Official Sony Vaio Fit multi-flip PC Owners' Thread

@challis1991, good for you, however, I would like to warn you that I the new wifi drivers on my Flip 15A were the reasons for my machines demise. I had installed the windows updates and then did Windows8.1, and a few days later the wifi failed and all normal functionality to my laptop ceased. I could not log, it would crash on boot, start screen and Windows troubleshooter couldn't fix the problem.

Anyway, Sony tech support advised a factory reset as he couldn't figure out the wifi driver version being newer than he was aware of. I performed the factory reset and followed all the vaio and windows updates through to win8.1. But again a few days later the same thing happened with the wifi. Sony tech support advised me to do another factory reset and stick with Windows 8 as the wifi driver on Windows update was causing problems with the machine and Sony were unaware of it. Therefore, my brand new custom built Vaio Flip 15A is incompatible with Windows 8.1 and runs very slow on Win8. The machine is currently on its way back to Sony, where I am hoping for a new machine or a refund.

I am envious and surprised others are able to run Windows 8.1. I loved my Flip 15A ....when it was working

 

@hqsewell, thanks for sharing your terrible ordeal with getting a working laptop... it really is ridiculous!

In regards, the dimming setttings... I had already performed the steps above and created my own power plan ("Always On") with no screen dimming and no hard disk sleeping. I also changed the settings on Intel Graphic Properties, right-click on desktop, and select display, the setting is there. However, I cannot find it but have read on a forum there are three places to disable the screen from dimming... we have just described two..

 

@fl0werstar, I performed all the necessary updates on vaio and windows and then to windows 8.1 upgrade and then more vaio and windows updates. This too caused the bugs for me as I missed Vaio updates the first time around, but after first factory reset the wifi problem came up again and was advise to do another factory reset and stick with Windows 8. Now if I call Sony support, my machine is incompatible with win8.1. It is currently on its way back to Sony, and hopefully replaced with a new machine or refund.

 

Please keep us updated. I have no such issues on my 13A, wi-fi works like a charm for me. I'm growing very suspicious of Sony, I'm more and more sure a large portion of the devices they issue are faulty in one way or another, though if you're lucky or persistent you can get perfect ones. For instance the BIOS update really fixed my new flip's wheezy fan (it's really just off like 90% of the time!), while did nothing on the old one that had no pitch only blew sticky notes off my desk. Not that that bothered me too much, BTW. The screen on that one was showing gradually more and more light patches, whereas there's only a dead pixel on this one. So, along the same lines, some of the devices seem to act like ticking tine bombs, reacting to updates or simple use in all sorts of weird ways...

So, as I said before, it is crucial that all owners whose devices display more than the occasional quirks send or take them back to Sony. This is the only way to get what we are entitled to.

 

I have the sneaky suspicion that the only reason I may not be having WiFi issues I'd that my flip never really moves out of my room where the signal is good xD Ah well at least I have a 4 year warranty if all else fails. I have to admit it does seem like the flip has been a bit of a flop, maybe I should have waited for a later version but never mind. I still like it and doubt I would have been happy with anything else currently on the market.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

Sorry to disappoint, but not having wifi issues with mine. Sad to say, you are going to be happy long term with your machine.

 

Have you ever found an answer to your issue #2? I've having the exact same problem with Sony Vaio Flip 15a. This one can be 2880x1620 at it's highest resolution, but I usually prefer 1920x1080. So I I change it to that, and flip the screen it goes back to 2880x1620. Doesn't matter if I start in desktop mode or tablet mode, whenever I flip the resolution changes to the highest one and everything is tiny.

 

Have you ever found an answer to your issue #2? I've having the exact same problem with Sony Vaio Flip 15a. This one can be 2880x1620 at it's highest resolution, but I usually prefer 1920x1080. So I I change it to that, and flip the screen it goes back to 2880x1620. Doesn't matter if I start in desktop mode or tablet mode, whenever I flip the resolution changes to the highest one and everything is tiny.

 

So it turns out Windows 8 is capable of crashing the bios during hibernation resulting in a corrupt BIOS and the inability to power on the laptop. Got it all fixed quickly at the service centre. Boy do I hate windows 8.....

 

So is it only the 15A that's causing problems for Canadians? Because I live in Canada and despite a couple of tweeks which I have resolved, I am loving my tablet. But if the 15A is a disaster, then I'm going to skip it as my new regular laptop.

I'll wait for another 15" superstar to dazzle me. My asus 17" is only a year old, but it's a beast and my legs feel numb after an hour.

 

hi guys:

purchased a vaio flip13a a couple days ago. I love the look and feel of the computer, but i'm having a few concerning issues which might cause me to return it

1) Fan is on almost 24/7. (Yes, I already ran all important updates + BIOS update + Windows Updates) [currently on windows 8]

2) Laptop randomly shuts down sometimes. I have had it for about 2 days and it has happened about 3-4 times already. I'll be in the middle of doing something (tablet, or laptop mode) and suddenly the whole thing will just shut down.

Aside from those two issues, I absolutely love everything about the laptop. But if I cannot solve these two problems..I think i'll have to start looking for another laptop...which will be a shame since I love the Flip.

Your advice is greatly appreciated..

 

HI guys,the model 15" with I7 only has black in my region.U guys feel the same not the black attracts finger prints easily?

 

No, I didn't...

 

A laptop shutting down suddenly is mostly due to overheating, windows shuts down immediately in order to prevent hardware damage. Does your laptop feel unusually hot when it is shutting down? If it's overheating despite the fan being on 24/7, there's definitely something wrong... That's not a regular issue I've heard about the Flip, so I would ask for a repair/replacement

 

I have black and though, like anything black, I presumed it would show dust etc. But have found -- because of the "metallic" nature of the surface (as opposed to gloss) -- finger prints are not terribly noticeable.

 

I have the 14A, so may not be alike, but have you tried using the "scaling" thingie that allows you to fine tune your display. I know it's not the same but it really help me dial in my screen.

 

Yeah, it does sound like overheating to me as well. Fan shouldn't be ON all the time and those shutdowns could be for protection (against heat damage). Just to confirm, you could download and run a program like Core Temp to check your CPU core temperatures ; you should get temps in the low 40s when idle and somewhere in the 60s under heavy load. It's a free and light little program : Core Temp

Let us know how it turns out

 

I am currently running the latest wifi driver form Sony (version 16.1.5.2), but when I got to the Intel support site and run their driver update detection utility it indicates there is a later driver from Intel - version 16.6.0. Has anyone tried this version out?

I only began to investigate because I noticed web browsing seemed a bit slow, ran a check on speedtest.net and sure enough saw 5 mbps (instead of the 50 I pay for). Checked the status of the adapter and sure enough it showed a connection speed of 5.5 Mbps. One person in that forum indicated they saw a slow speed degradation over time and if they disabled and re-enabled the adapter in control panel, the speeds returned to normal. Sure enough, I disabled it, waited a few seconds, and re-enabled and my connection speed showed 78 Mbps. In all instances my "signal" bars were the same (i.e. 4-5 bars).

I haven't downloaded the new drivers as of yet (note: one person indicated they did the download WITHOUT all of Intel's Proset extra software and that seemed better than with the software), as I would prefer Sony "certify" these first and make them available via the regular Vaio update. If this were MY laptop instead of my wife's I would just go for it.

Anyone?

 

I am really confused...13" too small for me, 14" dont have I7, do you guys think 15" not too bulky to carry around? Really dont know should i give it a go or buy the apple macbook pro 15?...

 

If you ask yourself this question you should probably go for the macbook pro, if you don't care about the money and you don't 'need' the touchscreen/tablet mode and the digitizer. The quality of the macbook is in another league, and the i5 and the i7 processors in the macbook are much, much faster. And that's from the mouth of real 'apple hater'.

And on the bulky note: the 15" i have is indeed just a bit too large for my current 15" laptop bag. So I think need to go find me a new one...

 

You should try the 15A on your lap, for just 5 minutes. Your legs will fall off because of the sharp edge in the back of the screen. You can however use the 15A in the 'wedge' mode which is better/great.

 

The 14A can be ordered with the i7 where I live. Either you don't have it in your country, or they just ran out temporarily at the factory in China. By the way, the difference in performance between the i5 and i7 ULVs isn't that much.
And like Badrid said, Flips and MB Pros are like apples (heheh) and oranges ; two completely different machines for different uses. The MB Pro is a power notebook while the Flip is (or should I say wants to be) a Swiss Army knife of ultrabook + tablet with digitizer. On the power side, it compares more to a MacBook Air, not a Pro. In tablet mode, it is arguably the best in this new class.

 

Take a look at the Samsung ATIV Book 8 - We waffled between it and the Sony 15A. It does not have a flip screen, but honestly, in a 15" 5 lbs form factor that is more of a gimmick. The Sammie is powerful and a swap to a full SSD would make it awesome (7 hr battery life doesn't hurt either). The only downside I can see is the lack of a true IPS screen...it isn't a regular TN panel though either...is the IPL (I think that is what it is called) technology. Still very nice and faster than the Sony.

 

As an aside on my own question, I do see folks in the Sony forum (under the Sony VAIO Pro) posting in a 180 PAGE thread about the Intel card. There are folks there with the latest driver and even the latest Intel beta driver. Stay tuned...

Sony thread:

[New Sony Vaio Pro] Wifi Issue! - Page 175 - Sony's Community Site

 

If you have used a tablet for taking notes you'd realize that 15" gives you a lot of space for note taking and other things.

BTW PLS panels were meant to compete with IPS panels.

 

Hey guys, probably this problem has been already discussed, but the brightness on my 13A seems to be automatic even though I disabled the auto brightness from the Windows 8.1 settings...is there something I'm missing? Thanks

 

This is very helpful. Do you think you can post a youtube video showing how DPI scaling ends up looking on the Over FHD screen? I was looking at a comparison of your screenshots and it looks like the 2880 at 100% DPI scaling screenshot is a little blurry. In other words your 1080p at 100% DPI scaling screenshot was sharper than the 2880 at 100% DPI scaling. I'm not sure whether this is how it actually looks or whether this is a problem with the screenshot?

Thanks in advance

 

Hi,

I've been following this thread as I've been playing with my new 14" i7 flip the past couple of days. I'm also annoyed by the fan noise and I see that a bios update seems to fix this. How exactly do I go about updating the bios for this? I've updated to 8.1 and all of my current vaio updates are complete.

Another issue that I hope you can help me with:

My action center recently came up with notifications that say: "Reinstall intel bluetooth wireless high speed" and "Reinstall intel proset wireless/bluetooth" It goes on to say that I must reinstall using the original installation media or download files. If I'm not to locate the media or files, to contact Intel Corporation. I don't know what this update is for, but hopefully it solves the issue where I get 2 bars at 15 feet from the router.

I obviously don't have installation media since this laptop came with it's fair share of bloatware conveniently installed. Hopefully one of you insightful people can point me in the right direction. Thanks!

Edit: I just went online to the Intel driver update utility and surprise, no new drivers found. What the hell..

After being annoyed by the fan, I decided to investigate and learned that there is supposed to be a "silence" option in the control center. Anyone know why I don't have that option on mine?

 

What kind of battery life are you guys averaging on the 14 inch these days ? (Is the Duo still king of battery life among the two series) ?

 

@cabland, yes I have had the same issue with my Flip 15. See my posts from page 131 for details. In summary, I upgraded to Windows 8.1 without Vaio Updates and lost WiFi connection and general functionality, where it wouldnt boot into Windows. Sony Tech support couldn't figure it out told me to factory reset and run the Vaio Updates before Windows updates and upgrade to Windows 8.1. Followed these instructions and the same faults occured days later. Once again went through the same thing with Sony Tech Support, factory reset and advised to stay with Windows 8 (Intel driver 16.1.5.2)! They also said the driver I had whilst with Windows 8.1 was not known to Sony Vaio and therefore he had to raise a "flag" regarding this driver (16.5... something). Anyway, aside from the WiFi problems I had, after two factory resets, Windows 8 ran slow, had to do power button shutdowns often, fan went ott, touchpad and touchscreen started playing up.

My laptop was 20days old when I returned it this week. However, it is a custom build and was told Sony Canada need to assess the problem before a replacement (hopefully not refurbished) can he provided or even a refund. I am worried what the outcome will be...

 

Hi all,

I installed 16.6.2.1 via Windows Update two days ago and fingers crossed I have had no issues with the WiFi. Please bear in mind I never had any issues re WiFi anyway.

 

Was it "Adaptive" brightness you disabled? If not, that's the one you're after.

 

Welcome to the forum, rathergetayacht

About the fan : what happened with me and many here is that before the newer BIOS, then fan would come on under only light CPU load and run at full blast. It seems that Sony chose a fan unit that revs quite high with a loud, whining motor. The newer BIOS has changed the fan behavior, meaning it only comes on at higher CPU loads / core temperatures and works at lower RPMs than it did before. Or should I say at variable RPMs, rather than the full speed we had before. Two more important things to note : 1) Sony seems to have started shipping Flips with the newer BIOS already and, 2) at least one member here has had a defective Flip that didn't respond to the BIOS update because of an underlying severe overheating problem.

Now put more simply : your VAIO Update utility should inform you if you need a newer BIOS. In doubt, run the BIOS update tool and it will tell you if your current BIOS is up-to-date or not. Go to the Sony site and check for your model ; you'll find the BIOS tool there. If you have the latest BIOS and your fan still runs full blast under light loads, then you need to check your CPU core temps to make sure your unit isn't overheating, which would make your fan run all the time. A nice little utility to check temperatures is Core Temp : Core Temp

About the Bluetooth thing : yeah, I got the same thing with Action Center weeks ago after upgrading the Flip 14 to 8.1
I haven't done anything, mostly because everything seems to work and I have no indications of a problem in Device Manager. I paired BT headphones to check and they work just fine. My thinking is that Sony will eventually offer new drivers if there is a real problem. I re-read the messages in Action Center a few times just to be sure, yet I am still not sure what they mean exactly : at first I thought it meant we needed new drivers, but perhaps the messages are saying that existing drivers need to be reinstalled because the 8.1 upgrade somehow broke them. Not sure there. But if it ain't broken...
Reading this thread today I find out that Windows Update is offering new Wi-Fi drivers for Intel cards ? I'll have to check up on that when daughter comes back home from a trip later on.

 

I don't have the Flip in front of me at the moment, but the setting that did it for me was a Windows setting ; it was set at 30% (adaptive brightness) for both AC power and battery, so I set it to 100% for AC power and left it at 30% for battery (your choice). So basically I had no option to turn it On or Off there, but it turned out to be the only setting I needed to change to get rid of the 30% brightness at night. I had tried earlier to turn the feature Off via Intel card settings but that didn't do anything. Intel card only here, no nVidia, so your mileage may vary.

 

I updated to W8.1 and installed the Intel driver 16.6.0. First time it failed, but the second time it ended without errors. It seems it needs to delete a service, before it can upgrade.
After that, the Vaio Update program wanted to install the older Sony driver.
After the reboot it said it failed. I also noticed that I couldn't reconnect to my wifi router, after coming back from sleep.

I tried to run the Intel updater again, but this was one big mess.
I ended up deleting the Bluetooth and (network) wifi drivers and run the Intel again.
Since then everything is fine for me.

There is a problem with the VAIO updater. When it can't connect to the internet, it can't do any update.
That's a bit of a catch when you need to delete the wifi driver, before you can update.

But again, after all the mess, wifi is working without any problems (so far) with the newer Intel driver with W8.1.

 

That totally depends on how you want to use it. As a regular laptop, I think the 15" flip is not at all bulky. The flipping of the screen in this case is to make it a useful drawing table, rather than a portable tablet. So if you were going for a more tablet-like use, you would probably want to go for the 13" (or even a vaio Duo 13 or 11).

And if your main purpose is using it as a laptop, you don't really care about the tablet mode + digitizer and are wiling to spend the money; then go for the macbook.

 

Thanks for all your advise in this thread

I went for a mbp in the end and a couple of months in im very happy with it, running my windows programs on vmware and would recommend to anyone else
with a similar decision

 

So right now my touchpad has decided to stop left clicking by both tap and physical click...

 

Thanks, I found and ran the bios update tool and it said that my firmware is current and no update is needed. I can't imagine how it could have possibly been worse haha. I'll check out the windows update as well. Thanks for your help!

Also, do you have the "silence" option for your fan in the vaio control center? I can't find it but I keep seeing people refer to it. That seems to be the only way I'll be able to use this thing in a quiet classroom.

 

I checked out the 13 yesterday at the Sony Store and the silence fan setting is only on the 13, I think. It's not on my 14 either.

 

Another option might be to throttle the CPU and GPU in the Windows Power Plan.
In the Advanced Settings there are options for the Processor Power Management and Intel Graphics Setting.

 

Guys, do you think this is normal? I'v been using the flip for 1h45min with the brightness at the minimum and I started at 95% battery and now I'm at 63%, and my usage was just surfing the web, no videos, no office, nothing....I'm really disappointed

 

are you running on the High Performance plan?

 

Nope, silent mode!

EDIT: I just opened the task manager and I'm seeing that I have 7 apps running, like IE (metro), bing news, sky drive ecc ecc..but in the menu of the left (you know, when you swipe and see the applications opened) I have just the desktop and nothing else! Is this normal? Is there another multitasking menu? I'd like to close those applications! Maybe it's this the problem with my battery life

Sorry for my english

 

So you used 32% in 1.45 hours. So that's about 5.15 hours in total. Does seem fairly normal to me for the VAIO's. (at least the 15A, not sure about the 13A)

 

Well the reviews claim 6, 6 and a half hours with normal use and brightness around 50%, I have the brightness to the minimum, silent mode, surfing the web without doing anything else and i get 5 hours? I don't think is normal

 

So I was among those who ordered the flip really early, and got my flip 15 in early December. I've been really satisfied with it and not had much of a fan issue, even less after the latest bios.
However, today I tried some gaming for an hour or so during which the fan was spinning quite loudly (but still OK, was using headphones). Suddenly it turned off and now it doesn't turn on anymore. The battery off button does not help.
It was quite hot so naturally I assumed it had overheated, but that would mean that the fan, loud as it is, still isn't efficient enough... The laptop was on a desk with nothing blocking the fan in any way.
Anyway, will be calling Sony tomorrow to send it in. Never had a computer which such a severe fault so early before.

 

There is a small reset button on the bottom of your laptop, have you tried this? Although I'm not sure what it does...

 

I'm on a 14a, and have about 42% and left after about 4 hours of light to moderate use (PC set to Balanced mode, brightness at about 30-40%, have IE9 with a few tabs open, playing some Youtube videos, occasionally editing some photos in Lightroom 5, playing some game apps in Metro interface, etc.). So conservatively, that works out to about 7 hours for me, which I'm pretty happy with. Keep in mind I haven't upgraded to 8.1 yet, as I've heard of battery life taking a hit with it..... What browser are you running on? I've heard Chrome can be quite a battery hog.

 

Control Panel > Power options > Edit Plan settings > Change advanced Power Settings > Display > Enable adaptive brightness > OFF or ON for the settings given.