Sony Vaio Duo 13 Owners Thread

Try this driver fix Sony : SVD1321M2EW updates | Download updates for SVD1321M2EW | SVD1321M2EW
if you already have the updated driver try rolling back the previous one see if that helps

 

I have a Gigabyte Bluetooth mouse and it's working fine with WiFi enabled at the same time. I have neither WiFi issues, nor Bluetooth issues.

Edit: I haven't had the mouse for that long so I don't want to rule out any lag yet. I could encounter it, but as of now I have not.

 

uninstall intel AT by mcafee, see if you can get better wifi, I feel it's bit better, still testing

 

Hello I bought this today and the wifi is garbage. When will sony fix this.

 

I am new to this forum so please can I start by thanking all of you who have posted some very valuable information here. I wish I had read this before I purchased. Just like the majority of owners I have horrible wifi and cannot get a signal where I normally sit to work so have had to move the router; not acceptable Sony. Also when my computer sleeps the screen wakes with different coloured lines and I need to hard reboot, however this is almost certainly the fault of DriverMax which upgraded my Graphics driver to Intel (R) HD Graphics Family 9.8.10.32.34 and the rollback feature failed. I have tried reinstalling the Sony Drivers but they did not install so if anyone can help me with this I would really appreciate it. Apart from the wifi issue this is a very good computer and I highly recommend it but wait until the wifi driver is updated before purchasing it.

 

I have paired xperia Z(with NFC tap) , SBH20 bluetooth/NFC speaker while using a generic bluetooth mouse with no problem

 

I believe that you are using the Preview version of Windows 8.1. That won't Work on Duo 13, and will install OK bu will get the same error on restart that you have mentioned. It must be RTM. If you are sure that you are using the RTM version, try to perform a clean install.

 

I have done a clean install of Windows. Using the drivers provided by Windows I got no problem at all. Tried to install Realtek drivers and the popping sound started. So I reverted to Windows drivers and it's OK by now.

 

thanks a lot , I didn't notice the CC part ,so every application need to implement the support separately? (but right now if adobe CC ,Note Anytime and art rage support it that is good for me :thumbsup: )

 

just placed my order for the duo 13, i7-4650, 256gb, 8gb... says the shipment date is 9/19, can't wait!!!!

i've been reading this thread for a long time now and for a while i was really torn between this and the pro... but i noticed there were more issues with the pro than with the duo and i kinda like the convertible-type form with the duo... i even waited for IFA to see what Sony has in store for their fall offerings but wasn't really blown away by the flip... maybe he 11" for next year will catch my eye but that's for the future...

anyway, i just want to ask if there are any recommended steps upon getting my duo 13... i didn't order the fresh install (no Win 8 pro) so i was wondering if i should do a clean install if i get errors with the wi-fi??

thank you

 

Anyone else having problems with their "G" key? When I'm typing a word with "ing" at the end (or anywhere else for that matter), apparently I consistently "miss" the G key. But I looked at my fingers (I don't normally), and I am definitely hitting the G key each time. It seems to only happen after I hit both "I" and "N," in rapid succession, however, I do this quite often as one would expect. This problem is starting to really get on my nerves and I'm considering getting a refund or replacing the device. This would be the worst time to do so, but a keyboard is something extremely important to me and I was compromising enough with how shallow this one is. Now I can't type certain words without having to constantly backspace? It's really quite infuriating and has happened with virtually EVERY "ing" word that I've typed in this reply. This isn't a matter of getting used to the keyboard, it's just absolutely not working properly.

 

I would definitely return it or get an exchange. The keyboard itself takes some getting used to but on mine it doesn't miss the "g" when typing any word with "ing".

 

I did these two steps and im getting a slightly better signal strength, no drops, and faster speeds.
just 1 bar lower than my other laptop and way faster download and upload speeds 20-30mbs faster

here's some tags so people can find this solution
WIFI Fix solution duo 13 wifi wireless internet

 

I also face the issue with the strange clicking sound coming from the dive also in standby which is so loud that I can even hear it in my office when there are other people around. And I am not sensitive to high pitch noises and the like so I can safely say its pretty loud. Of course I could life with it but its just annoying (you know that feeling that something isn't right). I thought that the noise wasn't there when I was running Win 8.1 RTM so I will upgrade again to see if its OS or driver related (I was using Windows default drivers).

I was resetting the system to Win8 again after it shut down a few times after being in stand by over night. Can someone else confirm that with Win 8.1 the device sometimes needs to be restarted after standby (I don't know if it hangs or if it shutdown)?

 

This seems to have worked for me also, when testing with inSSIDer I have a stronger signal. It is still not what I expect from a notebook of this caliber and price but hey it helps.

You can download inSSIDer here: inSSIDer for Home – Discover The Wi-Fi Around You | MetaGeek and test for yourselves.

PS I fixed my driver issue. Do not trust the Driver update programs. I ended up uninstalling the new Intel driver and downloading/installing the driver from the Sony website.

 

Does anybody use the built in GPS i have not found an app that works with it yet.

John.

 

Ugh, do you have any clue as to how long the process of getting it exchanged would take? All my current course notes are already on this thing. IT'S THE WORST. I have none of the problems that most people complain about, and one problem that I've seen no one complain about. Sony recommended that I reset the BIOS to defaults. Does that make sense to any of you? I'll do it, but should I worry about what the effects would entail?

Thank you.

 

Now I'm starting (or I just never noticed it before?) to have problems with the top left-most corner of the screen being completely unresponsive to touch even after several re-calibrations. It's also a tiny problem area for the pen. This coupled with the irksome "G" key issue is ridiculous. I have return or exchange it. I noticed that the back is a little scratched up in a small area, would this affect being able to return it or exchange it in any way?

 

After a week of discovering the buzzing noise, mine have become worse to the point where it actually "creaks like a chair" audibly for 3 - 5 seconds when the power button is pressed(going to sleep mode). The cpu has not be on high load since 2 weeks ago, a worry sign for me.

 

I've read through a good deal of this thread but this is one issue i haven't seen here.
Every time I put the duo in standby/sleep and wake it up, i lose my default gateway. So it won't actually show that i've lost it (aka no yellow triangle in my notification bar) but when i try to access any webpage, it will not work. I will then need to go through the troubleshooter or disable/re-enable my wifi adapter for it to work properly again.
It's getting pretty darn annoying to have to do that every single time. Anyone have a clue as to what may cause this or how to fix it?

win8 pro/fresh start. no anti virus. updated everything. reinstalled broadcom drivers. set minimum power consumption to disabled.

 

Has anyone been able to get NFC working properly with the Duo 13?

Do you need to have something running in the background for this to work or is it handled by Windows? I just can;t get NFC to work with my Duo 13 and Note 2. And yes, I have enabled NFC both in Windows 8 (Settings | Change PC Settings | Wireless) and Note 2 (Settings | More Settings).

 

Have you tried to go back to the default setting with the calibration. That sometimes works with the touch issues.

 

I had to touch my NFC speaker to the rectangular area on the bottom, in between the rubber feet, with the logos before I got it to connect. Still very finicky and constantly requires turning airplane mode on and off to work.

 

Just updated my BIOS to R0151S7

BIOS Update version R0151S7 : Download : Sony Asia Pacific

 

I am not able to get any response when trying to connect with my Note 2...

 

Don't think Samsung's are compatible with the NFC in the Vaio's as when you try to connect nothing happens but when I try with my nexus 4 (even when the Vaio wont accept anything) it will still vibrate to tell me a connection has been made. Anyway its pretty useless, as it seems I can only send weblinks YouTube links etc. when I try to send a file or photo the Vaio responds with a file to big message.

 

NFC works fine with my Xperia Z.

 

So the NFC in the Duo 13 is basically useless? The only thing I'd use it for is to send a photo from my Note 2 to the Duo 13.

 

pretty much. it was meant to pair with sony devices like the NFC headphones or speakers. i imagine it works with some other non-sony NFC headphones speakers too.

i remember reading somewhere on the sony forums that they were "looking into" this but doesn't seem to have gotten very far. of course, i would rather them fix my wifi first anyways.

 

NFC works fine with my Lumia 925 Windows phone. It's connects easily and can sent videos and pictures, but as it is on the back of the Duo, it's is a little inconvenient when it is in laptop-mode.

About Wifi. A couple of weeks ago I wrote that I solved the wifi issue by doing system reset in the "assist" menu and that somehow got me full speed(25-27mbit). Well, after a day or so it went down to 8-10 mbit - although not as bad as the 2-3 mbit I started out with - so I reverted the computer to a previous restore point and it worked again. Then after a day or so again the wife got slower, I reverted to a previous restore point again. And then the same for a 3. time. I got annoyed, also because I every time I had to reinstall some apps and drivers. So I thought I better create my own restore point, while the wifi still was functioning. I did that and after a day or so the wifi went slow again. I reverted to a my own created restore point, but before that I just had a look at what drivers and applications would be affected by reverting back to the restore point and the only thing on the list was McAfee Parental control! I removed parental control, well, something went wrong in that process, so I went to McAfee website, downloaded the McAfee program and installed it(the old was removed in the same process) and left parental control un-configured/inactive. Okay, that was a long story, but now my wifi has functioned fine for over a week now. So as others previously have pointed the problem could very well to be McAfee's parental control.

A problem I do have though, is that I have the Microsoft's Wedge bluetooth mouse and it isn't always functioning very well. It stops and stutters and disappears and comes back. Also sometimes my bluetooth speaker doesn't have sound in Windows 8's metro environment. Anyone knows how to solve those issues?

Besides that, I still like the Duo

 

I have had my duo for about a week now, and no matter how I make it go to sleep (physical button, going through windows, whatever...) I lose roughly 8% of battery life per hour...sometimes closer to 10%. I am also having issues with the screen backlight seemingly cycling through different contrast settings depending on what I've got on screen. So, if I flip to a different page on my ebook, or even minimize an all white window, and then expose my dark background, it seems to cycle through 3 notches before it stops glitching out.

I have updated all drivers and software, and nothing seems to help. I submitted a ticket into Sony's tech support, and am awaiting a response. I've seen it in the forum that there have been a couple of others that have had the same issue, but really didn't see any concrete fixes. Anyone else experiencing this?

**i've got a windows 8 standard, with the intel 5000 integrated card, and upgraded i7 cpu.**

 

I'm really happy with my Duo 13... even Revit runs very smoothly on it so now I can escape the office! Just one thing... how do I turn off facial recognition?

 

nfc not working, i want to send photos from xperia z.

 

This is not a Sony issue. It is caused by Intel's integrated graphics power settings. Go to the desktop, right click and select Graphics Properties. Select the Power square and make sure Display Power Saving Technology and Panel Self-Refresh are both set to Off.

 

Does anybody know how to customize the buttons on the pen? Is there also an option for hover click with ntrig pens?
I am also not getting the eraser tool in onenote when i hold down the top button only the selection tool on the bottom button?

 

Wow. That actually fixed the issue. Nothing worked before, even after doing everything Sony told me to do. Thank you. But I would be more than overjoyed if this was my only problem. I still have to deal with this incessant "G" key not registering 75% of the time I type a word that has "ING" in it. It's infuriating and probably going to have me send the Duo back if I can't find a resolution within the week. I do not have high hopes--it feels strictly hardware related.

 

NFC is supposed to be an open standard so it should work with Samsung, however I have seen from other forums that the two devices need to be touching exactly in the right place as the signal is weak from the Vaio Duo.

 

Maybe this will work for you: Go to "Device-Manager" -> navigate to your "Bluetooth-Device" -> Right-click -> Properties -> go to the "Power Management" and clear the checkbox “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power”

 

Works (e.g. Link-transfer) for me with Nexus 7 and Galaxy Nexus, but I'm not able to transfer photos etc. I think it's a problem with the different (strict) NFC-standards between old an new devices.

 

okay so my estimated shipping date just changed from 9/19 to 9/26... is that normal for other people?? 8 days is already a long time but now i have to wait another week...

 

Anyone else update to this bios? What are the changes and any system improvements/fixes...

 

So I decided to get rid of the 22GB Recovery partition on my 256GB Duo. If anyone want to know how without formatting here it is :

1 - Create a Recovery Media using Vaio Care while in Windows (By pressing the Assist button). I used a 15$ 32GB Jumpdrive from Lexar. Took about half an hour. I also created a recovery point from within windows.

2 - Then turn off computer and press the Assist Button again to enter Vaio Care Rescue mode. Then Navigate through the options of recovering from media and you will see an option to delete the recovery partition and gain those precious GB. Voila! No resetting/Formatting needed!


Now, There's still a 1.44GB Recovery partition on my Disk though (in between 2 260MB OEM/EFI system partition. Does anyone knows I that can be retrieved also? I'm afraid the second recovery partition is for Vaio Care Rescue Mode and I don't want to lose this option!

 

Yes, I did. But I noticed nothing special. BTW: The Change-Log says "Improve the battery charge function", whatever this should be?

 

it's the same one that was released on the america support site earlier.
here is the description for your reference:

This utility updates the BIOS to resolve an issue where the battery charges to 100% eventhough the battery care function is enabled.

 

There may be something behind the key. I noticed a tiny little crumb next to my "Y" key, and tried to knock it out with a piece of paper, Instead, I knocked it under the key. Ever since the Y hasn't worked very well. Must be because of the extreme shallowness of the key. I haven't been brave enough to pry the key off.

 

Thanks, will have to give it a try, especially since I only got the 128GB version.

**Edit: sorry, was quoting the post about recovering the 22GB partition haha.

 

Hi everybody,

I just received my new duo13 and I believe I made a big mistake.
While opening the screen in order to be in laptop position, I had no idea how to deal with the 2 little hooks on each side and I just cliped the display ON the hooks instead of simply putting them in the little holes BEHIND the screen.
Now my duo13 is blocked in laptop position and I just cant move the screen anymore.
Does anybody have an idea to help me ? (for example, a link showing how to disassemble the hooks).
I sent an email to the sony support service, but I cant wait and I fear they'll require me to send back the product, which is in "open" position, so it will be a nightmare.
Thanks for your answers and sorry for my poor english.

edit: ok, done

 

I did the same thing. Just wiggle the screen one corner at a time applying light pressure.

On another note. I returned my duo 13 because of the cpu stuterring, poor bluetooth performance and bad docking experience with belkin tablet usb 3 dock.

I have an hp revolve 810 now. I bought a 12gb i7 model with the 256 ssd, purchased a samsung 512msata separately and installed that. Also got the dock with it. Works GREAT. I figure the 3rd gen i7 has been around long enough to have had the bugs worked out. The only annoyance is the fan, makes a good bit of noise. Good alternative to the duo 13 IMO.

 

That might make sense if it didn't work properly 100% of the time when "IN" doesn't precede the G. But it does work. It's only when I type IN before it, and relatively quickly. If I type slowly, it works.. But I am not a slow typer, so this, again, is infuriating and annoying. I'll blow some air under it and see if that does anything.

 

What kind of cases have you guys got? I'm looking for a nice leather case, the one sony sells is not designed for the duo 13 and the one that is is made of synthetic material.