Official VAIO FW Series Owners Thread

This is not really an FW question but more of a Vista question on an FW. I'm tired of using iTunes and I want to use good ol' Windows Media Player. The problem is that some of my albums are multi-CD compilations. So I would have Tiesto - In Search of Sunrise CD1 and CD2 but they have the same album name and WMP does not sort them by CD, only by tracks. Does anyone know how to sort by album but have all CD1 tracks first, then all CD2 tracks?

 

Agreed and agreed.

I've been contemplating the same thing. However, I'm thinking about going BT mouse, firewire external HDD enclosure, and probably a CF reader for the slot. Only problem is that there doesn't seem to be any real quality expresscard CF readers out there, and firewire external enclosures are few and far between as well.

I may end up simply getting a USB 2.0 hub for the express slot as well... I will not be satisfied with having anything plugged into the factory usb slots.

 

Get a bluethooth mouse, I got one for $39

 

Why firewire and not the much faster eSata (by using an Expresscard)? Even Costco has external drives which support eSata (and firewire/USB).

 

"My only **GRIPE** is the location of USB ports (front right). Whenever I connect a USB device, my right (mouse) hand keeps touching the USB cable."

"Get a bluethooth mouse, I got one for $39."

I did buy a SONY white BT mouse, which BTW works really well and looks like an art piece. What I am complaining about is that the USB cable of an external USB device interferes with my mouse hand thanks to the location of USB ports. I do not have such a problem with my 4 other notebooks.

With the FW, unless you're left-handed or you use the mouse far away from it, your right hand will keep touching the USB cable of external USB devices plugged in the FW.

 

Hey guys i just bought a HDMI-> DVI converter and connected my external monitor to that. I also plugged in a second monitor into the VGA port, however it seems that it will only accept either the HDMI output or the VGA output, any way on how to get both to work?

what happens is... you plug in the hdmi and it switches to that, if you try to plug in vga it switches to only vga and laptop,
ditto for vga +hdmi
Thanks,

i think my drivers are up to date and am running vista 64

 

just ordered an fw and now am looking for some accessories, so i have a couple quick questions:

any idea about what zeroshock iii fits the fw best? does anyone own one of these?

secondly, is there any sort of keyboard protector that fits the fw? i'm not sure if any of you have seen these, but i know some people have these rubber covers for their macbook keyboards that keep them clean and can be left on while being used.

thanks in advance for any help

 

I own the 17 inch Zeroshock III for my FW. I am quite happy with my purchase but I must admit it does not "fit like a glove"; that is to say, in terms of dimensions, the case is a bit bigger but I don't regret this because when you lift the case upright there would be a part of extra space at the top part of the case which allows you to carry the case by holding that part. This is something nice for me because the case does not have a handle. I really like the case because my laptop stays secure from impacts and dust and in my apartment while I don't use my laptop. The slit of the case easily accommodates the standard battery of FW but you need to squeeze the power brick a bit.

 

Got my fw292 today...

I like the laptop, but hate vista. I installed Windows XP fine, but for some reason the wireless card would never connect to the access point. It could see it just fine, but couldn't connect.

I'm most likely going to return it and reorder the regular 290 (not the stupid color splash models)

 

I just ordered my FW190 (Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8600, 3 GB DDR2-SDRAM, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470 with 256MB vRAM, LCD 16.4" (XBRITE-HiColor), 160 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive, DVD±R DL / DVD±RW / DVD-RAM Drive, WLAN (802.11a/b/g/n) with integrated Bluetooth® technology).

I am buying a 320GB 7200rpm WD Scorpio and plan to put it in with XP on the day I get the laptop. I have a question if anyone is kind enough to help.

There are Windows XP drivers posted on Sony's site for the FW190. I read through about 85 pages of this thread, and saw some recommended order of installation for software, but none based on the descriptions from the Sony site, so I'm getting confused. I did as much work as I could by copying everything so all someone has to do is rank them. Could someone just rank the order of when to do whatever is needed from this list (I copied everything from Sony's site).

What I am thinking right now is:
1) Windows XP Home w/SP3 (OEM)
2) Intel Chipset Driver (08/18/2008) (restart)
3) ATI Graphics Driver (09/19/2008) (restart)
4) Marvell Ethernet Driver (and Intel Wireless LAN Driver?) (09/11/2008) (restart)
5) Fully update Windows with all updates (restart)
6) Now what? There is a ton on that list, and while I realize I don't need all of it, I'm not exactly sure what I do need and what I don't need. As I read through this thread I saw a couple posts saying that if you install the Sony drivers in the wrong order a lot of stuff might not work.

Any help would be appreciated. It said it should ship around the 10th.

Thanks.

 

The added cost plus the added hardware. I'd rather be able to plug in directly to the notebook.

But it is an option of course. It just depends on what I am going to be willing to settle for.

 

mg428 thanks for the response. i'm a little disappointed to hear that the 17" zeroshock is a little loose, although it makes sense given the dimensions. it makes me wonder if the 15.4" case would work, but i'm guessing it's just a little too small. but if you say it still fits it snugly enough to keep it well protected, then it is definitely an option i will keep in mind.

i'm new to the forums, so i'm not really sure about etiquette here, but i'm just going to repeat my earlier question in hopes of a response: does anyone here use a keyboard protector? i'm talking about something like the plastic/rubber mats that i've seen macbook users put on to keep their keyboards clean while they use it. i tend to get a little obsessive about cleanliness so something like this is appealing to me, i just don't want to buy something online and discover it was cheaply made and not worth it.

in addition, am i going to need some sort of cloth in order to ensure that i don't get outlines of keys on my screen? does it matter what i buy for this, or should i just go to office depot or something and buy a microfiber cloth?

thanks again for any help, just trying to get myself all prepared for when my fw comes in a couple weeks

 

rskg4 can you post your FWs specs? ANd if possible if you have the 1920x1080 screen can you post a screen shot in the native resolution? If you have the 1600x900, can you post that as well. thanks

 

here's a 1920x1080 screenshot. Surprisingly it will only let you choose between 1920x1080, 1024x768 and 800x600 with the default sony ATI driver. Updating it through mobility modder still won't let me choose 1600x900. I'm really starting to think about sending this one back as well and getting a 290 with an eco screen

 

thanks prox1717, the screen size is not bad, th font seems to be the same size I have now, although that may just be my monitor. I was really hoping for the ability to change it to 1600x900, almost messed up that sony would restrict that.

prox1717, do you have the 512 video card in your FW? if so can you do some 3dmark06 tests? I am just wondering if the card is worth the wait for the 290.

 

Just FYI, the laptop runs great with Vista SP2. I didn't do a clean install, I just uninstalled some of the useless crap and have no problems. Unless you absolutely NEED Win XP I would just stick with Vista.

I have the FW139 w/ 3 GB of RAM and the 2.26 ghz CPU.

 

Hi everyone in this forum ,i'm new member , i was used many laptop ( mostly Dell XPS (M1330 ,M1730_ model with different processor from the basic T8100 to Intel Extreme X9000 ) i just sold my last XPS M1730 to get the FW and AW cause the M1730 too heavy and short battery life , big charger ,i'm just bought the FW140E at Bestbuy 2 days ago : p8400 2.26ghz 3GB RAM ,250GB HDD 5400rpm ,Intel 4500HD ...and another AW P8400 4gb ram ,320 GB 7k2 rpm ,512MB Nvidia 9600M GT ...but i'm feeling both laptop is so slow !!! i dont know may be its low processor p8400 or it is low end laptop for both the FW and AW ,cause i remove the HDD i replaced with the Fastest Memoright SSD (120MB/s read and write ) but both system still slow event with XP on it ???? i have no idea... any FW or AW owner with faster processor feeling about this laptop ? is it fast ? and i'm still confusing between FW or AW whicjh is better for me ?

 

# LCD 16.4" (XBRITE-ECO™) 1600x900
# 160 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [5400 rpm]
# WLAN (802.11a/b/g/n) with integrated Bluetooth® technology
# ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3650 with 512MB vRAM
# Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz)
# DVD±R DL / DVD±RW / DVD-RAM Drive
# Colorful
# Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium 64-bit
# 2 GB DDR2-SDRAM (DDR2-800, 1GBx2)

I replaced the stock ram with a 4gb kit.

 

the CPU and and video card is probably what I will be getting, any chance you could do some tests on it and how that video card performs? if you have some free time.

 

what are you needing all of this speed for?

Are you a gamer?

 

it more depends on the size of each, and of course price, if you really need a larger screen for work, be it graphics or whatever, I suggest the FW, it may not be that portable for every day use, but you should be able to move it around. As for the FW, I'd say its more for portable use, a portable media centre.

 

I can run some tests later on today.

I did play Half Life 2 for a bit and it was averaging 80+ FPS outside and 120+ fps in the buildings. All settings were on high with 0xAA

 

for those vista haters, i really don't understand where you are coming from. in the early days, it had its problems, but with the service pack release, i am enjoying vista MUCH more than i did xp. everything runs smoother, looks nicer, and is much more accessible. i have a friend who has pretty much the exact specs as mine on an hp laptop but with xp, and it doesn't run games any smoother. we tried battlefield 2142, call of duty 4, and wow (although mine was only the demo version), and there was absolutely no difference between the xp and vista machines.

 

i was thinking maybe that the video card doesn't have enough power to run hdmi out, vga out and the laptop screen, is this a possibility ??

 

I like XP because I can cut it down to virtually nothing and still have it run perfect. I like my OS to have a small footprint so it consumes as little resources as possible. People could say why get such a powerful system if you aren't going to use it ot its full potential...

It's all about personal preference. I used Vista for about 8 hours and decided it is not for me. I'm currently running XP Pro on my fw 292

On a side note, I can't believe how quiet this machine is. It's pretty much silent unless I'm playing a game, but even then it's still quiet. I've had it powered on for 4 hours now and it's not even warm. My last vaio (budget, n110g/w) would get super hot .

 

Played WoW for the first time in 2 years tonight. I had no idea where I was going or what to do With all options turned to high and running in native res (1600x900) I was pushing 60 fps in stormwind and ~35fps while riding the griffin thingy.

I have the fw292 - 2.4ghz, radeon 3650 + running xp pro

 

Hey guys, after reading this thread, I've set my mind on a FW290 CTO (thanks everyone!). But I just got some questions.

1. I don't play games at all, so does the graphic card matter for me? A lot people said that ATI 3650 completely outperforms Intel 4500MHD, but I am not sure if the difference only shows up in gaming. If yes, then I will go for the Intel card (and it's $100 cheaper too!).

2. I am sorry if I sound like an idiot (and I am pretty sure I do), but in reality, is the Blu-ray disc much better than a normal DVD drive? It costs at least $150 more, and I only watch DVDs once every two weeks or so. Not sure if I should get the Blu-ray or not.

3. Does FW overheat after at least 4 hours of usage? I read from the previous posts that heat is usually not a problem for FW, but I will have to use the laptop to do lots of programming. Just want to make sure it doesn't BURN as my old ASUS W5 always does (it gets so hot sometimes I can't even put my hands on it!).

Any suggestions?

 

1: I'd go with the ATI even if you don't game. 3D applications like Google Earth can take advantage of the extra horsepower.

2: Do you have an HDTV? If not then I'd say don't get blue ray. I didn't but I also have a PS3. I don't know of any software being distributed on blue ray either. Blue ray movies do look better but they are also $30-35. The HDMI out works great with my HDTV and blue ray movies would look great but i already have the Ps3 so its moot.

3: No heat issues. Just dont obstruct any of the air vents.

 

thanks a million Oooopha! i really appreciate your help!

 

The 15.4 inch case would not fit for sure as per the dimensions.

I would say definitely go with the 17 inch case. I could not be happier with a smaller case. Your laptop will stay safe and not loose. I guess I would still prefer the 17 inch case as is rather than a Zeroshock III case that fits like a glove if there were such a case in the market.

As to the keyboard protection, I don't have any idea.

 

I bought this from ebay for keyboard protection:

http://cgi.ebay.com/TPU-Keyboard-Pr...39:1|66:2|65:12|240:1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14


It works perfect.

 

mg428- thanks for the second response- i think maybe i misinterpreted your first response a bit, probably due to not having a great idea of what the zeroshock is actually like up close and personal. i'll go ahead and get the 17", so thanks for the feedback.

rskg4- thanks for the recommendation- i just wanted to hear from someone with experience with one of those things before i went out and bought one.

 

Help please! I need some help with deciding which model to buy...

In the UK we have the FW11ZU (2.53GHz, 6MB cache) and the FW11S (2.26Hhz, 3MB cache). The rest of the spec is the same for both (double lamp hi-colour screen, Blu-ray recorder, 300gb hard drive, etc).

Would you say the performance difference with the processor is worth the extra cost (around £250). Does the slower CPU have a significantly better battery life?

I don't know what to do!

 

would not be worth it for my needs.

What are you planning to do with the notebook? I'd suspect that the cost/usefulness ratio isn't in your favor either.

 

I'm returning my FW292 today. I'm going to reorder a fw190 with the hi color screen. The ECO screen is horrible, the colors looked all washed out with low contrast & dull blacks. It's worse than my 5 year old LCD monitor :/

On a side note, newegg has the new FW model
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834117832

Doesn't seem like a bad price.

 

did you go with the hi-def version?

 

if you have the money and are willing to spend, then do it. personally, i would not be willing to spend that much extra on a processor thats that much better.

 

i have the eco and it isn't bad at all. compared to my friends' laptops, i have the best screen. the high resolution is noticeably better, there is no denying that, but the eco is definitely not horrible, and its 100 dollars cheaper.

 

did you get to see the hi HD screen and the eco beside each other? because as mentioned by others, unlike in the FW190, the HD screen in the 290 does not seem to require the video card, which might mean it is not hi-color.

 

Would this laptop be good for an Animator/ Videographer/ Musician as well as playing COD4 on the side?

FW292
C2D P8400 2.2 Ghz
4Gb DDR2 SDRAM
320Gb Sata 5,400 RPM
Ati HD 3650 512Mb GDDR3
Vista Home 64-Bit

I am going to need a laptop to take my work outside of my house and don't want to take a loan out to buy a super expensive laptop. Will this do?

 

Do you think they'll ever release an FW series notebook with 1366x768 resolution, Hi-color screen, Dura-view?

I would prefer the larger font, regardless of the fact that you can change DPI. (When you change the DPI to make the text large, the text becomes blurry and you lose the quality).

I find the Z's display simply breathtaking...

I hope they implement such a display on the FW soon.

 

don't hold your breathe elite.

 

D'oh! Apparently the order didn't go through. So I've been waiting for a week and a half now for nothing, and it's now not due till at least next week. How miffed am I?

 

How is the power plug connection on your FW? Mine is a smidge wiggily. Is it supposed to be like that so it doesn't break if you yank the power cord?

 

yes, but only when I wiggle it. I've noticed most things on my FW are wiggly... when wiggling it.
no idea

 

I don't get why the concern for protecting the screen from the keyboard. If you look into the gap when the laptop is closed, the tops of the keys are no where close to the screen (unless there is something wrong with your FW Vaio). In fact, by adding a skin on the keyboard, you run a greater risk of abrasion against the screen since the space is now reduced.

 

The keyboard protector is a softer material than the LCD screen so it wont scratch it. There's still a slight gap between the keys and the screen with the protector on. Also, I didn't get it to protect the screen from the keyboard, I got it so the keys didn't get dirty.

 

I know, I don't get it either. Not a big fan, and maintaining the cleanliness of the keyboard really isn't that difficult. Different strokes of course...

Anyway, I think the key abrasion is more of a problem when the laptop is jammed into a pack with other items and the screen is smashed down against the keys.

 

Which is why I still use the keyboard protector that came with the FW. I have the laptop on one side (with the white cover facing one side) and the books on the other side (so, if the books do scratch something, it's the underside of the laptop and not the shinny white cover). I know the books and various other items puts pressure on the laptop, which may make the screen come in contact with the keyboard.

 

I've been using the same keyboard protector from ebay and it's great. Especially since my keyboard is the white one and was getting dirty fast. My screens was ok but did sometimes get key marks which easily came off with one swipe of a micro-fiber cleaning cloth. It also silences the keys and makes typing easier for me. Plus i can't even tell that it's on.