Official VAIO FW Series Owners Thread

Tetonwolf, what is the battery life like with the extended battery? Is it worth it?

 

The T9400 2.53 GHZ. processor and the 200GB 7200RPM hard drive is fine. It just depends on personal preference. If you're looking for the most performance, that would be a great configuration.

I don't know why people are worrying about heat, when most Sony notebooks have a reputation of running cool and quiet. It may get a bit warm, but nothing too noticeable.

As for the RAM, upgrading to DDR3 RAM would not be a viable option. Since the FW series uses DDR2, DDR3 would not be compatible due to the different sockets that they use. I know, it's dissapointing...

I would not recommend undervolting. Just leave it the way it is. It's a lot more stable that way.

I'm still trying to finalize my configurations. I may order sometime in the upcoming week.

 

Ok. Here's how you turn off VAIO Media Plus and the Content Analyzer...it can seriously slow down your system and is pretty useless. If you need to share your media to your PS3, Windows Media Player media sharing is much faster and has almost no overhead.

All you need to do is disable the following services and reboot:

VAIO Entertainment Database Service
VAIO Entertainment File Import Service
VAIO Media plus Content Importer
VAIO Media plus Device Searcher
VAIO Media plus Digital Media Server

Go to Control Panel->System and Maintenance->Administrative Tools and select Services from the list of tasks. Look for the VAIO group of services. For each service listed above (and only those services), right click on the service and select Properties. In the Startup Type listbox, change from Automatic to Disabled and click Ok. When done, exit Services.

You can optionally disable the Vaio Media Plus tray app using Control Panel-> Change Startup Programs.

Restart your computer and it's gone, never to drive you insane again.

 

You can still use it properly, even if you disable the services, right? Maybe just change some of the settings?

 

That depends on how you use your laptop. I have mine plugged into A/C about 99% of the time. However, I can tell you the FW with maxed config like mine will eat battery quick. So I personally prefer the extended since I'll need it if go mobile.

I ordered a standard battery but they gave me an extended one because they didn't have the standard ones yet. I called and they are sending the standard (one of these days) and letting me keep the extended too. This happened to a lot of us CTO folks early on and we're all supposed to get standard batteries. As for the $100 cost, that's pretty standard. HP is nice and cheap like $39 but Dell will rip you worse than Sony. Buying battery later from Sony will be ridiculous...like $299. So, again it depends on your situation and your system configuration but get what you think you'll need now.

 

The VAIO Media Plus GUI app still runs...it just isn't going to serve your media to any other computers nor will it go scanning your disk for content.

By all means don't do this if you don't feel comfortable. I really hesitated posting the instructions because it may in fact disable some media capability that I actually want...but I don't think it will. I'm just stopping a big bloated server mess that should never be running in the background on a personal laptop. YMMV. But I've already noticed my FW running cooler and quieter and CPU speedometer stays at under 5% a lot more now.

 

A question to the people who received extended battery for their CTO FW laptops despite they ordered standard battery: It seems that this problem occurred due to the fact Sony does not have the FW's standard battery currently available in their stocks.

I was wondering whether you guys received your standard batteries?

I am asking this because I am trying to figure out if I place an order for a CTO FW laptop, whether I would receive an extended battery and then a standard battery.

Considering the prices of laptop batteries, especially Sony's batteries, and also the fact that extended battery would be great to use during a flight and et cetera, it will be a very nice deal to benefit from Sony's situation.

 

Hi All...

So happy to find this thread...
I read all the conversation from page 1 up to the end...
Thank you for all your shares...

I have question actually... I hope you all can help me to find out...

===
I bought FW-CTO from Sony Style...
Here are the specification:
Intel® Core 2™ Duo Processor T9400 (2.53GHz)
Microsoft® Windows Vista® Ultimate with Service Pack 1
Titanium Gray
4 GB DDR2-SDRAM (DDR2-800, 2GBx2)
200 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [7200 rpm] --- I got Hitachi
DVD±R DL / DVD±RW / DVD-RAM Drive --- I got Pioneer... I hope its better than Mat****a...
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3470 with 256MB vRAM --- I wish I can get nVidia...
LCD 16.4" (XBRITE-HiColor™) --- The color was terrific... I love Hi Color... I compare it with my previous X-Brite Eco Sony...
WLAN (802.11a/b/g/n) with integrated Bluetooth® technology
Extended Battery
Total cost $1,699.99 (with $100 off promotion... originally $1,799.99
===

I finally received it today...
when I checked this notebook...
I found out that when I reduce the brightness... just set it 1 point lower from maximum brightness...
when I placed my ear directly to the hood... I can clearly heard the humming sound...
At all levels of brightness... this humming... (ngungggg...) always can be heard... however, when the brightness set to full brightness... this humming sounds... gone...

Please let me know is this is normal?
If not, then I have to return this notebook to Sony...
which I believe the sooner the better...

Please advice...

Thank you...

 

I believe some people were just fortunate that Sony did'nt have the standard battery at time of promised shipping and received the extended one. I was one of those, don't know if I'll receive the standard battery.

 

@Tetonwolf,

Instead of just disabling those services, would it be "safe" fto uninstall these Sony Entertainment programs and Media Plus and Media Content Analyzer? I don't believe I will ever use these. And if they are needed, I guess they can be reinstalled through Reecovery Center. just wondering and thanks.

Gary

 

Gotcha, thanks. But I thought for sure they'd have sent you the battery by now.

Awesome, thanks. Gotta get rid of this thing!

 

Man I cannot believe I have read this thread from front to back it's great.

The only problem my new notebook wont be here for another week and 1/2--sigh...

 

Is there noone that knows? I don't want to reinstall the OS again.

 

Anus!

I ordered my FW11E last week, and it's due to be delivered tomorrow.

In the UK we have 3 models:

FW11E ---- (2.26 P8400, 3GB, HD3470, 250gb 5400rpm, DVD rewriter, Home Premium, Eco screen) £720
FW11S ---- (2.26 P8400, 4GB, HD3470, 300gb 4200rpm, Blu-ray, Home Premium, Hi-color screen) £1050
FW11ZU --- (2.53 T9400, 4GB, HD3650, 300gb 4200rpm, Blu-ray, Ultimate, Hi-color screen) £1180

I was fine with the smaller hard drive (at least it's quicker, and easily upgradable when I want to anyway). I didn't mind the 3GB memory (cheap to upgrade, and vista32 users will only see 3.2GB of that 4GB anyway). Didn't even mind the slower processor (though only having 3MB instead of 6MB cache irked me a bit). Again, the slower graphics didn't really bother me as I don't really play games. Felt like I was buying myself a bargain as I couldn't care less about a blu-ray drive.

But then, reading this thread, I realised my mistake. Wasn't until then that I discovered the range has 2 different screens, and I'm getting the eco one No customisable FWs available in the UK, have to choose one of the above models.

Now I find myself tempted to get the top model. The middle one seems like I'm paying £330 extra just for a bigger screen, whereas at least if I spend the extra extra £130 I get the faster processor and CPU as well.

If only I could order a customised one (basically the ZU without the bluray drive)


And it's probably too late to cancel the one I've ordered, so will have to wait till it arrives and send it back, more cost

Is the eco screen really THAT bad?

 

I purchased a VGN FW139E/H at best Buy on 7/30/08 for $999. I was just looking at the current ads for Best Buy and noticed that the VGN-FW140E/H is sale priced at $250 off list at $899.

These two models are the same except the FW139 has a different wireless than the FW140.

Does anyone know if Best Buy will honor the 30 day price match and give me the $100 back?

 

The Sony VGN-FW190EEH on newegg is again 200GB w/ 7200 rpm.

This was the intial specs, then newegg changed the specs to 250GB w. 5400 rpm. The actual customer reviews also mention that they in fact received 250GB instead of 200GB.

Now newegg again changed the specs back to 200GB w. 5400 rpm.

What the heck???

Which one is correct?

 

Doubtful, with it not being the same model #.

 

I just called sonystyle to order my FW. The first thing I asked about was whether they'd be able to give me a discount in lieu of my going through ebates.com, and they said they could do that at the end. After doing all the customization stuff, I ordered two accessories and the 3-year service plan in order to get a $200 discount (basically getting the service plan for free after paying full price for a sleeve and a mouse). Then, the guy said he couldn't add the $100 off because I'd already taken a $200 discount. I CAN order through ebates, take the service plan discount, and get my 4% rebate in a couple months, but I'd rather not mess around with ebates. Anyone here had a similar experience? Would calling back and getting a different rep be worth my time? Basically, right now I'm getting the mouse, sleeve, and 3-year service plan for $93 and I can get a 4% rebate from ebates on it, but the total price is a little steeper than I'd planned.

P8600
3G Ram (free)
Hi-Color
Office 07 home/student (free)
Upgrade photo ($20)
Vegas Pro
Blu-ray burner
Extended battery
320G HDD

Build price $1938
Add neoprene sleeve, bluetooth laser mouse, and 3 year service plan
Total price $2031.

I sure would like to get a hundred bucks off that if I can. Perhaps I'll just skip the accessories and extended service plan and save $193.

 

hey guys, newegg rejected my order (more cc problems...newegg are retards or something) and now the old 50 off promo is over

anyone know of any other FW w/ Hicolor promo's going on? i really needa order something before school starts....

 

Has anyone been using Linksys WRT610N router with his FW?

I am asking this because I would like to benefit from the Wireless-N speeds of FW as much as I can, and I am considering buying this router in this respect.

The thing is that a comment to a reviewer of this router on amazon.com states that Linksys 610N router is a broadcom based wireless router and thus he implies that this router will work better with PCs having a broadcom chipset.

However, I would like to hear from actual people whether they had any problem using this router with their FW laptop which has WiFi Link 5100 chipset.

Thanks!

 

Does anyone know if there's a pre-configured model that has xbrite hi-color and blu-ray ROM?

 

Can someone confirm that I can't order a customised FW in the UK, or am I missing the link on the sony style UK/europe sites?

 

Errrrrr if you won’t the best prices in the UK you are looking in the wrong place!

Sony FW11S --- £977.55 At Dixons with the 5% money off entertainment laptops they are running at the moment!

Sony FW 11ZU --- £1100 At Tesco Direct

I am currently waiting for my FW11S arrive after taking my first one back after a fault. They gave me a refund instead of a replacement so I found a better deal at Dixons

Still have to fit the WD Scorpio Black tho And I was thinking about getting the ZU as well, but the extra £1100 seems a bit too much. In this case a CPU which I won’t notice the difference unless I am doing video editing, and a GPU with more graphics power but I don’t game so no point! What is the PS3 for 1080p output beat that!! But with the ZU both higher options eat more battery so a safer bet to stick with FW11S !

 

Does anyone know whether or not there is going to be any kind of sale this Labor Day weekend? Any discounts/coupons?

 

Hmm, in the Amazon description,besides the wireless chip, the FW140 has the integrated Intel GMAx4500 graphic card whereas the FW139 has the dedicated Ati HD3470. Check that out before making your decision.

Edit: re-read your post, seems like you just want a price match instead of a switch, my bad.

 

Pls does anyone know how I can reduce the sound coming from my fw? It sounds like a gently blowing fan at both the left side where the charger is plugged in and the right side where the on/off switch is. The sound is constantly there whether the fw is set on power saver or high performance. I dont think its the main fan because I can tell when the fan kicks into gear when I'm running heavy software, or maybe it is. I know most people's fw makes this type of sound. its kinda annoying especially when you're in a super quiet room, you cant help but notice the sound. Dont get me wrong, its not noisy but you just cant ignore hearing it if you're right in front of it. My 2 year old fs is even more quiet. Any help will be really appreciated.

 

Which router do you use for your FW laptop to benefit from Wireless-N speeds as much as possible?

I am considering buying Linksys WRT610N, but due to the fact that it is based on braodcom wireless chipset and not on the Intel chipset used in FW, I am not sure whether I will encounter any compatibility and speed issues as well as frequent drop-offs.

So I will appreciate to hear which Wireless-N modem you use for your FW. I would like to particularly hear from people who uses a Linksys modem, particularly WRT610N.

Thanks.

 

Well my FW11E has shipped now and should be here within 12 hours, so I'll see what I think of the screen compared to my topnotch desktop LCDs, and if it's super-pap might exchange it for an S. I bought the E from dixons. Don't know about this 5% discount though, what's the code I need for that?

 

bumpalump!

 

bump, anyone got an answer to this?

 

Hi All...

Could you please check your FW...
Try to reduce the brightness... just set it 1 point lower from maximum brightness...
then try to place your ear directly to the monitor (back side)...
Please find out whether you can clearly heard the humming sound or not...
At all levels of brightness... this humming... (ngungggg...) always can be heard... however, when the brightness set to full brightness... this humming sounds... gone...

Please let me know...

Thank you...

#########
Hi All...

So happy to find this thread...
I read all the conversation from page 1 up to the end...
Thank you for all your shares...

I have question actually... I hope you all can help me to find out...

===
I bought FW-CTO from Sony Style...
Here are the specification:
Intel® Core 2™ Duo Processor T9400 (2.53GHz)
Microsoft® Windows Vista® Ultimate with Service Pack 1
Titanium Gray
4 GB DDR2-SDRAM (DDR2-800, 2GBx2)
200 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [7200 rpm] --- I got Hitachi
DVD±R DL / DVD±RW / DVD-RAM Drive --- I got Pioneer... I hope its better than Mat****a...
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3470 with 256MB vRAM --- I wish I can get nVidia...
LCD 16.4" (XBRITE-HiColor™ --- The color was terrific... I love Hi Color... I compare it with my previous X-Brite Eco Sony...
WLAN (802.11a/b/g/n) with integrated Bluetooth® technology
Extended Battery
Total cost $1,699.99 (with $100 off promotion... originally $1,799.99
===

I finally received it today...
when I checked this notebook...
I found out that when I reduce the brightness... just set it 1 point lower from maximum brightness...
when I placed my ear directly to the hood... I can clearly heard the humming sound...
At all levels of brightness... this humming... (ngungggg...) always can be heard... however, when the brightness set to full brightness... this humming sounds... gone...

Please let me know is this is normal?
If not, then I have to return this notebook to Sony...
which I believe the sooner the better...

Please advice...

Thank you...

 

ECO is not that bad...
I have ECO before I bought FW...
Its good...
HiColor is just better... brighter... clearer...

 

Just seems a lot less intrusive to disable the services. That way if you later discover something doesn't work you can just turn them back on.

 

I agree. And that's exactly what I did.

 

You had to turn them back on?, what went wrong?.

 

No, no... I mean I disabled the services.

 

Router! You have to go with the Airport Extreme for 802.11N.

So sweet I bought two for different ends of the house. Very fast and kicks a$$

 

Thank you guys!
Like many others I read all the thread from page 1 up to the end...
And 2 days ago... I received my dream... 190 CTO. You will love it, no doubt!! Amazing screen! I ordered standard battery and they sent it, no extended one. Man, if there's no plug near your laptop - you should order extended battery, I think )))
2 VaioFWSeries, I don'd hear any humming sounds..
______________________________________
Sony Vaio VGN-FW190 CTO 16.4" 1600x900
P8600 2.40GHz | 4GB DDR2 800 |320GB 5400rpm | ATI HD3470 | XBRITE-HiColor | Blu-ray Reader

 

So I ordered my CTO today, with basically all the fixin's, now it's time to by the peripherals. I've already decided on the Logitech MX500 keyboard and laptop, and I'm going to order a scorpio 320G, 7200 RPM drive as soon as I can find the right external enclosure for my 320G, 5400 RPM drive. I'm pretty sure the monitor I want is the Dell SP2208WFP, at least as far as bang for buck goes. On speakers, I'm a little confused. I was thinking I'd get the Vaio USB port replicator, which does have a DVI out to the monitor, but I can't see where I'd plug speakers in. Anyone know if that's possible? I was leaning toward the Logitech Z-2300 speakers, which have a normal green jack and an adaptor for RCA's into such a jack, but I don't see where the USB dock has either output...just a headphone jack (is that the same as the green plug thing)? Also, the max resolution through the hub is 1680 x 1050...good enough for this laptop and that monitor?

 

So what exactly did you end up ordering? Just curious who's advice you took.

 

Ha ha...yeah, there were a couple diametrically opposed opinions. I went with the 3 gigs of ram because someone here prompted me to look up the aftermarket price and it was cheaper to get that extra gig elsewhere if I need it. I went with whoever told me I wouldn't notice the difference between the P8600 and the T9600, mostly because I couldn't justify the extra $450 for marginally better rendering of HDV when the camera only cost $800 and the software & burner only $500. I did upgrade to the extended battery when I wasn't planning to, mostly on the basis of your posts. Everything else I kept the same, but am now wondering the wisdom of choosing the Office 07 home/student edition...I'm guessing the Office 03 stuff on my other machines won't recognize it, so I'll have to save in this version anyhow. Still got the hi-color, BR burner, and Vegas Pro.

Oh yeah...and I dropped the service plan & 2 accessories for a $200 discount and took a straight $100 discount instead.

 

Hey Tetonwolf,

As you are the recognized FW master of these forums I was wondering how many processes you have running. I'm doing my best to streamline my system, but still have about 70 processes running. How about you?

 

I presume the hicolor screen has much better up/down visibility than the eco one? Certainly the eco on my FW that has just arrived doesn't come close to my Acer AL2051W desktop LCDs which appear virtually identical from ANY angle, with the eco it varies massively if I so much as fart

 

Yes, I have tried tweaking my laptop several times now and find Vista and Sony apps to be quite sensative as to adjustments that cannot be undone once you do many of them. I agree.

Gary

 

How does that work, exactly? I'd love to get more coverage (downstairs) from my current router (upstairs). But I thought you could only have one router per house??

 

Yep, it sure does. The vertical viewing angle is my biggest complaint with the FW's Eco screen.

Laptop screens and external monitors are two different animals. As good as the FW's HiColor screen is (and it is very good) it can't match my Dell Ultrabright S-IPS external monitor. But yes, the HiColor will be much better than the Eco.

 

Just checking to see what Vista Stratup programs you have disabled if any and thanks. I seem to get a lot of disk activity after boot up even after disabling Media Content services.

Gary

 

Hi Raps...

Thanks for the information... then I have to return this laptop...

 

Same thing happened to me. I had to call my credit card company and answer a bunch of security questions before they approved the order.

 

Who me?? NOT!!! I've got over 100 running so I guess I need to be demoted.

One thing I've learned over the years. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Cuz then it'll really be broke!! My memory usage stays around 50% and CPU under 10% when "idleing". And I allow some disk activity during idle by using Diskeeper to defrag automagically in the background. Believe me, Diskkeeper is the single best thing you can do for your system to keep it running fast.