Official VAIO Z Core 2 Duo Series Owners Thread

Sony, just like all the other companies, have a company policy of changing "like-for-like" parts for each particular model strictly according to specifications.

Glad to hear that you got your laptop back with no cosmetic damage.

 

Btw, i have had Dell upgrade a 160GB HD to 250GB HD for me before so probably what some companies do is at their discretion.

 

Yep. Maybe you're right.

You'll have to note also that Dell laptops are all CTOs. They don't have specific models like Z550, Z570 or so on. That probably explains the reason why they're willing to do a swap of the HDD for you.

Based on experience, almost all Japanese companies are pretty strict with parts exchanging/modifications as they have this inflexible "like-for-like" parts policy in place. I guess they want to have some form of standardization so that if there's any problems, it can be easier for them to handle it ans so on...

 

Also with Apple you can take your laptop to an Apple authorised service centre and have them upgrade your laptop for you with a bigger HD etc. So if you have a MBP you are free to do this even if your laptop is in warranty.

With Toshiba i think it was the same as i upgraded my HD with them in the past and paid for it.

If you are paying a number of companies just don't care what you upgrade to.

Edited to add:

http://www.topazsupport.co.uk/
^
There is nothing like this in the UK for Sony i don't know about the US. A few stores say that they are authorised to service and upgrade Sony laptops but when you call them you know they are not.

 

I also have the same model as you and i'm only getting around 3 hours. I've reinstalled Vista Ultimate 64-bit and now cannot see Quite Mode nor turn off Ilink, DVD.

My laptop is still new so i've not power cycled the battery yet, hopefully that'll give me extra battery life.

Anyone know how i can turn off the DVD, ilink to save battery?

 

how do disable the bluetooth without using the wireless switch?

 

The SmartWi switching thing. I was trying to look for more detail. Too bad there is no battery left for my Z.


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I sent P1 an email asking any updates detail on the issue. They shortly reply this morning, "Not yet". W-T.F.
No answer on what are they going to do or how long do I have to wait.

 

but i didnt install the smarwi thing cause that sprint thing was irritating, is this the only way to disable the bluetooth?

 

You may try this but I'm not sure if it works. Hence I can't try it now.

1. There is a Sony application called wireless switch setting utility. It was for those VAIO with out WWAN. A simply software which let you control on/off of Wifi and bluetooth. You may need some way to trick the system when you install, the installer may not let you install according to your model.

2. Install smartwi disable WWAN hardware from hardware manager. Under smartwi, just set WWAN off.

 

Is the SmartWifi also responsible for the bad recognzition for the ethernet cable detection (connection will only be recognized after a reset)?

Bernd

 

If I can just bring up this subject once again on the "premium carbon casing" for the Z to hopefully reach the USA. Here is something I copied and pasted from SonyStyle, USA webpage:

Though this information is from the Vaio TT section, I've always been confident, after seeing the Z w/ prem. carbon in SonyStyle Japan, and even prior to knowing that the TT was even offered w/ premium carbon, that this premium carbon lid will later transcend over to the Z and hit the US markets. The TT and Z are Sony's high-end notebooks which carry similar traits. Based on this alone is why I'm certain the Z w/ prem carbon will be offered in Sony's next refresh here in the USA.

 

I ws just speaking to a Sony rep (I'm based in Ireland) who has a roadmap for the Vaio Z. He tells me that the Z11 range of Vaio Z series currently available in Europe will be replaced at the end of October by the Z21 range. The specs are embargoed but he did say that there was no sign of any Blu-ray, at least for the configurations available in Ireland. He'll know for definite in a couple of weeks.

Personally, that means I'll be going to Conics.net and picking up a Z series with Blu-ray and a Premium Carbon finish. Typically, the euro just nosedived against the yen in the last 10 days and the configuration I was going to buy just jumped €400 :-(

 

I don't think so.

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Dam. It's the fourth day I received the useless Z590. I still have no news about an exchange or charger + Z590 VAIO Recovery Disc.

 

I don't have that problem under XP at all. My ethernet connections are instantly picked up.
I *do* however have a rather annoying problem with WWAN connections not working if I switch on WWAN after the machine is booted up. Sometimes it works and sometimes I'll need to reboot before WWAN can make a connection properly.

 

The Z21 has already been mentioned here - http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=302068

Looks like no major upgrades, just that you can have the 2.53Ghz processor with a smaller hard disc.

I am really torn on this. I am soooo close to ordering a Z11, and will certainly be happy with all aspects of it except lack of BluRay. I am just hoping that any refresh does not give me buyers remorse, and that at sometime in the future I can upgrade to a BluRay writer myself.

 

i started having this problem with my wi-fi after installing smartwi

 

I cannot use the wwan in my Z so I have uninstalled smartwi as it is a resource hog and runs several unnecessary(for me) processes in the background.

So this means i cannot switch BT, Wifi 2,4GHz and 5Ghz individually, I can only control them w the hardware wireless switch.
It's not a big deal, but it would be nice to have that "wireless switch setting utility" you mentioned.

Can you please somebody link to the file that will work with Z and Vista?

Thank you

 

I don't see the problem with WLAN, only WWAN. And I don't think I have SmartWI installed because I downgraded to XP and I think I just have the Wireless Switch Setting Utility.

Do you use a Linksys router, by any chance? I read something in the release notes for the Intel WiFi drivers about problems with negotiation for Wireless-N with Linksys routers... maybe worth a look? I've often found upgrading the drivers for wireless devices or upgrading the router's firmware will fix issues. It's all pretty new technology...

 

Yes you can, here is the download file link for Z17/590 well... for almost all Z:

http://www.sony-asia.com/support/download/product/vgn-z17gn/modelfirst

 

Hello everybody,
I'll soon be part of the "tribe"! (almost read the whole thread)
I ordered a Z11MN/B. Here in Italy, they are really costy: I spent 1700€ (always less than sonystyle's 1899€ on a web shop, including shipping, 5 years seller's warranty and "0 pixel check-up".
Asap I'll post some photos.

 

maybe there will come a z21 with br and ssd:

VAIO VGN Z21ZN/X

 

I've found a price for z21zn/x: 3792 €
it's overcharged by far!

 

Thanks. I assume you are referring to the Wireless control setting utility that can be found in the XP drivers section.

I have tried, it installs without a problem on my US Z570N running Vista. However it only controls wifi 2.4 and 5Ghz, Bluetooth switch simply does not show up in the utility.



I guess it does not recognize my Vista Bluetooth driver (orginal installed version).

Anybody succeeded with any version of the Wireless Control Setting Utility on Vista?

If you don't use wwan I think this utility is much more suitable for the task than the bit bloated smartwi...

 

Indeed!! I could join the queue for the Bond 007 special on Sonystyle.co.uk, but thats £3000 !!! And I dont actually want SSD ( I would actually remove it!)

Just fitted a 500gb drive in my SZ3 today, and its great, suddenly have 200gb free again. Thats what would go in the Z if I can not resist the urge.

So, yes, all I want is Z11 with ANY hard disc, 2.5Ghz, 1600 screen, and Bluray...

 

i hate this smartwi.. it opens just too many processes..
anyone know how to deactivate bluetooth without smartwi?

 

i uninstalled smartwi and now i can't enable / disable my wi-fi




does anyone know how to solve this?

 

nevermind, solved it, apparently you have to enable the wifi on smartwi before you uninstall it, or you'll lose the wifi connection...
which is pretty stupid

 

There's a competitor in sight.. a Dell Studio XPS 13(40) with glass coating and a remarkable low weight being rumored.. (before thanksgiving is my hope lol)

 

yeah, i remember they announced this during Summer.. but after all the hype when the XPS M1330 was announced and what we have now... i think i may pass..

 

This is a bit of a different direction from the way the rest of the thread has been going, but going through the VAIO Control Panel I discovered the Z's accelerometer. I kinda figured it had one since it has HDD shock protection, but I didn't realize the shock levels actually showed up on the meter in there when you move the laptop around.

That got me thinking. My Toshiba Tablet PC had an accelerometer in it as well, which was used for switching between open windows (lightly shake left or right), bringing up the Start menu (lightly shake up), or even moving the cursor based on the tilt of the laptop.

The Control Center can obviously see the input levels of the accelerometer at work (move the laptop around with the screen open and you can see the axis levels react), so I'm wondering if there are any programs out there that use it for something? I'm sure the program would have to be written with Sony's accelerometers in mind, or something like that, but whatever the case, since it's there, I want to use it.

I'm already imagining playing tilt-type maze games, [pseudo-]measuring of g-forces in a vehicle, using my Z as a digital level... etc. Mostly in the name of fun, of course, since the accelerometer would probably need to be calibrated somehow for any accurate kind of use.

 

Haha, interesting idea! I'd personally be too paranoid about causing any accidents while tilting the Z around, but it sounds like a fun thing for braver souls than me to try!

 

Is it inside the hdd? I mean, if I change the hard disk (with another one without shock protection), then I lose the accelerometer?

 

Hey Erdaram, have you reveived your cover yet? Let's take some picture. I just can't wait.

 

i dont think its inside the HDD, because i changed my HDD to a 320GB Seagates Momentus and i still have the accelerometer

 

Probably you're right, BUT also your Seagate Momentus does have an internal accelerometer (if it is, as I suppose, a model ST9320421AS):

have a look here -> http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/laptops/momentus/momentus_7200.3/
and/or here -> http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.j...a3f9110VgnVCM100000f5ee0a0aRCRD&reqPage=Model

Anyway, it seems more reasonable that the accelerometer you can see from the utilities is placed somewhere else.

 

Wow after server 'upgrade' NBR is much more faster to me! or is it because not enough are back on lol

 

From an HDD upgrade thread:

Also, according to Seagate's description of G-Force Protection on their site, it's merely a set of hard disk drive precautionary engineering that has been built into their drives, like larger ball bearings, smaller, lighter heads and arms, and a bunch of other stuff. From I understood, there's no active sensing of shock, but rather just a lot of beefing up of components. I think the HDD protection in the Z merely moves the head away from the platters when a shock event occurs.

Look! Look! I'm not crazy.
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3486

The DLL described in the article only works on ThinkPads, so I guess as long as there's no VAIO DLL file to allow all this to work, we're out of luck. Maybe we're lucky in a way, since ThinkPads apparently have 2 axis accelerometers, while we Z owners (maybe other VAIO owners as well) have 3 axis versions.

 

yeah.. i tried googling for G-Force Protection and couldnt find anything assimilating it to an accelerometer..

 

You're definitely right!
Sorry for wasting your time...

 

Hi

Sorry form my bad english : ) i m living in not english speaking country, so i hope i will find help here

I bought a z with the p8600 cpu a few days ago, and its a really really gread laptop, but there a 2 big points, which a not really ok in this expensiv laptop class.

1. the fan, is to lout!
I try to disable the fan with rmclock, but this is only than for a very short time.
The cpu is then only in a „dynamic switch mode“ and clock down to 0,8Ghz but rise up 2,4 for a few seconds without any work in stamina mode.
This is the way because my z heating up to 42° and the fan gos for few minutes on, then it’s a few minutes quite and everything starts again…
and this is when i only do office and surfing in the www.

Did anybody solve this problem now? Did the new bios update help?

At my old notebook i use nhc, but this to not work with the z

2. the battery.

I charge my z at 100%, put he charging unit off, next morning i switched my z on, only 86% power there.

Other example was, that i switched my z with 30% off, 2 days later i couldn’t switch it on because no power was in the battery…

This is crazy… everyon speaks form saving the environment and save energie and what does the z? dumping the energie…

My old acer didn’t do this, i never heard of a notebook which do this…

Why do the z and sr modells do this form sony?

The z is realy a dream laptop form and i want really to keep it, but if i can’t make it quite, i had to give it back

So i really really hope, that some of you can help me

 

sonata - there's no perm. fix to battery drain issue, its affecting most of Sony vaio's .. (one way is to charge battery 100%, physically remove it, put it back in when you need it again)

I have never had fan go on//loudness on my former Z (P9500) but some others have, I guess you already did undervolting.. are you utilizing your CPU fully? .. if fan loudness is unbearable, you may want to get a higher cpu as I think the problem in p9500 is diminished on fan noise

 

hi, i choose the p8600, because i thougt, smaller cpu = less power = less heat

and its ok, i dont need the p9500

my problem is the dynamic switch, that the z goes in normal office work form 0.8 to 2.4ghz...

i need something as nhc on my z. on my old acer nhc could permantly clock the cpu down to 0.6ghz, which is still ok and fast for surfing and office work.

o.8ghz on the z is also ok, but not to rise up to 2.4 every every 20 sec's for one sec. this is the reason for heating up and the fan go on.

 

You can do exactly what you describe with RMclock. Just disable the higher multipliers to limit your CPU to 6x.

Have you tried looking at the options in Vaio Power Management? You can choose a 'Quiet' cooling performance option which effectively limits the CPU speed to keep the temps down.

 

you can try RMClock..
not sure if this helps, but i think you can pick which multipliers to use (so you can pick only the lower ones)

edit: Infy beat me to it

 

ok then i will try this.

yes i choose the silent option in the menu...

a working fan is still ok in the speed mode but in the stemina

so i will tomorrow morning try it, i found also you thread about this, but this is a lot of work or?

and then is still the problem for me to unterstand everything, what to do

 

Sad.......... I got the Amazon $1689.00 deal for the 550n/b. Put it away for 5 days, 95% charged, and it won't start unless you attach the charger. Three times in a row.. Can't live with this... 1 day left to return and the call was made today. Thought a Laptop was able to run on battery power . My old Dell and HP units would last for weeks when charged and put away.
Normal my A..
Back it goes and a Leveno x200s will replace it.

 

Amazing! When you attached the charger, what % was left, obviously zero, if you had to attach the charger. I'm glad I returned mine. I also had the Z550, but I was always using it daily though.

To all, if its any consolation, I just got back from SonyStyle O.C. and the rep said the refresh on the Z is expected to arrive Sony Stores the week of Oct. 26. He didn't know what configurations will be offered and whether or not the premium carbon lid will make it on this refresh. In fact, he had never heard of this lid, so......we'll see soon enough.

 

Oct 26?
sounds kind of early..

 

I am so glad I returned mine, I would have been p*** off with a refresh this early and wanting to break my Z in order to get it. .

Patience is bliss

 

hi

i m still try to clock the z down but i have a new question.

did anybody try to change the size off the hdd?
i want not to have 250GB only für c:

better is for me, 40 for c and 210 für d.

but with the intern vista program its not possible, partion magic does not work unter vista, and paragon partion manager crash the z, so that i m playing now the backup on the z...