Official VAIO SR Series Owners Thread

i updated the firmware on the seagate HD and its pretty solid now. the clicking is gone.

 

I recently did a clean install of Windows 7 Pro x64 on my SR.

An issue I still have is regarding the keyboard shortcuts for screen brightness (fn+F5/F6), which still do not work for me. All of the other fn+ shortcuts work fine. Any ideas on this?

Also, the battery icon down in the notifications tray consistently says that my battery is never fully charged, though 99% of the time I use my SR plugged in. It ranges from 80%-90%, and always says 'not charging'. Has anyone else encountered this problem and any ideas on fixes?

Thanks in advance!

My two cents:
If anyone had problems with their touchpad scroll being unresponsive, I fixed this issue by downloading the touchpad driver directly from the manufacturer website ( http://www.synaptics.com/support/drivers), as all of the relevant drivers on the Sony support website didn't fix the problem for me.

 

The battery max always says 2hr 40min for me, however I was able to get 4.5hrs out of it in power saver mode, wifi on, while watching youtube videos. I think I could get 5hours out of it if it's just document typing.

 

HMMM 4,5 , 5 hours !!!!!! your graphic card is Intel 4500????

 

max battery on my SR is 2hrs almost on the dot

thats with or without wifi on

 

When I mean 80-90%, that's what it says when I hover my mouse over the battery icon in the notification tray (Windows 7)... though I'm quite sure my battery is actually 99-100% charged. Has anyone else encountered this problem?

Regarding actual battery life, my SR gives 2.8hrs on average, though I've seen 3hrs on rare occasions.

 

hi guys,

new to the ultra-portable scene here, would like some opinions on this vaio sr config:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834117913

Been offered a second hand build for $350, tempting at the price, but still not yet convinced!

thanks!

 

I would say $350 is a great price. what is a 2nd hand build?

also, SR's come with 2 different graphic chipsets. If it has the ATI graphics then you get vga out and hdmi out.

I would also imaging you could upgrade the cpu at a later date as they all use the micro-fcpga socket. (I think..).

 

Just got my VAIO SR-590GXB. My first VAIO notebook actually. Over all I'm very satisfied. One question though... how do i go about in making a backup for the Windows 7 OS with all the factory software that came with it? As in a stock backup file just in case I want to start over. The XP downgrade CD that came with it said something about a VAIO Recovery Center but I cant seem to find it anywhere in the programs section. Help anyone? TIA!

 

In the windows start menu you should have a folder called "Vaio Recovery Center". That is the program to create the restore DVD's and do a system recovery.

it should also be here:
"C:\Program Files\Sony\VAIO Recovery\VAIORecv.exe"

 

Tried looking but it's really not there.. not even in the C: Program Files - Sony Folder.. is it possible that the newer versions of SR's doesn't have this program anymore? All i have is VAIO Update 4, VAIO Power mgmt, VAIO Manager Settings, VAIO Care, etc etc but no VAIO Recovery Center.

Also, will it do the job if I just use the Window Back up and Restore? Any other options?

Help please, thanks!

 

You actually need to click on the VAIO Care 4 program. It will then load for like 5 seconds and then the One Click Care page will be shown. There are options are listed on the left : One Click Care, Troubleshooting, Recovery and Restore, and VAIO Support. Click Recovery and Restore. Here is where you will find the Create Recovery Disc Option. Put your blank disk in and click Start Disk Creation. It took me 1 Dual Layer DVD to create a recovery disk. Hope that helps.

 

Did you get a response on this issue as I have been experiancing the same thing on my new machine.

 

Found it! Thanks for the help... I'm a newbie with Vaios so it's taking me quite awhile to figure it out. Already burned my recovery disks so I guess I'm good to go.

One issue I have is that whenever I charge my SR590, it only goes up to 80%. When it reaches 80%, it says 'plugged in, not charging'. Is this normal? And mine only goes up to 3.5 hours at Balanced mode. Any inputs? Thanks again.

 

yes it is normal. in "vaio control centre" you would see "battery performance" link in left side bar. it is set to enhance battery life or something like that (not sure as i aint got my vaio with me at the moment ) there are 3 different plans there and yours is set to the 1st 1. that won't let your battery to charge more than 80%. if you want to charge your battery up to 100% you would have to disable this battery life thin (or whatever it is) but it surely is there and thats the reason of your problem.

hope it would help you to sort out your problem, actually it surely would only if you found the battery performance in control centre which is the 1st option on the left bar.

HAPPY VAIOING!

 

i just need the list of all the software or drivers or utilities etc. that come pre-installed on SR590. i mean whatever shows up in "uninstall program" list in control panel.

2ndly i really really need to know the right order to install the drivers and utilities downloaded from vaio support site. as i installed "win 7 ultim8" and don't know the order to install the drivers/utilities downloaded from the support site.

the link where i downloaded them from is ...

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=VGNSR590&SelectOS=47

and yes i want to install all these things, but don't know the right order to do so, if there is any. so if anyone could please tell me the same. it would be highly appreciated.

and yeah i also want to download the other program and utilities that came pre-installed with my vaio but are not available to download on the above link like vaio care & video and picture related softwares from sony.

 

good catch, I forgot about that one.

 

Good one! Thanks again!

 

hey everyone, i haven't checked the forum for a while. i have an sr390 and while im still happy with it overall, i am really in need of a higher resolution than this 1280x800. is there any way that i can order a replacement panel that runs a higher resolution. i did this a while back with my dell inpiron, changing the 15.6 panel from 1280x800 up to 1920x1200. this would be great. thanks.

 

Nope, wont work here because the SR only has 1 panel - 1280x800 resolution

 

dam, was afraid of that. ok thanks. perhaps its time to start thinking about a replacement then. thanks.

 

Does anyone know details on the new "S" model coming out? Best Buy has one for sale now, SonyStyle confirmed on the phone today with me that the "S" is coming soon to replace the SR, but they dont' know when.

I'm trying to hold out to buy a customized one. Does anyone have timing details that they can share?

 

The S is apparently available now via best buy (in store). If you check out the Official S forum, you will find what you are looking for.

 

I am looking for the NEW installation process for Windows 7 x64 for the Vaio SR.

Where is this thread? Thanks!

 

my vaio sr41 switches the multiplicator of the cpu +0.5 every few seconds. is this normal? newest bios flashed... i have had this effect with the original T6600, with a P9500 and now with the T9900!

look here: http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=962821



I can see this effect in cpu-z and in everest ultimate.

 

i got a strange problem with my sr190. its only been used for less than 1.5 years and the clock seems to be running late. as i check my clock, the second hand pauses for half a second every 5 seconds. google says its probably my bios battery giving out, but its such a new laptop and my 7 year old laptop doesnt even have this problem!! does anyone else have this problem so far? and if so, has anyone fixed the problem?

 

I don't know where the thread is, but this is what worked for me on my SR290:

1. A clean installation of Windows 7.
2. Install latest Intel chipset drivers (9.1.1.1019 or later).
3. Run Windows Update (this will install a more recent version of Sony's Firmware Extension Parser software and the fingerprint reader driver).
4. The latest Memory Card drivers from Sony (2 files)
5. Touchpad driver from Sony (or the newer version from Synaptic, your choice).
6. Sony Shared Library (under System Components)
7. Setting Utility Series (under Notebook Control and Utilities)
8. Event Service (under Sony Applications)
9. VAIO Control Center Software (under Notebook Control and Utilities)
10. VAIO Original Function Settings Software (under Sony Applications)

After installing these in the above order I have all the functionality of the VAIO Control Center and working Fn keys. I didn't install the Mode Switch drivers because I don't use them, or any of the other Sony drivers because Windows 7 seems to take care of the rest of the hardware by itself. Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, sound and video work great with Windows-supplied drivers.

 

Hey guys,

I just installed Win7x64 Ultimate on my sony vaio SR VGN-190 and my finger scroll is not working on my touchpad.

Any ideas on how to resolve this issue???

Thanks.

 

How would you guys rate the screen on the SR? I know it's not as good as the Z display-wise, but how does it compare to the average laptop? Thank you.

 

I'd say it looks almost as good as the Z. It's bright with great viewing angles. It's the glossy type but one of the less annoying reflective screens I have seen as far as reflections go. Sony did a great job with it. As for the SR vs. the low res screen on the CW, the SR is MUCH better. That's why I went with the SR over the CW. I can't provide feedback on the new 1600 x 900 CW screen though as it compares to the SR. I'll get some pics posted soon to provide some visual feedback. And, I'm not hating on the CW. I still might wanna buy it after seeing the 1600 x 900 model.

 

Which one will be better to buy.. A new S-serie or the SR with the best specs available?

 

If buying now, the CTO SR route is better with discrete graphics and fast processor vs. the S series shared memory graphics and limited choice of processor. If in a few weeks/months, for many probably the the S series, due to the faster DDR3 RAM, the to be determined discrete graphics card option, and the back-lit keyboard.

I personally like the looks of the SR better.

 

Install the latest touchpad driver from Synaptics:
http://www.synaptics.com/support/drivers

 

Sweet well, i just joined the ranks of the Sr owners. I'm upgrading from fz260e. So as of now I own the Sr-590cto that I got from sony style. Ill inform you guys on the specifics considering if battery drain is still an issue, to what might be the last "SR" model Sony produces since it seems they are switching to the "S" class. So far I'm digging this laptop, its sleek design, lightweight body, brilliant screen, keyboard is amazing, fast processor, whoa this laptop is beastly. I honestly love that it came integrated with bluetooth, something alot of laptops lack unfortunately. I was stuck between this model and the "S" that Best Buy recently received. Its back lit keyboard would have probably been the only reason I would of bought that model and that wasn't enough for me. The design on the "Sr" is ten times better in my opinion, I like the tube design lol. Well any ways here is what is under the hood

The Sr590 runs on the P8700 (2.53ghz) processor since I heard it consumes less energy than the T-class.
ATI-HD4750 graphics card w/HDMI slot
4gb of ram
320gb HD. disk speed (5400rpm to conserve battery as well from what I"ve heard.)
windows 7 home premium 64 bit.
So ill give you guys the run down on both default settings for the power saving and balanced options. I probably wont attempt high performance since it will most likely not last very long.
But as of now starting at 100% battery life is:

Balanced: 2hr30min

Power Saver: 2hr40min

But that is just for now, ill come back post the battery stats in about a week.
(note:no power adjustments have been made to either power saving options, they are at default selection, and standard battery is being used, not the extended life battery)

 

1st, welcome to the SR club !!! 2nd, yeah, it's unbelievable that the power consumption in Balanced or Battery Saver Mode are essentially, exactly the same...that should have been an indicator for SONY that there might be an issue. But yes, other than the drain problem, it is one sweet laptop !

 

Hi, I am thinking of purchasing the SR51 but had a few queries and would appreciate some feedback from other buyers of this model

1. Is there a good recomended docking station (not a USB version)
2. Is the upgrade path for this model reasonable and easy?

Thanks

 

cool. If your interested in power savings etc. do a search for the "devcon" utility a forum member made. it allows you to toggle devices on/off easily for power savings (dvd,modem,usb,etc). be sure to read the entire thread to get the correct OS version 32 or 64 bit.

Sony makes a docking station specifically for the SR: > Link<
Last year they also ran a special where you got one free depending on what bundle you choose. > link (pdf)<

as for upgrades, it is easy to upgrade the ram and hard drive. a cpu upgrade would require laptop disassemble, but is possible.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I had a look at that docking station and wanted to clarify something.

When your SR laptop is docked in this station, is the laptop fully closed and is a power button provided on the docking station?

I suppose what I am looking for is a docking station like 1 I have seen with a Dell where you plug the laptop into it (fully closed) and then your power the machine and use the ports provided on the actual station opposed to the laptop.

This enables you to treat your laptop as a desktop since you using a normal desktop screen and keyboard but the resources of your laptop which is plugged into it.

Judging from what I can see on the SR station, I am not sure this is possible?

 

I have the docking station and no, there isn't a power button on it which is unfortunate. As for closing the lid, the work-around is to change your POWER setting on your laptop ("Change what closing the lid does")...to be honest, it's not the greatest power dock I've ever seen and once in awhile, the screen on my 24" monitor would look "messed up"...I have thus stopped using it myself.

 

So I'm back with a small review on the battery life. It seems as if the battery life estimate that is on this vaio is off, way off. On power saver its says I have 2hrs and 34min, it really turns out to last about 4hours almost 5 so this is with continuous web browsing and such. On balanced power option I tend to get around 3hrs to 4hrs. So far it seems pretty good considering my last Vaio would only get 2hrs(which was pretty good two years ago) I still love that Vaio too . So I'm pleased to say I'm liking the battery life, only thing is I wish the estimate would be a lot more accurate instead of two hours off, its as if windows programed the thing knowing no windows laptop can get that much battery time off stock batteries lol. Ooo just an observation too, but this laptop actually turns on at 3am to do a windows update, first it was kind of creepy cuz none of my older computers did this, but I guess Im just gonna have to change that setting, since I left my laptop unplugged that night with 100% battery left to find it with 50% battery left in the morning, but even with this much power it lasted all me all school morning (8:45am-9:45am; standby "drains battery a lot unfortunately" ; 11:30-12:40pm) Anyways I'll keep testing and come back with a more in-depth look at the Vaio Sr-590cto.

 

Hi

Which is install order for the drivers and software for VAIO SR 29VN/s?


Thank you

 

HI guys

I am thinking about buying a vaio SR (VAIO VGN-SR41M/S), it still has vista as operating system. According to the seller, it is illegible for a free Win7 update.

Does any of you have done an update?? how difficult would it be?

thanks!

 

It depends on which version you are updating to. For some reason, Microsoft won't let you do an update from Home Premium vista to Windows 7 professional. You'll have to do a clean installation (erase your C drive, then install windows 7). or if vista was 32 bit, and you want to install 64 bit windows 7, you'll have to do a clean install.

I would do a clean install either way. It's super easy, took me literally 30 minutes. I just popped in the USB drive with windows 7 boot on it (you'll have to make this yourself) OR just use a windows 7 DVD, told the installer to erase my C drive. then it installed windows 7 very quickly.


http://pcsupport.about.com/od/operatingsystems/ss/windows-7-clean-install-part-1.htm

 

my vaio sr590cto was going good untill i cleam installed win7 ultim8, in fact it iwas till gd bu i cudnt install the drivers correctly so i used the recovery dvds to get it back to factory default and used anytym upd8 key to upgrade home premium to ultim8 and here comes da prob. i uninstalled some of the crap ware lyk trials of antivirus, ms-office, ms-works, roxio burner etc. n used acronics true image home to take the image of c: drive. and now my system takes ages to boot :S.

i mean everything else is fyn as in when tis done with booting it works perfect. but really takes ages to boot. the screen where the stars come flying to mke win logo is normal but after dat it shows black screen 4 a while then win login screen takes a while to show the password prompt then after entering the pw, the cursor is working and working and working .... even after showing the desktop it takes too much tym to set the desktop icons and the vaio dock bar.

its really annoying i mean whats the point in having p8800 n 4 gigz of ram when its slow as . now i dnt even have the acronis true image home, i just uninstalled the crap ware listed above n installed the jetaudio only. i even use the vaio care regulary to keep it clean from errors, updates regularly both win7 n vaio upd8. but it really sux.

if some1 could please suggest any solution to this problem (if it is 1) please help me out.

 

In the Windows 7 Pro that came with my SR, there's this Sony Vaio icon (literally a small Vaio laptop icon) at the bottom left of the screen, next to the media player. Does anyone know what it's for? Whenever I click it, nothing happens. When I point / hover my cursor over it, it ust says "Sony". Just wondering...

 

Hi all.

Does anyone have an SR59VG? or similar spec model? (Win7 64/ P8700 / 4GB RAM)?

I'm having issues with my fan noise. Not that is actually very noisy at all, but its always on after about 4mins from a cold start. Is this usual? The fan doesnt get higher or lower, but i can always hear it in a VERY quiet room. Just wondering whether to send it back to Sony for a check up before i fill the HDD up with my personal docs etc...

Another odd thing ive noticed is that if i hold down a keyboard key, the fan gradually turns off, when im not holding the key, it resumes!! ? does this happen to others?

Also, if similar specs, could you post avg temp stats? mine follow in Celcius using CPUID HW Monitor (free download)

Component - Current / Min / Max
TZ00 - 38 / 33 / 47
TZ01 - 38 / 33 / 47
Core #0 - 32 / 26 / 41
Core #1 - 29 / 25 / 40
HDD - 35 / 34 / 36

feel free to contact me with info.
cheers

 

Hi does anyone know what the maximum resolution is from the DVI port in the dock for the SR? I have an ati mobility 4570

 

With the mode setting feature that comes with the SR series, can you customize for example the background for each mode? I can't figure out how to do this. Whenever I change the background for a certain mode. Whenever I change it back, it goes back to the factory Vaio wallpaper, only in different colors. Help anyone?

 

Hello.
Did you find solution for this error?
Regards.

 

To LBC:


Press the -settings- button thats located on the other side of mode button above your keyboard. Once there, their is a box that says "change wallpaper when modes changes." Check mark this. Now for each mode, which you can change their wallpaper, you have to do it through this menu or else you will have the same issue. So if you want to set up work mode wallpaper, click on the -change wall paper option- in the same menu, it should be in the preview page of the mode. Hope this helps.