VAIO TZ Owner's Thread

Speaking of that MagicGate, my memory stick duos can go in the slot just fine, but they will not go in with the converter that lets it fit in regular memory stick slots like my previous laptop, anyone else have this issue?

 

Nope. This was a concern of mine as well, but it's actually very readable - the display is so sharp you can comfortable read text much smaller than you normally can. Several times I've come across a screen full of text and thought "Hmm, better enlarge this." Then I'll start reading and not bother.

 

Really? Mine seemed to work either way.

 

My memory stick duos can go into the magic gate slot perfectly, with and without the memory stick duo adapter. Then I tried putting in the memory stick duo into my older Vaio WITHOUT the adapter, and to my discovery, it fits. The size of the magic gate slot is deceiving.

Does anyone keep the magic gate dummy plug that goes into the slot? Or do you just throw it away?

 

I leave the stick in there all the time, so the dummy is in the box my TZ came in, along with the original RAM chip, manual and the stickers I removed. But that's probably just me.

 

I am fully aware that it is sharp, just wanted to know if the defaults were really default settings. I have only seen the TZ at the SONY Style store, and they have the settings password protected, and won't allow access to any settings.

Everything was readable, except if I go into some sub-menus. Has anyone gone into any XP/VISTA sub-menus and found any text to be too small to be easily readable? I realize that your mileage (and your eyes) may vary!

Andrew

 

I can read all of the menus and sub-menus on Vista just fine on my TZ150. I did not make any alterations to the resolution settings, so I'm talking about the default factory settings here. Everything is readable.

 

I am not asking if it is readable - I know that it is readable.

I am asking if SONY changed any of the default font sizes and/or DPI?
That's what I want to know.
i.e.
Looking at the settings on a stock install of VISTA on a PC with no changes, vs the settings on the VAIO pre-load with no changes.

Manufacturers often tweak some settings on laptops having high DPI (at 141.2 the TZ is very high) so that the default text will appear more readable to the consumer.

Andrew

 

Well, it is all relative. When you say 'change', I'm not sure what to compare the change to, if there were any. From what I understand, you believe that a Windows Vista OS may have different default settings from a Vaio laptop with Windows Vista pre-installed. Please post the specific default settings that you are questioning.

A specific question will receive a specific answer.

 

Sure, to start with, right click on the desktop, go to "Personalization".
Click on "Adjust font size (DPI)".
What DPI is the VAIO pre-load set to?

Andrew

 

Notes:

-Vaio TZ150N/B
-Windows Vista Business

 

Cool, thanks.
Is the TZ currently using a Synaptics or an ALPS touchpad?

Andrew

 

I'm using the Alps touchpad program that came with the TZ.

 

Hi everyone, I have a problem with sleep mode on my TZ.

When my TZ is in sleep mode, and the lid is closed, pushing the power button shuts down the TZ improperly. Is there a way to disable the function of the power button while the TZ is in sleep mode?

 

I don't think so but you can change what the power button does in general, setting it to do nothing. (Control Panel, Power Options.)

 

I changed the power button setting to "do nothing". However, when I put my TZ to sleep and closing the lid, holding the power button for about 3 seconds shuts the laptop down completely. How can I prevent this?

 

Why do you hold down the power button for 3 sec? When you notebook is ON the power setting that you set for your button is to DO Nothing; however if you hold it for 3 sec or more it will be forced to be turned off.

 

You can't prevent it, and you don't want to. This function is how you force the system off if it locks up. All computers do this.

I'm with vaiofreak - why, exactly, are you holding in your power button like this?

 

It's not that I'm holding the power button for over three seconds with my finger. When I put my Vaio TZ into my bag, sometimes there is pressure from my books and other documents that pushes against the power button. Between classes, when I take out my TZ, I find that it is completely shut off.

This is why it would be very convenient for me if there was a way to totally disable the power button function. All computers have this 3 second shut down function, but not all laptops are like the Vaio TZ. Not all laptops have their power buttons sticking outside of the lid, susceptible to outside pressure.

From what I gather, the only alternative I have is to put the TZ into hibernation instead of sleep. I'm slightly disappointed in this, because hibernation takes a lot longer to get in and out of, compared to sleep. Oh well. Thanks for the information, everyone.

 

In this case, just get a Sony leather protective case (I can't talk about other brands, some might work as well) and the power button should stay untouchable in it. I carry mine in one of those cases (it was supplied as a bundle) and I have never had any accidental shut downs.

 

Its no deal at all but still has me baffled.

The dummy plastic that goes into the memory stick slot which came with the TZ goes in perfectly, but yet the converter which came with my memory stick duo, which is the exact same size as the dummy plastic, does not go in all the way and sticks out roughly half-way.

My duo memory sticks go in fine and stick out maybe 1 millimeter.

But how is it the dummy plastic sits flush in my TZ but not the converter when they are the same size? I think I am the only TZ owner with this issue?

 

Who manufactured your adapter? Maybe the shape of the memory stick duo adapters are different between manufacturers. I have a Sandisk memory stick duo adapter, and it fits into the TZ memory stick slot perfectly, even though it is useless because the memory stick can go in by itself.

 

Yes, its a sandisk stick and the adapter that came with it goes in the TZ but sticks out about half-way, not too good.

I do remember it went in my Vaio TX's slot perfectly so it should in the TZ as well. Hmmm....the converter has been used a lot, seen a lot of use so maybe it has been bent a bit? Maybe thats the reason.

I also don't use it because what you stated but its still strange if I'm the only TZ owner to have this issue.

Gazelle, when you insert your duo stick without the converter, does it go in perfectly or does it still stick out a bit? Mine sticks out just very slightly.

 

What do you mean by 'stick out'? I mean, of course the memory stick has to be slightly visible when inserted into the TZ. It's not like you shove the memory stick into the TZ and it just vanishes, making it impossible to retrieve it.

If looking at the TZ from a bird's eye view (directly above), I cannot see the memory stick at all. The memory stick sits flush with the front of the TZ, where the headphone and mic jacks are. It does not protrude out.

The memory stick adapter, however, does protrude out less than 1 millimeter. It's almost as flush with the front of the TZ as with the memory stick alone, but it does protrude out a little bit. I don't think half of the adapter is supposed to stick out of the slot, as in your case, though.

 

Photos:











EDIT - 2 more photos showing the side view of the TZ, with memory stick inserted.

 

Thanks for the pics Gazelle, yes, my Sandisk memory stick is just like yours but it sticks out a bit more than yours does.

My converter goes in and is recognized by the computer but sticks out half-way but as I said, it used to go in my TX's slot perfectly, whose slot is exactly like the TZs, so I guess the adapter got bent or something.

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Just one more thing Gazelle. If my TZ is running a CD/DVD and I accidentally tilt the laptop even a little bit, of course there are noises from the drive but it places heavy circular scratches on the edges of the disc. I know you are bound to get scratches if tilting the drive while its running but I don't think it should give that severe scratches should it?

There was a thread here where one person's TZ scratched up his Unreal game disc and I think he didn't move it at all. I am afraid of putting discs in my TZ. : (

One member here who took apart his TZ said that a screw was loose in his DVD drive which could cause the scratching. Maybe I have that too.

 

I've never tilted my TZ while running a CD or DVD, so naturally, I have not experienced any problems with disc scratching at all. I'd like to help you, but I'm a bit hesitant about testing this and tilting my TZ while running a CD. By 'tilt', do you mean just a slight tilt upward or something? As if I put my finger underneath the front of the TZ and lift it up a little? What angle are you talking about?

Also, about the memory stick adapter. The adapter should be about the same size as the dummy plug that comes with the TZ. If the dummy plug can fit into the TZ perfectly, then the adapter should be able to, as well. You can compare your adapter with the dummy plug, and look for any discrepancies, like bending or something.

 

Do you have maybe a blank/useless disc to try out?


I was showing a DVD running on my TZ and showed it to a guy next to me in class by lifting the TZ with both hands and putting it on his desk and so naturally, the laptop got slightly tilted but it made some pretty bad circular scratches on it, I don't think it should have inflicted that bad scratches on it.

 

Okay, I just tested it. I inserted a blank DVD into the optical drive, tilted the TZ up into a 45 degree angle, then let the DVD run for about a minute.

The result?

Nothing. No scratches or anything. The DVD ran fine, and if the TZ had a mechanical problem with tilting, the 45 degree angle would have been more than enough to damage the disc. However, this is not the case. No damage or scratches at all.

 

Thank you again for your help Gazelle, I'd give you rep again but it won't let me since I just gave rep to your previous post with your (memory-stick-in-your-TZ) pictures : D

Now I am thinking that I received a faulty TZ what with it heavily scratching my discs when tilted even slightly (you tilted it much more than I did) and the converter not going in all the way.

These are very very minor issues to me but still I am a bit miffed, I did get mine brand new in the box.
I know yours is a TZ150, mine is a TZ130, same as yours but without the webcam and WWAN.

 

Hey guys long time no see!

BTW, I have to tell you a story, but first I need help with this situation. My TZ91's 32GB SSD is full (I have about 2.3GB left), and now I can't install Vista SP1 because it needs about 4GB to install. I have already removed Microsoft SQL 2005 and Small Business, the only bloat that Dynamism pre-installed.

I asked them about deleting the hidden Acronis partition and Dynamism suggested using Partition Manager to delete the partition but I also need to fix the Master Boot Record.

I know there have been many discussions about removing hidden partitions, but now I can't find those posts. Has anyone done the above?

 

Just a suggestion: run Disc CleanUp utility and get rid of Windows Backup in System Restore; you will be amazed how many gigs of free space you will see after you run the cleanup.

 

you must be the only one with this issue using an adapter. mine goes in all the way and barely protrudes out the front with both the memory stick duo, and the memory stick duo in the adapter.

 

See, the converter sticks out about halfway and the stick isn't recognized by the computer. It just won't go in any further and I push it and it comes out with the spring clicking. The dummy plastic and the duo stick itself goes in perfectly though.

It did go in perfectly in my Vaio TX a while back so I am thinking its the converter, you can see its all banged up. I hope it isn't my TZ at fault because no other TZ owner has this issue.

 

I don't mean to rub it in your face, but this is how the adapter should look like, inside of the TZ:

 

Cool, I love the pics.
I should be getting my TZ tomorrow via UPS red.

 

I created a thread a loooong time ago on deleting the hidden partition to free up space since mine was from pricejapan and there was no point in having a recovery sector in vista japan. trying looking at all the threads I have posted.

 

Hi everyone, I have a problem.

I can't mute my TZ using Fn + F2. I have been able to, in the past, but today it does not seem to work. When I press Fn + F2, the volume box briefly opens up, as if I had changed the volume, but nothing happens. Neither is it muted nor does the volume change. The box just opens up and closes. What is wrong?

Notes: I tried restarting the TZ, and I still cannot seem to mute the TZ with Fn + F2.

 

try restarting it.

 

I tried restarting, but the problem still persists. What is going on?

 

Gosh, I just noticed mine was having that same problem this morning. I can still control the volume up and down, just not mute. I haven't tried rebooting, since I usually just hibernate or sleep. I'll let you know if I figure anything out.

 

I mean, it's not a big deal. I know that I can still mute the speakers if I really want to. It just makes me feel more at ease knowing that my TZ is fully functioning and operating correctly. That's why I want to fix this.

Does anyone know why my Fn + F2 does not mute the speakers?

 

A full shutdown and power on fixed my issue.

 

This quite likely won't help you, but I'll tell you something I've noticed with adjusting volume and brightness with the function key.

Adjusting volume and brightness with the function and F keys won't work as soon as you log into windows, you gotta wait a bit until it's finished loading all (or at least some) of it's startup programs. If I repeatedly try to adjust volume or brightness before everything is finished loading, then it often stops working altogether. But a restart will fix it.

So just in case you've been trying to adjust it as soon as windows is loaded, maybe try waiting a minute after it's loaded before pressing anything.

Like I said, probably not the same problem, especially if mute is the only function that's not working.


I've also got a question for anyone that might be able to help. Something that annoys me with my TZ is that if I tell it to shut down, I have to wait until it actually has shut down before I can close the screen and put it away. If I tell it to shut down and then close the screen it will actually go to sleep mid-shutdown. This seems pretty dumb to me, and it's annoying when a lecture or class ends and I just want to pack up my stuff and get out the door and I'm sitting there waiting for my laptop to shut down. Especially if for some reason it's just taking a really bloody long time as windows does on the odd occasion.

Anyone know if there is a way to shut it down and close the lid straight away without it going to sleep?

 

You could change the lid's default action (for unplugged and/or plugged-in state) by going into the power options. There, you can set it to shut down when you close your lid.

Benjamin

 

Sony's Fn+combos work using the HotKey program, so you have to wait for it to load before the hotkeys will work. On most other laptops, these work directly from the BIOS and were OS-independent. Kinda sucks, imo, but they've been doing it since '99 or so, I think. I know my earliest VAIOs worked differently.

 

Hi everyone. Thanks for the info about the muting problems.

Whenever I open and close the lid on my TZ150, I hear this very small squeak. It's coming from the right hinge, where the power button is. Does anyone get a squeaky noise when you open and close your lid?

It's not a big concern, but it would be nice if there was a way to alleviate the squeaky noise. Is there something I can do to stop my lid from squeaking when I open and close it?

 

Really weird , I just noticed this yesterday night while closing my lid. And I thought I was the only one that had this issue and was thinking of posting this issue but hesitated because I thought I'd sound silly and be the only one to have it. Just like I'm the only TZ owner who can't get the MS Duo converter into my slot.

 

Thanks, Outrigger! That will be very helpful!

 

Hi everyone.

Okay, I tried several things, and I STILL cannot mute my TZ with Fn + F2.

I restarted. I shut down and turned back on. And the Fn + F2 function still doesn't work. Does anyone have any suggestions?