes, it looks like it allows it to me.

 

I had the same issue, the only thing I saw was one finger scrolling. I downloaded and ran the top link from this:

http://forums.laptopvideo2go.com/topic/15103-latest-synaptics-touchpad-drivers/

And it worked! Hope that helps.

 

Well.. can you run the benchmark and tell me how it performs.. I might order the game just to play it once more.. I used to play it on my old Desktop with Quad core and ATI 4850 which barely used to run it at 40fps at med settings.. I totally agree that the PC port is bad..

 

Which Sony programs should I not delete?

 

That's good. Thanks

 

rofl, i was wondering how people keep getting the link for Vaio update 5 and sony has finally updated it and put it up on all the cw's I think. It's also on vpccw18fx. just like VPCCW19GX

but thanks again logan, just awesome. and btw: your cw is so beasty. jeez, makes mine feel weak now lol

 

For those of you that got the CW14FX model. Did it come with the Intel 5100 wireless card or something else? And is it only the Sony style store that get the 5100 in that model, or do places like best buy and amazon also get it. I've heard some people got the atheros one and some got intel.

 

no i meant where can i find the vaio recovery folder in my C drive, not from the start menu. like...

2. Make a copy of your "Vaio Recovery" folder (including all subfolders). It will be needed to finish the install. This can be found in C:\Windows\Sonysys\ or C:\Program Files\Sony. It might be located elsewhere on your model, so do a search for it if you can't find it. It should contain a program called Launch.exe or Launcher.exe, but depending on your model, the name might be different. This is the same program as your VAIO recovery software. If you aren't SURE you've found this program, stop. This guide won't work without it.

that's from the semi-clean install. help please still!

 

How big is the recovery folder/partition? I'm formatting a new external drive, and I want to make a partition just to backup the Vaio recovery.

 

Thanks it worked. Just not sure if I like the 2 finger scroll as much as I thought I would heh.

 

It seems a little bit like it is not as responsive as I would have liked it to be. Like sometimes it works and sometimes it is a little bit stubborn. I'm going to look around later for other drivers and if I find something I will let you know.

But with this driver you still have the one finger scroll and the circular scroll thing, you just have to activate it.

 

Anyone want to check the restore size for me? Otherwise I can't partition my external until Monday

 

What color to get. Black or white. I thought I would never think about getting a white laptop but after seeing it, white looks just as good as black..

 

Black shows every fingerprint and piece of dust. White doesn't.

 

CW update:
You can no longer buy the CW series on bestbuy.com and on sonystyle.com

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...52921666016668&categoryId=8198552921644659496

I was planning on getting in January, hopefully they are not discontinuing the product..

 

where is the vaio recovery folder in the C drive? this is for step two in the semi-clean install guide but i just cant seem to find the recovery folder or the vaiorecv.eve.

 

Sure you can, at both places. You just can't get the "downgrade" version with Windows XP, which is what your link connected to, or some of the various options that are out of stock or no linger listed.

 

I just looked again, on the sony website:
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...52921665977150&categoryId=8198552921644659496

It wont let you customize or buy premades.

Best Buy is out of stock

 

Looks like they are out of all the processors

 

Ill just be happy when mine finally makes it here this week. Living in Italy I had to have it shipped to a place in the states then sent to me. Bought the signature series before it went out of stock

 

yeah, I called a sales rep earlier today. The woman on the phone told me that the company has not told them when they will get more in stock...

 

That's so annoying. And just when I had more or less decided on getting a CW for my sister. The other strange thing is that the customization options vary among countries. I can get the option of the 230M in Canada but only the 210M in the US?

 

Hmm. Now mine shows out of stock as well at Sony Style, but it didn't a few minutes ago when I checked the regular CTO page. Probably running late-night web page updates. Their site is running VERY slowly right now. Your link is still going to a special downgrade version page. Check here:
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SYCTOProcess?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&LBomId=8198552921665977150&categoryId=8198552921644659496 Frankly, too many items and options are listed as "out of stock", including software options, to find the listing believable. Try again in a few hours.

Best Buy is still showing stock at some of the stores, but is running out fast. In my area, Michigan, a State only search doesn't show anything, but a zip-code search shows them at one nearby store in Pontiac. Try a city or zip-code search, moving gradually farther out if you have to. They used to do inter-store transfers, within some regions, but I haven't tried that recently. I suspect that the "Saturday before Xmas" buyers have been out in force.

 

yeah there is only one store that has one in a 25 or so mile radius for me on bestbuy, it happens to be a store that is the farthest away on the list too haha. Hopefully Sony will have them in stock in January (which is when I plan on buying mine). I looked last night as well, it wasn't this bad, but the only color to purchase on sony style white.


just looked at other notebook series:
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...52921665961655&categoryId=8198552921644564889

it is doing the same thing, so you are right about the website being messed up.

 

Do you guys think they will still offer a free (upgrade to) blu-ray drive, playback in January (when it is in stock again)?



*I am not even exactly sure if this was just a holiday giveaway thing or just a regular offer from them.



I'm so pissed because not only did they have a free upgrade to blu-ray playback but also the (free) 230 graphics...and I passed because I didn't have sufficient funds in my banking account . I hope so.

 

Hey I have a question for you guys,

is it just me (maybe I am not used to the higher resolution), or do images/videos appear grainy/blotchy? I go to some youtube videos and they appear to look that way... they lack crispness.

I searched "Vaio grainy" in google and this was the first result I got:

http://club.vaio.sony.eu/clubvaio/gb/en/forum/viewthread?thread=67020&lastpage=yes

This guy also has the CW. What is up with this?

 

i have this problem too. when i watch videos on youtube, the image looks blocky and not clear. I got cw17fx today.

 

Question for the people who have this laptop with either 2.1 or 2.53 core 2 duo. How does cod mw2 run on it (low detail, med detail, etc).

 

At FedEx destination facility
SAN DIEGO, CA

Ship date Dec 18, 2009
Estimated delivery Dec 23, 2009 by 7:00 PM

Dec 19, 2009 12:50 PM// At local FedEx facility// SAN DIEGO, CA



Since its already here, they're not open weekends. but since its already in SD can i just go to fed ex and pick it up on monday instead of waiting till wed for them to bring it???

 

i dont play those games so i cant really say but games like starcraft and maple story runs smooth.

 

For people who still want to buy the CW series, can look at www.JR.com and www.newegg.com....

below is a link:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834117966