Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
Hi Kool,
you do get both Bluetooth drivers when you activate Bluetooth on your Flip. The Bluetooth hardware is included on the Intel 7260 network adapter card (I have exactly the same) so when you disable Bluetooth in the system settings both driver entries will vanish automatically.
But without these drivers the Bluetooth adapter won't work at all so don't delete/disable them yourself!
The TAP-drivers are something I haven't seen on my Flip, yet, but I have seen other threads concerning those and folks wanting to get rid of them.
You should be able to "deinstall" them in the Device Manager but if that doesn't work follow the advice posted on April 25th in this thread (see bottom!):
https://social.technet.microsoft.co...as-drivers-installing?forum=w8itpronetworking
The Wifi reception shouldn't be affected by both the Bluetooth and the TAP drivers, anyway (completely different frequency range and separate antennas), so there must be some other reason for it.
Some Flip owners were never happy with their Wifi connection but other never had a problem. I'm not a good benchmark here as I always had a router close to my Flip when I used Wifi.
I also strongly doubt that your Wifi driver installation is the culprit and if you have installed all Windows updates then you should have the newest drivers for the Wifi-adapter (this is the "Intel(R) Wireless-N 7260"-entry).
You could also try to manually update the driver with the Device Manager (see the driver tab).
Or you could try to deinstall the Wifi-driver in the Device Manager, then hit "refresh" and it will be found again. Then Windows should proceed to re-install the driver. But don't uninstall the Intel Wireless Software in the program manager unless you have the full package to re-install them again!
Will this solve your reception problem? I honestly can't say but it's worth a try and doesn't take too long.
If everything listed here fails you could replace the Wifi card with another one but I haven't done that (yet) so I have to refer you to the search function as other folks here have experience with that and done that successfully. A more modern card will produce higher transfer speeds, too, at least if you have the infrastructure (AC-capable Wifi router).
This obviously requires you to purchase a Wifi-card and open up the Flip to replace the old card with the new one.
Personally, I see this as the last option.
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This 317701 update ("EP0000317701.exe") was on the German support page for my model since March 2014. There they call it "NFC Driver - 6.5.9.0" and the descriptions begins with " What does it fix?
Improve the NFC performance." (in English on the German site, of course...):
http://www.sony.de/support/de/content/cnt-dwnl/prd-comp/EP0000317701_9456/SVF15N2Z2E
Apparently there are differences between different countries - the usual Sony support quality, I guess...
All downloads on the German page appear to be international versions anyway.
Perhaps you find something new:
http://www.sony.de/support/de/content/cnt-dwnl/SVF15N2Z2E/list
You may have to click on "Alle Downloads anzeigen" (Show all downloads).
Finally, I got several updates for the network driver via regular Windows Update. The last one is only a few months old so I think I'm pretty current (even though I never noticed any improvement in my home network),MrSL likes this. -
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Yes, I've tried this trick already and it doesn't work. Interesting thing is that I have this problem only on max desktop resolution (2880x1620). When I scale desktop down to 2048x1536, in-game scaling for 1600x900 works just fine (no borders). BTW I've noticed that "full screen scaling" option is greyed out (disabled) for 2880x1620 in nvidia settings panel. It seems the display driver doesn't support scaling for this res (?)... But how is scaling possible in other games? For example StarCraft 2 has no problems with scaling on 2880x1620 when game resolution is set to fullhd...
Magic
Thanks for your input. -
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Hmmm...
I've had problems with failing keyboards entirely or temporary until the next reset but never for a couple of minutes. If the Flip had a Logitech keyboard with special drivers (which they suck at) I would expect *everything* but here I'm out of ideas!
I also don't think that it makes sense to refresh the basic Windows keyboard drivers but if you want to I won't stop you, though...
When you look from above the keyboard fan is on the left and the harddisk is on the right side.
If you hear something from the right and you don't touch the Flip in that moment it's likely coming from the harddisk.
As I have pulled the hybrid harddrive out of my Flip more than a year ago I can't say how it sounds under normal circumstances but I think it's rather quiet, even when doing head movements (it's the WD 1TB hybrid with 16GB flash cache).
As there is nothing else on the right side - no "transformers" etc. - that could do the sounds you describe I would bet on the harddrive. Sometimes a drive failure announces itself by massive head movements (when the disk uses replacement sectors from the end of the drive, for example), but it's not a guarantee that it *will* fail.
I would suggest you keep up your backup duties and see if this noise comes up regularly or more often.
I treat my Flip like an unboiled egg so I haven't had any hardware-related problems until now. I'm eager to see how long it will stay that way...
I understand you perfectly - the Sony Flips could be fantastic in theory but they remain uneven designs, even if everything works. At the time they came to the market there was nothing better, though, so I bought one myself - also especially for using it as a 15" graphical tablet. But even then I'm not fully satisfied as the HiDPI screen - while having a really nice resolution - has worse viewing angles than expected (and as reviewed - but most reviewers only had the FullHD versions...).
I'm also not really satisfied with the pen feel on the display and while the Surface pen is a tiny bit better I'm still not really good with it.
I therefore see myself getting a better tablet in the future, too, but not for "hard core gaming". In fact the performance of my Flip is sufficient for me - what's bad is that it can't run at full steam for more than three seconds without producing extremely loud fan noise...
As I doubt that JIP will bring anything to Europe I do have my eyes on the other companies on the market but each and everyone hasn't brought anything that I like, yet. The closest has been HP with their 15" slate but their pen digitizer sucks. I also don't know if the harddrive is user replaceable but perhaps future models are better. -
Similar here. From the very first day I've installed key stickers on a keyboard and a screen protector.
Yup, the pen should be better, it doesn't give proper resistance against the screen (the experience is not even close to the pen and paper). And, of course, my screen protector makes it worse. I've read somewhere that Microsoft's pen actually works really good. All in all I've learnt to use the Sony's just fine. The problem is - it's not as comfortable as good old pen and paper
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I have both and the Microsoft Surface 3 pen is different only in details but not an entirely new beast.
(Note that the Surface 2 pen is not compatible as it uses Wacom technology internally!)
Here's a comparison review I wanted to write the whole time since I got the Microsoft pen a few weeks ago:
Optics:
Both pens look nice and professional, not playful at all. The Sony pen is designed more like an old school inking pen while the Microsoft pen looks a bit more like a regular ballpoint pen. The designs are mostly clean and they don't look like computer pens at all.
The Sony pen is black while the Microsoft pen comes in - I think - six different colors including silver and black. I got the black one to match my Flip and I think it looks the best but this is of course highly subjective.
The buttons on both pens are always black so if you have a non-black Microsoft pen they are easier to find if you don't use the pen a lot. Thanks to the color selection the Microsoft pen has a clear advantage.
The Sony pen, however, sports a fairly large Sony logo (why didn't these dolts at Sony put a nice VAIO logo on it like on the Flip itself?) and on the other side is a ****load of useless data in a muted gold tone including a big CE sign. Very annoying!
The Microsoft pen has no printing or branding on it of any kind - much nicer, IMHO! Depending on your taste this can be another quick advantage for the Microsoft pen.
Construction:
Both pens are made of metal and feel solid. One can expect that for their prices (about $50 or 50 Euros). I suspect both are made from aluminium but the Microsoft pen could be made out of magnesium from the feel of it. No clear advantage here.
Both pens use a single AAAA-type for their nTrig technology (position, pressure and the two side buttons) while the Microsoft pen sports two additional tiny batteries for the Bluetooth button at the tip.
Both pens are about the same weight, if anything the Sony pen actually feels very slightly heavier, even though it doesn't contain two additional batteries. I can't measure this, though, as I don't have access to a precision weighing machine but I don't see an advantage for the Sony pen anyway.
The Sony pen is actually longer, too: About 1.0 to 1.5 millimeters but this also has no discernable effect on the user. No advantage here, too.
Functionality & Performance:
Yes, the Microsoft pen has the now well-known Bluetooth button at the other end, but you can't really use it, even though the driver for it is installed automatically. There is no program that "listens" to this button data (butoon pressed!) and starts an application like OneNote. Perhaps OneNote itself does this but I don't need it and don't have it installed but perhaps there is a solution out there somewhere that isn't common knowledge around here, yet...
Advantage for the Microsoft pen if the button has a use. If not then it's a disadvantage because of the additional non-rechargeable batteries that will likely run out of power someday and end up polluting the environment.
The Sony pen is slightly smoother than the Microsoft one and the latter is therefore slightly grippier. I would say the Microsoft one has a slight but definitive advantage here.
Another "real" difference is that the Sony pen has a rubber ring around it about an inch from the tip while the Microsoft pen does not. In theory this ring is a good idea as it prevents the fingers from getting too close to the tip - but if the user actually has the pen in his hand like this he needs to slide his thumb up to reach the two buttons along the pen.
In practice I never held the pen in a way that the rubber ring had any use to me. Still, this is can be a tiny advantage for the Sony pen depending on how you use it.
The next difference is the clip. The Sony clip is both shorter and about a centimeter "into the pen" compared to the Microsoft pen. I don't know if it's simply a question of aesthetics or if the Sony pen is designed for shorter Japanese breast pockets but the Microsoft pen feels more at home in Western breast pockets and doesn't stick out as much. Advantage depending on your pocket size.
Another difference in usability is the design of the two side buttons. On both pens they are equally distant from the tip. As both pens are using the exact same nTrig version both buttons have the same functionality - so no difference there.
However, the buttons on the Microsoft pen are indeed quite different, mechanically:
- They protrude about half a millimeter while the Sony pens are flush with the pen and need to be pushed into it. I often had to "finger search" for them as the pen rotates more easily in my hand than the Microsoft pen.
- The Microsoft buttons are less smooth than the pen while the Sony buttons are even smoother! The Microsoft buttons are therefore definitely grippier!
- Finally, on the Microsoft pen the lower button (nearer to the tip) is oval and as large as the upper button while on the Sony pen it's circular and therefore smaller than the second button. This makes the handling of the lower button easier.
All three differences make the Microsoft buttons way more comfy than the ones on the Sony pen. Personally, I'd say that this is the biggest difference of the two pens and this is a definitive and clear advantage for the Microsoft pen.
I saved the most important question for the end: How do they feel on the surface of the panel?
Both pens are absolutely equally precise and both have about the same distances they are registered by the digitizer, including lift-off distance. All in all the performance in this regard is absolutely the same on the Flip. So no advantages here.
The Sony pen tip ("nib") feels smoother, more plastic-like and the Microsoft pen tip, while a tiny bit thinner in diameter, feels a bit like rubber and it has significantly more resistance. The differences become more apparent the longer the pen-strokes are or the more you press the pen down.
The Microsoft pen also has a slightly more springy tip but the difference is negligible in my book - the real difference lies in the material of the tip. Depending on your "taste" this can be a massive advantage for either pen but I suspect more people will prefer the Microsoft pen here.
And then there is the problem with "hand oil" (a mixture of sweat, old skin and who knows what): When you press part of your hand against the screen there will be some residue left, even if you clean your hands like crazy. The human skin eventually oozes out something that will stick to the shiny, smooth screen surface and make it uneven.
The Sony pen sometimes produces gaps in the strokes on such uneven surfaces but the Microsoft pen handles this slightly better thanks to its rubbery tip. Both pens are still much more affected to this than, say, a Wacom pen by a Wacom tablet surface that is rough and will suck up this hellish mixture and still give you a feel that is more like paper.
If you keep your screen shiny (because you wear a thin cotton glove on your pen hand like many professional artists) then the difference isn't that big but otherwise the Microsoft pen has a clear advantage.
However, both pens don't feel at all like Wacom pens on the "rough" Wacom tablet surfaces. Both feel like being pressed against a smooth glassy surface and not like anything paper-based. So if you don't like this none of these pens will make you happy!
So what is the summary?
For most users the Microsoft pen will probably be the better choice, IMHO - but it's not cheap, especially if you already have the Sony pen.
If you don't have a pen, though, or you want a backup pen the Sony one is nearly impossible to get now while the Microsoft pen is readily available and comes in - I think - six colors. So while it has its price (like everything Surface-related from Microsoft...) there is definitely a selection to choose from right now.
For those who don't like to shell out as much: There should still be compatible ones available on Ebay. In this thread there are a few posts with more information about which models work and which don't.
I hope this clears some of the questions, even if the thread is not very frequented anymore.
If I find a way to use the rear button on the Microsoft pen I'll post it but I won't be angry if anybody is quicker!
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Thanks for the reply Cal. I also have the N7260 wireless adapter. I attached a pic showing that indeed according to Intel's Update Utility that Intel provides different bluetooth drivers different from that of the wireless adapter.
At this point I'm tempted in downloading and installing this bluetooth driver from the utility. I know, I know.. you mentions the hints.. but I'm that adventurous fool who likes to always find the best ways to cover s many corners as possible to make things better. But I'm also cautious. So given this new info what do you think?Attached Files:
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Official Sony Vaio Fit multi-flip PC Owners' Thread
Discussion in 'VAIO / Sony Owners' Lounge Forum' started by big_boss, Oct 13, 2013.
