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

The denting doesn't bother me so much... But French? That one I'm not so good at.

 

Probably not the 'correct' place to put it but just to let you guys know that I have a vpcz11x9e for sale.

 

Something else that might help is to try plugging in the laptop and the monitor into different wall outlets and also not share a power strip.

 

I've got my HDMI -> DVI cable now, using that the problem is fixed completely. Crappy VGA, glad I got rid of that

Thanks for the help!

 

Hi all,

I have an original Z1 with 384 GB SSD inside. How tough is it to expand to 512 GB? I'm pretty sure the 128 GB drive needs to be replaced by a 256 GB one. Any suggestions on the best way to go about it? How expensive is it?

Thanks

 

Is it a Z11? As far as I know, the 256GB cards for those are hard to find and also expensive.

If it's a Z12 or Z13, it's a bit easier.

 

hi everyone. I really need help and i'm hoping someone here will know what I should do, I own a vpcz139GG and for the last nine months it has been sporadically crashing and dying , no shut down , no slowing , just a complete death. it does it at random intervals and has nothing to do with usage, battery, heating, I have replaced the fans, temperature controller, cleaned the entire system , reinstalled everything from the bios up , tried multiple window os's and with batter, no battery, on ac , no ac, different adapters , stamina mode, speed mode, temperature meters, resource meters, virus scanners, etc. basicly anything I can think of . and yet the damn thing still keeps doing it. and totally randomly. the only thing I haven't done is flashback the bios , since I can't remember what the original bios is. if anyone has any suggestions, or knows what the hell is going on I would be incredibly grateful , the gpu and cpus seem fine. all checks indicate all hardware runs smooth including two SSD drives with no corruption , it shouldn't be a loose wire since it does it even if the machine is still , and doesn't do it even if i'm flinging it around like a monkey, I have absolutely no idea at this point and sony has been less than helpful , continuously just blaming things that I already have checked, and saying they fixed it or it didn't crash while it was with them. the advice buy a new comp or don't buy sony is not useful and the machine is less then two years old. (started acting up at nine months) I have scoured the internet for wekks now , and you guys seem the most likely to have an idea at this point. anything is welcome since a comp I cannot rely on is less than useless ( I have lost soooo much work at this point)

 

When it crashes, what exactly happens? Does the screen go black? Does it BSOD and restart?

Do the crashes happen both on Speed and Stamina mode? Have you checked the RAM?

 

no bsod. checked ram , tried 32 bit win and 64 bit in case something go on there. no difference. speed and stamina both crash, literally absolutely no consistency in crashes. hence me trying absolutely everything. as for death. it's pretty much what you would expect if you had just the ac plugged in with no batt and just pulled it out. the whole thing just blacks off. no warning , no slowing , no backup, no bluescreen. absolutely nothing , when it restarts it's just as if nothing ever happened. the comp doesn't even register itself going off as such. so no recovery safe mode or any other type of menu . just fresh restart and then rinse and repeat. sorry bout slow reply. it just did it again. sometime I can restart again and It runs fine again for a while , whilst sometimes it continues dying for a while every few minutes. but has nothing to do with heating. cause it can do it even at the start of day when it's been off all night.

it's as if the thing has a fit and dies, and sometimes it's a coughing fit and repeats a couple of times. i'm wanting to flash back an old bios and see if that might help . since it's about the only thing I haven't tried. but I don't know what the old bios is (though the update was a long time ago , so it's unlikely to be the cause, but i'm fairly desperate for ideas at this point)

 

I suppose you have already checked CPU and GPU temperatures with HWMonitor or similar program?

 

yah, unfortunately. it seems to crash whever it feels like , not when it's low load or high load, i just ran skyrim 2 days straight. and the comp could hardly keep up , but no crashes. then it crashed when just doing basic ie stuff. sometimes it crashes when it hasn't even been on more then 10 seconds from room temperature. totally buzarre.

 

so whats better; the new MBP retina ive been hearing all about, or the vaio z? (full specs each)

 

^ I'm liking mine so far. Jury is still out whether I'll keep it or not.

Size comparison: http://forum.notebookreview.com/apple-mac-os-x/670186-macbook-pro-retina-pics.html

Screen caps and whatnot: http://forum.notebookreview.com/apple-mac-os-x/671002-macbook-pro-retina-impressions-windows-guy.htm

The Z2 dominates with the fakeRAID config. If you think the text is small on the 1920x1080 Z2, the retina model is not for you. At least not to use windows on it

 

I recently installed the cheapest RAM Amazon sells and it was inflicting random crashes on my system, your issue is much more serious though since it shuts down with no warning. You probably already have but try using some new RAM to see if there's a difference?

Have you checked your error reports? Windows key -> right-click 'Computer' -> 'Manage' -> 'Event Viewer' -> 'Windows Logs' -> 'System'. Use the filters on the right to see 'Critical' events. What do you see? Best of luck!

 

i will check the eroor logs first thing tomorrow. but as far as i can tell , windows doesn't even register whats going on . now to add to the mystery. so it crashes whenever it wants, meaning even before loading windows at times. but i recently installed game booster 3 , and have it shut down all non essential systems. for some reason , i have been gaming without a single crash , but upon returning to normal functioning mode, the crashes still happen, this would seem to indicate it has something to do with one of the processes windows is running , but as i said, the machine can also crash before windows has even loaded. . let the mystery continue..... any ideas anyone?

 

Can someone tell me what is the latest Nvidia driver version is for the VPC-Z1 model??

I have 8.16.11.8880

Thank you

 

re: nvidia driver
mine looks like a completely different number in Device manager -> Display adapter -> nvidia thing -> Driver = 8.16.11.9024
Where can i find the 188.80 number?

 

mine is 8.16.11.8880

 

I got the 188.00 number from Nvidia's website:

Drivers - Download NVIDIA Drivers

I let it scan my Vaio to detect my driver version and it said 188.00 is the latest version.

 

I see.
Mine is from the Sony website at...
Sony eSupport - VPCZ133GX - Support
(scroll down and click on Video and it lists the other 8.16.11.9024 driver)

 

Finally, CrystalDiskInfo officially supports reading SMART statistics of drives in RAID: CrystalDiskInfo 5: Shizuku Edition

 

I've been reading in the new Z3 forum that you when you restore your PC from the recovery discs, you can choose to eliminate the recovery partition. Is this possible with the Z11? I don't remember being able to do that...

And if it is possible, any idea on how much space you'll save?

Thanks

 

Yes, you can can. I forgot how much it was before, but now my recovery partition is smaller - 1.46GB. Maybe it saved 8GB?

 

My dog damaged my screen and I need to buy a replacement. Grrr. I have a Vaio VPCZ1190X. Does anyone know if I can upgrade to this full HD screen:

SONY VAIO VPCZ119FX 13.1" WUXGA LAPTOP LED DISPLAY $368 SMARTMICROUSA.COM

this is the screen that they actually list for my laptop:

SONY VAIO VPCZ1190X 13.1" WXGA+ LAPTOP LED DISPLAY $358 SMARTMICROUSA.COM

Thanks.

 

Summer and I have a heat problem with my Vaio Z12.

Core 1 reach the 105° limit with hard photoshop workflow and the laptop shuts down. Core 0 is always 10-15° colder. I would know how to open.

Is it possible that one Core alone (i7-620M) has bad heat pipeline or must be there a cpu problem? Stamina or speed modus is no solution - so assume no gpu problem there.

Dust maybe inside possible?

Best Walter

 

Interesting, the CPU is all in 1 package, there's really no reason there should be a large difference like that. In any case, opening up the Z is easy, but getting to the CPU is hard.

You may try to blow out the fan assembly with a compressed can of air. You can always try repasting, I killed my Z that way, but many have be able to do that.

The easiest thing to do is buy a laptop fan

 

Meh, I was running hacked BIOS with static switching but I just changed back because I found the ambient light sensor and switching graphics cards at the switch of a button too convenient.

The only real thing I lose is that I had my screen set at 72Hz and now it's going to go back to 48Hz.

I was using Forceware 301.42, now back to Forceware 263.08/Intel 2021.

 

Thanks for advice. Still testing and one week travelling. will report - soon open the laptop. No answer so far from Sony service.

Best, Walter

 

A new Intel RST 11.5 driver is available. Please see... http://forum.notebookreview.com/sol...ge/679501-rst-11-5-whql-released-finally.html
On the first message there, there is a link to the Intel website. Then click on that 12.36 MB file/download.
The new 11.5 works fine. The CDM numbers look the same as before.

 

Yarr, CDM numbers are the same. The drives are being picked up as SCSI devices which means no TRIM support in Windows 7 (if I understand correctly)...

 

(This is my first post. Hope I'm posting correctly by using Quick Reply . . couldn't find New Post button) . .I have a VAIO Z1190x with 192G Intel RAID 0 config. I've been having the most annoying problem many have noted about frequent 128G drive failure in RAID0. I've tried many/most of the simple web fixes suggested with no success. Finally I did a full Win 7 reinstall. Reverted to older version of Intel Management software. Reset BIOS. Tested SSDs (both OK). Contacted Sony support three times (waste of time) . .Finally just resigned myself to the "Rest to Normal" temporary fix several times a day. But now the problem has become complicated. I had a system crash while installing a PCI Express Uspeed USB3.0 card. . .When I rebooted, I got a Intel Configuration Utility lead screen indicating that Raid 0 had failed. . When I do the "Control I" to get to ROM Option, there is no way I've found to Reset to Normal from that screen . .only Create or Delete. . I can boot ito Win 7 but it crash soon into Loading User Profile sequence. I can get into Safe mode but can't get beyond Login Screen. I'm assuming some essential drivers are on the "failed" stripped SSD partition. My questions .1)Is there anyway to "Rest to Normal" without launching WIN 7 and if not 2) is there a way to locate and delete the bad USB 3.0 driver that crashed the OS without getting into WIN7? 3) then if I finally succeed in getting the system back, is there anyway to reconfigure my drives to non-RAID without having to reinstall everything again. Thanks in advance.

 

Could you post a photo of the Intel RAID Configuration Utility showing which one has failed?

 

Not a great shot but had to shoot quick before screen changed:
It says:
RAID ID 0 Volume 0 RAID0 (stripe) 128kb 170.9GB Status Normal

PORT 0 Samsung MMCRE64G serial # 59.6GB Error Occurred

Port ) is always the one that fails.
Thanks,

 

Let me ask how the temperatures of the i7 is in your machines?

I´m currently on my bed while using the z21v9 with i7 and the kernels are up to 50 degrees.

 

Did you already try Startup Repair in the Windows 7 boot menu (or maybe on the Windows 7 install DVD)?
Otherwise, maybe you could try do a RAID with the other two drives? However, you would have to reinstall everything.

 

I did boot with a DVD and tried startup repair. Didn't work . .ran for hours . I assume it is getting hung up on looking for data on the virtual partitioned RAID port 0 that it could find . Obviously if the other partition on that SSD is working normally, I've concluded that it's an Intel RAID software bug. When it was last up, I did do a complete diagnostic on the SSD hardware and it came up normal. If I do have to reinstall again (a major pain) I certainly won't set the two drives up in a RAID config. Was hoping that some guru out there would know how to access and remove the bad USB 3.0 driver that crashed it but I suspect the RAID would need to be Reset to Normal first. . .a catch 22.
G

 

Hi. my question pertains to my Vaio Z-series VPCZ-118GX:

1. Is there a firmware hack I can install to make my dvd drive region free? (ie: whenever I put in a foreign dvd, it won't tell me I have can change the region settings 5 more times

2. If so, where can I find it and how do I install it?

3. For my laptop, there was an expensive option to upgrade the dvd drive with a bluray drive. Is there any place I can look for a replacement bluray drive for my Vaio? I'm hoping that there are some out there that were never sold and are available on the market somewhere.

Thanks!
Will

 

If the drive is Matsu.....a/Panasonic, there's no region free firmware. You might be able to instead use a program like AnyDVD.

There's a thread in this forum regarding replacement Blu-ray drives. I'll link it when I'm not typing from my phone.

here we go: http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...u-ray-drive-uj-242-result-12.html#post7219010

You are looking for a 9.5mm SATA drive. Probably matters less which model if you don't care about the eject button on the keyboard.

 

Is there anyway to upgrade the processor in VPC-Z1 VPC-Z11AFJ? That's the japanese Z. Right now it's rocking an i7 620M. Couldn't find this on the internets.

 

Not possible to upgrade the CPU as it's soldered to the motherboard.

 

Hi, guys. Has someone tests Windows 8 RTM on VPCZ1 machine? What about drivers compatibility?

 

Assuming it behaves the same as the consumer preview (I really hope it doesn't due to very high DPC latency) the drivers should work as long as you disable fast startup.

 

Hi.

I have a Vaio Z-series VPCZ-118GX that has a standard dvd drive. My goal is to watch blu-ray movies on my laptop region-free. It seems not worth trying to fit a replacement bluray drive that I could replace my existing drive with. So, now I'm looking for an external bluray drive solution. My question is, are there any external blu-ray drives (USB 2.0 is fine) that have easy-to-find (or well-known) firmware hacks so I can make it region free for blu-ray playback?

Thanks,
Will

 

Hi,

I just received my Z3 today. Awesome computer. Only problems are that the wifi is really weak... Also when i plug in my charger, my Dell Ultrasharp U2412m monitor flickers. When the Z3 is not being charged, the monitor does not flicker. Can someone please help?

 

DAPlayer might be able to play Blu-ray movies regardless of region. Check first though.

Wrong laptop model, I think, but are you using VGA connection to the monitor? If you use HDMI there shouldn't be flickering.

 

I am indeed using VGA. The flickering only seems noticeable when the power cord is plugged in for some reason. Does the Z have a DVI port? This expensive monitor I got doesn't have HDMI...

Wifi is a problem though...horrible speed. I'm getting .27 down/.27 up while my desktop 10 feet closer to the router is getting 13 down and 17 up...

 

I have a question about the switchable graphics on the VPC-Z11.

When I'm using STAMINA mode, and I make adjustments to the Intel Graphics Properties control panel (specifically to brightness and contrast in the media section), whenever I switch back and forth from STAMINA to SPEED, and then back to STAMINA, it forgets all of the settings I changed. Is there anyway to prevent it from going back to the default?

Thanks

 

You should be able to get a HDMI to DVI adapter. The digital connection (present in both HDMI and DVI) should get rid of the interference.

 

Is it only me but there were no recovery discs with my Vaio Z3. What happens if my computer crashes and I need to do a full restore?

 

First of all, you're in the wrong thread if you have a Z3, but feel free to stay here and bug namaiki with your questions

2nd. You have to make your own using Sony's tools. Of you have a recovery partition that holds your recovery information. You can either leave it there, or make a DVD recovery or USB flash drive recovery.