Official Vaio Pro 13 Owners Lounge (SVP13 2013)

I was keen on the vaio flip 13 but now it seems that it is having fan issues and supply issues so I am thinking of the pro 13 now (256gb or 512gb).
Have the problems on the vaio pro 13 been fixed, mainly the fan and wifi? would you guys still recommend this laptop?

 

So here are results with this new BIOS R1041V7 and new 16.6.0.8 wifi driver. I did multiple tests on both laptops to get stable results.
(AP on different floor, 3 walls, -63dB wifi signal, LAN Speed Test Lite software)

Sony VAIO Pro 13 write: 7.6 Mbps
Sony VAIO Pro 13 read: 5.3 Mbps

Asus eeePC 901 (5 yrs old) write: 39.1 Mbps
Asus eeePC 901 (5 yrs old) read: 44.3 Mbps

What this new BIOS was supposed to fix???

 

Yup seems to have some effect at least, auto brightness issue is resolved & USB device error also disappeared.
Mine is 8.1 64 bit but this was listed under 8.1 pro 64 bit (when I realised it , it was bit too late) . nothing happened though

 

i have both options, however it was missing like yours right after the clean install. i had to go back and install some of the original drivers and then it came back. when you select 8.1 not all the driver's are there, whatever is left, you take the original. i'm still missing the x-reality options for the video quality though. but i don't use it at all either.

 

I don't have any problem with vaio pro 13 right now , it's really a nice premium machine

 

I don't have any problem with vaio pro 13 right now , it's really a nice premium machine

 

But of course, sir. Until you realize very poor SVP13 wifi range - hence bad connection and double posts...

 

Anybody having issues with installing the Vaio Care Performance Patch 1.0.0.10300. I have tried manual downloads, having an agent remote in and the program just doesn't do anything when executed.

 

I CAN't update vaio care performance patch. What can I do ?

 

The same with vaio care update or manualy !

 

Same but I assumed it was a silent install like some of the other patches

 

Same thing happen to most of us; when you confirm to Windows UAC to install, the installation appears to have just disappeared or not installing. BUT it did install the patch as it has since fixed my brightness FN key not functioning after Resume from Sleep. Have been using it for last two weeks without any issue.

If you go to your Vaio Update and look for Update History, it will confirm the patch 1.0.0.10300 has been installed successfully.

 

To check if installation is successful:
1. Open Registry Editor
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Sony Corporation\Shared Info\AppDB\VAIOCare\PatchList\EP0000314224\version
3. Version should indicate 1.0.0.10300.

 

Did anybody manage to get the options for choosing the battery charge level (80%) and the silent fan back to the Vaio Control Center after a clean install of Win 8.1?!
Even the latest Bios from yesterday doesn't bring them back. I don't want to upgrade from the original 8.0 just to have this options back :/

 

What version have you installed?
I too have a clean 8.1 install and my Vaio control center has the options to select 80 (or 50%) and the same for silent etc
My Vaio care version is 8.3.0.08220

Not yet installed the latest bios from a couple of days ago but will be shortly

 

Back to unfamous wifi problem on SVP13:

 

I'm still struggling. I downloaded an official windows 8.1 image from Microsoft and reinstalled clean.
As someone suggested, I have also installed all original drivers that were shipped from factory and then all patches and updates - Still missing options in control centre. :-(

But everything seems to working. I don't intend to use battery care feature. And my fan noise seems to be acceptable so far.
Wifi good and no brightness issues.

I think I'm going to begin to use as primary laptop.
I will keep an eye on the thread and if I somehow get it working in future, I will share here


Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

I noticed another issue with this computer...after you start the computer from sleep, needs restart to find the wireless network.

 

Strange you're having such problems with that. My CFO at work has the same laptop as me and I wiped his today and did a clean 8.1 install and his install went perfectly as mine did.

Mine is set to sleep when I close the lid. When I open the lid, it wakes up automatically and I'm still connected to WiFi.

 

The same is set to sleep when i close the lid, but needs to be restarted to get back the connection...

 

Have you unchecked "Allow the computer to turn off the device to save power"? under "Power Management" of your adapter?

 

i tried this, but no result. I have this issue after a clean install of win 8.1, i installed all the drivers updates before win 8.1.

 

Hi

OK. I managed to get the settings back in VAIO Control Center.
I think the issue was the Windows 8.1 ISO. I'm using the VL en-US version of it. PM me for link.
But also I did the install in this order:
all drivers and driver updates
then
•Sony Shared Library 64 bits
•Sony Firmware Extension Parser Device 64 bits
•Hotkey Utilities 64 bits
•VAIO Location Utility
And then VAIO Update (which actually installs the VAIO Control Centre)
And then the rest.

I had an issue with graphics, in IE11, showing glitches. A windows update for the graphics driver sorted that out.

Now I noticed when the unit goes to sleep, the power button light does not flash orange.
Can anyone else confirm this?
I believe it occurred after installing Hotkey Utilities.
I think it is in sleep mode as it wakes instantly - but will never know from looking.

 

That because of sony rapid wake up_Eco

 

Hi

But why doesn't the led pulsate amber?
Is there a way to get it back?
I really don't see what's special about rapid wake as the machine wakes up just as fast as before installing hotkey utilities (with rapid wake with it)
:what:



Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

it's more secure because sleep should save your work to RAM but with this it saves your work to ram and ssd so if something goes wrong or the battery completely drained your work will still there in ssd , and it's need less power than normal sleep , (it's hybrid between sleep and hibernate ) and all new vaio model come with this instead of normal sleep .

 

Anyone else developing a CRACK in this area (red)???




So disappointed!!

 

I diidnt see any cracks, but when i open the lid i noticed that the hinges are not working properly, it s about 1 inch loose....

 

When on battery power my Vaio Pro 13 turns off every couple of minutes. On mains power it's fine. I've tried pressing the reset button under the extended battery pack tab but it makes no difference.

 

nothing like this with mine . I think it's hard to crack this area
have you ever used the sheet battery ??

 

sorry, wrong post

 

szycha3h : How much for the battery?

 

Guys,

A friend of mine asked me if the Pro 13 can be used by a novice who knows basic computer operation and use? The novice, being a parent, who wouldn't know how to tweak it by going to Device Manager, as one example, as a means of troubleshooting, like many of you have done. Do you think the Pro 13 will work functionally out of the box via its personal default settings.

We were at The Microsoft Store yesterday about to purchase the base model. They're offering a Microsoft Signature sweep of all Sony bloatware to free up storage space. Does anyone here who has purchased the 128SSD model know how much storage space is available after a fresh start? Contemplating on 256SSD if 128 SSD doesn't free up approx. 100GB of storage (after OS, assuming 28GB of it allocated for OS and recovery partition). Thanks!

 

Hi, wonder if anyone can help.

I have my vaio pro set so that when I close the lid the laptop goes to sleep. When I close the lid, the green power light goes off, as it should when it is asleep. However, over the last few weeks I have noticed that often when I go to open the laptop again after it's been left asleep for a long period e.g. overnight the green power light will already be on, indicating that the computer has been woken from sleep somehow with the lid closed!

At first I thought it was because I had a USB receiver for a wireless mouse plugged in but I have removed it and the same thing keeps happening.

Hope someone can help, it's very annoying as obviously the battery is getting drained because the laptop isn't staying in sleep mode.

 

Intel Smart Connect?

 

...what about it?

 

No worry, this is Intel Smart Connect Technology in the works. It wakes up periodically to check email and messages like smartphone or tablet so that they are already on your machine when you resume from sleep the next morning. Especially when there are large files to download, it may kick off the fan.
You can turn it off in Vaio Control Center>Power & Battery>Intel Smart Connect Technology.

 

Hello, don't know if anybody can help with this. After upgrading to 8.1 I can no longer view the Graphics properties of my intel card. I get an error message "GfxUIEx has stopped working". In addition I am unable to play games (I installed mass effect 3 earlier) or even view photos with windows photo viewer. Is there a sony driver or whatever else I can use to fix this? All of my other updates (BIOS etc) are up to date. One more problem I have is that windows update does not install or even download anything. It always comes up with download failed.
Many Thanks

 

For a novice , assume only about 80GB or so would be left at the end but should be enough as such. hardly worth paying a fortune for 256GB. using Vaio pro should be no issue for an novice even, as long as he can treat this as a delicate piece of equipment !

 

No issue, as long as an intended use of the laptop will be home use, on the desk, very close to the router with strong wifi signal. Sony already acknowledged that there is a problem with very poor wifi range in VAIO Pro line, they claim they work on permanent solution and offer wifi USB dongles as a temporary solution.

 

Works now. instructions are:

a. Press Windows Key + W
b. In the search box type turn windows features and press enter.
c. Uncheck the option .Net Framework 4.5 Advanced services.
d. Wait till the changes takes place and click on OK.
e. Restart the computer for the changes to take place.
f. Now Press Windows Key + W
g. In the search box type turn windows features and press enter.
h. Place a check mark next to the option .Net Framework 4.5 Advanced services.
i. Wait till the changes takes place and click on OK.
j. Restart the computer.

 

go for the 256. i think you only get like 70 gbs. if you were to do a clean install without the recovery partition it would have even more. but out of the box, i should work just fine. i'd probably show them how to tweak the touchpad though. other than that, they shouldn't need anything else.

 

Okay, Thanks for the reply. 70GB wouldn't be enough. Waiting… for MS Store to offer Black Friday deals. Hoefully, they will offer 25% off like they have in the past.

 

I was thinking 80GB would be enough, but it would seem awfully small (storage capacity) in this day and age, no?

 

Does anyone know when the next refresh is for the Pro 13? I'm a big fan of the Z Series and usually refreshes occur every 4 months. Has Sony change this? Usually, within the model#, a no# will change sequentially with a 1, 2, 3, and 4 to indicate the frequency of the refresh. I noticed this has yet to occur.

 

Hey peeps!

A good friend of mine is considering buying a Vaio Pro 13 for Christmas and asked me to let her know what I thought of it. I've been reading around in various places and there seems to have been some issues. Obviously going online and looking for complaints is going to make me find complaints, so I wanted to ask people directly. Are those issues still not fixed and how usual/serious are they? I'm talking about the WiFi issues, the touchpad issues, the temperature/fan noise issues and any other issues that may be plaguing a lot of people.

I had 2 additional questions as well:

1. How is the build quality? I understand there's some flexing in the chassi, how bad is it really? How does the carbon fiber chassis hold up over time?
2. My friend was thinking of picking the i3-4010U for economic reasons (the upgrade is unreasonably expensive in our minds). Now, I'm sure it's a competent CPU, but how does it really stack up in lighter tasks? I'm aware that the lack of Turbo Boost will be noticed in comparison to the i5, but assuming nothing too heavy (just office, multimedia,browsing and possibly some very light gaming), will the i3 be good/fluent enough for the next..say 2 years?

We appreciate your feedback.

 

About wifi problem:

The problem still remains. Sony VAIO Pro can provide a stable connection near a router only, if wifi signal is strong enough (RSSI better than -60dB). If signal is weaker - the connection becomes very slow and erratic and all other wifi enabled machines work good in the very same conditions. You can find many complaints and testimonies about problems in hotels, hot-spots, airports, schools etc.

There were multiple driver updates and Sony (Intel, actually) fixed only intermittent connection problem, starting with 16.x driver for Win 8.1 Poor wifi range remains, but at least you can get stable connection near a router.

Sony officially admits that the wifi problem in VAIO Pro exists. They are not announcing it in public though ;-) If you call a local support they led thru useless "update your drivers and reinstall system" procedure ant finally they will offer you a temporary solution, which is USB wifi dongle.

They claim they work on final, permanent solution. But this is going for long months already. Some people say that the whole problem is hardware fault by it's nature and never be fixed by any software patch (bad antennas placement?). There are also confirmed cases where Sony accepted returns of VAIO laptops even if the official return period was already gone. Because of the wifi problem.

VAIO Fit and Duo laptops experience very similar, if not the same wifi faults.

 

Of course it is small if for HOME use, for office use its generally enough . If budget is a constraint buy 128 & may be can buy a USB (tiny ones) or even externall HDD for storing movies/ Photos etc. However always get 8G RAM if possible as cant be upgraded later on.

 

If you read this forum (especially before 3 months) there will be plenty of wifi issues discussed but it seems to have come down recently. There are quite a few people like me who haven't had an issue with wifi but many have had also (I have never been too far away (say more than 30 meters or so )from router so dont know whether my laptop also has the wifi issue. ). Touch pad, fan noise issues etc have already been sorted out some time ago so you will be good to go once you do the software updates (even if your machine has the problem , mine didnt have any even before the updates)

To answer your additional question, the flex is an exaggerated thing really , just look at the machine personally & make your own judgement. Its a very thin & hence a bit delicate machine but build quality is very good. I use it on a flat surface & dont find flex issues at all. (Its got some sharp edges so use on lap needs some caution!!)

On i3 vs i5 , i have had some prior experience with i3 getting too slow after a while & hence would never ever recommend it. either wait for some more time to accumulate $ & buy an i5 or buy an I5 machine other than Vaio P but i3 honestly is a no no for me !! Same with RAM also 4GB is more than good enough mostly but if possible go for 8GB!

 

Geeee asked this question earlier today:

"Does anyone know when the next refresh is for the Pro 13?"

So far there is no answer, so please be overbearing with me when I now repeat this question, for I have wondered about this lack of refresh myself. My impression is at that Sony has refreshed earlier models every 3-4 month, so it's kind of strange that the Pro hasn't got a refresh yet, now being on the market for about six months.

And given the issues concerning wifi and fan noise (and other noise in addition?), there should be reasonable to expect a refresh.