Sony CW i3/i5/i7 Official Owners Thread

Has anyone figured out how to swap the Bluray Drive for an SSD?

 

I'd love a walkthrough as well, I already replaced my HDD with a SSD, but it'd be great to have more storage (ie, replace the blu-ray with the old HDD)

 

You can use one of these to replace your dvd with a hdd.

You can find them on ebay.

 

What is this item called? Hard to find if you can't search for the name.

 

anyone try the extended 9cell battery with this laptop yet?

how about one from ebay?

 

I bought one of the OEM ones on eBay for $200 and with it, my CW lasted 5 hours.

On a side note, if anyone wants to sell their Sony Vaio CW, PM me I wish I hadn't sold mine I'm ready to buy another.

 

bump, really interested in this, what is it called / where can i buy one?

 

Its a ODD hard drive caddy.

 

Wait! I think it may be called an Optibay.

 

You guys have an ebay product page or ebay seller who has the right batteries for the CWseries? They seem to be harder to find than other SONY replacement batteries.

 

Its called a "SATA 2ND Hard Drive HDD caddy adapter". ebay is full of these!!!

 

This is the cheapest Genuine Sony 9 cell for the CW: Sony VGP-BPL21 Notebook Battery High Capacity | eBay

 

I am trying to output HDMI to my Hitachi plaxma tv. Is there something I am missing? I get no response from the laptop or the television. Its as if nothing is connected. I am using f7 ...

 

Anyone have actual experience with these non-OEM batteries? There are multiple sellers listing them:

12 cell
12 CELL SONY VGP-BPS13 VGP-BPL13 VGP-BPS13/B Battery - eBay (item 250799928731 end time Jun-04-11 07:06:41 PDT)

9 cell
9 Cell SONY VGP-BPS13/B VGP-BPL13 VGP-BPS13A/B Battery - eBay (item 250789808755 end time Jun-15-11 07:18:01 PDT)

All the non-SONY batteries require a software update:

" You will be required to install a non-hazardous program to ensure the battery be 100% compatible with your laptop. This program will update the underlying device driver of intelligent lithium battery, including the BIOS. Please read the instruction manual carefully before you start to install the program."

I'm not looking for general speculation on the worthiness of these (or other) non-OEM batteries - specific experience only. Thanks.

 

I think the dust is back. CPU temps 100+ on full load. It's been what 2 months and now I'll have to re-opn my laptop. ?!

 

get a can of compressed air

 

Anyone can recommend the fastest RAM for sony vaio cw?

 

I suppose the fastest DDR RAM for Intel PM55 (BUS Speed - 2 GB/s) will be a 1600Mhz ram with CL 9.

Newegg.com - Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 HyperX Plug n Play Laptop Memory Model KHX1600C9S3P1K2/8G

correct me if i'm wrong

 

Can anyone confirm something for me? I'm dealing with Sony Canada regarding a warranty issue (possible hardware graphics problem that I haven't bean able to fix aside from a fresh install of Windows 7). I bought this Sony CW laptop from SonyStyle.ca (custom order), where it says any laptop purchased through SonyStyle is registered automatically.

Yet, when I call Sony, they can't find any thing in their system. I have to fax a copy of the onlonr receipt.

However, I believe this stems from an issue with the model number. See, the laptop shows on the receipt a CW290S which is also shown on the sticker on the bottom of the laptop. Yet, when the customer service rep remotely opened up VAIO Care, this laptop shows up as a CW29FS which is probably why I am being hassled with showing them proof of purchase.

Does anyone else have a laptop where it shows a different model number in VAIO Care as it does on the receipt and sticker?

 

I've had the Sony Vaio CW series for about a year and a half now. Battery life has always been sub par for me with about 2 hours of battery life on full brightness and just browsing the web. I wanted to purchase the large capacity battery but it costs $250 which is absurd to me. I was contemplating on buying a new laptop such as the new Z or S series. After seeing that my configurations for the S would come out to $2100 and for the Z, $2700, Im thinking of just upgrading my Sony Vaio CW.
My current specs are
1366x768 display- I would love to get a 1600x900 display though
Intel i5-520M at 2.4 ghz
4GB of RAM
320GB 5400RPM hard-drive
NVIDIA GeForce 310M
I was thinking of replacing the hard-drive with an ssd, around 250-300GB and also adding 4 more GB of RAM. I have never upgraded a computer and I was hoping that you guys can help me out with what I should buy. The top lid also has many scratches and I was thinking of replacing that too. I also want to upgrade my GPU, what should I upgrade it to?

 

Well you have two different issues: better battery life & upgrading your system. For battery llife I'd try the 9 cell ebay battery I referenced above. It's a lot cheeper than the OEM battery.

In terms of upgrading, there is a newegg.com link a few pages back for 8GB of RAM that will work with your computer. That is by far the easiest upgrade you can do on a laptop. I have the 1600x900 screen on my CW. You may be able to find a part number online (I think mine is a Samsung TN panel) and install it yourself. But the hi rez screen is not a panacea - text is tiny and I am often viewing web pages @ 150% which kinda defeats the purpose. Re: a 250GB SSD HD, I don't think you find one for less than $600-700 which ain't too cost effective. And I bet your current processor is at or near the limit for your chipset/MB which makes upgrading either impossible or of little practical benefit.

Besides adding RAM, I think the only other practical upgrade would be to add Blu-ray drive if you don't already have. But the problem there is finding the right drive thickness/bezel to match what you have now. And with your current screen, you might not notice too much difference between Bluray & standard DVD.

 

Here's the RAM Newegg.com - Product Detail

 

Thanks for the response, I have found a 256 GB SSD for $400 on amazon and what GPU can I upgrade to? Do you know where I can get a new top lid as well?

 

I have the NVidia GT 330M display adapter in mine but don't know how big a performance jump that is from the 310 you currently have, nor do I know who sells it. The lid you would need to get from Sony

Sony eSupport - VPCCW26FX - Products, Parts & Accessories

 

24peter, have you tried those ebay batteries that you referenced?

 

No - haven't tried them yet basically b/c my battery is holding up quite well and I don't do extended periods away from a plug.

 

Theres a white mark on my screen thats only noticeable in a white background.
whats wrong with my screen? is it a dead pixel or something, and is there anyway to fix it?

I have 2 pics on here
Pictures by Mets3214 - Photobucket

 

i just added 4gb of ram to my sony vaio cw and the computer doesnt recognize it

 

Anyone able to run BF3 smoothly on their CW?

 

LOL I wish!!!!!!

If you find a config that plays smooth please let me know. I will do the same.

Maybe I will try 1024x768 later today.

 

Anyone have a link to a dissassembly guide? I want to spraypaint my lid.

 

Well I think I am going to have to claim my girlfriend's CW laptop under my credit card extended warranty.

I honestly think I must have gotten a lemon or a last laptop built on Friday.

As soon as we got the laptop, I did a clean install (used the driver install order referenced in these forums). Started getting random BSOD's six months after purchasing the laptop. Fixed this with a driver update. Few months later more BSOD's which didn't point to a driver. Since it was under warranty, I figured I'd let Sony deal with it (needed to go back since the left mouse button was noticeably lower and caused your finger to rub against the edge of the trackpad since day one). Major confusion from them as the sticker on the laptop shows it as a VPC-CW290S, yet the hardware shows it as a VPC-CW29FX (serial numbers are the same though).

Got it back and all was good. Left it for a few months as we were busy and finally did a clean install and started loading our programs and games. Started downloading a game on Steam, laptop froze for over a minute (HDD off, screen on, no response to keyboard or mouse, etc.) then came back with no errors. Thinking it was a glitch, I left it alone. Started watching Netflix again (hadn't since before we took the laptop in). ~10 minutes into every movie (exact time varies), same minute long freeze with a few more throughout the movie. It's doing the same thing with YouTube.

I've stress tested the CPU, GPU and both at the same time for an hour and temperatures are always normal and no freezes occur. I've tested the memory, it passed.

Any suggestions? I'm thinking there is definately something hardware going on though.

 

My CW (VPCCW26FX) is freezing a lot - especially when watching youtube videos. It would freeze for about 2-5 mins and then be usable again. At first, i thought it would be a plugin issue with firefox but after experiencing the same thing on google chrome; thats not the case.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

I'm starting to suspect its Adobe Flash making my laptop freeze.

 

Anyone looking for a replacement battery for their CW, this one works great: Amazon.com: Battpit™ Laptop / Notebook Battery Replacement for Sony VGP-BPS13/Q (No additional firmware modification needed.) (4400 mAh): Electronics
No need to muck around with firmware - works just like the original. The battery that came with my laptop is failing to hold a charge after less than two years but now I am back to as good as new for $60+shipping.

 

I've updated my nvidia driver from the Sony website, but my laptop still freezes sometimes when im watching videos.

Any help?!

 

Laidback, it seems we are having similar problems. Any chance you could post a video of how the laptop acts when it freezes? I have one that I've been meaning to post on YouTube, which I will do sometime tomorrow (Sunday) and post the link to this thread.

I'm out right now, so I'll post the information of mine that I am going to ask you:
1.) What is the model number of the laptop? (Please compare what the sticker on the bottom of the laptop says compared to what Sony Utilities and the BIOS indicates, as my sticker doesn't match what is indicated by the software and BIOS)
2.) What is the build date and specs of the laptop?
3.) Have you tried any troubleshooting and if so, what?
4.) Any previous issues with the laptop?

 

@doom4life

I have the vpccw26fx (i5 520m, 4gb ram, Nvidia GeForce GT 330m)

I have had this laptop for over 2 years now, and it still runs strong until I recently did a complete restore through Vaio Control Center.

My screen would freeze when using flash extensively (multiple youtube videos), and then 5 mins later a baloon pops up and says 'nvidia display driver has failed and has sucessfully recovered'

Again, I've updated the display driver from the sony vaio support website. to version 188.67. but this problem still persists.

 

Okay well I found the newest nvidia display driver version 285.62

Updated. But the problem still persists.

Can anyone help?

 

Excuse my ignorance, but what kind of upgrades can you do with this laptop?

Swap the HDD for SSD? What else???

 

Is there a clean install guide for the CW?

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...stall-instructions-cw-series.html#post5729995

 

Thanks cadabene. I went with the safe and easy way - VAIO CARE.

Does anyone know if the touch pad has drivers that will let me do 2 finger scrolling like the macbooks?

 

Laidback,

I noticed you did a fresh install. Did it help your freezing issue?

This is what mine sounds like:
Laptop freezing while watching Netflix movie
Laptop freezing while browsing a web site

The laptop has been at the Sony service center for a week now. They stress tested the CPU/GP/memory and hard drive, which all passed (as I figured since I did the same thing).

I have been advised that if they find the problem, its $175 (parts and labor), but if they can't find the problem, it will be a $75 diagnostic fee. I don't know how I feel about having to pay for a problem they coud diagnose - let alone if I bring it home and it freezes again.

Anyway, to answer my questions:
1.) Sony CW model 29fx
2.) Specs are a 520m CPU, 330m GPU, 4GB RAM and 500Gb 7200 RPM HDD)
3.) Troubleshooting done was stress testing CPU/GPU/memory, HDD swap and tried a different router.
4.) Previous issues was a HDD that was failing (random BSOD)
2.) Build date August 2010.

 

@doom4life

That is the exact same problem I have. Most of the time, I wouldn't get an error message, but on occasions, after the laptop freezes, the display goes black and then back to normal with a balloon saying "nvidia display drivers have failed but has successfully recovered." but recently I got a balloon saying "kernal mode driver has failed but has successfully recovered"

I did do a full system restore through Vaio Care. I'm using nvidia display driver 188.67 - latest (2010) driver from Sony's support website.

Yet this problem still persists.

doom4life, perhaps you should try a fresh install, and tell me how it goes. I did it through Vaio Care, because I don't know how to do a fresh install.

By the way, does your fan kick into full speed when it freezes?

 

@laidback:

Well its nice to know that I'm not the only one with this issue (although I say "nice" loosely). I noticed the post that you started in the Sony forum, so I think its best to move this conversation over to that thread. Once this problem is corrected, I will definately update this thread.

 

Well after Sony has had the laptop for two weeks, I finally got an email saying the laptop was ready to be picked up. The only information I have right now is that the motherboard was replaced, so it looks like if you have the issues I have described above, the motherboard may need to be replaced.

 

Mine, a few months back, started occasionally making a clacking noise and freezing up. A couple of times, it gave a message when I powered it back up that "One of your disks needs to be checked for consistency" for the partition on which I have Windows and all programs installed (for whatever reason, it hasn't said this for my data partition). Since the noise seemed also to come from the front left of the laptop (to the left of the touchpad), I gather this means the hard drive is failing--right? So now I have a new one on the way. Actually, I'm not too upset, because this gives me a good excuse to upgrade from the stock hdd to a WD one that's 7200 rpm with 16MB cache.

But I have a question, as well. I tried to search the forums but couldn't find an answer--does the CW26FX support DDR3 1333 ram? I'm sorely tempted to upgrade to 8GB, but I don't know if it'd be worth getting the 1333 over 1066.

 

Today I received my first BSOD

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033

Additional information about the problem:
BCCode: d1
BCP1: 0000000000000538
BCP2: 0000000000000002
BCP3: 0000000000000000
BCP4: FFFFF88007467836
OS Version: 6_1_7601
Service Pack: 1_0
Product: 768_1

Files that help describe the problem:
C:\Windows\Minidump\032412-17908-01.dmp
C:\Users\dennis\AppData\Local\Temp\WER-50294-0.sysdata.xml

Can someone explain to me the root cause of the problem?

 

Can't help you with the above post laidback.

However after a freeze similar to what I've been describing, I did a clean install and it still freezes (even after the motherboard was replaced by Sony). Also noticed that the webcam isn't being detected by the OS (not even an unkown device).

Going to do a factory install to see if that may clear up the issues (which I doubt) so it looks like this laptop is going back to Sony.