Sony X Series Official Owners Thread

I'm still on 2024. I've uninstalled every driver update since then as they have caused random problems / poor performance. The 2030 update was a joke anyway; they fixed maybe 3 random and insignificatn bugs and left it at that.

 

Thought you might be interested to see some of the abuse my X has received over the last 13 months....


Damage to the corner of the lid, slight bending of the metallic lid (near to the "DC IN 10.5V" label") and a crack around the screw in the base (just underneath the yellow AC adapter port).

This is as a result of being dropped on concrete three times now, always on the one corner, but it's still working fine. Because it's so portable, it goes everywhere with me. Which is probably why it has been getting a beating It has a nasty habit of sliding out of bags, since I don't keep it in a separate cover.

It's all cosmetic though; everything still works fine. The latest damage to the corner of the lid shall be addresed this evening with a few drops of superglue to prevent damage or cracks from spreading. Will anyone else confess to battering their X?

 

Can't honestly say I've battered my X series. But I will admit that prior to getting the PDAir leather case, I thought I had scratched the hell out of the lid with the extended battery's little screw tips putting it into my laptop case. Turned out to be very minor and can't be seen easily. Trust me, I ordered that case in a fine hurry after that scare. Just wish that PDAir made one that handled the extended battery too.

 

Recently sent my Vaio for servicing to replace the bottom part of the casing which was badly bent when I dropped it. But after getting it back, somehow feel the spacebar's not very sensitive. But thing is my warranty's over already!

 

warranty should be extended with the amount of time it spent in repair.

 

Not sure if it was extended, but anyway, given that it took 1 month just for the replacement of my casing, I can't imagine how long it'll take to do a factory reset.

Anyone know of an alternative to a factory reset? Like doing a cleanup of the system. My Vaio seems to be really laggy now and I was thinking of doing a factory reset, but I received a 'cannot use this recovery disc for this computer' message when using the recovery CDs that I created (when I first bought my Vaio) and since my warranty's expired, I can't get the service centre to do it for me either.

 

What are everyone's opinions on the 11" MacBook Air running Windows 7?

I have always loved the X-series and have my heart set on picking one up soon. Since I am looking for a thin laptop, I decided to compare the X to the MacBook Air. Since I already have a copy of Windows 7, both are relatively the same price with the major differences being:

VAIO X-series vs. MacBook Air

1. Processor: 2.0GHz Intel Atom vs. 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2. Graphics: Intel GMA500 vs. NVIDIA Geforce 320M
3. Video Out: VGA vs. Displayport
4. Standard Battery Life: 2.5 hours vs 4 hours (running Win7)
5. Weight: 1.6 lbs vs 2.3 lbs

My main criteria are the ability to watch HD video and good battery life.

It appears that the Air will offer better graphics and battery life than the X. I want the X-series, but feel the Air will better fit my needs. Should I still get the X?

 

Hard choice, you have to take into consideration your needs and which one will make you more happy.

 

good point....

 

HD video on the x is ok for me if you use the windows media player. If you use Itunes, forget about it, not optimized for the graphic card of the X. Another point, if you plan to connect it to an external screen, the X has the VGA built in (can be DVI) where you have to carry an extra adapter for the air.
The X has also the built in WAN, 2 card readers.
But the processor of the X is a little bit weak.
Just my 2 cents

 

totally agree. I really considered the new Air because of the graphics/processor power, but the lack of a card reader and WAN turned me down. Plus the weight is a big difference! its like 25%...

 

It's disappointing that Sony didn't continue to develop the X (I'm assuming they've abandoned it since there was no news at CES).

I was dreaming of something the same size and weight as the old X but with HDMI out, increased memory and possibly a dual core processor... ambitious I know, but maybe there'll be a chipset ticking all these boxes in another year

I wouldn't touch a Macbook Air with a ten foot pole. Only if I could somehow disguise it to not look like a Mac and squeeze in WWAN, a card reader, and industry standard video connectors.

 

I am also dissapointed that Sony didn't continue the X series. I've looked at the Mac Air and the only way I would get it was if I can use a Windows 7 OS. Now you can do that but apparently it doesn't work very well apparently. So that rules that out as I am not willing to learn the MAC OS.

However something that just appeared at CES has peaked my interest and could be a possible replacement for my X127. More so than the Mac Air-

Samsung 9 Series laptop (ZX310)
http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/545538-samsung-9-series-laptop-zx310-unveiled.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilbNOsk4gSY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cJ5fDJIJrY
http://www.gottabemobile.com/2011/0...cbook-air-with-intel-sandy-bridge-processors/

Never would of considered Samsung, but there you go It looks the goods.

 

Funny enough that is the one laptop that caught my eye in all the CES coverage over the last week.

I'm just not a fan of shiny laptops. I like my matt black X and SZ. Hopefully there would be a selection of finishes.

And 6.5 hours battery life is ok. I'm wondering is that in normal usage (which would be good considering it's a fast-ish laptop), or is that 6.5 hours in super-battery-saving mode.

But apparently it has a mini SD slot instead of standard SD slot? Who thought that was a good idea?? My digital cameras are normal SD!

 

Sigh... seems there's problems with my X again. Seems the wireless switch ain't working. Can't switch it on. When I slide it to 'OFF', it just slides across, with no friction (which didn't seem that way previously), and when I slide it to 'ON', there's no light at all. And now I can't go on wireless at all.

And I just got it back from the service centre not long ago!

Am thinking whether to just open it up by myself to see if there's anything I can do about it. Anyone knows if underneath the wireless switch there could be anything that can become loose? Or would it be some electronic stuff that I wouldn't be able to fix myself? The last time I brought it to the service centre it'd taken almost a month to get it back. Am pretty hesitant to bring it there again. Moreover my warranty just expired only.

 

I would totally open it up myself, since I think all that's happened there is that the "internal" switch that is connected to the external hardware switch itself has become dislodged. You will probably only have to drop it back into its slot, and possible apply a little adhesive to prevent it from slipping out again. Worst case scenario, if the plastic switch is broken, you should still be able to slide the "internal" switch to the On position. Wireless will be available, but you'll only be ale to turn it on / off with Vaio Smart Network.

I floowed this guide for assistance when I opened up my X for inspection a few weeks back. Judging by the photos, you should be able to access the area with the switch. Best of luck!

 

Somehow managed to get my wireless working again without opening up my X (just kept on holding down that area and sliding it on and off). But thing is though the wireless is 'ON' now, the light is still off. And well, don't think I am ever gonna try sliding it off again.

 

Do you mean the green WIRELESS light beside the HDD and battery lights (below the trackpad)?

There is a little hole just below the "ON" by the Wireless switch itself, but it's not a light (as you'd think it would be), it's actually the mic.

Anyway, great that it's working again. I wouldn't ever touch the switch again if I was you.

 

Hi. I'm new here. How is everyone? I just purchased a Vaio X and wanted to know if anyone tried to hack it so that it would run OSX (leopard/snow leopard).

Also, does anyone have updates on the latest gma 500 driver (2030)? Is it stable? Improved performance?

I appreciate everyone's input.

 

Oh, it ain't a light? Haha. Ok. Luckily I didn't bring it down to the service centre and complain about that. Anyway Sony gave me a call for some 'after service feedback' and turns out there's some extended warranty from the servicing so I'd probably bring my X down to have it looked at.

 

You should have bought a MacBook Air 11 and installed Windows 7 instead of wanting to do it the other way around.

 

I've owned the macbook air and I know what it is capable of, but the question still stands. I thought this forum would be much more helpful than this.

If anyone else has a more enlightening contribution, please comment. Thanks.

 

It is against this forum rules to discuss how to run Mac OSX on non Mac hardware. Please do not ask this question again.

 

Hi, I just got my X couple days ago. Great little notebook. Love the design and its size.

That Windows 7 is driving me nuts. Can't believe how massed up of an OS it became. I'm going to try XP and Ubuntu install next.

I'm looking in to creating the recovery DVDs but can't find the option. Looks like the VAIO Recovery Center is not included with the US version of the X. Looked on European Sony support sites and can only find instructions for creating the DVDs. Apparently the European versions have the Recovery Center included. I created Acronis image but would like the recovery disks as well. Anyone has any ideas or was successful in creating the recovery disks? Or perhaps a copy of the Recovery Center?

Thanks

 

Here are the recovery instructions from the UK Sony support site, page 7, assuming one has the Recovery Center installed

ftp://ftp.vaio-link.com/pub/Manuals/RecoTS/2009Q3_TRG_EN.pdf

 

Honestly your best bet, if you can't seem to get recovery discs, is to use imaging tools such as Acronis or Shadowprotect (my personal fav) to make an exact disc image of your setup as is. Then, if the XP or Ubuntu installs go up, or do not perform as expected, you can go back to exactly where you were.

From personal experience, you may have trouble getting power management, FN key controls and decent performance from the GMA500 with Ubuntu. XP should be fine since it's officially supported for the X. But XP is not optimised for SSD, so a fresh install may be necessary after about a year of use to keep it in tip top shape.

 

Yes, I imaged with Acronis but I also left the recovery partition intact and I can access it fine with F10. I was very busy today so did not have much time to play with it but I managed to prepare USB flash drive XP installation and install it on the X. Had some boot issues directly from vaio and had to update the boot.ini to get it to boot correctly. Downloading the drivers now. I know about the SSD support under XP but I could just not live with Win 7. They changed way too many things for the worse and stupid wizards everywhere driving me crazy. The simplest things took time to research. I guess I got too used to some basic functionality and fast ability to access things over the years. I go back to the DOS days and started running windows in the 3.0 days, then NT, 95...etc. The latest offer from Microsoft went too far. Anyway, I think I will start another thread with instructions and details of the XP install on the X. Hopefully after I'm done optimizing the OS it will be much faster then Win7 and definitely much easier to live with.

As for Ubuntu, I guess I will try it first in a VM and see how it goes. Would be nice to have it on the X but I'm fine with what ever gets the job done and not kill my productivity.

 

Did you connect up your DVDR drive to USB? The option to create recovery discs ONLY shows up in the Sony manager once the drive is connected.

 

Hey does anyone notice the screen can be a bit fuzzy at times? Eg it sorta flickers in a almost imperceptible way that alternates between clear, and sorta fuzzy. Its very very slight and seems to be happening many times per second. It happens to me with or without aero on, and doesn't seem to depend on what is going on with the computer. Its not really fuzzy , its more like it looks like everything has a slight texture to it. I think it happens when I move my head or blink my eyes..sorta like that DLP color wheel effect! Also does anyone know of any way to replace the 64GB SSD with the 128 or 256GB ssd (original or aftermarket)?

 

ah another of the improvements that hides options from the users. No I do not have any USB DVDR drives. I was just trying to see if the option is there as I did not want to buy a drive if it was not possible to create the disks. I do not really need a USB DVD drive as I can always share one on a network.

Good to know, thanks. I spend some time getting things farther configured under XP. So far so good.

I still need to find a way to be able to set the charging levels for the battery as in only start charging if the power level goes below lets say 30% and stop at 90%. Does not look like thats possible under XP and under W7 you can only set the stop % at one of the two predefined levels. I see that there are two apps in the XP driver package but not sure if they installed as I did not see them anywhere. Battery Care Function and Battery Checker. One of them needs updated .NET that I still need to install. Anyone found a way to set these two thresholds for the battery under XP?

 

Please start a new thread, a lot of us wanted to install XP, but didnt go that way, because "no time" issues
If I would a have a guide, and wouldnt have to find out everything by myself, I would install XP.

 

Hi, yes its on my to do list to write up a quick guide on installing XP. Other then creating the XP installation USB Thumb drive and properly configuring the boot.ini, the installation was quite smooth. I had XP on the X for about a week now and so far so good. Everything works perfect and surprisingly very responsive considering the fact I run a few bigger apps along with IIS web server, Java application server and mySQL database serer in the background. Feels much quicker then the base Win7 installation.

 

hi all, i feel like reinstalling a fresh copy of Windows 7 as it's started to get laggy with the softwares i installed along the way. however, i do not have a portable dvd writer.

my question is, is it possible to create an ISO image and save into usb thumb drive so i can boot and install from there?

 

Welcome to RT Se7en Lite - Slipstream Service Pack,Integrate Updates,Integrate Drivers,Integrate LP,Remove Components,Enable or Disable features,Unattended Setup,Apply Tweaks,Add Icons,Wallpapers,Themes,Bootable USB or DVD

this tool enables you to reduce your win 7 installation, aswell as pack it for a USB drive. Read the manual!

 

Hi guys, as a new owner of a VAIO X, I'm looking to get a case of some sort to protect it while in my briefcase. I still want to keep it thin and light, though, so I was wondering what you guys use?

I saw a neoprene case on the sony website that was for the W and X series, but I wasn't sure if that was a tight fit, since I want this to be as small as possible. ebay only gave a few his, one of which was a leather case without many details. any help would be appreciated!

Thanks

 

My question is, is there any way to do backup without a portable dvd writer because as far as i know, the option to backup does not appear until a dvd writer is plugged in.

 

thats correct, but there are ways to extract it from the recovery partition. Or just reboot and hit F10 during the startup to lunch the recovery and reinstall from there.

 

I did search on google and found some better pictures for whats listed on ebay. But after all decided against it as I worry about heat and then all the extra thickness it adds to the notebook. I just use a soft case from my old VAIO that fits it perfectly. Another option is the stick on protectors

protector sale site

There are a few styles available and there is a wrist rest one as well...

 

what i want to do is to do a complete fresh install of Windows 7. if i were to reboot and reinstall from the recovery partition, it'll probably include all the bloatwares from Sony.

on the other hand, i wish to make a copy of the recovery disc in case anything goes wrong, i can still restore to what it first came to me.

 

i'm currently using this VGP-AMS11 case for my laptop. it has a slim pocket in front which is just large enough to carry a S or L battery, while the main pocket is just large enough to fit the laptop with the extended battery attached to it. it's better than my other vaio neoprene case because the nylon material isn't prone to absorb moisture and other stains.

 

I did run the recovery installation of Win7 when I got the notebook used and I think I had the option to deselect any 3rd party crap it wanted to install like the Office trial version etc. Also its quite easy to simply uninstall apps once its installed. The other Sony software and drives is something I would think you would want anyway. Not sure why an installation from your own Win7 CDs is preferable for you but then its you individual case

When I installed WinXP from a boot USB thumb drive I was able to normally select which partition to install to and the recovery partition was left intact so I can always revert if I wanted to (not likely) maybe if/when I sell the X. I would think installing Win7 would also leave the recovery partition intact unless you choose to delete it during the installation.

For time being I'm staying wit XP as the Win7 is way too crippled/dumbified release that would only frustrate me every day. At the same time I will continue to watch the driver developments for Ubuntu and once most of the outstanding issues are resolved I might switch to that.

Sony Vaio X - An Ubuntu installation experience - Westhoffswelt - Welcome to the real world

PS. Forgot to mention but I did see many recovery CDs for sale on ebay for a few $, unless you can get USB DVDr or want to get the experience of hacking the recovery partition, this would be a very time saving option.

 

For business I need a laptop without camera. Love my X11, don't use the camera anyways, so: Does anyone know how to open the display frame to take out the camera so our security doesn't have to burn it out (which does the job as well, but doesn't look that nice...).

Thanks

 

Why on earth would you want to do that? If you are that paranoid (watched too much TV? ), just put some electrical tape over it if you have too.

Also if you are so concerned, might as well pray out the microphone as well, someone might be listening

 

Are you serious? Of course there are some professions that do not allow you to bring in a camera to the workplace, for example the auto industry, some branches of the government, secret testing of either new products and prototypes, the list goes on and on. This isn't hdready that is paranoid about the camera, it's the company that does not want any cameras brought into the facility. How the hell would tape solve anything- YOU CAN TAKE THE TAPE RIGHT OFF.

Sorry hdready for not having a real answer for you.

 

so a company/facility that will not allow an employee to bring in a webcam will allow a personal computer in their facility? They will not trust someone not to use the camera but will trust them not to plug in their personal computer in to their network. Sounds strange....and maybe a bit misguided.

Anyway if needed there are two small screws on the bottom under the screen. Should be easy to open up the screen once they are removed. In the older vaio I had to fix the cracked wires in one of the flip cameras and getting to the camera was relatively easy once the screws were out.

 

It's actually quite common, there's tons of work places like this. People still need computers to get work done...


But like with all rules, there are workaround. I mean someone could really sneak a camera anywhere if they wanted to- how do you think we see those blurry leaks of whatever product from time to time?

 

I'm not paranoid, it is a german car company, I'm working at Research & Development and they do fire people for bringing cameras. Plus: No, it is Not allowed to plug the Computer into their network (have to use 3G). Tape doesn't do the job, they want it removed, no temporary or software solution is allowed.

Thanks dariusf, going to try it on the weekend!

Martin

(P.S.: Fun fact for the microphone: We actually have about 13 Petabytes(!!!) wav-files of cars squeaking while stopping - so they do the Recording for you, you would just need a pretty big external harddrive

 

Just curious, do you work for Mercedes-Benz?

 

Sorry I came off like this but I had a conversation with someone few weeks ago that was very paranoid telling me that 'someone might turn on his camera remotely and watch him' I suggested him the tape option but I see how in your case that would not work. I still don't understand how they allow you to bring in personal notebook and trust you not to plug it in to the network but do not trust you to not use the webcam on the same notebook

 

Larger organisations like this have safeguards to prevent a "foreign" device from connecting to a network equipment. I work for a financial institution and they have an amazingly closed network and PC policy (about 5 passwords to get from power-on to checking my email). It's not possible to connect to their LAN network, and Wifi networks don't exist. Even the USB ports are disabled by default (so you can't connect USB keys or foreign devices like printers).

When I bring my X to work I have to use 3G. Thanksfully they're not worried about the camera on there, since everybody's phones have cameras anyway. My workplace doesn't have "trade secrets" as such that can be stolen with photos, they're mostly concerned with data protection violations.

But yeah I'd be pretty bummed with physically burning the webcam out of my X!