VAIO CR Owners' Thread

Anyone with a cR280 noticing obscene heat coming from the computer?

 

Well the CR420 does get hot...at times uncomfortable to have in the lap...

 

I have searched everywhere , literally but still not able 2 find a setup for the AV Mode for my VGN-CR32G/B....i downloaded the sony utilites pack but dat model doesnt support CR series...if some1 could plz provide me with the link or extract it frm the recovery disc since 1 dont have 1...!

 

I've got the 2gb CR31 (UK) and want to upgrade to 4gb ram. The Vaio website says it takes DDR2-667, but the Crucial Memory adviser says it will take DDR2-800. Anyone know more about memory than me? Is the faster memory likely to cause problems if Sony don't officially advise it?

hardikrajgor - the UK vaio Support page has a page where you choose your laptop and you can then visit a page with all the originally installed software (except Windows) for download. Not sure which country you're in, as there's no CR32 in the UK list:

http://support.vaio.sony.co.uk/

 

Hi, everyone. I have a problem with the camera on my VAIO VGN-CR353. Whenever I take a still photo or video, the captured image or video that is saved becomes mirrored (the left and right are reversed). Even the mirror box in the camera setup is unchecked. Currently, I am running version 2.7.01.08030 of VAIO camera capture utility and the driver for the webcam is version 6.1005.209.0. Need help urgent..please and thank you..

 

is there anyone who have a trouble with the heat on the processor side?

my cr353 temp reach 90 C sometimes,

any suggestion? fanspeed controller or something could reduce the heat?

thank for your help

 

Well, the T8100 in the Vaio on my sig easily hits 65C when doing some simple tasks, even worse if there is any graphical stress...anyhow, ur case seems weird enough, might be the fan not working properly...

 

idle temp is about 50c-60c, full load temp is above 90, highest so far 92c,

if the fan not working properly, then what should i do? is there any software for it? im using windows 7 and fanspeed not detect any fan..

thank you

aces

 

Anyone here still using their CR?

Am thinking about installing Windows 7 64-bit upon release, but not sure what drivers I'll need/where to get them from (Sony UK's support website doesn't appear to have Vista 64 drivers....)

J

 

Sony's UK website actually does offer 64-bit drivers. You can find many of the Vista x64 drivers at the following:

http://www.vaio-link.com/os/vista/64bit/

You'll need to spend some time sifting through the drivers that don't match your model, but many of them are there.

You can also find x64 drivers on the specific manufacturer's support pages, such as audio or video drivers.

I was able to installed Windows 7 x64 RC on my CR290 without problem using the drivers from the above mentioned sites. You'll have to look around for x64 compatible Sony utilities, though. Try looking for updated utilities from newer models and play around with them.

Good luck!

 

That's great thanks, and sorry for the late reply. I had nothing to add then, but now I'm wondering if you had a list to work from of the Sony downloads to add to your basic install (assuming Windows 7 found at least some of the basic drivers in its library), and what order to install them?

 

Just had confirmation from Sony Europe that they aren't supporting Windows 7 on the CR - the only feature I'm likely to have trouble with is the volume/brightness buttons - did you get them working?

 

Don't believe it till you try it! I spent a couple of days just experimenting and trying out different versions of the utilities and sony shared libraries, etc. You might want to do what I did, which was to keep your existing OS (in my case Vista), but dual boot with Windows 7 as the secondary OS. That way, you can play around with the install, but not lose all functionality with your current OS. Expect to install Win7 more than once if the first go doesn't work as planned though. (I devoted a couple of days just playing around with the install)

I wiped out the RC x64 on my system a while back because some of my favorite programs were only for 32-bit. But from what I remember, the buttons were all functioning. You just need to find those necessary Sony programs that are 64-bit compatible (the .txt file found in the downloaded program's installation folder should say it). I followed the post under "VAIO FW Clean Windows 7 Install Guide" and pretty much kept to that order, skipping those steps that didn't apply to me. You'll need to follow that order pretty strictly, as I found some functions not working when I went out of sequence. Keep the installation of the VAIO Event Service and SFEParser towards the end as in the guide. These are the two programs that will return functionality to the volume/mute keys.

I just installed Windows 7 x86 Home Premium yesterday on my CR290E and it's running smoothly with all buttons functioning just as they did in Vista.

Hope that helps you. Good luck.

 

I chickened out and went for the 32-bit...

I had planned in the summer to boost the ram from 2Gb to 4, but the prices have shot up from 40 quid to 67 since i checked. Have left a spare partition so I can play with a dual boot installation at a later date.

Haven't restored my data yet. Got the OS in no problem - Windows Update found a lot of drivers straight away, including the SFEP driver. The only one it struggled with was the card reader - it accepted the Vista 32-bit driver, although I haven't tested it yet.

I think I installed the Sony Shared Library and maybe one of the Vaio software drivers, but nothing else so far. Have got a working mute button (but it doesn't beep when you un-mute). Haven't tested the others yet. I'm planning to put the bare minimum of Sony software on this time, so if anyone has any suggestions for the essential Sony stuff to put on Win 7 I'd be really grateful.

Single-handedly trying to keep the CR thread going...

Jon

 

i have vaio VGN-CR12GH which is a two year old model. i did a clean install of windows 7 but the camera doesn't seem to work. i used the vista drivers for other features like fn. key etc. and they work fine. when i try to install camera driver it shows an error "Failure to update the driver". i'll be greatful if anyone can help..

 

I have a Sony Vaio CR510E. I used to have a Windows Vista 32bit edition and I upgraded it to Windows 7 64bit. I need the drivers to make my webcam work and all the AV buttons. Scrolling in the touchpad, FN key does not even work.Where can I download these drivers? The drivers found on the sony website for my model are all for 32 bit and they all don't seem to work.

 

Has anybody gotten vaio control center to work on windows 7? Or are there any other ways to turn off that blue light?

 

I have CR4000 CTO win 7 go to this thread (Guide to installing W7(64) on Vaio Z) dowload and istall it allworking
the camera dowload ricoht_61006.209.0... memory card reader from HP
sp43509 run like Cham!!!! goto sony main thread shop around read it, that
how I get my Work.

Best........

 

Hi there,

I have a Sony VAIO CR420D and I was wondering 2 things:

1. In the BIOS, do I have the option to "Boot from USB"?

2. Which keys do I press to access the BIOS?


Thanks for your help!

 

Boot From Usb? Yes

Press F1 To Enter Bios


Best.

 

Hello everyone, I have a VGN-CR190 in Red that was bought at the local Sony Style store here in Arizona. It has been a pretty good laptop, but had to go back in for repairs twice in the past 2 years.

Problem 1: Bad video memory
Problem 2: The hard drive went bad while being returned from the video memory repair

For those not familiar with the CR190 it is a 1.8ghz Core2 Duo, with 2GB of Ram and a 160gb Hard Drive, and standard DVD burned. I have upgraded mine to have 4GB of RAM.

Recently it has been upgraded away from the heavy Bloat-ware facorty Vista and set up for dual booting. It is now running Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit & Ubuntu 9.10 Linux 64 bit.

In Windows 7 everything is working except for the keyboard function button. I have tried to installed the Vista driver for the function keys, but Win7 does not want to take it. Also, I have found that the keyboard is acting funny at times. I have to constantly watch the way that I type because when suddenly the cursor will change positions on me and I'll be typing in a completely different area. This did not happen in Vista. Also the webcam no longer allows me to use the Low Light setting, so I do have issues when using it indoors.

The laptop runs great in Ubuntu (with the exception of the Richo Motion Eye Webcam), the function keys all work (with the standard install). Also it seems that I do not have as much of that cursor jumping in Linux. One odd thing is that with the screen saver turned off in the settings panel, it still dims and then blanks out the screen after a few mins.

At this point I wish there was a way to disable the trackpad to see if the problem lies there with it being ultra sensitive in windows. I tend to use a mouse anyway 99% of the time, so I will not miss the track pad at all.

I have tried to discuss this issue with the Sony Backstage tech support and their answer was to reinstall Vista that this laptop was not made to handle Windows 7. Clearly they did not want to be bothered, and when I asked them if there was a 64 bit driver for the keyboard they would not give me and answer. Their stance is that the laptop is provided as is, and should be used as such.

If anyone has any tips or direct links to a keyboard driver and how to deal with the track pad, and low light issues for the webcam I would greatly appreciate them. Also, is there a way to reinstall the media player that allows you to view movies or play music without loading into windows?
Thank you in advance!
Tom

 

Ok, Touchpad issues resolved!!!!!

Go to: http://www.synaptics.com/support/drivers

Download whichever file you need as per your operating system.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Windows XP/Vista and Win7 32-bit Edition v14.0.3 13.63 MB exe
Windows XP/Vista and Win7 64-bit Edition v14.0.3 14.51 MB exe

Once downloaded & installed reboot your laptop. It will load up the new Synaptic driver once you log back into windows. This alone should alleviate the major sensitivity of the touchpad. At this point if you wish (like myself) to turn off the touchpad then open up the mouse settings in the control panel, go to the tab that states Device Settings (with a red icon on it, you can't miss it) and there will be an option to disable the trackpad altogether!!


Now if I can get my webcam working properly and also the Function keys for the bright-dim, monitor switch, and snooze feature I will be very happy.

 

I got my webcam working by installing Original - Sony® Visual Communication Camera VGP-VCC6 Driver, Notebook Control and Utilities - 2 file(s). Basically, find your model under sony vaio drivers page at http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=VGNCR410E&LOC=3 and start installing the drivers. It says windows vista but it works for windows 7 too. Now I need to get my microphone and hot function keys working

 

Yes, the webcam works with that driver that Sony gives us on that site, however it will only give you about half the options needed to control it properly. See these screen shots below.

While the Video Proc Amp will allow you to control most of it...



The Camera Control gives you nothing at all to work with. Oh, and what good is a default button that does nothing, lol. When I had the factory OEM Vista 32 installed this was not an issue and almost all the options were available.


I have installed other Sony Drivers as well along with software from some of their new laptops to see if it will correct the issue, but it does not.

Here is another thing that came up today. The stock WinDVD software offered on the Sony Support site will not install on Win7, even when installing it with the recommended settings. I'll have to try one of the newer ones as well. (With the recommended settings it states the error code of it only being allowed to be installed on Vista).

One last thing, you can not use their BIOS upgrades unless you have their OEM OS installed. Sorry, but I find that something that is dumb.

 

Hi guys, I'm new in this forum. I need some help with my Vaio VGN-507D. Its keep shuting down without a reason. I think is due to overheating but I already cleaned all the vents and fan, also put some new tim on the cpu. The bios has no temps monitoring options. Is there any Bios upgrade for my laptop?

 

You can use a great little freeware program to monitor your temps and CPU usage. It may not pic up on your fans as SONY has a very odd way of doing things. On my CR series VAIO it does not see my fans, but sees the cpu temp and hard drive temps just fine. So no matter what you should be able to still see if you are overheating.

Again, this is freeware:
http://www.filehippo.com/download_speedfan/

Go to Configure and then Options to change from Celsius to Fahrenheit if you so desire.

BTW, there were some VAIOs that recently had overheating issues. Check the SONY support site or contact your local Sony Style store and they should be able to tell you if your model is one of them.

Here if the download site for the VGNCR507E (There was no VGNCR507D listed)
http://esupport.sony.com/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=VGNCR507E

 

thanks for the quick reply. I use HM to monitor my temps and cpu usage. Core0 and Core1 never pass 60 °C when I use Prime95 but T0Z1 surpasses 70 °C and then the laptop suddenly shut down.

I already check the battery, power cord and there are fine. OS newly installed and virus free. So what else???

 

hello.. does any vaio owner here experience rusting of chrome accent?.. and can you please suggest how to clean premium gold's exterior?.. thanks..

 

hello, i have a VGN-CR460F, i have problems with my cam D:

... my OS: Windows 7 64-bits

i've tried installing the drivers... and the (12_Camera.rar) driver i got from internet... it says i'm ok with the drivers... but the camera doesn't work at all..

 

hi all, this is my first post
i have a VAIO CR11GH/P
it's a 'good' laptop i think
unfortunately i'm having this trouble with this laptop,
i don't know why, but the Wireless always turns off itself sometimes (the "wireless" lamp goes out, then both the wifi and bluetooth went out)
i have no idea how come that happended
anyone can help me?
thanks

 

hi everyone, my sister broke the screen on her Cr laptop. she droped in on the floor facing the screen so it doesn't work anymore.

anyone has any good links for a good screen replacement from either ebay or someone else that is reliable and good product?

thanks

 

anyone ??

 

is it possible to put add-on VGA into CR ? i have cr 220 btw

 

Any get their webcam to work on a CR220E using Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit?

I tried installing ArcSoft Magic-i Visual Effects and WebCam Companion Software on Sony's support site and both does not work.

 

I own a CR13G - 2years old brought it from Singapore, i recently clean installed win 7 pro into it.

heres some problem i got:
camera key, AV key and some fn not working.
battery not charging!
ATI X2300 graphic driver dont seem to installed correctly.

i cant find a Win7 driver on this model..
tried sony.com.sg and sony asia pacific site..

any suggestion guys on the driver?

 

I also tried installing Win7 Pro in my CR21S. Everything works fine except the buttons on top of my keyboard (AV Mode, -, +, Capture). Mute, Display Off and the buttons under the touchpad (play/pause, stop, previous, next) seem to be working fine though. Anyone had the same problem or knows how to fix it?

 

I have a CR590.
Installed Win 7 Ultimate 64bit and got everything to work.

 

Upgrading VAIO VGN-CR320E to Windows 7

Excerpted from an email to Sony; Recieved reply that they value input but no answers.

I have just completed an upgrade to Win7.

I am grateful to Sony for putting out drivers compatible with Win7. And without them, I would loose a lot of functionality.

But I believe there are a few things you should be aware of.

The following updates released by Sony for Win7 on my model will not install. I have tried compatibility mode, but it always threw back a message saying that the program could only be installed on Vista. I verified they did not install as they are not in the list of installed programs.

• Intel non-RAID Sata driver
• Intel Chipset utility
• Firmware extension parser
• Location Utility
• VAIO Hardware diagnostics
• VAIO Mediaplus Extension library
• VAIO PX Engine
• WinDVD

In order to get the webcam to work, I had to install the original driver meant for Vista, which is NOT on the Win7 download page (Its working fine). While the webcam works, SONY has made available for Win7 the Arcsoft Webcam Companion 2, instead of the original VAIO camera capture utility. Arcsoft Webcam Companion 2 does not work properly (fails to record video and fails to record sound from mic). In addition, the latest version released by Arcsoft for Win7 is not 2, but 3. I think we should be provided Arcsoft Webcam Companion 3. Or even better, a compatible version of the VAIO camera capture utility.

Win7 fails to install drivers for the SD slot (Made by Texas Instruments). I had to install the original ones meant for Vista, and they work fine. But they are NOT on the download page.

In addition, I really think an updated wireless switch utility should have been provided. Because using the switch now also turns on Bluetooth, which has to be disabled by disabling the device drivers in the device manager. FYI, installing the wireless switch utility meant for Vista does not display options for Bluetooth, for some reason. In addition, both types of Ghz frequencies are selected within it without the option to select just one.


How to enable Hardware Virtualization to enable running of WinXP mode in Win7

Enabling Hardware Virtualization on a SONY VAIO VGN-CR320 Laptop – An Experience | techtangerine


Cheers

 

Guys i have a vgn-cr150f its an latin american model, and the thing is that i did a clean install to windows 7, and i cant find a place to download control center so i can turn off that led light, the esupport page doesn't have the program, does anyone know where i could get it?

 

Dear Murcott I`ve noticed that you had a post about VGN-CR320E webcam.I have done the upgrade to win 7 ultimate 32-bit from vista home premium and my webcam not working. I have installed from sony webcam companion 2 and it is showing me a message that webcam is in use by other device. Do you or ANYONE have any idea how to solve this problem? If you do please give me instructions..... I have tried all the programs skype,msn,yahoo messenger...and not one is reconize it. Please help......................

 

I own a vaio VGN-CR21 for 3 years and I never had problems with it.

I put my hands on lots of other laptops and nothing felt better than this, at least when stating the opinion as a normal, not very it-knowledgeable user.

Of course there are things to be improved, like that is heating quite a lot or that is not so light for a 14'' or short battery life. That is why I am looking now to buy a new one, lighter and more portable. It will be a Sony again.

Still, per total, I have a good experience with this machine and I don`t regret a moment buying it.

 

Hello everyone...I really love my laptop but i accidentally spilled Mr clean into the keyboard when cleaning it and it didn't recover from that... I ordered a new keyboard wit ribbon cable from eBay but it didn't come with an instruction manual on how to install the keyboard. Does anyone know how to do this...your help is much appreciated.

My model is vgn cr290

 

Hey guys, I am new to this forum.
I am an owner of a white CR for 2 years now and it's my first laptop computer. I would really like to know how to open up my computer and clean out the fan... but am afraid to experiment with it on my own because I have never done it before.
Could somebody tell me where I should be able to find that information? Also, is it something that I shouldn't be doing alone because I never had experience with it? Thanks very much.

 

Hey guys, for a while now I've been trying to figure out how to to turn the LEDs on the front off. I've read that I should go to vaio central, but on my machine it is called vaio control panel, but still there is nothing there. I have windows 7 professional, and I don't know if that changed anything or not. Any help would be great. Thanks guys.

 

wrong topic.

 

I've got a couple of questions regarding upgrades.

I currently have a Sony Vaio CR21S/L and I'm planning on replacing the hard drive with an OCZ Vertex 2 Extended 60GB SSD. The CR21S has the GM965 chipset, which should support SATA 3Gb/s based on what I found.
Will the SSD be able to make full use of it's SATA-II connection or will it be limited to SATA-I speeds?

Another question: I'm planning on buying a Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit license with the SSD. Where do I find the drivers etc. to get the laptop working without all the bloatware?

 

After clean install Windows 7 Ultimate

I have no instaled Sd card slot

Model VGn-CR220e

Any ideas or topic about it ?

Many thanks for answer

 

My wife owns a CR231e which has been a great little laptop, but we're in a bit of a dilemma right now which I'm hoping the forum can help with. Her battery has stopped showing up in windows, and the battery LED doesn't even turn on anymore. From what I've seen online, ALL of the 3rd party batteries won't work on Win7 64bit since I guess there's no signed driver available for them. I also can't seem to find a place to order a genuine sony battery from, which I'm pretty sure would work.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get a replacement battery for this thing? Thanks!

 

IIRC correctly there's a Sony battery routine which blocks 3rd party batteries from charging. Google it - some people have found ways round it on different models.

(sorry for delayed response - I only came back to this thread as I've been reinstalling Win7)

 

Hi,
i'd like to remove the keyboard of my CR29XN_b, but i wasn't able to.
Can someone guide me? I tried to google it, but without any succsess.
Is there a screw, i have to remove?
Are there any brackets?

Thanks for your help.

greets
Meise