Official VAIO FW Series Owners Thread

Well if the file sizes are particularly large, then the increased hard-drive speed will make a difference, but not *that* much of a difference. And the difference between the 2.0ghz and the 2.26ghz processor will be minimal....i doubt you will notice the difference to be honest. The amount of RAM in the system will make quite a difference, especially depending on which OS you intend on running. I would recommend Vista 64bit, so that you can make use of the full amount of RAM (3gb or 4gb, not sure what you've got), as 32bit OS will only use a fraction of the total RAM. You will definitely notice a difference between using 32bit OS and 64bit OS, no matter what processor speed you have. What is the graphics memory on the FW compared to the AW?

I agree you should give the FW a try...its a remarkable laptop.

 

The FW includes the ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3650 with 512MB vRAM
and the AW has the NVIDIA® GeForce® 9600M GT GPU also with 512MB vRAM

 

Well thats a bonus...it's an alright graphics card for the FW (the 256mb is a little poor for your use), but the Nvidia is a better graphics card than the Ati to be honest. You won't notice much of a difference for your use, but you probably would if you were a gamer who used current releases. Hope this helps....and hope you enjoy your FW when it arrives!

 

I'm not a gamer so hopefully I will be OK. Thanks again. I just got my hands on it about an hour ago. Beatiful design. I hope to dig into it tonight. Thanks again.

 

http://www.vaio-link.com/os/vista/64bit/

what do u make of this link i found wesmo? It contains 64 bit drivers apparently but its from the japanese sony support site. It does however contain my model's name fw21E if u search through it...

edit: can u please give me ur msn or sumthing...it seems i cant pm u

 

tdan - congratulations....hope you enjoy your laptop...let me know if you need any tips for dualbooting xp and vista etc.

DaRonRon - yeah, i came across that link whilst I was researching the 64bit drivers, but chose to use the other link I provided. I guess the link above will work, i haven't tried any of them myself, so I can't comment on that link, but I know for sure the link I provided earlier will work. If you are struggling with finding drivers, I can boot up my vista and make a driver pack for you, which should work.

 

thanks for your efforts man, i would really appreciate that. But u do know im doing this because i want windows 7 on my laptop and not vista right? In any case i think the vista drivers will work fine as proven here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=355715

I'll definetly check out those drivers on the website u gave me, but just to make sure, what hardware configuration is ur Vaio? Mine is P8400 2.26 Gz cpu, 4 gig ram, ati mobility hd 3470 256 ram dedicated, 1600x900 screen....

 

Ahhh...i see....I'm about to load up windows 7 in the next couple of days. The 64bit drivers for vista should (in theory) work for 64bit windows 7 release, but there may be some teething issues. I don't see any major problems though. I'm currently uploading a driver pack of 64bit vista drivers, I'll post the link as soon as that's complete. All the drivers in this pack should work for your hardware, except for the graphics card. I have the 3650 (512mb), but you can use the correct graphic driver from the links provided earlier (i think). If you struggle to find the right driver, give me a shout, and I'll search it out for you.
The driver pack also has the sony notebook utilites applications included, however, it does not have the sony shared library installer, or the ati CCC. These can be downloaded fairly easily however.

Hope this helps....i should have the driver pack up in about 30mins. Take it easy....

 

Hey everyone,

Okay, it seems that the link to my xp driver pack is going down pretty well, with quite a few downloads, so thought it might be useful to post a driver pack for 64bit vista drivers;

http://rapidshare.com/files/226494857/SONY_FW_VISTA_64bit_DRIVERS.rar

Contained within the .rar file are a set of folders relating to all the hardware found within my sony FW (specifically VGN-FW3). The drivers in the folders are for:

-Ati Radeon 3650 graphics card (512mb) - does not contain ATI CCC
-Bluetooth
-Alps Touchpad
-ATI HDMI Audio
-HD Audio Data Fax Modem
-Intel Chipset
-Marvell Yukon Gigabit Ethernet Controller
-Realtek High Definition Audio
-Sony Notebook Utilities
-All other associated devices

I've just checked, and it appears the webcam is not working (i don't use the cam, so I hadn't realised until just now)...but i believe everything else is working (including volume keys and OSD, and brightness keys etc). This pack also does not contain the drivers for the memorystick readers etc, but these should be easily found online. Ive not checked, as again, i do not use them. If you have any problems, let me know, i'll try to help as much as I can.

 

thanks so much man, dont worry bout the graphics driver, i'll use those modded ones.

Tell me how that goes with installing windows 7. i really want to know thanks...

 

No worries mate, i should have windows 7 up and running later in the week, i'll post my results up here (and probably a working driver pack if i get everything working). I'm also planning on perhaps putting a linux distro on it at some point if youre interested. Not sure when i'll do it though, ill have to partition my harddrive into 4 equal chunks Ha....the joys of computing.

 

hey mate, can i have ur msn if u have one? Just in case things dont work out and im pretty much a noob to this stuff...

 

I dont really use msn, but i'll be online regularly to check the forum etc. If you have any probs just leave a message, I'll respond providing I know the answer or solution. I'm not trying to claim that I know everything (because I definitely do not), just trying to help out any way i can.

 

well i want to try out the windows7 beta but dont want to fully format my laptop, i can create a partition on my hdd right and install it there right? My question is can i restore any space used by win7 back to my original partition once im done with win7 when it expires?

 

Simple answer....yes. To all questions.

Yes you can create a partition....then you can install windows 7 onto that partition...and once the beta runs out, you can easily delete the partition it was installed on, and reclaim the partition space to your other partition. If you need further details of how this is done, you can google it, or I can help, if necessary. Should be pretty simple though. What OS are you using at the moment?

 

im using vista 32 bit. Could u recommend me the best program to try this

 

i getting the flagship vaio fw series and when you update the os to windows 7
are all of the files still on there and will the blu ray drive and hdmi work

 

to partition the hdd in vista, you dont need a seperate program, you can do it within vista. You need to right click on "My Computer" icon, and choose Manage. From these you can go into the disk management section and partition your primary hdd to suit what you need. (you have to shrink the vista partition first to anable space for your partition...its very very simple.

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/resize-a-partition-for-free-in-windows-vista/

This should guide you in the right direction. Right, I'm off for the night, but i'll answer any questions tomorrow if you leave any. Hope it all goes well!

 

Does anyone know the answer to my question?

 

For your applications, the AW may be a more suitable machine. The FW audio capabilities are pretty minimal compared to the specs you listed for the AW. It doesn't bother me that much but I'd say that the FW sound performance is marginal at best...

 

I agree with FW3, the bigger laptop is always more likely to have the better speakers, but the FW speakers are not terrible, and if you're planning on connecting your laptop to your tv via hdmi, then the audio will be output on your TV, and thus doesnt matter how good or bad the speakers are on the laptop. I've heard much much worse laptop speakers than the FW....in my opinion they're average.

 

@ wesmo, in that driver package u uploaded, did u install all those drivers for your vaio? And also did the order matter? Because in the guide i linked previously it didnt mention some of those like USB human interface and most of those intel drivers. Also how did u get the function keys and volume buttons working without Sony Shared Library and Setting Utility Series?

 

DaRonRon,

The driver pack which I uploaded is a driver backup (of all non-microsoft drivers) from my Vaio FW Vista 64bit system. I used Driver Magician to backup all the drivers i am currently using on my system, so that is what is uploaded.
I'm actually not sure how I managed to get the volume keys with OSD working, as for some reason I couldn't install sony shared library. However, the setting utility series i did install (which i think might be the volume control actually), and the installer for the setting utility series is included within the driver pack. This should enable your volume keys to work. I think?!!?

I dont really remember my installation order to be honest....but im pretty sure that the setting utility series is one of the last things i installed. Perhaps that is why i couldnt install the shared library (as i think this needs to be installed first).

 

so i should try the sony shared library from the original link to the american vaio website? Thats the only one i can find for now...

 

sorry another question lol. It seems we're taking over this thread haha...

when u install each driver is a reboot necessary between each install?

 

I didn't reboot between each install, but it would certinaly be beneficial to determin whether each driver is installed correctly. It's up to you....I would say that if it prompts you to restart, then you should restart.

Yes, you can download the sony shared library from the link provided before (from the american sony e support link) for model FW170J (which has 64bit software and drivers).

 

Goto C:\Program Files\Sony\VAIO Event Service\

And replace the pi.wav with a blank .wav.

Problem solved.

 

hi again, it seems that the only amount i can shrink my hdd to install windows 7 is by 30 gig, even though i have 150 free gigs on my hdd. Is this enough space??

 

Hmmm....thats odd. When you open the shrink volume dialog in vista disk management, did you adjust any of the settings? 30gigs is enough for installation of windows7, but for operation....probably not enough, if you plan on installing applications or downloading etc.

Ive obtained windows 7 now, so will be installing it tonight after work. I will try and document as best I can my installation process to make sure any mistakes I make can be clarified here.

 

check ur pms mate

 

Windows will hold in reserve space it needs for restore/shadow copy. How big is your hard drive?

See this thread for some options/explanations
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=375804

 

y hdd is 320 gigabytes J&sinkto,

but i found out the problem with a little googling around. I think im a little lucky in that i can still shrink by 31gb. I really dont want to use a third party app, so do u think 31 gig is enough to install win7 and still have some free space to breathe in?..keeping in mind im not going to install much things.

 

Does anyone know of any good deals out there for a refurbished vgn-fw290 or fw390 with 2.5mhz. I've seen the site at clearance club. But, they're all 2.4. Sony's outlet used to have them as well as even a 2.9 but I haven't seem any lately. They were under $1,100 at one point!

 

I have a Vaio VGN-FW390 with an Intel 9550 processor, 64-bit Vista with AMI BIOS. Has anyone tested the the VT patch on a 390? One other question, I'm assuming the VT disabled issue also relates to the Virtual PC with Ultimate? Thanks - Chris

 

OK, so I've played with my FW390 a little since I received it. I have a copy of the Semi-Clean install sticky thread and I'm considering doing this. I have a couple of questions. The sticky thread says that it has been tested on several models but FW is not one of those listed. Has this been tested on FWs? Do any of you who may have done this semi-clean install recommend it one way or another?

 

A 2.5mhz CTO with corresponding components (Full Screen HD, ATI graphics, 3 - 4 MB RAM, 7200 rpm HDD) would have had an over $1500 build price, so finding a refurb for under $1100 would be difficult.

If you are willing to go a little bit higher, here is one:

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...10551&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665782228

 

Don't know on W'7 - have not tried it on the FW. The older laptop I tried had about 40 GB to play with and was ample room for just the OS. There's a large W7 thread on this forum. Plus here's a thread specifically on the FW and W7
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=355715

 

Thanks It worked.

 

Hi Everyone,
I'm about to order the FW390 from sonystyle.ca. I just wanted others to know that the SPRING coupon is now worth $200 off.

 

OMG I ordered a FW390 about 2 weeks ago using the $100 off coupon. I'm gonna call Sony tomorrow to see if they'll give me a credit.

 

Where did you find this coupon? I couldn't find any infomation about...

 

I've tried this many times today now and it comes back "The promotion code SPRING was not recognized. Please re-enter your promotion code and try again." Any ideas? Does it have to be CTO and not a preconfig?

 

It only works for CTO models. For preconfigured try the following:
MOTHERSDAY15 - $15 off $150
MOTHERSDAY25 - $25 off $250
MOTHERSDAY50 - $50 off $500
Excludes: (made-to-order) VAIOs, PlayStation Hardware, Gift Cards, and Sonycare

or
CJRFD10VAIO - 5% off Pre-configured VAIOs

 

Build a custon Vaio. Then during checkout you enter SPRING and get the savings.

 

I am thinking about buying my first Sony laptop this weekend. But I could use some opinions.

Currently I am looking at the FW378. Mainly I will be watching Blu Ray movies, and just using the internet as well as downloading music from iTunes.

I also see at Best Buy there is an FW351 Sony laptop, that plays Blu Rays but it has the XBrite Eco screen. Is there really a difference in the quality of the picture between the Eco and the FullHD? Right now at the Sony Store the 378 is $1429. But the 351 is only $899.

Basically what I wanna know if, what does the 378 offer that makes it worth shelling out an extra $500 bucks for.

Thanks!

 

Hi!

I went to the SonyStyle Store and saw 2 laptops FW390 - one with Eco and one with FullHD. They stood near each other. The difference is big! Contrast, quality, colors - the FullHD screen wonderful!

I'll recomend you FullHD screen.

Some opinions about
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=328626
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=325361

 

When I tryed use this code I got an answer Promotion code "SPRING" is invalid. Any ideas?

 

I have my FW373J/B for sale, asking 975+shipping

here is link if anyone maybe interested!

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=377177

PM me with offers, will make discounts for you future 373 owners

not a single thing wrong with it, no scratches dents dings to speak of

no dead pixels. as i said in that thread, credit card is getting too high :O

 

It is only valid on the Canadian site. Here is the link.

http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/se...langId=-1&promotionId=SonyStylePromotion00973

 

Thank you. I tryed use it on the USA site .