Sony Vaio Z i5/i7 Official Owners Thread

I'm downloading it right now, I'll keep you posted if I make any progress. Thanks again!

 

Sorry about that. Not sure what I pasted in there. Try this one: http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...7-official-owners-thread-520.html#post6317878. If that doesn't work, it's basically a discussion on page 520 of this thread. But I'm fairly certain it's been discussed before then in this thread too.

 

Seems like the driver I installed doesn't include an audio manager... Anybody had more luck?

 

Perhaps it's a standalone program from Realtek (???)
I'll try modifying my registry tonight and see how that goes. The key given in the forum link is almost exactly the same in my Z, so that might work...

 

Get bluetooth headphones. I have some creative labs units that work great.
It will solve your problem completely.

 

I thought this username is the right one for the issue due to the fact that all notebooks I owned so far had that (or at least a similar) problem. - And this sort of problem is as old as StonehEnge with almost all manufacturers.

We are also going head to head for the fading palm rest thing. - Welcome to the club!

It seems there are quality and production issues in material choice and assembly which are very annoying regarding the price.

But hey, we were first movers, weren't we?

Anyway I'm curious about if you will get a new palm rest and the time Sony will need to get things done for you.

 

Has anyone noticed that the screen is slightly white-washed when the Z first boots up? It gets better after about 10-15 seconds. Is that normal?

 

No, not ALL Vaio Z series come with backlit. In Japan, they have almost ALL the CTO options and not having a backlit keyboard is an option. If you look at conics or other Japanese exporter sites, they have the options. I'm not sure if any other market outside of Japan has the option to NOT get a backlit keyboard.

 

I get that sometimes but not upon boot. Randomly it will just happen then be ok when I switch to desktop. Very odd.

 

I have a problem with my recently purchased VAIO Z 1290x.

The internet works most of the time, but once or twice a day, it will cut out and say that there are no connections available. The only way to fix this is to go to network connections and disable and enable the connection.

It is very annoying. Does anyone know how to fix this? Has it happened to anyone else? Help please

 

Okay I found this setting in the registry that (I believe) says that speakers are on even when headphones are plugged in. By default this should be 00 00 00 00, which means headphones should shut off speaker.



There's a bunch of interesting keys in a neighboring section (Settings\Drv.......), but it looks like none of those values stick...

 

I accidentally uninstalled my original RealTek driver, and now I'm having the same issue as you guys where the speakers are on when the headphones are plugged in. I did not have this issue with the original RealTek driver.

Now I'm trying to reinstall the driver, but it says "I/O error" or something.

EDIT: Solution for headphone/speakers conflict!

Download the first one, reboot, and enjoy http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/downloadsView.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=14&PFid=24&Level=4&Conn=3&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false

 

Similar issues have been discussed on is thread. Check which driver version is currently installed. Most people have solved these issues by updating the wireless adapter drivers with the latest ones from Intel 13.2.1.5

 

That link says its for windows xp. I have windows 7, does it matter?

 

I hope Sony is able to help you out with the fading palm rest. But do a search through this thread, as I believe Sony told others that the palm rest is a cosmetic issue and is not covered under the warranty. I've been reading another thread in the Sony forum comparing F and Z, and apparently F owners who have the black model are also experiencing relatively rapidly fading palm rests. Gray owners report having a palm rest with grooves in it, which I think silver Z owners have as well. Strange why Sony didn't replicate that design on the black/prem carbon fiber options on their two flagship lines.

 

Thanks Tofu, this would mean the problem is indeed in the hardware, since my key value is the same as yours, so I guess I would need to find a key which shuts down the speakers completely. I'll look around and tell you if I come across something.

 

Learned something today. Clicking on the update driver button in Device Manager actually does not necessarily search the internet and find the most updated driver. Here is a reply to someone who found the solution to my iPhone 4 not tethering wirelessly to my Sony Z11:

"Thanks! MyWi 4 now works on my iPhone 4 both wirelessly and USB! I googled the driver name found in Device Manager/Network Adapters. I found one more updated than the one I had:
Download Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6200 AGN Wireless LAN Driver 13.1.1.1 for Windows 7 64-bit Drivers

I downloaded and installed. I was pulling my hair out because clicking on the "Update Driver" button said I had the most updated driver but it was not true. Now I am wondering how many other drivers on my system should be updated the same way.

Thank you so much."

I couldn't figure out why the iPhone could connect wirelessly with my Macbook Pro laptop and not my Sony Z11. Now I know why.

 

There is a later version of this available on Intel site (13.2.1.5)

Intel® PRO/Wireless and WiFi Link Drivers-Only for Windows 7*

 

Can anyone tell me if the screen on the new Z12 has improved over the Z11?

I heard there was a difference because many of the Z11's where made in USA whereas the Z12 comes from Japan so I'm wondering if they use different or better panels?

Does anyone else find their screen is hard to read from with dark area's, poor viewing angles especially under artificial light, in the evening for example I find the screen has a sheen to it, hard to explain, but the screen/text isn't clear.

I have the 1600 x 900 display, running in native resolution, 125dpi(default), calibrated and adjusted ClearType settings and still I find it poor.

Thanks for any input.

 

As far as i know both the Z11 and the Z12 come from the same factory (aka Japan). I though it was because japan had the only factory that could manufacture some of the parts in the Z, so they did the whole assembly over there.

Screens are the same for both versions (since the only change is practically the use of other model SSD's on some Z12's)

If text is still not correct, just set the dpi to ''100%''. Then you'll see the screen the way it's meant to be displayed, and it's much sharper (at least mine is). Don't know if that fixes things for you tho.

 

That's the link I was looking for: thanks very much

When I get a bit of time I'll operate, take pics and let you know how it went ..

 

Hi guys!

I have been on holiday like for last 3-4 months, so i haven't had chance to follow this thread really. Now it's time to get back to work and use my Z.

If i could, i would read all about 350 pages i missed during my holiday, but since i can't, could someone tell me if there's happened anything imporant regarding Vaio Z?

Of course i have updates all Windows 7 updates etc, and there was nothing new in Vaio update center. But is there something else besides that? Like regarding SSD drivers etc. I would appreciate help.

 

This is really annoying. Did anybody find a fix to have A2DP working on the Z?

 

Hi Nick,
I had the same problem with my Japanese CTO model. In my case it was because the two srews that are fixing the hinge to the LCD were very loose. I had to disassemble the laptop to properly get to the srews, but once I tightened them the problem was gone completely.

It is about a 15 minutes job if you have the right screwdrives and very easy to do if you make note where each srew or part goes.
Or you could send back the laptop to sony for warranty repairs, but I chose not to as it could take weeks to get it back (in Europe at least).

Hope I could help.

 

I just couldn't resist to Post this little chat with a SONY rep.

And I'm Sorry if someone does not like me posting this here, I'm just trying to transfer my experience, Really really really Frustrated.

the rep name is Will, just as my name happens to be Will too, but you can know who is who.
Here its:

-----------------------------
LiveAssist Transcript

Print Email Close
chat id : 13db06f5-1bb8-4574-960e-3320798bca3d
Problem : Question about my latest vaio Z purchase
Will_ > Hi Will. Welcome to Sony Online Support. I’m Will. Please allow me a moment to review your concern.
Will_ > Thanks for waiting, Will. I’ll be glad to assist you with the information about purchasing the VAIO Z series Computer.
Will > hi there, I recently made a purchase through SonyStyle US for the new vpc-z1290x/x, I have one question though, but I need a 100000% correct answer, or I will cancel my order
Will_ > Sure, I'll be glad to assist you with this regard.
Will > My question is oes all vpcz1290x comes with a BACKLIT keyboard?
Will_ > According to the specifications available online, the Computer is supplied with the Backlit Keyboard feature.
Will > It was a CTO MODEl, that I configured, and there was no option to chose the backlit KB, so I suppose its STANDARD
Will_ > In this case, I suggest that you contact our SonyStyle Team at 1-877-865-7669 to inquire about the different types of Sony VAIO Computers.
Will > OK, please can you CONFIRM THIS to me, as I bought it for that sole purpose, and will cancel my order if it does not, I also don't like the Specs available online, the page for the vpc-z under gallery, shows the old VGN-Z, so depending on the information on the web site is not credible
-------
Will_ > I am sorry that the Marketing specification of the Computer is not clear.
Will_ > I am sure, they will be delighted to get you the right choice.
Will_ > The hours of operation are as follows:
Monday to Friday -7:00 am to 8:00 am CST
Saturday 8:00 am to 7:00 pm CST
-------------
Will > I just don't know WHY I DON'T ANSWERS TO SIMPLE QUESTIONS THROUGH CHAT WITH A SONY REP
Will > IM NOT ASKING ABOUT HIGHLY TECHNICAL DETAILS
Will > its a very simple question about a very simple feature
--------------
Will_ > Will, as we are the technical support Team, I am sorry to inform you that we do not have the exact informatuion for the VAIO Z series Computer.
--------------
Will > who has them? Samsung? Acer? or HP? if Sony DOES NOT !!!

Will > CAN YOU SEND ME A LINK TO THE VAIO VPC-Z BROCHURE ?
Will > OK WILL DO THAT, BUT PLEASE SEND ME THE LINK TO THE VPC-Z BROCHURE
-----------------
Will_ > Will, I am sorry to inform you that the documentation you are looking for is not currently available online.
Will_ > We will forward your request to our website documentation team.
Will_ > If the document is available and approved for online publication, it will be published on the site within 3-5 business days.
----------------
Will > DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY, I PAID $3800 FOR A PREMIUM LAPTOP FROM A (a well-REPUTED CO.) AND THERE IS NO ANSWERS TO TRIVIAL REQUESTS

Will_ > Will, I am sorry that the Marketing specification is not available online.

------------------

Comments? I guess NOT!

 

Wow, you're an idiot.

 

Fine, you want a comment.

He answered your question the first time: "the specifications say it comes with a backlit keyboard". What more do you want than that?

Add to that the fact that everybody on this forum has a Z with a backlit keyboard and it makes it seem like badgering for no purpose.

 

My mind automatically transformed the CAPS LOCK BADGERING to bold and red.

 

lol


/10chars

 

May be no fix for you:

When I received my Z11Z9E, I first paired a Logitech DiNovo Edge with no problems.

Then I paired a SonyEricsson HBH-DS980 Bluetooth stereo headset to the notebook. This time I experienced a problem: the headset gave me only mono playback.

In the properties of the headset device on the services tab I had to check "Headset" which finally gave me A2DP after rebooting.
A2DP has been working then all over the time. - All other services were already checked.

Yesterday I installed the Windows 7 x64 driver and GUI for "Intel My WiFi Technology" (latest version) on my Z.

Afterwards there was no chance to get A2DP into my "bleeding" ears.

The headset was trying to switch from mono to stereo after about 10 seconds and then muted with switching back to the notebook speakers.

2 hours ago I installed the actual Bluetooth driver (Bluetooth Firmware (Broadcom) - 2.2.3.593.596a) from the GERMAN Sony Update Page

VAIO : Sony Europe

and my headset now gives me A2DP again all the time.

I don't know if this is a solution for you or others suffering under the same problem.

 

Here in Germany all guys driving a BMW 330Ci with bold, red Tires are forced to take part in an anti-aggression training called "How to behave calm and friendly" ...

 

Stuck my Z in it's sleeve today. It didn't go to sleep like usual. Took it out just now, it's a wee bit toasty. Do Z's have thermal shutdown protection?

 

Sorry, I copied the wrong link. You can search for them on the Intel website, or use their driver update tool.

This is the correct link.

 

that sucks, happened to me once or twice. I think all modern intel chips do, the problem is if it gets too hot in the back, it could affect other parts of the laptop. Someone here reported some LCD damage I believe after a similar incident.

 

Hi,

I am not a noob to notebooks (note my handle, sig) but I am a new owner of a Z12 I purchased from Best Buy (largely because I am a "Silver Rewards" member, and I get to use any product for 45 days and return, for any reason, for no restocking fee!), and to my great surprise, it is not love at first sight

I would like to mention a couple of things that are driving me crazy and ask if these are common occurrences with the Z or if there are driver fixes to remedy them (beyond what I have already tried, eg, download and install latest drivers). Here they are:

1) the mouse pointer has a mind of its own! Even when I'm pretty sure i am not touching the trackpad, the pointer jumps way away from where i had positioned it, say, to click on something. i have the latest Synaptics drivers, have messed with settings for palm touch and overall trackpad sensitivity, but nothing changes the condition. It is so prevalent and annoying that it would be a deal breaker if i could not remedy it. Switching to a mouse is not feasible in many circumstances. (BTW, I have already had to reposition the pointer 4 times since starting this post!)

2) I cannot figure out how to make the keyboard backlight work whenever I touch a key, as i believe it is supposed to be able to do, so i only get it to light when the ambient light sensor decides i need it, which is way AFTER the light is too dim to see the keys.

3) I have never had a notebook with SSDs before, and I do notice some speed improvement, but nothing like what I expected with all the raves people have - about SSDs in general, not just on the VPC-Z. Could there be an adjustment to make in software to get these (I have two 64GB SSDs, not sure the mfr at this moment) to be faster? If not, I guess the few seconds of speed advantage is not as important to me as it is to others (I have computers with faster cpus and 7200 rpm HDDs and I know there should be a big, noticeable difference. Any ideas for apps I could try where the SSD really makes a huge difference?

3) I find the screen color (I have the 1600 X 900 version) to be oversaturated and, in nVidia mode, the controls do not do an effective job of reducing it, unless you are playing a DVD. if i am streaming, say, from Hulu, my only option on the nVidia control panel is to lower the "digital vibrance" level, but I do not find this to correct it to normal, though it does reduce saturation in a non-linear way. Also, I have two other notebooks with nVidia gpus and there is a control for hue in the control panel, but there is none using the SONY nVidia drivers. Can I just use drivers from the nVidia site? Any other ideas on the color saturation. Otherwise, I like the screen.

4) This is not a "defect" in any way, other than in design for people with large hands. I find the wrist rest to be so short that my palms are always sliding off. The downward slope of the palm rest does not help, nor does the fact that the mouse buttons are actually off the palm rest and on the slope down off the plane of the keyboard and palm rests. I guess my only question here is, do others find this uncomfortable for typing and, is it something that bothered you at first, but you got used to? Shame of it is, there is plenty of real estate at the other end of the keyboard and, by rearranging a few buttons, they could have created a longer palm rest with buttons on the flat part, not falling off the "cliff' of the end of the keyboard plane.

The computer I am most used to using is an HP DV8 with Core i7 quad cpu, 4GB ram and a plain old 500gb, 7200rpm HDD. It's a sightly faster cpu, but at a lower clock speed that non-hyperthreaded operations are supposed run faster on the i5-540.

Any inputs gratefully appreciated

 

My Z12 that i returned recently had the same problem where the mouse would jump around, and i wasn't sure if it was a driver issue since i never updated the drivers for the mouse pad, but now that i purchased a replacement (last one went back due to a dead pixel) i haven't noticed that problem anymore, so considering you updated the drivers I would say its a defect and would returned it since it can be a hassle and long waiting time to have it sent out for repairs. If you have 45 days to return it its because company's know that products can be defective off the assembly line so don't settle for issues like that especially being a premium priced item.

 

I also noticed at Best Buy that the Z they had on display had an Intel i5-430 (yeah four-three-zero).

Never seen that anywhere else, can anyone confirm? Perhaps it's another Best Buy exclusive?

 

Sony - VAIO Laptop / Intel® Core™ i5 Processor / 13.1" Display / 4GB Memory / 128GB Solid State Drive - Black - VPCZ12LGX/B
Bestbuy online has the 430, as does CDW, and even sony

 

Thanks for all the info guys, gals and mods.

I just pulled the trigger on a VPCZ1290X CTO (US). I got a silver base (i5-540M, 4GB RAM) plus Windows Professional, and 256GB SSD.

I placed the order through an online chat and got a decent discount on top of the current config deals ($100 off SSD for me) by getting two accessories over $25 as many others have (neoprene case and 8GB USB flash drive). Except they ended up giving me the flash drive for free and upgrading me to expedited shipping in the end as well.

They did keep trying to push the extended warranty to get further discounts, but as the extended warranty is not international (only the initial 1 year warranty is) it was of no use to me (I'll be back in Australia or somewhere else by then).

I'm not sure how that compares to everyone else, but at the least you should definitely chat with someone if you are thinking of ordering from Sony Style USA, its basically an automatic discount.

I was choosing between the Z and a spec'd up HP Envy 14 but when I saw a 14.5" in person at Fry's it was just too big and the ENVY 17 they had just seemed cheap compared to the Sony Z sitting next to it imo.

Now I play the waiting game...

 

Hmm regarding the touchpad, it does happen to me occasionally. Like maybe twice a month... but after tapping around for a few minutes, the problem goes away... So i've got no clue what's wrong for it, however, my problem is not as bad as yours. However, if someone has a solution, it'll save me like 8 minutes a month, but once i connect a mouse, i disable mousepad anyways.

About the backlit keyboard, there is no way to adjust the sensitivity... just gotta use a post it note over the sensor or something. =p

 

Its time to upgrade and sony seems to have a pretty good deal going on right now for the Z. Do you guys think a new one will come out in less than 3 months or the price goes down around the holidays?

I was looking at the i7 chip (is that even worth it?), 256 ssd, 1080 screen and 6 gig ram.


Was also thinking of getting the accidental insurance. My sz is still ticking so Im not sure if its worth it. Im just a bit worried as this will be a 2.5k laptop

 

Well, if you are only going to use the external drive to copy back and forth files, any Expresscard would do as the sequentials are fairly high (and much higher than USB2). In that case I would go for either a PoE Expresscard adapter or a USB3 adapter (since both alternatives only require a single cable).

However, if you intend to use the external drive as a integral system drive (e.g. running VMs off it, installing and running apps and games from it), then I would strongly recommend getting one that supports NCQ (in my case that was the regular eSATA adapter).

Unfortunately, I cannot give you any good recommendations as all adapters were "no-name" and bought off eBay.

 

Thanks for the info. I'll have to check the expresscard adapter I have my eye on at Best Buy to see if it has NCQ (I haven't seen it in person, just called them and they said they have one). I do plan on using the external as an integral system drive, so having the NCQ support is probably something I'll want. Hopefully the Best Buy people know what I'm talking about when I ask.

 

hey has anyone has exprerince on reformat the Z, i have limited edtion. there is 3 partition in the Z should i delete all of them?

1 is OEM reserve
2 is system reserved
3 is c://

thx

 

I deleted all of them when I installed my own copy of Windows 7. It will create another system reserved partition of 100 MB.
The OEM reserve is the recovery partition. I created recovery disks in case I ever wanted to restore back to factory condition, so there was no need for me to waste that space.

 

I have a Dell XPS M1710 which was "toasted" this way in its backpack and its battery has been overheated to death, so I had to buy a new one.

The first thing I did when my Z arrived was checking (deactivating) all scheduled tasks and switched off all automatic power-on methods in the energy option plans (extended mode) in the system control.

And yes, Z's do have thermal protection.

Thermal maximum is 105 degree Celsius for the CPU and 100 degree Celsius for the Intel GPU.

INTEL CPU
____________________

From Intel's specs for i7-6xx series manual Chapter "Error and Thermal Protection" on page 77:

Processor Hot:
PROCHOT# goes active when the processor temperature monitoring sensor(s) detects that the processor has reached its maximum safe operating temperature. This indicates that the processor Thermal Control Circuit (TCC) has been activated, if enabled. This signal can also be driven to the processor to activate the TCC.

Even worse:

Thermal Trip:
The processor protects itself from catastrophic overheating by use of an internal thermal sensor. This sensor is set well above the normal operating temperature to ensure that there are no false trips. The processor will stop all execution when the junction temperature exceeds approximately 130°C. This is signaled to the system by the THERMTRIP# pin.


NVIDIA
_____________________

NVIDIA GPUs are designed to operate reliably up to their maximum specified operating temperature. This maximum temperature varies by GPU, but is generally in the 105C range (refer to the nvidia.com product page for individual GPU specifications). If a GPU hits the maximum temperature, the driver will throttle down performance to attempt to bring temperature back underneath the maximum specification. If the GPU temperature continues to increase despite the performance throttling, the GPU will shutdown the system to prevent damage to the graphics card. Performance utilities such as EVGA Precision or GPU-Z can be used to monitor temperature of NVIDIA GPUs. If a GPU is hitting the maximum temperature, improved system cooling via an added system fan in the PC can help to reduce temperatures.

 

thx for the response,

i just finished installed the window 7 ultimate

after installed the driver from sony website, i have 2 problems occur

- i have the error says "The installed battery may not be properly connected to the computer or may not be compatible with the computer.
Click "OK" to enter Hibernate mode,and remove and reinsert the battery. See the VAIO(R) User Guide for more information about using the battery", i did try reseated the battery no help, also i have extra battery that bought from sony and got the same error

- the smartwi untility did not work. it keep saying i have to turn the switch on which is i already did

please help

thx

 

This happened to me too. See my earlier post about it. One needs to install Sony Shared Library before installing the rest of the Sony utilities.

 

How would you guys rate the soundcard in this beast? I am loving the music out of spotify, and while gaming cod4mw1 I think I can hear absolutely anything of relevance. Does anyone know which soundcard that this machine has?

 

Supposedly a Realtek sound card but my asus n10j which had an spdif-out through the audio jack (not sure if thats why) sounded a lot better considering its supposed to be the same card. What i did was, have my Z12 hooked up to an external USB Sound Blaster live! 24bit sound card at home to my receiver via optical out so it doesn't bother me, it also allows me to free up the headphone jack and not have to run a wire to the front of the notebook. On the road quality sound isn't that important so long as i can hear what I'm listening to