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

hmmm i have no dots. just a tiny, like maybe 6 or 7 pixels at the top middle that are purple.

 

Does it show on both graphic cards?
Does it show on an external monitor?
Does it show up before Windows 7 startup?
If, it's yes to all the questions above then you should try fixing/unsticking the stuck pixels.

If that doesn't solve it, then I would advise getting it serviced by Sony or getting a new screen to replace (if you are able to take the laptop apart).

 

I would like to know supposing the installed vaio z battery for the recent quad core ssd type, 8gig ram, 1gig graphics etc is fully charged, can I just leave it on the AC outlet and will it not deteriorate,or its better to pull the plug and run the notebook on battery juice unless necessary?
I was asking as i previously had a VAIO desktop replacement system bought in 2005 and the battery just expired after a year of usage.
Are the current crop of Lithium ion batteries have an automatic charging shut off once the a full charge load is achieved?

I did notice that once the battery is fully charged the battery charging lights are dim. Is it okay to have this notebook perpetually attached to the socket if used at home? And what would be the expected vaiability of this battery if left like that?

 

ok , the purple splotches appear to be increasing. still all around the top. they seem to appear/increase when i have the lid down.

to answer these questions:

does not show up on an external monitor

and yes i think it shows up before windows 7 start up, but ill check to make sure later.

any ideas to stop the spreading?? and if i do get it serviced by sony, how long would it take to get a screen replacement??

 

I remember reading somewhere here that if you're going to have it perpetually plugged in, set your battery to only charge up to 50% to minimize its wear and tear.

My Z is almost always plugged in (99.9% of the time) so that's what I've done since late October 2010 and HWMonitor my full charge capacity still matches the designed capacity.

 

I think the consensus on this forum is that if you plan on using your Vaio plugged in, use the battery til it is 50-70% charge, then remove it. This is because these batteries prefer to be kept as close to 50% charge as possible. Also, a main factor of battery degradation is heat, which will accrue usually when you're plugged in (and doing some graphic/cpu intensive tasks)

If it's leaking pixels, meaning they're broken and now the liquid crystals (from LCD = liquid crystal display) are spilling out... there's really not much you can do to stop the leaking. I think it's time to go to Sony. As for how long it'll take... apparently many things are backed-up (or at least Sony says so). I suggest you claim for your warranty and tell since you NEED your laptop for work you cant afford to send it in and wait for any parts. Then ask them to contact you when they've sourced a LCD to replace yours then send in your laptop then (the problem is sony might require you to send in your laptop for examination to begin with...)

 

I don't really think that's the consensus.

Setting battery care to 80% (or 50%) allows you to leave it plugged in all the time and prevents overcharging.

When it hits its setting, it acts just as if you had unplugged the battery, it indicates: "80% not charging".

Another thing to consider is that you can't allow a LiIon batteries to completely discharge (such as can happen if it's just laying around in a corner, self discharging). If that happens the battery will disable itself, for safety, and can no longer be used.

 

i dont know if im using this forum software properly, posting i nthe wrong place, but ..

is there anyway to undervolt the vaio z13 i7 640m processor?

 

I think this question is valid in this thread, but since undervolting usually occurs through the BIOS, i think this thread would be more appropriate:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/473226-insyde-hacking-new-vaio-z-advanced-menu-bios.html

That's a valid point, but if you're going to be doing something CPU/GPU intensive, isn't it better to just remove the battery rather than leaving it in and allowing it to heat up? I think it's better for the battery to remove it if you're going to be on AC adapter while doing something that'll cause your battery to heat up right?

 

Hi

Having some mind-maddening touchpad problems VPCZ127 purchased in October last year.

For the last 2 months now, I’ve had ongoing problems with the Synaptics touchpad. The touchpad was working fine for several months and then started to behave erratically: at times it will not respond to touches, when the pad is depressed to mimic a mouse click it will cause the cursor to randomly move to another part of the screen (which does not occur if the actual touchpad buttons are used), and the cursor will move erratically over the screen when moving my finger over the touchpad – sometimes not moving at all.

I have done all the obvious things: reinstalled the Synaptics driver and software from system restore after first uninstalling them, trying a more recent Synaptics driver, and even removing all drivers and software completely and just using Windows native support and still the problem persists which seems to indicate that there is a hardware fault with the touchpad itself in how it responds to touches rather than any real driver or software issues. The problem comes and goes randomly, and the only way to resolve it without needing to use an external mouse (which always works fine) is to put the computer into standby and then resume and the touchpad seems to work okay for a while.

Any one else encountered similar problems or advice on maybe ways to fix it without resorting at this stage to needing to sending it off for warranty repair?

Thanks

 

I'm having an issue with the Battery Care function and I think it's the battery driver. Can someone check their device manager/batteries and tell me what they have listed there?

I currently have

Microsoft A/C Adapter (6.1.7600.16385, battc.sys, CmBatt.sys)
Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery (6.1.7600.16385, battc.sys, CmBatt.sys)
Microsoft Composite Battery (6.1.7600.16385, battc.sys, compbatt.sys)

Thanks

 

It sounds like you are accidentally touching the touchpad with two fingers or simultaneous contact with your finger and palm/hand. If your touchpad is not setup to recognize two finger touch it will cause the cursor to more around erratically.

I think someone has posted drivers to unlock two finger scroll; I downloaded the drivers from here

Synaptics drivers

I used Version 15.2.4.4 but I'm sure 5.2.7 also works well. Once installed go to the Synaptics settings and enable two finger scroll. This should prevent the cursor from going crazy when you make simultaneous contact with the touchpad.

 

Thanks for your reply on this Tae1, though issue isn't one of accidentally touching my palm or using two fingers as the problem arouse after some months after normal use and is really sporadic - once it kicks in, sometimes the cursor won't even move and sometimes I have to tap really hard just to get it to register as a 'click' ( and then this something causes the cursor to randomly move to another part of the screen almost like it was teleported!) and is 'resolved' for a short period if I put the laptop into standby and then resume.

 

Just to make sure, have you already checked the Synaptics settings? PalmCheck, Touch Sensitivity..?

 

The problem of sporadic behaviour is not from sensitivity or palm issues (and believe me, have played with these settings heaps and has no connection with the problems occurring or not!) as they occur with just a single finger on the touchpad completely vertical with the palm not even anywhere near it and occurs even with all the Synaptics software and driver removed and just using the generic Windows support for the touchpad.

Thanks

 

Sounds like a problem with the TouchPad itself... :/ If you want, you can try this in addition to the synaptics drivers:

two-finger-scroll - Project Hosting on Google Code

enables two-finger-scrolling... and it's freeware. I use that as well as a few people around here. Others use the newer Synaptics drivers... but your symptoms sound like a touchpad gone bad...

 

Hello Guys, I just registered and the reason is I have had my brand new VAIOZ with the i7-620 CPU (4 Cores) and the 8GB and the Windows 7 64 bit system. I also have the 256 SSD hard drives. 4 (64GB) of them. The reason I am throwing this one here is a simple reason. My computer has recently been having the fans work extra hard and I downloaded a program to check my CPU temps and I cam up with these readings that you will see. I am also attaching a picture of my desktop. AT IDLE my computer has these temperatures. I live in China and dust here even in an apartment is amazing!!! I think dust might be getting into my computer's heat exhaust vent. Please let me know what temps you guys think should be normal, as I am thinking about taking it apart to clean the fan.





-Christian

 

My Z temps for CPU is between 45 to 60 when idle. Your temps do not look normal for idle.

 

Hi - check also your thermal profile in 'vaio control panel' as options are performance/ balanced/ silent. Also, worth checking CPU at idle, as mine is typically <2%)
Cheers,

 

Did you have to do anything special to get the fan speeds to show up....I don't have the options for my fans when I open up SpeedFan....

 

Hey Fellas! Thanks for the quick reply! Thats why i came here! Well, I also am unable to get the speeds of the fans to show up. I am a computer engineer and have vast knowledge of computers and phones, sort of a geek i guess. Well, I used to have a DELL Latitude D820 and the dust here made a huge hairball inside that ended up burning my screen. Thus, ended up buying this monster. I think it might be the dust collection as here in my apartment dust magically comes out of nowhere. Even after I clean like a day after there is dust everywhere. Thanks for the input. By any chance, do you guys know where I can get a PDF on how to take this thing apart? I want to do that to get eh dust out. Thanks in advance. I just bought all sorts of screwdrivers!

FORGOT TO ADD THE FACT THAT I AM RUNNING DUAL MONITOR SETUP PERMANENTLY. LOOK::



I still don't think it should be running this hot and the CPUs are not at full load even. Also, I checked my performance profile and it is at balanced. Nothing too hardcore! jaja

 

May I ask how you were able to get all those gadgets (information) to display on your desktop - the one's on both sides - very cool. I especially, like having different time zones displayed on the bottom left, as I do quite a bit of international travel.

This is by far the coolest desktop I've seen. Thanks.

 

Well, you are running a dual-monitor set-up and that means you probably are running off speed mode? But wait... your monitor is connected via VGA which can be run in stamina mode... In any case, i see you switch is on speed mode. Uhh... Try the program HWMonitor. It gives you a very simple interface for looking at your temps. and try this windows gadget from intel that tells you how much your processor is turboboosting:

Processors &mdash; Intel® Turbo Boost Technology Monitor Overview

And also use the included gadget that shows your cpu usage.

All this culminates to this: Your CPU and GPU share a heatsink which means when one heats up, so will the others . Your CPU will turboboost whenever it deems necessary, which is always, and that creates a TON more heat. You can actually prevent your CPU from turboing by going into power options >> advanced power options and making the maximum cpu frequency 99% (which will stop all turboboosting). I make that my power saver plan, and then my balanced plan is the one with 100% max cpu frequency, then iu can just switch between power saver and balanced through the battery icon in my taskbar.

TESTS:

For me right now, it's 66F(19C) in my room, i'm in speed mode running HWMonitor, AIM and firefox with just this pane open and i'm using extended monitors like you via HDMI with 1600x900 internal & 1080p external screens. At ~10% CPU usage(no turbo) and 2% GPU usage (via EVGA Precision) my temps are showing 58C/62C CPU and 64C GPU

Now test two: Same monitor set up, same ambient temps, same speed mode:
Changed parameters: Opened up Microsoft Security Essentials, allowed my CPU to TurboBoost and now just ran a quick scan (took about a minute). My CPU showed 25-30% usage and GPU showed 4% usage, CPU temps hit 81C/86C and my GPU showed a whopping 79C... a disproportionate increase (due to CPU and GPU sharing the same heatsink).

Test three: Same set up as test two, but without turboboost:
CPU usage at 25-30% usage again and GPU at 4% usage again, my CPU temps hit: 68C/72C (about 13C's cooler) and GPU hit 71C (8C cooler)

Now these methods are not as scientific as they could possibly be, but try it out yourself and you can hear your fan being much louder when turbo is activated. OH! I forgot to mention my Thermal Control Strategy was at High Performance at all times.

p.s. I noticed khrizthian that you announced your i7-640M was a 4-core processor. It's actually a dual-core with 4 threads (due to Hyper-Threading), meaning Windows sees it as 4 processor (as in Task Manager) but programs like HWMonitor or CPU-Z see it as dual core (as they deal with the actual hardware). Just a heads up sorry if i burst your bubble...

And yes, that is a sweet looking screen set-up... and look at that real-estate! I'm just sad there wasn't an option (within my budget) for a 1080p screen when i got my Z... that would've been the 4.5K signature edition monster

EDIT: AHH! I just noticed the binary clock you have at the top right corner of your laptop... that's trippy... confused me at first as it was showing 153856... til i realized that's how everyone but americans tell time (GEEKS UNITE!)

 

I dont think (at least no one has been able to find the fan speed) but what we're referring to is if you go into Vaio Control Center >> Power Management >> Power Options you see under Thermal Control Strategy. That gives you 3 modes. Balanced, Performance and Silent mode. The difference between the first two, i really dont know (I never use balance anyways) but the Silent mode, throttles your CPU and GPU so that your Vaio can remain as silent as possible (many people have reported performance issues while gaming and the cause is because of the TCS being in Silent mode... I myself have fallen in this trap, almost discarding my Splinter Cell: Conviction because i was in silent mode...)

As for disassembly pdf, at this thread there's a VPCZ11/Z12 technical manual for sony technicians (I would assume) The Z11/Z12 is, for all purposes and intents, the same as the Z13 so you should be fine:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/114814-sony-models-specs-support-dissassembly-links.html

It's also got links to spreadsheets with different part numbers in case you break something. If you want pictures, here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/6009997-post86.html

In any case, you should take a pic of the bottom of your laptop then print it out and as your remove screws, place them where they go on the picture (the screws are of different lengths) And when you remove the keyboard, be careful as there's a ribbon cable between the keyboard and the mobo.

 

Are you running your OS stock from the factory or did you do a clean install? How many processes have you got running as shown in Task Manager?

Looking at your temps, I would guess that you're most probably running the OS exactly as it came out of the box, plus you've a lot of processes running, & I would also bet that the "huge amount" of widgets that you're running is "significantly" contributing to the heat generated by the CPU & GPU.

 

Just wondering guys, how are your screens holding up. I worry that it's somewhat delicate. I noticed a few times that it was completely whitewashed and took a while to re-saturate (not sure if those are the correct terms)...Not to mention there is a stuck pixel bottom right where the hinge seems to apply pressure that comes and goes.

 

The program you need is called rainmeter. Use gnometer when setting up the program, and then just pick the widgets that you want!
This is the link to download the program:

Rainmeter.net

 

I was running the OS out of the box, but then I did a "factory clean install" that came with the factory windows 7 pro. Gives 2 options, one to reset the system to when it was shipped, and two, to reset it without the bloatware. I do have a large amount of widgets running. Its rainmeter. I am sure many of you are familiar with it. But it was not like this bfore, this whole over heating issue is recent so I am going to go ahead and assume its the chinese dust. getting all up in my hinges!!

 

Hey, thanks for the manuals. I am going to tear this thing up tomorrow so wish me luck. Once I get this, I will try to get a pic of the AMAZING CHINESE DUST BUNNIES I am bound to find inside so you guys can deal with this if you encounter something similar. By, the way, I live in China in a city like 1 hour away from HK by train. I got my vaio z with this setup for $2,100.00. It was so cheap cause it came straight from Japan. Thats the advantage of living in China. I can get any electronics I want! Even went to the MEIZU factory once to laugh at them!! jajaja

 

The screen is fine, hinges loose as usual. In any case the whitewashed and saturate thingy sounds like what the intel card likes to do during power saver. Do you only get this while on stamina or on both speed and stamina? Check under your intel graphics setting if you got the power saver/saving function turned on. Turn it off and your screen should stop unsaturating/saturating. As for the screen quality, there's an image i like to refer to out there where some guy is literally holding his VGN-Z by the lid and it's bending like crazy and not snapping (which would probably happen to any other laptop). That's a testiment to this screen. I'm too lazy to go look for it, but it should be out there!

Wow jealous! I paid $2300 for mines...($230 was stupid california tax + recycling fee) and that was after a 15% discount... but i also bought it when it first came out so... yeah. In any case, i heard the MEIZU factory is nice compared to like the Foxconn factories, at least according to Engadget when they went to visit them

 

@achu, might I ask where you got the 15% student discount from? Sony Style only offers a 5% student discount.

 

I actually the 15% off was for the VPCZ11's when they first came out and you added a warranty and 2 accessories (since i was on a budget i returned the warranty and got two cheap accessories for <$30). I guess they were offering that in order to get some early adopters.

 

This is kind of a bump, I posted this earlier and think it might how gotten overlooked.

I'm having an issue with the Battery Care function and I think it's the battery driver. Can someone check their device manager/batteries and tell me what they have listed there?

I currently have

Microsoft A/C Adapter (6.1.7600.16385, battc.sys, CmBatt.sys)
Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery (6.1.7600.16385, battc.sys, CmBatt.sys)
Microsoft Composite Battery (6.1.7600.16385, battc.sys, compbatt.sys)

Thanks

 

That's exactly what I have, what exactly is the problem with your Battery Care Function?

 

Hey, just wanted to update you guys on my situation.
I just talked to the technician at Sony that repaired my laptop.
They changed both the screen and motherboard under warranty with no additional cost (in addition to the screen, I also suffered a bad BIOS update that turned the laptop into a brick).

I also complained about the occasional freeze and he said that he checked the ssd and it's fine (he said he changed the parts already on Saturday and since then they have been fully testing non stop all components in the laptop). He told me to take the laptop home and check if it still freezes and if it happens again to send it back to him to check.

I will go pick it up in 4 hours.

I gave them my laptop on the 17th towards the evening and it's already ready today. I am impressed with the Sony service in Hong Kong.

 

sick now all i have to do is go to hong kong

 

I asked the technician what happened with the screen. His opinion was that the screen has been applied pressure and caused tiny cracks in the LCD panel and this led to the leaking/bleeding which we see as dots/blotches.

 

Cool. Good to hear that you've got everything sorted out.

Wow, it looks like Sony HK's service center is very fast & efficient. How I wish it is the same here for Sony USA. Maybe whoever is in charge of Sony USA's service depots should make a trip to HK to learn from them on how a service center/depot should be run!

 

Thanks for the link. Good luck with the dust balls. Hope its not viral.

 

I was pleasantly surprised. This is the first time I sent something to Sony HK for repair. I never had anything crap out in the past (knock on wood). The technician called me and even gave me his direct number if I needed anything from him. He even remembered when exactly I was leaving HK cause I made a note of that when I gave my laptop to them.

I will update you guys later after I pick it up.

 

Is your Z not a HK spec Z? (sorry if I missed it earlier) Your experience sounds quite pleasant.

 

It says "The battery is not installed" and all the options are grayed out.

 

It's an HK machine which I bought from Sonystyle Hong Kong. I picked up the machine taoday after the repair. They changed the screen, motherboard and apparently replaced some missing screws (the technician suspects that the laptop has been opened but he said he repaired it under warranty anyways).

The screen is perfect and the laptop is super fast. I have been using it for the past couple of hours and there has yet to be a stutter or freeze. The post blinks (before windows boots) has been reduced to one - two blinks. The machine boots super fast now. I got the system back in the same state as I gave it to them.

I think they also changed the palm rest and screen lid. I am sure there were scratches there before and now they are all gone.

Now I will work on the laptop some more to see if there will be any freezing. The Sony technician told me to call him if it happens again and they will change the SSD.

All in all, I am very happy with the Sony service in Hong Kong.

 

Thats where I bought my lappy! i luv the HK techs... I bought in in Sony Style HK in Tsim Tsa Shui. I was thinking about just going to HK and having them open it up real quick, cause a friend of mine told me that if I open it and they find out, I lose MAH WARRANTY! oh noeeessss. By the way, mine is the VPCZ117GG model. It has the 13.1" screen.

 

Nice. It is very good to hear about excellent repair services. I can only wish that the repair services for Sony USA is as good as Sony HK.

khrizthian, maybe if & when you have the opportunity to make a trip over to HK, you can bring in your "high heating" VAIO Z notebook for them to take a look at too. It seems to me, based solely on ota-con's experience, that the service guys working for Sony HK are careful, fast, & efficient.

 

Hmm right now i'm running on AC power and i dont got a battery in my laptop and i can still see those options in Device Manager, is that where you're seeing this? Maybe post a screenshot of what you see?

This is an intriguing thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/556522-sony-batterys-bug.html

I don't know if that's exactly your problem, but it might help (just be careful)

 

Hi all,

I'm a new VPC Z1390X owner who is really excited about this speed demon (save for the 2 days I spent with the fresh install, what a pain). I was gonna wait out the Sandy Bridge models, but the lack of information regarding release of the SA became unbearable.

I have the following questions, which I understand could be found by scouring through various threads, but there is just too much info to parse through!! Here are my questions:

1) I went with the extended battery, and while happy with it, I think it's somewhat awkward to hold on my lap. I want to get a second battery (regular six cell VGP-BPS20/B | VAIO® Standard Capacity Battery | Sony | Sony Style USA), however $200.00 is just waaaaay too much for a battery. On ebay, one finds the following:
VGP-BPS20 B items - Get great deals on Computers Networking items on eBay.com!

Would any of you trust one of the $80.00 batteries? I would use the extended for actual travel, so this would just need to function reasonably well while I sit around the house. What could be the potential harm of an inferior/bad battery (other than poor performance wrt duration)?

2) The battery wiggle is somewhat noticeable, so I'm thinking about sticking a couple velcro dots in there (just inside the housing, not on the battery), what do you think? I don't mean to use them to fasten the battery, just remove the empty spacing. This seems better than double sided tape, no?

Amazon.com: Sticky-Back Dot Strip Velcro Fasteners, Black, 5/8", 15 Sets/Pack VEK90069: Office Products

3) Anyone have ideas about where to acquire the dock at a reduced price? From what I read, people are really pissed about buying one only to find it has none of the output ports they need (maybe they just return it?). I did see the 20% accessory discount that came with the laptop, however $160.00 is still a lot!

Thanks a bunch.

 

Allright fellas, me and my electrical engineer background will tackle the first one. The problem with those cheap batteries from eBay is that they ARE MOST probably made here, in China. The problem is the cells inside. Due to the low quality of construction and materials and how the cells are paired inside the battery the battery could overheat and ultimately burn the laptop. This is obviously an extreme case, but nonetheless, a possibility so beware from where you purchase the laptop battery. eBay is best if the product doesn't say HK, or comes from a reputable seller with extensive background with BATTERIES. If it says it came from HK that usually means it comes from China. Most of those products don't even have UL or CE certification which are basic electric component certifications. DON'T BELIEVE THE STICKERS as they also were made here in China. Bottom line, try to get a good battery and then try to get it cheaper. Not the other way around.

Sure man! I will take it there when I go. I live in Guangzhou and that is just 1 hour away by train and I need to go there in March to get my visa renewed anyways and will actually be spending a week there so I will do that while I am there. Can you recommend any nice cheap hotels for my stay there? Thanks!

 

Here is a screenshot of my Battery Care Function Advanced Settings.

 

Does your laptop work with the battery (off AC power)? Have you recently reinstalled windows?