Sony SE Owners' Thread

By the date of the post... it's an SE1.

 

I actually rather like the fingerprint scanner, it gets my fingerprints about 90% of the time (the other 10% is usually because I'm swiping it at some silly angle because I'm doing other stuff at the same time). But then again I'm used to the scanner on my old laptop, which would only detect fingerprints about 50% of the time and only if you swiped at a very specific angle at a very specific speed...

To me the sound is unnoticeable under normal conditions, I only hear it if I put my ear right next to the keyboard. Might be some variation from laptop to laptop? I haven't tried using the headphone jack yet though...

Should also add that I think you can't return customised laptops, think there was something in the terms and conditions when I ordered mine... Possibly worth checking up with Sony before you order?

I also added the Crucial M4 256GB and another 4GB RAM and my SE runs very fast... and that's with a restore to factory settings (+uninstall). Yours should be even faster!

(It's fun when you watch the Windows 7 start-up screen, and the little balls of light don't even have time to resolve into the Windows logo...)

I agree with this - the laptop is larger than I thought it would be due to the edges. I got a cloth to put between the keyboard and the screen and had to get one that was made for 17" laptops (that just barely fits my SE!)...

 

I've returned a customized laptop to Sony before. It's possible. 30 days for a full refund. Their return policy is surprisingly good (and luckily there's a SonyStore practically down the street from me so I can return it to them).

(At least this is for the US, can't speak for other countries).

 

Think it's less good in the UK - this is from the email I got when I ordered:

Not sure how this would apply in practice though...

 

I just went to the local shop and compared the se1, sa3, and z2. Overall the se1 was better than the sa3, much more contrast, better blacks, much better viewing angles, but the red being Orange is disturbing. I dont think I will be getting the se to replace my sa, since not being able to see red is no good for graphics work. At least I can see the colors on the sa, although its dull and washed out.

The z screen was amazing. I really want to find out if its possible to replace the sa screen with a z screen.

 

Called them and they suggested to test first another battery.
Before I did this I removed the current one, started windows once without, reinserted the battery again. Bingo all is working well again. No idea what was the problem.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

A quick question, when changing to an SSD what impact will this have on the Windows experience rating? I bought the poverty spec HDD i.e. 320GB 5400rpm drive and get a 5.7 rating for HDD performance.

Thanks

 

Anyone have experience with ways to remove a stuck pixel? Apparently Sony's policy is 5 or more for a return. Pretty crap considering the price you pay for this laptop :/

 

The difference is huge, a good SSD should easily get 7.8 or 7.9 in WEI (max score is 8). The standard hard drives that come installed with this notebook are the systems biggest weakness.

 

Yes, but no one is going to use the standard hard drives. You buy a good SSD once, and keep using it for years and years, within different laptops. Just put the original HDD in a caddy and there you go.

 

I agree, I'm just going to keep the HDD that came with mine stored somewhere instead of installing it back in with the caddy because I do use the DVD drive for burning music. I think I'm going to pick up a 1 TB USB 3.0 portable drive for the extra storage instead.

 

nevermind, realized it was mostly a rant

 

My WEI score for the HDD went from 5.9 (with 320GB 5400rpm) to 7.8 (with 256GB SSD)...

 

Is anyone else finding that they have to turn the volume way up to get anything loud enough?

 

I'm just about to buy an SE from BH Photo Video. Has it been confirmed whether or not the SE1 and SE2 screens are the same or different? SE2 screen any better?

The difference in price is either $850 or $1000.

Thanks

edit: I called Sony to ask them what the difference was, and the girl just read off whatever was on the website. Although she did mention SE3.... anyone seen one yet?

 

Noticed I have some pretty bad backlight bleed along the bottom of the screen tonight, as well as the dead pixel I brought up earlier.

Going to try and get Sony to replace. Since I ordered online do I need to enquire online/telephone CS or can I go to my nearest Sony store?

 

Is it possible to upgrade the DVD drive to a blu-ray? How do I remove the drive?

Thanks.

 

Yes it is. I'm planning to do the same. There are only two screws to remove and the old drive can slide out of the notebook. The new one should have a SATA interface.

There are just two questions to answer afterwards.

1) Will the old bezel fit to the new one?
2) Will the Eject-Button work?

For 1) one should buy a drive from the same manufacturer, though i'm not sure if this a guarantee, that the bezel will fit.
I think the SE comes with an Mata BD-CMB UJ152 originally, but i haven't found one to buy. Currently i'm looking foward to bying an UJ240 (costs approx. 100 €). Any other suggestions?

For 2) you'll probably need an special firmware for the drive. (afaik)
But if it doesn't work, you can setup your Notebook to use one of the other Buttons (Assist, Web, Vaio) to provide the same function.
Or you just use the Windows contextMenu fo the drive.

 

Just about ready to buy the se1 but I don't want to later regret it by finding out the se2 fixes the Orange problem. Can someone please tell me if their se2 still has the orange problem by searching Google image "red" and comparing it to other screens or a red object?

The local shop doesn't have the se2 for me to check.

Thanks

 

Somewhere around page 137-140 people were popping in to say the SE2 has the same problem. It's not certain but very likely that the SE2 uses the same panel as the SE1.

 

I have an SE2 and it still has the orange gate issue, was looking through a forum and the orange car on the screen should have been red. I was actually quite surprised how bad the red looked even though I was aware of the display problem. Everything about the laptop is fine but this really is a poor do, sony really fell down on the job...

 

I'm in new Zealand which doesn't have the se2, so I called Sony Seattle which had the se27 and asked them to Google red, and the guy said he noticed the orange too. He said it looked the same as the se1 also on display.

I don't really have an option though except to either stick with the sa, or get the se1 or z2, but z2 is an extra $600 and has some compromises with having to carry the pmd, lack of usb ports, and no odd for hdd expansion.

I am really stuck here. Neither is completely what I need, except for the light weight and processing power.

I'm leaning on the se, but I will need to check my photo editing on another screen. I wonder if there is a way to stream my screen onto my HTC desire.

Edit: I looked up and found redfly screenslider or idisplay apps for using Android or iPad as a second display. As my HTC desire has a really clear and seemingly good colors, I think I will get the se1 for now and use the HTC desire on clone, if its possible to fit the 1920x1080 on the 800x480 screen, to check colors when I'm editing photos.

 

I do my colour corrections with a dual screen setup and it works nicely. Being aware of the problem always helps too, then again i don't work in photography, I just pick my colours.

I don't think you have many other options for colour accuracy at this price point. You would have to move up into another tier or buy a workstation made for photo editing.

Unfortunately those usually weigh a lot more than the SE.

 

How does one know the difference between the SE and the SE 2? Which models are SE and which are SE2? Thanks!

 

It's part of the model name.

For an 1st generation you would get VPCSE1** something, VPCSE2** for a 2nd generation. The model name is usually displayed online or on the price tag in a store.

 

Thanks, I should have also asked what the difference is between the two. Any differences other than specs such as changes to address defects or issues?

Thx

 

Not really. Just an additional processor option. Same orangey/red screen, same fan that comes on a lot, etc.

 

Well I got the SSD today (Crucial M4 256GB with transfer kit), cloned the existing disk, swapped over without any issues.

Very impressed with the speed improvement, the Windows Experience Index is now 7.8 instead of 5.8, boot up and shut downs are really quick, programs open quickly. Overall very impressed.

 

Does anyone know the part number for the screen? Looking for the specs sheet for it. Thanks

 

under vaio power options i used to have an option to change the refresh rates when on battery. the options now are gone and replaced with "color quality" anyone know whats going on?

 

Hey guys,

I need a full firmware dump (32MBit) of a working R2085H4 BIOS to make a diff with my one, that I bricked with the advanced menu.

I hope to find the faulty setting that way and to overwrite it with the working part.

thanks!

Windows users can use Pyr0's batch file vaio-sa-sb-sc-se-advanced-menu-bios-hack
Direct link to the tool: BIOS backup tool

For Linux users:

Code:

$ dd if=/dev/mem of=original_bios.fd bs=1024 count=4096 skip=4190208

EDIT:
Fixed the broken BIOS

 

just received my SE cto today... put in a 4gb ram and a crucial m4 128gb ssd... wow what a diferrence it makes... i need to install all the drivers because of fresh install... where can i find all the drivers? help please

 

Sony site works well. You should be able to find everything they include when you first received it.

eSupport - Electronics - Software & Drivers

That's the Canadian site, you might have to find one specific to your country.

 

Hi everyone,

One of my customers offered me the LLBattery for VAIO SE-Series and woow what a difference it makes. A bit more weight indeed, but you add 5 hours in light usage very easily and 3,5 when more load.

Enjoy !

 

Hello. I just bought a SE and I tried to enable dolby, but the apply button is grayed out. The Sony store deleted all of the bloatware if that has anything to do with it. Thanks for any help.

 

I've had an se1 since Nov 2011 and I can say I'm very happy with the machine. I purchased it with my employee discount at my ex employer for 596 dollars plus tax w/slice so remember there is margin in this machine when dealing with your local retailer. Granted I had to settle for the 6470 graphics card. At this price I can't imagine getting a better computer for the value. I can definitely understand the people who are upset with the orangegate issues when you spend upwards of a thousand dollars on a premium laptop. Could someone familiar with this thread please direct me to the page where I can find the easiest way to get rid of all the sony bloatware.

 

When you let sales reps (i used to do this all the time) remove bloatware or optimize your computer. they could care less and just delete whatever they deem unecessary. May need to reinstall that driver.

 

Hi all, I'm interested in getting this laptop except there's no SSD option where I live. I'm thinking of doing it myself, has anyone done it and has a story to share?

 

Hi can anyone confirm again whether r1031h4 runs on se1? And se2? Would like to confirm before trying it myself on se1. Did you use the hacked or original version? Could you point me to a genuine version?
Thanks

 

wth is ethernet controll and SM bus controller? i need the driver for those and can't find it. clean installed a new windows so no vaio control center, backlit keyboard is almost always off, it only stays on for a few seconds if i put my finger over the sensor. I installed a crucial m4 and a 4gb ram... but something is off, help please...

 

Driver for Ethernet controller is the Realtek Erhernet Controller NIC Download.

Driver for the SMBus comes with the Intel Chipset Driver Download.

i'm currently doing a fresh install by my own, and i have some troubles too.

At least all the Fn-Keys and animation works after installing the Vaio Control Center.

I'll post more after the lectures, back at home

 

Fitting an SSD was for me very easy. I bought a Crucial M4 with transfer kit, cloned the hard disc and then swapped over. Hardest bit was reading the text in the cloning software because the screen resolution is so high.

Removing the HDD is easy, take cover off the bottom of the laptop and carefully unplug the ribbon cable from main board, undo 4 screws and the drive is out. Unplug ribbon cable from HDD and move the mounting brackets to new and re-fit.

I was surprised how easy it really was.

 

I also fitted a Crucial M4 (though without the transfer kit) and followed instructions here http://www.docs.sony.com/release/989202617_VPCSB_series_HDD_CRU.pdf (It's for the SB, but the instructions for the SE are identical). The most trouble I had was with putting back the tiny screws they use to fix the HDD in place (simply because they were so small!)...

Probably took around 20 minutes total for me, just because I went very slowly (reading every step of the guide along the way!). It can probably be done much quicker!

 

Thats great news! Can I just use the recovery discs to restore the OS and drivers into the SSD?

 

Also do you think I can fit in a Intel 520?

 

I used the recovery discs (4 of them!) to do a factory restore into the SSD. This actually took a lot longer than I expected to do (couple of hours if I don't remember wrongly). Seems to be working fine with no problems (but I think I did have to turn off defrag). Then went over the files with Revo uninstaller and CCleaner (there is a lot of bloatware)...

I've not looked at the Intel 520 but if it's the same size as the Crucial M4 (9.5mm) I'm guessing it should be fine...

 

Big thanks guys, I just found a seller who stock the Crucial in Melbourne (not many here!) and got the M4 instead. Now I'm restoring the OS using the discs.

 

Just picked up another 4GB of ram and a SSD to install on my SE. Was going to get a Crucial M4 256GB but I changed my mind at the last second and grabbed the Corsair Performance Pro 256GB instead. I'll be installing the SSD in about a week or so, I'll post some feedback on the drive on here shortly after.

 

guys where can I find vaio control center for download? can't find it on sony.com

 

it s on sony notebook utilities.Read the instructions.