VAIO TZ Owner's Thread

Besides upgrading RAM to 2GB(max) you should get id of your slow 100gbHDD(4200RPM) and get an SSD.
Also go for a Clean Install.

 

Thanks for your reply.

I cannot find the thread which gives instructions regarding a clean install.
I have a few more questions:

1 - Would you recommend a clean install of XP, Vista or 7?
2 - Should I be doing a clean install using 32 bit or 64 bit operating system
3 - Most importantly at this point in time, which of the programs in my previous post should I get rid of?

Thanks

 

Oh yeah...another question....

If I perform a clean install of another operating system, is there a way for me to save the recovery program that is currently installed on my laptop? I want to be able to have the option of reverting the laptop to absolute factory settings if I ever install another operating system

 

If you don't use Google talk i would remove that. Also, the entertaiment platform i would remove also.

You have a number of apps runnings there. May be disable what you don't need from starting up in system configuration. Just type it into the search bar and do selective start up and then choose what you want to in the start up tab.

Also, try disabling Aero and using Vista basic mode. This should help a little. W7 feels a little faster to Vista to me.

 

Before doing anything create a set of recovery disks .

 

Hi, thanks for your informative response Rachel.

I was looking around at other threads and have been thinking that maybe the best thing for me to do is to first of all make recovery discs.
After this, I could perform a complete, clean install of Windows 7 (but am not sure whether I should install the 32 or 64 bit??).
Do you think this will speed the laptop up?
Also, if I make recovery CD's, is it then safe to delete the recovery partition on the hard drive?
Thanks

 

That's what I came up with after clean install

Everything you see inside the retangle was added later

++ If you go for XP some functions will not work.
>

 

Wow! You have so few programs installed there!
Will all functions work if I go for Windows 7?

 

.Reading the TZ Windows 7 thread

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=341599&highlight=vaio+tz+windows+7

you may find out what worked and what not worked


.Upgrading to 2GB RAM + Swapping 100GB HDD > SSD + Clean Install your TZ will be fast.I though in going for W7 but right now I am quite satisfied with the performance achieved.Got great boot time/shutdown.

 

Some question about Sony VAIO VGN-TZ21WN

whether it is needed to hack bios virtualisation seen on Yotube video?

 

Received my Kingspec Zif HDD today 64gb and installed it on my Vaio TZ 240N . Bios recognizes it but the Vaio logoscreen freezes for about 2 mins and then I able to boot the windows 7 or XP cd to install an OS but then finds no drive?

Any Ideas?

Thanks

 

Small question how to remove Bios Password on Tz21wn?

 

Check this thread.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...-sony-tz11-kingspec-64gb-install-problem.html

It was a different issue but perhaps u cam PM the OP of the thread and he may
let u know if the same problem has occurred.

 

Mind me asking you > why wanna remove password ?

 

Because my Young brother put any password on Bios and now i have a problem

O cracked password Very easy

And i have one more question

Why in Bios are two position

Hard Disk 1

and
Hard Disk 2

What is it Hard Disk 2?

 

On my BIOS I have

HARD DISK 0 > That's my 64GB SSD (Boot)
HARD DISK 1 > That's my 250GB HDD (Storage)

I don't know what model TZ u have >>

 

i have Tz21 WN/B

on First Position i have Hard Disk Drive 0 100Gb

On secound Hard Disk Drive 1 i have none


There is only possibility

a)Your model has place on two hard disk

b) My model has place on two hard disk but only one is putted

c) My model has no possibility tu put secound hard disk it is only option in Bios

Im correct?

 

A)Yes.I have two HDD'S but no CD/DVD player.Although it came with an external
DRX-S70UW | VAIO® External USB Optical Drive | Sony | Sony Style USA

B)Yes but you have a CD/DVD player

C)Yes u can add a second HDD in place of CD/DVD player but you have to buy parts.

 

O it is very interested maybe anyone could give mi numbers of those parts.
I can try modification

?

Many Thanks for answer

 

You can read this
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/186540-vaio-tz-swapping-dvd-drive-2-5-hard-drive-9.html

If u don't want to swap the DVD > 2ND HDD u can take your slow HDD out and go for a SSD

 

2 things I have noticed since moving from VISTA >> W7 =

1.GPS is working on W7 but was not on VISTA ??
2.720DPI videos would choke on VISTA but working fine on W7

 

Has anyone with a SSD ever run CrystalDiskMark on Win 7?
I'd love to see the performance ratings. And what's the WEI number for the disk?
Could anyone enlighten me?

 

Zimbros, perhaps? Please?

 

That's from the SAMSUNG 64GB SSD (SAFE MODE) .

What I really would like to do is replace the 250GB HDD X 128GB SSD but I have to figure out a
way how to boot from it.

 

Thanks for that, Zi!
Compared to SATA SSDs those values are rather slow (around twice as fast as the built in HDD in mine).
I wonder if the change to SSD is actually worth it...

 

Yes there is a big difference between PATA X SATA.
Your 185N has a 1.8 " SATA HDD right ??

 

anyone knows, how to restore touchpad's side scroll function just like when it was in vista ?

 

No, it's the Toshiba MK1011GAH, which is PATA.

 

So it's a 4200 RPM HDD.
Upgrading to an SSD you will notice a significant difference in booting/loading apps which will be up to you to decide whether or not it is worthwhile.

I am waiting for the new RUNCORE to be in the market.The actual PROIV is very problematic


Another SSD which seems to be quite reliable is the PHOTOFAST V4
http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...otofast-g-monster-v4-zif-ssd-user-review.html

 

That looks very impressive!
They're still making new models of PATA ZIF drives?
I thought by now it's all SATA...

 

.... but just how expensive are these drives???

It hardly makes sense to spend that much money extra on my secondary laptop, when I could sell my TZ and buy a TT for the extra money AND get an INTEL X18-M for it (which blows everything out of the water).

The only reason why I don't do that is because I much prefer the design of the TZ (I dont like the "rounded" corners and the silver plastic bits of the TT, and the fact that it's nearly as heavy as my Sony Z).

 

Photofast Solid State Disk Drives CF SDHC Cards

1.8 Inch Zif RunCore SSD SATA, PATA, IDE, LIF | My Digital Discount

 

My TZ350N has been reliability wise. Left hinge metal part just broke. Laptop not abused. but jus wear and tear and the thing just bends and finally snaps off. Plastic round end caps are worn out too

How much does Sony charge to repair a hinge? At minimum, i need a front bezel, rear bezel, and a metal hinge.

How do I go about getting this thing repaired? I got too much money tied up in it to let it goto waste.

 

A wild guess would tell me that SONY will charge u an arm and a leg to repair.>>Call them and ask
Is your TZ covered by any type of insurance ??
The cheapest way to go about it is to buy the parts and do it yourself >>

Sony Laptop Parts and Repair for Notebook Computers

Another source would be EBAY

items - Get great deals on Sony Vaio SZ Series, Laptop Casing Parts items on eBay Stores!

Good luck

 

Cheers for the info. Just ordered this from MemoryC based in Ireland. 128 Mb version. Arrives tomorrow.

 

The RUNCORE seems to have lots of bugs >

Read this forum and get an idea
Runcore

 

Meh! All of a sudden my TZ (on Win 7) won't sleep, hibernate or even shutdown properly anymore without getting a blue screen usbhub.sys error. Must be internal of course, as I have in fact no USB devices attached.

Anyone ever got this and/or knows what could be the problem?

 

I cloned my existing HDD image onto it using acronis. Installed, booted up and it was only slightly faster. W7 then installed some drivers, one reboot later and yeah, very nce.

Page 14 on that thread shows they've ironed out the bugs, but only time will tell.

 

Hi, Guys.

I have a model SZ770 and upgraded it with Windows 7 Ultimate, but it is far from 100%. I used to game a little bit on computers but now I just watch some series I download here and there and navigate on the web. But I travel in airplanes often and nowadays I feel the SZ to be a little bit heavy and the screen to be somewhat big (once I almost got my screen broken by the front passenger reclining towards it - if I wasn't quick enough, that would be quite painful to watch).

I have a good opportunity of buying a TZ395N/X. The price has come down because it is new old stock (NOS).

I ask myself if it would be better to buy this 2-year old notebook (and upgrade it to w7, as I have read it is troublefree) or to get something like the x-series, for extra mobility and dollars. How can I expect both of them to perform in video playback (I do not perform video edition and things like that).

Could you guys help me decide? Thanks!

 

I had a change to take a look on the X this weekend on a SONYSTYLE store in BOSTON.
The X is indeed super slim but the only thing I didn't like about it was the touchpad setup (IMO)
I suggest you to read the X series thread and get ideas on how it performs
http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...543-sony-x-series-official-owners-thread.html

YouTube - Video Review

Also to improve performance a Clean Install is a must.

 

Nevermind. I decided to stop whining and just deal.

 

Perhaps they sold you an open box.
If its subject to the recall just send it back.

 

Nevermind. I decided to stop whining and just deal.

 

I know someone here can help. I have a VGN-TZ190N -- I've looked everywhere and cannot get details on upgrading a 32GB SSD to a 64GB or 128GB SSD. I've gotten close only to find closed out threads, planned upgrades that aren't followed up, and thin details that hint at success-- very frustrating but always encouraging hope.

I have the assembly and disassembly instructions, I'm leaning towards a Photofast G-monster - 1.8" ZIF V4 SSD because I value reliability.

I had a tech try an SSD upgrade once and he managed to hook it all up but then the computer wouldn't recognize the drive. I do not know what SSD he chose to try.

1) If I use the PhotoFast spec'd above and clone the installed drive, will the BIOS and computer architecture recogize this drive immediately or is there some other step(s) that must be completed?
2) Is there another, lower cost brand of SSD that has proven it's reliability on other TZ upgrades? (KingSpec? Runcore? etc?)

I really don't want to buy an unreturnable $600 SSD only to find it won't work and Sony Support is useless so your helpful details will be GREATLY apreciate.

 

1.Yes it will.I have a Photofast 128GB however I did a Clean Install of W7 using Vista drivers.There should b no problem.

2.Although RUNCORE/KINGSPEC are less expensive from what I have read they are full of problems.

Here is Boot Time for the PHOTOFAST View attachment 57660

Good luck.//

 

I feel your frustration. I've probably spent over 40 hours reading, testing, getting angry while trying to:
(1) upgrade my HDD to SSD; and
(2) do a clean windows 7 install

I'm happy to say that I have succeeded.

1. Taking apart your VAIO TZ. There is one difficult part that he warns you about. The cylindrical cap is a pain to take off at first. I suggest taking a small and thin flat head and running it along the inside while simultaneously pulling. Don't pull too hard. Once you release the latch with your screwdriver, the cylinder slides right off. Otherwise, on the whole this was surprisingly easy to do. No problem at all if you're used to building your own desktop machines.

2. Hook up your SSD. ZIF 1.8" solutions. You're probably aware that the TZ uses ZIF connectors, so you won't be able to use the cheaper, faster variants out there. I just bought a RENICE K3VLAR 64GB and am happy with it so far. There really aren't that many options though, since ZIF is a dated format.

3. Do a clean Windows 7 install. I have a TZ2000-E. I used the Lamtutu guide and everything got in perfectly.
Windows 7 Clean Install for TZ. I've read about alignment issues with SSD, so I'd read extensively before you decide to clone your drive. I wanted to clone my drive, but ultimately decided against it. Though, my problems seemed to be because of HDD to SSD. Since you are going SSD to SSD, I don't know.

OTHER COMMENTS:

Though since you already have a 32GB, your upgrade won't be for speed. Rather, I assume you're going for more capacity? If so, then buying a ZIF drive is going to be SLOW and EXPENSIVE in comparison to all other formats out there. I can't really say that your purchase is justified at $600.

It seems like a better solution for you would be to add a 500GB HDD and swap out your optical drive, and leave the boot drive as is. Or sell your TZ + $600 and get a Macbook Air to run Win7.

The reason I did my upgrade was because it cost me $100.

 

For anyone interested in putting in an SSD inside a VAIO TZ, I just wrote THIS GUIDE to get you the most performance out of your limited PATA.

 

question - Upgrading RAM on a new machine

I will get a Z in a few weeks with 4gb Memory (2x2), Win 7 Pro 64. Crucial has a 4g stick (for the specific Sony Z model) for $70. Is it safe to assume that a 4g RAM upgrade is straightforward?

 

Can you post in the correct thread as this is the Vaio TZ owners lounge, there is a thread for the VPC-Z.

 

oops - I apologize.