Sony Vaio Z i5/i7 Official Owners Thread

Some thoughts on that:
I suppose you didn't set/change any of the passwords yourself?
If so, call your reseller and tell him what happened.
Ask him for the password.
Ask him, if this machine was given to another customer who sent it back to him, before it landed on your desk.
If so, ask him for a replacement or an other solution to your problem.
Normally, all laptops are being shipped with no password protection, so this laptop likely has been used before. - But you have no proof for that - it's only a suspicion, okay?

Good luck!

 

Thanks for replying, I'm a pretty experienced user and I have the same suspicions you have i.e. someone used this machine before I did or worse yet, it was stolen.

However, the machine seems pristine, hardware all seems fine, all the stickers are in the right places. Strikes me as very strange. Anyways, I'll have a word with the reseller. This is my first Sony (I was always a Thinkpad man prior) and I thought there may be some default Sony code normally used.

 

Hi friends,
2 questions, 1 of which I keep asking incessantly, but forgive me I'm really hoping for an answer.

1) when my vpcz1290x switches between speed and stamina graphics mode, I get a warning message that Vaio Messenger needs to close in order for the switch to occur, and I have to hit ok or cancel. Anyone know why this happens? It's a pain because I would like the switch to occur without any input from me.

2) anyone have any idea how to create keyboard shortcuts for things like Play/Pause...so if I'm watching a flash video or something on the web, I can hit the keyboard shortcut - the lack of media buttons on the Vaio Z is the only major hardware issue I'd like to change.

 

Regarding #1, this is fairly normal. The switch doesn't like some programs being active. I frequently have to hit ok when I switch because of a certain software that is active. If it bothers you, I would just close Vaio Messenger so that you don't have to ok the switch.

 

1. You could program the 4 corners of the touchpad to have the desired functionality under

=> system control
=> mouse
=> synaptics tab
=> adjustments
=> tipping
=> tipping areas
=> upper right | upper left | lower right | lower left corner
=> in the corresponding actions list you can then scroll down to link different mediaplayer actions to the actual selected touchpad corner
​

(Note: I don't know the exact naming of the dialog controls/menu items in english, because I have the german localization on my machine.)

2. There are several utilities as a software solution like

HotKeyz
​

3. Another solution would be to use a mouse with multimedia functionality.

 

Willy330C and anybody else who might be wondering:

Sonystyle Mexico today confirmed again that here it is really available in "gold finish". Not a strong golden color, but rather "silver color tinted with a golden finish, with black keys" as they put it. Suppose champagne gold is the SR equivalent.

No photos available, and they apologize for the incorrect color on the website.

This is getting scary. I might just go for any of the metal colors to avoid surprises. Has anyone seen the SR champagne gold color to give a recommendation?

 

Or just order it and see what you get. You might get a nice surprise (be the first kid on the block with a golden z).

 

Search For The Golden Z

 

@oscarrydberg:

That's really weird, but as they guys say, it might be a Unique Surprise!

I've seen the Golden SR, it looked so okay btw. google it to see how it looks, though IMOH gold on Z will be somehow ladish! I might be mistaken though, its different tastes.

I have the prem carbon, and it really looks like a $3000 notebook

 

I have seen the champagne colored X series (the ultra portable 1.5 lb notebook?) - it was a limited edition offered in the Sonystyle store. At very first glance I thought it was a little odd, but it kind of grew on me after seeing it a few times as it was different.
Not bright gold, brushed gold, so distinct, but not flashy.
So was okay on a very small notebook, not sure about a 13 in Z series though.

 

Yes, the premium carbon with the gun metal grey makes it look really expensive, in a very understated sort of way. I like the fact that it doesnt attract a lot of attention.
A golden laptop just screams rob me!

 

I couldn't say it better than that.

Cheers mate!

 

Is the i5 540m processor sufficient for AutoCAD?

 

Hey did Sony ever release a smaller power adapter? I feel like the one that comes with is pretty big and unwieldly.

 

There is a smaller version of the Z adapter yes. Don't know the exact number, but it's on the sonystyle website.

For USA See -> VGP-AC19V30 | AC Adapter | Sony | Sony Style USA

I think it's on most other sonystyles aswell.

 

the long-held view is this 'stick' isn't much of an improvement in portability or usability

another strange sony decision...

 

Is the adapter that comes with the Z12 not the stick adapter? I was going to buy an extra but I wanted to wait and see which one came with the laptop first. Fortunately, there is a SonyStyle store nearby and they usually have these in stock.

I know I've seen it asked a few times before where the CTO models were made. I purchased a CTO with the Full HD (1920x1080) screen and it shipped yesterday from Narita, Japan with a scheduled arrival date of early next week. It was "being built" for about 5 days, but two of those were the weekend. I can't say just how happy I am that it is shipping via FedEx and not UPS.

 

Both the i5 and i7 are FAST FAST.
Just a few mhz difference in stock and turbo boost speed, MB of cache is a bit lower, but they are plenty fast.

 

Hi,

I've got a strange issue on my Z12 (VPCZ12C5E). When I'm in Stamina mode (with the Intel GPU), I have some randomly but frequently freeze of the machine during 10 to 30s. Nothing seems to respond, the system litteraly freezes. The issue doesn't seem to appear in Speed mode with the nVidia GPU.

Has anybody already faced this issue? Is this a driver/software or hardware issue? Any idea of a possible fix?

By the way, I was wondering if someone found a way to update the nVidia drivers? If so, does it break the magic button Speed/Stamina/Auto?

Thanks for your help!

David

 

@BDM: No the Z comes with an power ''brick''. It's just like an few cm smaller than the F version i guess. (roughly estimated)

@davrous
You can do a minor update to 189.92 (which is on the forums here). And 189.99 is (99% working, still in beta). but no you can't install the ones from nvidia since the switching will break.

 

So I went ahead and purchased the 2nd hard drive or SSD caddy for Sony VAIO Z, Z11, Z12 series,VPC [SONY-2BAY-Z11] - $43.00 : NewmodeUS, Hard Drive Caddys for Notebooks. Currently its on back order till 8/20 but since i'm going to need the extra space I went ahead and bought it. Now I've seen a few video's on YouTube showing how to disassemble the Z11/Z12 but I wasn't sure if after taking out the screws on the bottom will the keyboard portion come right out or is it snapped into place with clips that have to be carefully unhooked as I noticed one person who attempted this broke something by accident. His model looked like the VGN however, I just wanted to know if anyone has attempted this with their Z11/Z12? also how easy is it to unplug the cable connected from the keyboard to motherboard? and is it possible to remove the DVD drive without unplugging the cable is it long enough to have the keyboard kind of off to the side while working inside the laptop? I'm pretty sure most of these questions have been covered here and will be answered once I attempt to do this but wanted to get some advice on what to be careful of when doing this, thanks all!

 

I did the keyboard remove to get to the right hinge's screws on my Z11.

Look at my post here and the checklist inside there with some tips.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...7-official-owners-thread-687.html#post6576637

There are no hidden clips or whatsoever, but you need to remove 2 screws sitting in the ram cage (see my checklist).
I didn't have the impression that the keyboard cable has the appropriate length for you to work on the dvd drive, so i suggest to remove it from the motherboard, which has to be done careful, but is not a real challenge. (Putting the plug back into its position is a little fiddly, here you should take time and care.)

So far, I can't see any traps for you, it was straightforward for me to do. I needed about 15 minutes to disassemble and reassemble.

 

Thank you so much for your quickly reply, I'll be sure to take everything you suggest into consideration, cheers!

 

I had the same issue. Mouse freezing for 2-3 seconds eery now and then. I have 99% eliminated it by turnig off USB selective suspend.

 

Your are welcome

There is a YouTube video on disassembling the Z11 by ZoinksS2K under the following link:

YouTube - Sony Z11 Disassembly

- As you can see, there are 3 little screws to be removed in the battery bay
- And a last tip: remember the position of every screw well, because they are of different lengths

I would like to hear about how it went for you, because I'm thinking about to do like you with an additional ssd/hdd drive.

Good luck to you!

 

Thanks much! It's on back order until 8/20 but as soon as i get my hands on it i will

 

So I spoke with a Sony rep in the backstage dept. in a local SonyStyle store at the mall near me and he said there was a bios update for the black screen of death. I didn't get the bios version but I've been testing full screen for a couple days now on my new Z12 which came with Vaio Care 6.0 so I'm assuming my Z has the updated bios as will since I haven't experienced it as yet! for everyone still experiencing that issue i would contact Sony or find out the bios version to update to.

 

As far as I'm aware, there isn't. Actually, I'm looking for a type of plug adapter to allow me to use the included noise cancelling headphones with my phone. Has anyone had any luck with this?

 

Bit the bullet and placed order for 400$ discounted Vaio Z11...three days later and the order is cancelled. Received email saying order was cancelled for, semi colon.... NO EXPLANATION.

Very disappointed...starting school shortly...unacceptable.

 

You've been baptized into the brotherhood of Sony customer service experience. Welcome. It's a morose and defeated club.

 

i doubt he got it from sony, $400 discount?
btw im still trying to chose between the silver and black. all picture comparisons i have seen so far have not helped much. thats the only reason i havent pulled the trigger yet. pointers to great comparisons are welcome.

*im i safe to assume that the rest wear affects only the black z's?

 

He did indeed order it from Sony. There's a $400 discount code for use on Sonystyle.ca that included the VPCZ1190, VPCEB190, VPCF1190 and VPCCW29.

Here's the actual link to the promo:
http://www.sonystyle.ca/webapp/wcs/...53&langId=200&sourceid=749547_10427842_forums

Unfortunately, the Z1190 starts at $2375.99 while the the Z1290 starts at $1899.99. Way to go, Sony. Jack up the price before giving a discount code.

 

Hi,

Today I went to Best Buy to see what new laptops they have in display. I checked all of the laptops and the only one that have best screen in terms of text is the Sony VPCZ12LGX/B laptop. It was sharp, crispy and clear. You can't really see any spaces between the pixels. It was almost like it is printed from a laser printer. I mean you don't see or notice any screen mosquito effects that most laptop screen has in Best Buy.

I call up Sony to ask what lcd technology they use on this model and what other Sony models that uses the same screen. All three sales person that I spoke to, either they don't know or they said it was the led back light. I doubt it is the led back light because other laptops that I check out also have the led back light but the text wasn't that sharp.

Does anyone know what makes the text so sharp and clear from Sony Z model and what screen technology it use on this Sony model? What other Sony model or other brand has a similar screen text quality?

Because I'm planning to buy two laptops, one for my parents and another for my grandparent.

Another thing that I notice is even thought the resolution was set to 1600x900, the text size wasn't very small at all. I didn't check whether if the dpi was set to large or something. I'll have to check it again tomorrow.

Ken

 

two things. 1) The resolution is 1600x900 vs 1366x768 for most others. 2) with the default dpi scaling value, the text is scaled up, therefore it will be the size of the text from lower resolution displays, but it will draw it using more pixels (hence clearer text for the same size).

 

Thanks for the reply, Oscar2.

I have always thought that higher resolution doesn't really mean sharper text. The reason is because I have an external Dell lcd monitor with a resolution of 1920x1200 but the text isn't sharp at all. It is even worse than my Thinkpad T30. My T30 has sharper text but not as sharp as this Sony Z. Differently no screen mosquito effect on my T30.

If it is the resolution that makes such a big difference, that will make it lots easier to find laptop with good text screen quality.

Ken

 

Thanks! I'll try that.

David

 

Thanks. Where do these drivers come from? Are they stable enough? Did you notice performance enhancement? Where to find the 189.99 ?

Thanks again!

David

 

that`s not entirely true because the base price of the Z11 is a 256gb ssd, whereas the base price of the Z12 is with the 128gb ssd.

 

HI!
Where do you turn off USB selective suspend ?
thanks

 

control panel > power options > advanced settings for current plan

 

My mistake. So, the Z11 CTO can pick a 192GB SSD option that will bring it down to $2199.99 - $400 = $1899.99 but silver only. Personally, I'd pay the same $1899.99 for 128GB Z12 with the option for black.

 

Help!
I'm at Barcelona and I forgot to take my vaio z ac adapter with me. Luckly, i found a shop that sells universal laptop chargers so I bought it but I don't know how much I should set the voltage to? Any answers would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Sent from iPhone

 

My Vaio Z adapter is 19.5V. If you have interchangeable connectors, the center pin is +.

 

Thanks for the reply but I only got the option 19V not 19.5V. Is that fine?

 

On this theme - what's the lightest, smallest, good-quality travel adaptor for a Z?

 

Probably, but you are just going to have to try it. I don't think having a slightly lower voltage will cause any damage.

 

I believe it's called the Vaio STICK ac adaptor from Sony Style

 

This is only on the SonyStyle Canada web site, right?

It must be the same gold as on the X Series. I saw the Gold finish on the X at the Sony Store and like someone said, its not bad at all. It's a fairly conservative finish IMO.

By turning " OFF" USB SELECTIVE SUSPEND, Will this, however, TURN OFF all Blutooth Capabilities for any device paired with the Z via the USB Ports? (i.e. blutooth mouse, bluetooth keyboard etc.)

 

Hey guys, so I received my Z1290S recently and so far so good, but just a question, do you leave like little imprints of your fingerprints on the keys after you type?

And if I don't wipe it everytime... will it eventually become permanantly stuck on my keys? It's kind of annoying seeing them there haha

The flex screen also makes me a little nervous, but other than that, the laptop is working like a charm so far.

And it is power hungry... daaang!

 

I encountered this about a week ago and not since then. That said, in this period I have done a bunch of updates to Windows and the Vaio updates, including the BIOS update. Maybe that is related.