Sony Vaio Z i5/i7 Official Owners Thread

I am serious. This aint a joke. I had not drink beer today.

 

Has anyone ever managed to delete the recovery partition and merge it with the main partition, without having to install Windows 7 completely from scratch?
What if I deleted recovery and the "System Reserved" partition and merged them all into one, set it to active and then ran the repair wizard off an Windows 7 install DVD. Would that work?

 

The problem with the dropouts is not the mouse; it is the stock Bluetooth firmware in the Z. Sony released an update to fix this a month ago, and my VAIO mouse has been working perfectly ever since the update.

 

Many, many reviews I read last month of the Orochi complain bitterly about this issue being specific to the mouse: i.e. goes to sleep much, much too quickly after the last usage.

 

I used Paragon HDM 2010 to:
- shrink C:
- delete recovery partition
- move System and C: to the beginning of drive (SSD RAID)
- add two more primary partitions
- all without reinstalling Windows 7 (HDM does reboot into what seems its own virtual partition that it creates as a file somewhere but no CD is required)

This broke partition alignments which I corrected with Paragon Partition Alignment plugin for HDM.

I do think that alignment is not perfect (more than 1024K at the start but multiple of that, so should be fine) and Alignment plugin expanded last partition to occupy disk in full (that does not leave space for RAID signature perhaps). But, besides relatively slow boot (17 cursor blinks), everything works fine.

 

Thanks ZugZug, in the end I found this website here, which worked perfectly:
TeraByte Unlimited Knowledge Base

 

I have received my Z!

First impressions:
- I found the box so light that I wondered if the laptop hasn't been forgotten at the factory!
- I don't find the carbon fiber finish especially compelling. I'm feelling like I should have kept the extra 50€ in my pocket and stuck with "basic" Black... (by the way I would have taken Silver if it weren't out of stock)
- It seems like messing with the "dynamic hybrid graphic system" button while the computer is in standby is a bad idea; after going out of standby the mode is locked... Reboot needed to get things back in order. Now I'll just keep it on "stamina" and switch only when I want the discrete nVidia GPU instead of using the Auto mode.
- Oh, and it reboots quickly. Well that's the point of these SSD.
- The FullHD display is fine for my eyes, even at 100% DPI! YEAH! Okay that's a little small, but that's the point actually!
- And I don't see any dead pixel, at least no obvious one, I guess that's cool.
- The battery is a little loose like several people said but I don't feel like it's a problem...
- I confirm that the two hinges aren't perfectly aligned but frankly I don't care... And on a black Z you really have to look closely to see the 1/10th millimeter difference...
- Fan sound is present and not the most pleasing one but still not loud at all (at least during all the basic tasks I've done for now) and I'd guess you have to be in a muted room to find it annoying. Well most of the time there's music so it doesn't get noticed
- Both keyboard and touchpad are nice. I'm already used to them.
- Power brick is big but I like the small (~50cm I'd say) cable going to the outlet. It means there is only one long cable to manager, not two. Besides while it is a big power brick I don't feel like it is heavy so overall it's OK. Enough for me to think that I probably won't buy the "stick" AC adapter, this one should please me.
- It is currently burning the recovery DVD's. It looks like the process will take eons... Not sure why... but actually I don't care as long as it works.
- The 256 GB SSD provides about 200 GB free space at factory state.
- Light! Even with extended battery. (obvious I know)
- Haven't tried the noise cancelling headphones yet.

And probably a whole lot of other things to discover about it. Well it would be good for me to finish my day work before I do so...

Happy for now

 

Congrats! Welcome to the fold

 

wow just read this thread for 3 hours straight. thanks for all the reviews guys.

looking into getting my first laptop and after some research im finding it hard to look past this. couple of questions if possible though

first, regarding the ssd, is it generally accepted that the loss in memory and higher price is worth the higher performance? just seems since there standard for all these HDD laptops is to have at least 500gb of memory and so 128 in comparison seems the higher performance must be REALLY noticable?

i also thought it would be easy to get top quality since i have a fair bit of cash lying around at the moment... but the price!

im in australia, and currently with the full hd version and 256g (both of which i want) its $4000 (and they throw in a playstation 3 which i really dont have any use for).

it seems these things go for much cheaper in the states? if so is there anyway i can get a cheaper deal?? any ideas anyone???

just finding it hard to ignore the sexiness/portabilitity/sick screen/general awesomeness factor

help!! i wants it!!!!

EDIT: sigh i guess i should also ask if there are any cheaper competing laptops out there i should consider if i cant afford this baby (sexy/light+portable/good screen/fast)...
thanks again

 

Hi mate I am in Aussie and I have ordered mine through Harvey Norman during their 16% off sale Had to throw the books at them virtually to get it discounted

I plan to sell the free PS3 which cuts the cost down to AU$3050.

I thought about the Z series for many many years and finally bit the bullet and didn't compromise this time!

 

should i really remove Win7 system partition? What are the benefits?
I already configured everything perfectly and afraid if i mess up with boot partition i could end up re-installing everything, so before i go ahead I'd like to know what are the real benefits of not having Win7 system partition.
thx!

 

Answering to this question is dead simple: there simply is no real competitor.

* It is the only laptop with a 1920x1080 13in display. I'm not even sure that there are other competitor to the 1600x900 13in display... Some thinkpad maybe? 1440x900 12in can be found I think. But the FullHD on such a small form factor simply can't be found anywhere else.

* There is no competitor providing such a complete hardware at less than 1.5Kg. You'll always find something missing (like the DVD bay, or the discrete GPU, or the complete array of ports).

This notebook is nearly zero-default. You can gibble on small details that could be improved but overall there is no big flaw... For instance the USB ports are not really conveniently placed, but you'd rather have three USB ports at weird places than only two USB ports.

The only real problem is the money. It costs a load of money. But I'd say that's the reward of making no compromise.

 

The real benefit of removing this partition is to reclaim its space.

In my opinion, if you don't know what you're doing or if you're afraid of breaking anything, let it be. It doesn't consume that much space and if you break anything while messing around you'll be happy to conveniently have this recovery partition there, enabling you to restore your computer without even using the DVD.

 

i read above how you got a discount, do you think you could elaborate on what you said to get this?
how do you plan on selling your ps3?
and why do all stores selling them in aus throw in these damn ps3s with them?
did you research into any better deals, ie look into importing one from overseas or something (still foggy on this)?

and again i realise this probably isnt the best thread to ask, but any substitutes kind of close out there? why is this thing so damn expensive!!

 

So no performance benefits removing it then, right? I'll keep it for now, although the process of removing it is pretty straight-forward.

thx!

 

damn thats what i suspected.

any idea why it is so much more expensive in australia than the us (even relatively with exchange rates considered)?
can anyone explain the process of ordering laptops internationally? is it even possible/do people do this?

 

Take a look at conics.net for instance. Direct from Japan, and you'll have access to all the possible options.

The problem is, it usually costs even more money that going with the local SonyStyle... At least it is in France.

If you want to do something like order from Sony US I guess you should do it while you're on a trip there, or ask a relative that could do it for you.


About the price itself, is the tax included in Australia prices? In US it is never included. It can make quite a price difference... For instance if you want to have a rough idea of what would cost a thing sold in USD if it were sold in France, you can take the rule of thumb that 1$=1€ because the exchange rate will make for the (more than) 20% tax...

 

Try BundleBox. You can order it Internationally with no extra shipping and VAT costs. Bundle Box - The smarter way to buy from the USA

This was the same way I bought my iPad from the US since the iPads in the UK are more expensive.

 

Hi everyone, I'm new to Notebookreview.com and generally new to high-end notebooks (I've owned rubbish little netbooks in the past.)

I just bought a vaio z1 model number vpc-z11x9e from here in the UK just a few days ago and would like to know if there are any protocols I need to follow? I've made the recovery discs and am about to put a partition in C drive to creat a D drive. Is there anything else you gentlemen would recommend I should do or need to do to my new z1 to keep it running optimamly?

I've read here that members have reinstalled W7 on their new z1? Why would this be done and how would I do it or is it not nessessary?

Thanks,
GD

 

This thread should get you started...

 

Hi,
Its a GREAT laptop, I am very happy with the Z series; its very light & very fast.
Couple of things I found.
1/ I could not get the recovery CD creation to ever finish - so, gave up
2/ I could not register my laptop on Sony site, have you managed it?
3/ If Laptop in Nvida (speed) setting & goes to sleep, then left to auto to Hibinate - when switched on (to resume) the Windows are all resized :-(
4/ I am unclear also if the 'auto tune' (via ASSIST) does a DEFRAG, as this is not recomended with ssd's. A warning is displayed but once you click okay, it not clear wheher its defragging or not :-(
5/ One thing I did not expect - is because RAID0 requires initilisation at startup, there is a few seconds delay at BIOS before Win7 logo appears. This delay is noticable if placed side by side with HHD laptop. However, its still quick & once running, it's very fast & quiet
6/ Given the high spec, the battery performace is good; on Stamina, I have tweaked it a little and gives approx 4hr.

Ps, I opted for Metal Sheild finish & it is very smart....

Enjoy,

T

 

I've done them today and they seemed to took forever. The software said it would take one hour or two and, well, it took it.

Have you updated all your software? I have installed all the Windows and all the Sony updates before doing these DVD.

Maybe the Sony software is buggy and they fixed it; if so updating the VAIO software should take care of the problem.

 

bundle box does not ship to australia and conics does not let you customize? i would really like it carbon with the 1920 resolution, but this does not seem possible?

that said the upside with conics is it will cost $2730 AUD is says so thats ok.

general feedback on using conics? reliable? hassle? feeling uneasy as it is having to order this internationally, let alone via a middle company from japan so any advice would be great. the alternative is to get one from my local electronics store for 1.2k more. is conics worth the risk and the wait?

edit: ok seems i just suck at navigating, seems the price is cheaper through conics and i can customise. above questions regarding reliability still apply please!
thanks
double edit: seems more expensive actually hmm

 

I bought from Conics, Brett takes less than 24 hours to reply to any question. The entire process was very smooth (besides the waiting), and I believe Brett and folks check the laptop for issues before they ship, so that's additional assurance I won't be getting a lemon. As mentioned, all options are available via Conics, so I can get HDD, as well as the 6300 wireless adapter, and full HD, and TPM. I haven't gone back to check if Z12 has new / different options...

The fun thing I learnt from the Conics experience is that AMEX tracks my spending very closely. Literally within a couple of seconds after making the purchase online, I got a call from them asking me if I had authorized the purchase. That was really very impressive to me

If mechguy is around he will suggest User Side. I don't think he posted a review, you could PM him and ask. I believe the markup for User Side is less, you could ask them for a quote.

 

what about the language of the apps?

 

Hi,
Thanks for the reply.
It seem to get stuck at 47mins & I could not beleive it needed all that to write a CD. I will give it another go at the weekend,
Thanks,
(Ps, all Vaio updates are installed)

 

When the laptop arrived at Conics, it's loaded with Japanese Win 7. Conics burned the recovery disks for that, and clean installs English Win 7. The recovery partition is also removed, and Conics suggests that additional recovery disks be made immediately.

I then replaced the HDD, and clean installed Win 7

 

could we replace the ODD(DVD) with a Hard drive 2.5"?

 

I've used Conics on four purchases so far - two laptops and two accessories. And I have nothing but the highest praise for them. Quick responses to email and they are extremely diligent in following up on your purchases and requests.

I also like their straight talk approach. There are no hidden traps or costs. They tell you what they do or dont do and what they stand for. And what they say the stand for, you can rely on them for it.

If only every retailer was as good as Conics, we'd all be better off.

 

Hi boys!

I have purchased this machine a month ago I have to say that it is a great deal. It is far expensive, but it is worth every penny. My model is the one with 1080 screen, 540M, 4gb and 128 gb.

I have no fan problems and Windows 7 works good. I work there with CAD applications and it is great.

I have also installed Ubuntu 10.04 in it with no bios flashing and works great, too. At first, I got strange freezes with builtin kernel but after recompiling the latest 2.6.34 it goes smooth as silk.

Regards!

 

wow haha ok. youre not a conics employee are you?

mm turns out a bit more expensive than what i can get here, but more customizable with less hassle. money money money money

 

Get it here in Aussie mate. Save that hassle and stress. Yes, it may cost more and you don't get CTO but at least you know if anything goes wrong it's a simple trip to the shops vs having to send it back to Japan etc etc.

I purchased mine when it was on sale so it made the price a little better

 

have you got your z already?

 

Hey kids!!
I got my Z CTO about a month and a half ago, and after spending nearly that long to get through this thread I FINALLY DID ONE MINUTE AGO!!!! I should get some kind of award for that.

My model: i5/6gbRAM/384gbSSD/Verizon/premium carbon fiber/bluray/fresh start/windows pro.

Observations, in no particular order:
--of my 384gb SSD, 350gb was available on startup, which is just fine with me
--keys get greasy, but i clean them off once a week, no problem there; and no smudges yet on the palmrest after a month and a half of intense use
--battery gets about 5 hours web surfing on the verizon card, stamina, brightness at about 50%
--i have windows resizing issues from time to time when going to slee/unplugging/switching the graphics card/etc but no big deal
--premium carbon fiber has a few minor scratches, but nothing major
--one dead pixel, but off to the side, so after a day of disappointment i'ved decided to see the forest for the trees
--i have problems with the vaio on click care: the aforementioned "unable to aquire vaio configuration settings," and it keeps telling me i have a problem with the device manager, even though i don't
--fan noise can get loud, but when it's rendering 1080p HD movies at x2 speed, that's FINE with me!! very quiet at other times
--wish i could reassign the assist/vaio buttons, haven't figured that out
--no black screen of death after watching lots of HD movies on bluray and media explorer and youtube (yet)
--speakers suck, but i don't use them that much anyway
--what is overclocking?? i can't figure it out
--screen is nice and bright when it needs to be


Have I rambled enough? I'm sure I'll have other questions and comments. I would say I'm 9/10 satisfied with my purchase. It's light and fast, and makes my job easier!!

 

I believe within the first year it can be sent to the buyer's country's Sony center, after that it has to go back to Japan. I think it's international warranty or something...

No award but here's a cookie for you:

 

Welcome to the end of the thread.

 

Seriously, anyone?

 

Not yet, ordered on Sunday, expect it in a week I think

 

hey guys, thanks for your help so far.
looks like im not going to be able to go without this thing and am now just looking at the cheapest option to get the one i want

went to my local sony store today and they had 1 128 model left at $4k and found it hard not to put a deposit down

basically realised that i have relatives in hong kong that come back and forth between australia and there and worked out the price would be about a thousand cheaper. benefits/disadvantages of doing this? not sure what i should do!

edit:
also seems like the models from sony hong kong are limited. whats the differences from the 117 to the 126/7/8 series? significant enough to consider? because seems only the former is available

 

if by wobbly you mean that when you move/shift your screen up and down the screen seems like it's being pinched, it's fine. This topic was covered about 200 pages back, so we forgive you, but yeah, the screen was meant to flex or else being this thin, every time you'd open up the laptop, you'd crack the LCD =p. No worries there, unless that's not what you're talking about =)

 

Uff long discussion here ;-) I followed this Thread from Page 1 to Page 463 - too the old Thread "New Z model with Intel Core i5 CPU" http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/447505-new-z-model-intel-core-i5-cpu-369.html

Now i heared enough - Boottime 40sek with Quadraid - some other Problems - i have decided to buy an ipad ;-)

I newer had an apple product bevore - but now i`m pretty happy.

It is perfect for couch - surfing, email checking, and has some unique apps.

No Boot-time, no noice, fast, 8 hours on battery - but no working enviroment.

Some Problems you will have everywhere, when you dont want to lie - so i had some too with the ipad ^^

My old z21 with P9500 CPU is powerfull enough, for normal working. But since i have my iPad, i had newer used my Vaio again

Also RDP works quite well, the only challange is - to find out how the right-click work.

Shure, it is good for pickup Information -check Mails.. For active Blogposters, Chatters, is the Touch-Keyboard maybee not comfortable enough.

For my needs it is perfekt.

 

You took the time to read the threads, so I'll take some time to comment on your post.

1. I'm not sure what you mean, could you explain?
2. You should try the process to un-stick pixels. You are also more forgiving than me. I'd send it back with even one pixel and this is coming from the guy who hasn't RMA'ed his machine to repair a dead bluray drive (yet)
3. VAIO Update is broke for everyone. You can get one pass through if you are lucky, then it dies.
4. I'm going to work on this again now that the slow boot problem is fixed.
5. Me either, but I've had one memory bluescreen. This was with the Sony build, no problems with a clean install.
6. For me, this is Sony's biggest mistake. Silly that they are so bad. I will say I enjoy the noise canceling headphones. They have now replaced the MDR-NC60's I usually travel with.
7. If you don't game, don't worry about it

.
Welcome aboard

The flex of the LCD will distort the display. This is normal and expected. If you don't like it, don't touch it

Enjoy the iPAD. I'm going to finish writing a 40 page report with graphics I made in Photoshop and Visio, watch Hulu videos, play Borderlands, then sync/charge my Blackberry and iPOD touch.

 

How sarcastic!

 

I don't think this has been answered. I don't have Bluray on my Z but I'm currently looking at the bundled "Me & My Vaio" booklet.

Here's what relevant bits I see:

Burning of CD-DVD Blu-ray Disc(TM): VAIO Creation
Photo, audio, video and TV: Intervideo WinDVD Blu-ray Disc for VAIO

I'd guess the latter is what you're searching for? Don't know if it helps you.

 

Indeed. Not sure what business a iPAD fanboi post has in a Z owner's thread.

 

Correct: Intervideo WinDVD (Corel)

 

Thanks guys!

 

Hi everyone,

I have read this and many other threads and would like to see if anyone can help.

I have the VPCZ1190X with the i7-620, 8 gigs of ram, and windows 7 professional (x64).

Overall I love the VAIO but there are some things that are really annoying and I just want to know whether to be pissed at Sony or Microsoft.

The main annoyance is bluetooth. I installed Sony's update but still can't make it work properly. I have a microsoft bluetooth mobile 6000 keyboard that I really like but can't use with the vaio. The keyboard works well in another computer running windows xp. However, in the vaio, the connection between the computer and the keyboard is lost every few minutes. If anyone knows any fix, please let me know.

The other issue is the black screen when watching video. Sometimes I hook up my vaio to a monitor to watch movies or youtube clips while pretending to write a dissertation. Once in a while, the computer makes a horrible noise, everything remains turned on, but the screen goes blank and the only way to deal with this is by switching it off.

That's about it. Well, the battery drain sucks, the fact Sony couldn't care less about updating drivers is bad as well, and the Vaio update thing is also broken but my main issues are the ones above.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions.

Thanks!

 

ok, noted with thanks. btw, ever thot of changing ur nick to ipad21?

 

No Flash on Ipad. I would never buy it. Not even a USB Port. I would only buy it if I had lots of Movies, Music and apps from Itunes, but I don't...

Ipad is more like a bigger Ipod Touch. You can't compare it to an actual notebook.