Sony Vaio Z i5/i7 (VPCZ1) Official Owners Thread Part 2

I bought a Z11 for my wife, which is being warranty replaced with a Z13 model, and was hoping you guys could help me with a couple questions:
1) will the recovery discs I made for the Z11 work for the Z13, or do I need to make new ones? (both windows 7)
2) I wasn't able to get the Z13 with the "fresh start", and do not want to do a clean install...so, I'm planning to just use add/remove programs to get rid o the bloat...is their any list of programs that come preinstalled on the Z13 that are considered bloatware?
TIA

 

the left corner closest to me does not sit flat on the table. Its wobbly when i put it down on a flat surface. I've looked underneath and nothing is missing, all the little plastic things underneath are still there. does anyone else have this issue?

 

The Z HYBRID GRAPHICS DRIVERS. Link HERE.

 

In relation to my latest experience I would like to know if the current VAIO Z touch pad have any issues that is one cause for it to stall suddenly that may have lead tot he sudden freezing of all opened application?

 

Anyone else have problems connecting to wifi after sleep mode? I always have to re-select the connection even though i set it to auto connect, then it takes longer than it should to connect.

 

^^ no problems with the touch pad.
^ no problems with the wifi connections with two hidden SSIDs at two locations. Maybe reinstall the network driver(?)

 

I just purchased a Z133 today, and within an hour, I noticed that there was one stuck (red) pixel!

I called the store back immediately, and they said I can get an exchange but they do not have stock at the moment and they do not when it will come next.

I love the laptop otherwise, but I really hope they won't change their mind about exchanging, as it is only 1 stuck pixel. But still, this thing cost $2000 and I deserve to receive a perfect product.

I am worried Anyone had the same situation and had it worked out for him/her?

 

Hey!I had almost solved the problem but i still have some doubts about this look what sony europe has answered to my questions:
Dear Mr.

Thank you for contacting us.

I understand you would like to know if The Vaio has a Backlight on the Keyboard.

Your Model does not have a Backlight facility on the Keyboard.

Should you have any further questions or queries, please feel free to reply to this email or contact us at the below numbers:

VAIO in warranty: In warranty number 08702402408

VAIO out of warranty: Out of warranty number 09050310006 (35p/min plus network charges)

We also have a chat feature available between the hours of 9am and 5pm GMT. To access please go to the Get In Touch section on the VAIO website, www.vaio-link.com

(For English speaking customers only)

Hakan Ozkan
Sony VAIO Link Support Team

--- Original Message ---

Hello!I'm a happy owner of a sony vaio vpc-z13a7e/b.The notebook it's great but i have some problems with him,from the store that i had buyed the device on the specification it says that it has keyboard backlid and searched on other sites to see maybe it's a information error but for this model on any site it's the same.The problem is that i didn't managed to make the backlid work,I had reinstaled a fresh copy of windows and nothing happens and i had tryed also to see where i could make the sett
PS:sorry for the missing part but the message was sent via vaio site so please if someone has any ideea or if there is any user that has this model so i could be sure about some things...

 

Try these fixes:

5 Ways To Fix A Stuck Pixel On Your Screen

If not, hopefully they'll replace it, if not, then just return it and buy a new one, if you're within the return period.

 

Does anyone have any input on either of these Q's? I'm setting up my wifes new Z13 right now and struggling with these Q's. I have 85 processes running, is that alot?

 

Just make some new recovery discs. Blank discs aren't too expensive.
There's one called Vaio Messenger that I uninstalled. Otherwise it kept popping a window when I unplug the DC power jack and it wants to switch the video from Speed to Stamina mode.
85 processes is pretty good. I have plenty more than that ha ha.
bye

 

85 is crazy!

My vaio Z came with more than 100 processes running.

After careful selection, mine is now under 65;

Boot time, system responsiveness, battery life and memory use has improved big time.

And that's having a completely usable system with everything I could need, from active noise reduction to 3G and antivirus/firewall software.

SSD boot time has gone from 45s to under 20s.

 

Yeah, I tried it for hours and it did not work.

I just bought it yesterday, so hopefully I can return it.

 

Which will process faster?

i3 380M @ 2.53Ghz. or i5 520 @ 2.4Ghz.

Also, prices on Z12's are coming way down. VPC-Z125GX/S (256SSD) for $1520 USD.

 

From which store?

 

^^
PassMark - CPU Benchmarks - List of Benchmarked CPUs
i3 380M = 2257
i5 520 = 2777 <- faster
i5 520M = 2330 <-slightly fast

 

MicroCenter. Link Here.

So, the advertised price is 1599.99. Take 5% instant rewards program comes down to 1519.99USD. MicroCenter will locate one from another store and transfer it locally for you. I went ahead and ordered one. The new Z, I expect, will be way too expensive, especially one with 256SSD, which is what I want. There's still a handful left. You have to check each location and search for one.

I don't think I need TPM and the capability for SD (slot) to read cards above 32GB, which are the only difference. The prices on SD Cards above 32GB is way too expensive anyway.

I'm only guessing, but Sony may price the base new Z with 128SSD like they did with the VPC-Z at 1899-1999. 128SSD is just way to small.

The odd thing is that the base Z VPC-Z133GX/S is now at 1949.99. They always had all their base Z11, Z12, and Z13 priced at 1699.99. I wonder what gives. Perhaps, Sony won't be supplying any more VPC-Z until this summer's redesign.

 

Is there a way to get around the MIFI Verizon lock on the Z? I can use a 3G sim fine, I've gotten around that with the Euro Sony Oneclick. But I can't seem to find a way to get around the Verizon account lock when I try to setup share the connection as a hotspot.

 

Hello, I'm trying to implement all (or at least some of) the extra stuff available on the lastest S, Z and F series under linux, such as the keyboard backlit, FreeFall sensor, screen autodimming. Currently I'm working on my Vaio S and a few things will be supported soon, but I'm a bit stuck with the Ambient Light Sensor. You can help providing your DSDT table (and if you can, some dumps of the Embedded Controller registers). So, please, attach such file here or send it to me via PM specifying your exact model. Retrieving the table is easy with every linux distribution (live included), just type:
cat /proc/acpi/dsdt > dsdt.aml
About the Embedded Controller, which is that little piece of hardware that control all this functions, you can use RW-Everything under any Windows OS to dump its registers, which contain information about your hardware and settings.

Thank you for paying attention, don't forget to reply to this post if you need further instructions.

 

Here's my experience for what it's worth. I'm in the UK and think Sony's Customer Service (including their exchange programme) is fairly poor and, based on what I've read on this forum, definitely worse than the US. I ordered a custom build Z13 because I wanted a silver case and all the standard builds are black or carbon. In the UK we do have "Sony Style" stores but I think these are mainly franchises and, in many instances, not the best place to buy Sony kit.

I ordered from Sony on-line and got my laptop a couple of weeks later. It landed with a stuck pixel fairly close to the centre of the panel. I only have the 1600x900 display and the pixels are fairly small but it is noticeable as a bright white pixel whenever the display is dark so I see it everytime the machine boots. To cut a long story short, Sony Support wanted me to re-install graphics drivers and then re-install from recovery disks/partition even though I explained to them that I had an external display connected that didn't show the stuck pixel. They then wanted a screen print until I explained that this wouldn't show a stuck pixel. I lost the plot with them when they asked me to let them have a photograph of it. I would probably have needed a decent DSLR to be able to capture it.

It was at this point that the Customer Service Rep started to mention "tolerated" pixel faults but wouldn't tell me what the guidelines were. The upshot of this being that I could send the laptop in for repair but if it turned out to be a "tolerated pixel" then they would charge me for the repair. Sony in the UK really need some sort of physical customer service presence - why they don't do this through their Sony Style retail stores I don't know.

On the basis of this, I have decided to live with the stuck pixel and have been ranting that I will never buy Sony again. The reality is that there isn't really any laptop that I've seen that has the size/design/performance of the Z. I suppose like you I am just annoyed at the laptop being less than perfect given the price of this thing. I also tried the methods of fixing a stuck pixel but without success.

 

You were out of the return policy? I wouldn't be happy with a dead pixel on a brand new machine!

 

Anyone have an idea when the Z series will get its next update?

I heard they just started customization 3 month ago, but I'm not sure what implies as to when the next Z series will come.

 

Thanks for the link. Appreciate that.

 

May I know what is the normal boot up time for my vaio z 128GG.?
Its a core-i7,8gigram,quad ssd ,with 1g graphics cuda. I counted the number of process running in task manage?r is 60.....

 

Unfortunately, there isn't a right to return within the UK for a customised order. Even if it's non-customised, you only get 7 days to return which Sony can extend to 14 days as a gesture of goodwill.

To be fair, I think Sony explain at point of order that a customised product can't be returned.

 

Anybody knows if vaio update search for new firmware versions?
I know there are new version firms and it doesnt tell it to me.

I just actualized with drivermax the intel driver and the name changed from :
intel ich8m-e/ich9m-E/5 series SATA RAID
to
Intel Mobile Express Chipset SATA RAID Controller

is it normal?
my actual version is 10.1.0.1008

 

Z12 with Nvidia GeForce GT 330M display driver 1/19/2010 version 8.16.11.8880 and having display crashes about every other day. Do I need to update the driver and where can I find it???

(preferably with instructions, I'm not the savviest around here.)

Thanks.

 

Of course the i5 because it has Turbo-Boost, which makes it "unofficially" run at 2.93ghz whenever it needs to (which if you've used a turbo-boost enabled processor and download intel's turboboost tool, means always)

see this thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/545391-sa-discussion-next-generation-vaio-z.html

short answer: the SA is the temporary Z-replacement in the US, the "true" successor will come out in the summer. There has always been customization since the Z series came out (at least here in the US, not so sure about Canada) and they've "refreshed" the model 2 times since the VPCZ11 with minor changes in options, so we're currently on the Z13 (or Z14 in Japan)

With the SSD's in RAID0, the problem here is the posting (that annoying black screen with the blinking cursor at the top left of the screen between BIOS and the initial windows screen). That usually takes a while. Unfortunately there's no real way around that besides maybe recreating your RAID array and hopefully it posts faster.

Yeah try the updated official one located in this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/342947-my-discoveries-vaio-z-s-hybrid-graphics.html

All you need to do is download the Official drivers, then set your switch to speed, then install.

If you want to use the community modded drivers, set to speed mode, install the custom driver, reboot (your screen will now be fixed at like 1024x800 or something crazy, but that's normal) then follow the instructions below the custom drivers to sign the drivers to fully install them.

 

I'm getting 35 seconds from when I push the power button to being in Windows with 83 running processes.

 

Hmm thanks....!
Its roughly the same as mine....30-35 seconds , so its normal....I thought before that having quad SSD booting time would be shorter.....say 20 seconds like in netbook...

 

I would like to confirm is regular disk cleanup advisable for SSD Drives...? I am wary of doing any treatment suited for platter drives but may not be suitable for flash disk in my Vaio Z

 

Nope, dont do disk defrag on ANY SSD.

 

Anyone interested in a Japanese keyboard and silver chassis? I just purchased a new chassis and keyboard and can part with the extra one that I have.

 

Same here....
I was hoping for a quicker boot; as the delay is the RAID 0 readiness at BIOS, once this is handed over to the operating system, its very quick.

While this laptop with SSD is bristering quick once running - the slower boot is dissapointing & a frustration.

As I have another laptop with SSD & no RAID & Boot time is very quick.

Cheers,
T

 

I will probably pull the trigger on the vpcz133gx as I can get it for as little as possible and do my own upgrades (RAM, larger data drive).

To that point, I have an Intel X-25M G2 160GB in my current laptop. Will this drive fit/work in the Sony Z I'm considering? Any special adapters or connectors required to make it work? I figure 64GB for OS is fine but the 160GB for data would be nice to have.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks!

 

The SSD's in the Z are in a Sony-specific configuration, which is 2 stripped down 2.5" or 1.8" SSDs(removed from their cases with only their chipboard showing).

You have 2 solutions to this, since you are considering a 128GB Z13, which should be 2 64GB toshiba drives, you can remove your Intel drive from its case (voiding the warranty) and replace one of the toshiba drives with your intel one as described in this thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/511578-how-replace-ssd-vaio-vpcz11-vpcz12-non-sony-ssd.html

OR... you can replace your DVD drive with the NewModeus Hard Drive Caddy for the VPC-Z, which allows you to mount any <=2.5" drive. Instructions here:

Sony Vaio Z installation guide 18

 

Thanks very much - that's very helpful. I rarely use the optical drive in my current laptop so losing it would not bother me too much and I'd rather do that than rip apart my Intel drive.

 

sent you a private message.. thanks!

 

Hey guys,

I bought mine about two weeks ago and am looking for a sleeve/case that will fit nicely. Can anyone recommend me one to buy (from amazon/ebay/wherever)?

 

A lot of people seem to recommend the Zeroshock III case which is ~$30-$40. Some like Sony's leather sleeve which is ~$130. If you're looking for the ultimate protection, a mach3composites carbon fiber hard case runs $163.

 

Ahh that make sense....its the RAID configuration that is slowing the boot up time... Thanks for that info.!

 

With the "death" of the IPv4 now on the news, I've noticed the actual Gobi WWAN Drivers on the Z don't support IPv6.

BTW, I have a problem with my WWAN.
When I've just connected, everything loads & works fine: Web, Mail, Messenger, Zune, etc.
But if I don't load a Mail program, Messenger, Zune, etc just shortly after connecting and wait 5-10 minutes, then when I try to use them they can't connect. Web still works fine though.
Also if they are working fine but then I close those programs, after 5-10 minutes when I try to use them again I get the "no connection available" error. But web browsing always works fine.
The only solution I found to this is disconnecting and connecting again.

I guess the WWAN driver closes all unused ports (except port 80) after some time of inactivity, and later it fails to reopen them when requested.
¿Anybody with the same problem? ¿Advice? ¿Solutions?

PS: I've noticed in the IPv4 settings that it always ignores my DNS settings and automatically adds two DNS but on the same line. Eg. Instead of:

DNS1
DNS2​

It reads

DNS1 DNS2​

Both on the same entry.

 

Hey guys, new Vaio Z13 owner here!

Both me and my friend have Vaio Z1XXX laptops, and we both noticed that if you play a fullscreen video (via WMP, Flash, etc.) or let the screensaver (also fullscreen) start on battery in Stamina mode, when you exit to go back to the regular desktop, everything is super saturated and the contrast goes way up. Is this normal? Is there a way to fix this?

I can try uploading a video if necessary.

Thanks a lot!

 

I bought 2 sleeves from wrappers. One for my TT and one for my Z13

iPad case Kindle cover MacBook sleeve iPhone slip case: 11 inch Sony Vaio TZ Sleeves

 

What version of the Z do you have? meaning what's the number after the Z1...?

I used to have that problem, then I updated to newer official drivers, which come standard with the Z13 but not the Z11, Z12. You can also try community modded drivers here(or try the latest official ones, if you dont have them):

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/342947-my-discoveries-vaio-z-s-hybrid-graphics.html

If you use the modded drivers, install them, then follow the instructions under the list of modded drivers to sign them (your screen will be at very low res after you install and reboot since they aren't signed yet)

consider this thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/291748-vaio-z-sleeves-bags-cases-thread.html

I also recommend the ZeroShock cases. They've got ZeroShock IV cases now. You can get them off ebay, there are pictures of the ZeroShock III cases in that thread. If i remember correctly, the seller on ebay i bought my case off of was yap####(i forget the numbers). The case is slightly larger than the Z, but since i put the case in my backpack as i go off to classes, it's fine.

note: it is a zippered case, so be careful not to scratch your lid while sliding in and out.

 

I have the Z1390 and I'm using the Sony drivers. I did a clean install with the drivers from Sony's website. My friend has the Z12 and is using the latest community drivers.

 

z14 is out in japan.

VAIO ZƒVƒŠ[ƒY„  ƒp[ƒ\ƒiƒ‹ƒRƒ“ƒsƒ…[ƒ^[ gVAIOh - ƒ\ƒj[ƒXƒgƒA

havent checked the details... but you might if you need.

 

Also, I've noticed that when I close my screen, the bottom corners of the screen are kind of squeezed a little by the plastic bezel and there's some discolouration from the pressure between the LCD and the plastic. It's fine though after. Is this normal? Do you guys think it's a problem?

 

Hmm... then i dont really got a clue... although i'm thinking maybe some power settings and/or intel graphics options is messing with it... I don't got a clue as I just tell my screen to turn off backlight instead of screensaver.

edit: IIRC, there was some uhh display issues if you selected "Display Power Saving Technology" under Intel Graphics Properties >> Power >> Power Features and "Graphics Power Plan Settings" on "On Battery" and it was fixed by simply unchecking that box.

Kinda old news, someone posted this in the SA/SB thread already (and possibly already here). The only real changes is now the option of a 1TB RAID0x4. And according to Beaups, our resident Sony insider, we wont see that here, but instead we'll get the SA soon then the "real" Z successor in Q2/Q3 (summer time)

Please dont post here AND start a new thread. give it at least a day for someone to answer before you do that... i answered you in ur thread already.

 

Thank you very much. I am sorry for creating another thread. I just thought that since this thread is so huge, most people probably don't even check it. Anyway, thanks again for your solution. I actually came back from the Sony store and theirs was similar to mine (the effect is more spread out on theirs and mine is more like a spot).