Official VAIO FW Series Owners Thread

The hard drive is just to the right of the trackpad so that is what you feeling. Nothing you're going to be able to do about that. If you run on battery, you'll notice the system runs a lot cooler...that's cuz all kinds of background junk stops running to be nice to the battery.

 

Very nice...and it runs cool. I saw another HDTune report for the 7K200 with a temp of 48C...I'm not sure what system it was running in. If I had known Sony was using that drive in the FW, I'm certain I would have sprung for it. However, as it stands the 7K320 I upgraded to is really the right size...it's already half full so 200GB would not have been enough.

 

PhilFlow has. The difference is dramatic, most noticeably the brightness. The HiColor is blindingly bright, crisp, vivid, saturated, and accurate. I found the Eco display ordinary...not horrible like HP....but ordinary.

 

that should be what you are looking for, the picture does not do the hi-colour justice. go hi colour if you have the money you wont regret it.

 

Lol, anyone think a thread should be stickied on this Eco vs. HiColor issue? It just keeps coming up.

 

Is it possible to get an FW160D with a HiColor screen? Or will I have to return it to the store and just get a CTO from the website?

(I bought the laptop a week and a half ago in Canada, can I still return it?)

 

sony really doesn't switch out screen, in regards to the return this is from the sonystyle site under returns and rebates (link below)

"Computer Products* Notebooks, Computer Peripherals and Accessories (excluding software**) 15 Days from the date listed on the receipt."

in the US there is no restocking fee i believe but in Canada its 10%

http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/se...ort/ShippingNReturns/shipping_returns.html#a1

 

hello

just got a sony FW. I can watch movies full screen just fine, but when I have a youtube clip and i click to make it full screen, the whole screen just turns black. Does anyone know how to fix this? Tried changing the resolutions as well but not helping...

 

Rightmouseclick the video when it's full screen > Deselect "Enable Hardware Acceleration"!

 

oh great thanks !

 

So, do you think paying the 10% restocking fee, AND the money to ship it back to Canada (I'm in the UK till novemberish), AND the extra $200 or so it would cost gettting the CTO, is worth it for the HiColor screen? It does look fantastic from that picture.

 

That's totally up to you. As I said, there are users on here who are happy with their Ecos... and you said yourself that you are happy with it except you now know there's something better out there. So it seems a bit extreme to go to all the hassle I reckon.

If you're starting to obsess about it though, it's probably a good idea to just bite the bullet and get a HiColor.

However, if Sony aren't going to be very cooperative, shipping costs are high and it's going to take a while, what about investigating a private sale or fleabay to offload your current one and then just buy a new one?

Either way, it seems like a lot of trouble to go to. Whether it's worth it, only you can decide I'm afraid!

EDIT: I've just thought... given how much more expensive UK laptops usually are, you might be best trying to sell it over here. Given it's almost brand new you could probably save somebody some cash and maybe even make a profit on what you bought it for? Just a thought... I haven't checked the prices for this model myself.

 

Yeah, I was just thinking I could sell it when I go back, and then just get a CTO when I'm over there.

But your idea is really good thought actually... I could sell my current one over here, then order a CTO to a friends house in Canada, and get them to ship it over here, right?

 

Sure, or you could sell your current one and just order a CTO from Portable One and get it shipped straight to the UK...

 

Oh cool! Two questions.. where is the CTO option for the FW on that site? And, how much do they charge to ship to the UK?

 

Ah I see, this is probably the one I want right?

http://laptopsinc.com/Merchant2/mer...Product_Code=VGNFW190EEH&Category_Code=SONYFW

faster processor than my current FW, 1GB less RAM, which doesn't matter because Vista can only utilize 3GB anyway, right?

 

Dunno and dunno. Sorry, I haven't looked myself but I've just heard Portable One is a good site to order imported FWs from. (And because they're imported, there are usually a bigger range of spec. options.)

Their site:

http://laptopsinc.com/

Click Laptops > Sony > FW > Configure / more info

EDIT: beat me to it.

 

infyMcGirk has a point, if you want it get it dont feel guilty that you dont have one. Its the same thing that is happening over here alot of people are considering importing just for the upgrade GPU. Personally i dont really need the extra graphic punch so its really up to you.

 

It says that FW-190EEH only has a 200GB HD. Is there any way to upgrade that?

edit : never mind, apparently that's a mistake. its actually got a 250gb HD right?

 

Try contacting them for a quote. They are an authorised service centre and seem very competent at doing upgrades for people if requested, from what I've read on here.

 

the VGNFW180EH ( http://laptopsinc.com/Merchant2/mer...&Product_Code=VGNFW180EH&Category_Code=SONYFW) the same as the FW-190EEH except with a bigger hard drive.

 

The FW180EH only has an Eco screen though.

 

my mistake i saw the XBRITE and i gave up reading the rest

 

From what I've been reading though, the 200GB on the FW190EEH is a mistake? It's actually a 250GB 5400rpm?

 

Hi... It's my first laptop and it's a sony!
I have bought a vaio and don't want to keep vista provide with. I decided to install XP Pro and after many hours of research, this is what YOU need!
The model I have is the VGN-FW11L.

If you make the installation of Windows, you will get a BOSD. This is because you don't have the correct drivers for the SATA controllers. Download the drivers and slipstream your own Windows Setup CD.
LINK FOR THE SATA CONTROLLER:
http://www.mediafire.com/?i1mmmdg91zj

You can found the chipset drivers directly to the intel website:
LINK OF THE WEBSITE:
http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/sb/CS-029319.htm
DIRECT DOWNLOAD LINK:
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/scripts-df-external/Product_Filter.aspx?ProductID=816

For the graphics card, ATI HD3470, you can found it directly at sony website coz it's in use in other vaio model.
I have tried the mobility modder tools, a tool who make some modification of the original ati drivers, but I've got a blue screen. Safe mode and uninstall if you make the mistake...
GO HERE AND DOWNLOAD THE ATI VIDEO DRIVERS:
http://www.sony-asia.com/support/download/240810/sectionfirst?subpage=detail

Don't close the website, coz you can download and use the wifi drivers from here too.

I don't remember if it's for the wifi or the bluetooth drivers, but you will get problem to install it if you don't have the new installer from microsoft. If you don't want to be worried about this, install the service pack 3.

For the ethernet drivers, it's easy coz it's a marvell yukon.
GO THERE AND PROVIDE YOUR INFO:
http://www.marvell.com/drivers/search.do

For the audio, get it from realtek:
DIRECT LINK:
ftp://202.65.194.212/pc/audio/WDM_R202.exe

You can see in the windows manager that it's will stay an audio drivers who's missing but the sound is working. I think that is for the sound for HDMI.
I found this drivers but I don't have a TV or monitor with HDMI for testing.
But you can use the following drivers:
http://drivers.softpedia.com/progDownload/Realtek-ATI-HDMI-Audio-Device-Driver-R-Download-26200.html

For the ricoh card, it's the base system device in windows manager:
http://drivers.softpedia.com/progDownload/RICOH-Memory-Stick-RCxx-Series-Driver-Download-24678.html

For the modem, simply use the drivers provided for vista. I was surprised coz I try many drivers who failed during the installation. And the one for vista give me a success message...

I think it's all. Please send me a message if I forget something.

Just one thing, the work is not finished coz I don't get the correct drivers or softwares for extra keys. FN keys who you can use the contrast, volume etc... And the extra key for AV MODE, S1 etc...
Please, help me... help me... help me... one more time...

 

Just came in yesterday...and WOW

This is probably the coolest laptop I've ever seen....definitely as far as the ones I have owned. And the dual-lamp screen in incredible. I had a long day at work so this was probably part of it, but after about 10 minutes I was getting a headache it was so bright.

My six year old was standing next to me when I cut it on and the first thing she said was "wow, that's a lot brighter than your old computer".

Please see my "need your input" thread.

 

But if I get a cooler running hard drive this area shouldn't feel as hot, right?

Is there a way to stop all the junk from running while the unit is plugged in?

 

Logically, yes... but in reality your current hard drive isn't running hot (relative to the norms for HDDs), so you will find it hard to get one that runs a lot cooler, I fear.

 

Yikes... not good.

You can get that laptop for a lot less, here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=289177

Yep, this is true.

 

like a WD Scorpio Blue, perhaps?

 

how long did this install take you ?

Also was this a 32 bit or 64 bit install ?

 

should be possible though. Fujitsu has a 320Gb/5400rpm drive that is very cool I read. 39 C after running HD Tune is promising:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=18782&d=1211307116

1. The HDD temperature, after about 14 hours operation in an ambient temperature of 23°C, is 40°C. This is 2 to 3°C cooler than I have previously observed for the WD2500BEVS under similar conditions suggesting slightly lower power consumption.

Very fast for a 5400rpm drive, but also hot.

 

i have the computer mentioned in my signature. I have a 20.1 inch sceptre wide screen plugged into it. SOmetimes the screen goes yellow for a few seconds, randomly. Running Vista64 Business. The screen goes yellow then back to normal. All drivers are up to date. Anyone else having this problem ?

 

newegg dont ship to the UK though, unfortunately.

 

Ahh... too bad.

 

Hey guys, I finally got someone at Sony San Diego to acknowledge the hard drive problem with the FW-190EEH. They are pretty confident that it's a Marketing error, meaning the wrong hard drive stats were put on Sony's web site. And Newegg said that they just copied the info from Sony's site. Anyway, Sony is supposed to get back to me with some sort of resolve. We'll see.

 

I need some advice. I have a 14 day chance to correct it.

I bought a 139 e/h but had some issues with it and traded it in and upgraded to a 170j/w. It lacks the ati card but has everything else it seems plus 64 bit vista. Did I make a mistake trading it in for this model, or should I have gotten another 139 e/h that was not defective?

The thing that is getting me down is that the WIndows Experience Index score is way lower than that on the 139---- 4.6 to 3.8.

Did I get a bad deal there or what? I had to pay $200.00 more for it too. And they dont offer a Hi-color fw I believe at BestBuy.

Thanks

 

I have 2 words for you:

New Egg ( click here)

 

The WEI is probably based on the Video score.

The ATI makes sense if you use applications that need a GPU, mainly games and 3 d rendering.

If you don't, the Intel IGP is better.

 

This took me less than 2 days, to find everything. And the xp is a 32 bits version.

 

My FW's Vaio Media Plus software is doing some kind of "Content Collection" scan right now. For kicks I opened up HD Tune to see the hard drive temp.

It's at 51 C / 123 F !!

 

Change the settings to stop doing that. It's useless anyways.

On a side note. I changed the charging setting so the battery only charges to 50%, left it overnight unplugged. This morning, after starting up the laptop, the meter read 17%. How could it have leaked 33% overnight?!

 

I dont really game on my laptop at all...However, I wanted to make sure for the $1,400.00 I spent on the new one I have its going to be my best bet for some years to come. Basically after seeing the score on the Index thing it worries me..Also, I realized that I am stuck with teh integrated card but I could not find one that BEST BUY offered with basically the 190 eeh had...If I could go back and order on line I probably would have done the New Egg or ALien computer...I just like Best BUy b.c of their instore warranty and that I can take it home that day.

 

Quick question. Why do alot of these laptops come with 4GB of RAM when Vista systems can only utilize 3 GB anyway?

 

I was wondering that as well...Maybe that Vista uses more ram for the 64 bit version and since your graphics driver could be using ram as well you machine will be maxed out and working without lag? <<---dumies thought?

 

vista 32 bit can only see 3ish gigs. If you decide to upgrade to 64bit you can utilize the whole 4 gigs... correct me if i'm wrong ?

 

I can't say I understand this completely but 32 bit operating systems have a 4 gig limit, but this includes other things like video ram on the graphics card. Also some of this 4 gig limit is allocated to things like IO operations legacy video and other things, thats why you only see 3.2-3.5 gigs of ram in 32 bit windows.

 

I've been using my FW for about 6 hours on A/C power and my Hitachi 7K320 (7200 rpm 320GB) is 41 C. Ambient room temperature is 24.5 C (76 F). I figure that is pretty good (I have Diskeeper background defragger running all the time too when on A/C).

 

sounds bad SoundsGood. My Hitachi 7K320 will jump to 47C when that stupid thing starts running. These drives are rated to 55C so you're still safe....but that's getting too close for comfort. You need a new lower power drive (like mine ).

 

Is anyone else having the same problem as me?

My % remaining for the battery drops dramatically over the first 10 or 20 minutes of using the laptop. The time remains about where it should be. Like right now it says that I have 1 hr 53 min remaining but only 67% left. Is this normal?