? - VAIO SZ - CPU clock speed dropped from 2.16Ghz to 1.006Ghz

Sorry, this a typo. 33 low and 34 high. The number 2 key on the keyboard was sadistically placed next to the number 3 key.

Core #0: 33c (low 33 High 34 Load 9%).

However, since I wrote this, the details have changed. Current readings are Core#0 35c Low: 32 High: 38 Load: 26%

BIOS: I shall update the BIOS on Monday when I have finished being on-call (je suis la garde pour l'societe pendent un semaine lundi a lundi 24/7, et je ne casse pas mon ordinateur dans cette semaine.)

 

OK.

Let's see how the temperature does
Can you download wPrime and run this while monitoring the temperature?
http://www.wprime.net/

 

I tried to, but the URL to the download does not do anything:
http://www.wprime.net/?q=download&f=wprime_200.zip

 

Are you sure? I can start a download - a zip file if you click on the WPrime folder? (first one)

 

I think that it does not like Opera 10. Shall install, and then uninstall Firefox

 

I got the link to work, I am running wPrime in fact (and my single core is being taxed out, and it is overall very slow)

 

wPrime is aimed at Dual Cores.

Run any test that's not taking too long - one of the first ones - it should max out your CPU and allow for temp monitoring.

 

Done running for me. I posted my results on TRT (how those were high numbers)

Anyways, back to topic. How are things going kzii>??

 

I ran the 1024Mb test as well as the 32Mb test a few times. The temperature sat at 40c. The load sat at 100%. No real change.

Also, I sawed two of the tests, but its a binary file so was no real use. Shame I wanted those prime numbers...

 

And how many threads were there?
It should report both threads

 

If it never exceeded 40°C then that's pretty low - a Dual Core can easily go higher under load.

 

It defaulted to one thread. I set an extra thread in the config menu, and it tried to use it, but sat a 0% on thread 1 ,as opposed to thread 0 which started work.

 

OK - well, if the OS recognizes it as a single core that's to be expected, a single core without Hyperthreading can only process one thread.

So we know the OS only runs 1 core.

The multiplier is locked in the lowest state of 6

Temperature readings are iffy

 

wPrime hardware info page:

 

On Linux it is reading what?

You said that it did recognize full speed of it, no? But only one core?

 

Linux, Solaris and OpenBSD all see two cores, but can only use one. In Linux I monitored the clock speed and it would reach the 2.16Ghz.

I think that there are two unrelated problems:
1) a BIOS or h/w problem with one core. - Observed in all O/Ses
2) a WXP problem with the CPU speed. - Only observed in WXP.

The missing core has been there for a year, and I have been trying to work it out on and off for this long. The clock speed problem was noticed on Monday, but it was fine on Friday ; Noticed only because I could not really play said computer game well.

 

WAIT!
The core problem has been for a year??

 

Yes, the core has. This thread was initially about the drop in clock speed. The clock speed problem happened on Monday. However, the last BIOS update was back in 2006-ish.

 

And I thought the most important was the one core going down, and I have breaking my head thinking what would have caused that.

The blocked multiplier is almost definitively software-bound. Considering it only happens on Win XP, it means that it is a Microsoft problem that is causing it.

 

To be honest the blocked multiplier is more important for me because the game I play is single threaded. Everything else I do on the notebook is on Linux, and the loss of the core is not a real problem, although sometimes I do curse a little

Are there any Sony applications/drivers, that came with the SZ that might control the clock multiplier? Perhaps one has gone array.

 

And the core may be a hardware problem.

Is there a computer repair center you could ask to have a look at it?

 

Not that I have found. I moved to Amsterdam recently, and the only half descent place I have found for PC stuff is MediaMarkt, and this is hardly specialised. Amsterdam has found to be rather lacking for PC shops considering its a capital city. I have not even seen a Sony Centre anywhere let alone a PC repair shop that specialises in Sony laptops.

Given the price of services here, I suspect that it would be cheaper to post it to a specialist repair centre in London than use a service here.

 

Perhaps that could be a solution. But first search around, sony, being a brand as big as it is, should have a center somewhere.

 

Too bad there is one service center in Collogne - but that's too far.
(I got my Vaio from Essen, used to live in Oberhausen, and now I'm in the UK)

Media Mark has stupid advertising... but is often decently priced to buy stuff.

 

BTW kzii. Have you ever done a clean install?
I dont think a virus could cause this, but a corrupt file causes problems, and tons of them. I should know.

My suggestion to try and fix it yourself is, backup your data on an external drive. Format your HDD, do a clean install of XP again. Download all drivers, update the BIOS, the drivers, and everything, and put the info back into the laptop.

If that doesnt work at all, then a more specialized system might be the solution.

Perhaps on this matter DetlevCM can help you more than I can, since I know little of softwares (I am more of the hardware type...^^) Anyways, I hope this works for you.


Oh, last solution, the friday it worked right, no? Use the System Recovery tool and go to any date previous to the friday, that should solve it.

 

Looks like the nearest is in Rotterdam, if its still there:
Sony center
Stadhuisplein 20 (In de buurt)
3012 AS Rotterdam
Fax: 010-4129049

No telephone number, of course, and mayn't be open on the weekend, or even exist anymore. Rotterdam is just over an hour by train from here.

 

http://support.vaio.sony.eu/computing/vaio/index.aspx?l=nl_NL

How about this site? It is the official one from the netherlands.

 

The laptop was cleanly installed two or three months ago. I cannot even remember if I have System Recovery enabled.

 

I could not find that. Excellent. Now I just have to get them to repair a non-EU Vaio

 

You might want to check out the System Recovery software. That has saved my laptop from doom some times.

And if on friday it worked, wasnt used till monday, it is not that serious the changes.

 

Hmm, the site loads but does not really work presently. I tried it with Opera and Firefox. Oh well. Tomorrow.

Proxy Error

The proxy server received an invalid response from an upstream server.
The proxy server could not handle the request GET /instranet/ccil_sony/selfservice/index.jsp.

Reason: Error reading from remote server

 

Strange. I am running Safari 4.0 and it loads perfectly, though I do not fully understand what the website has on it....lol

Anyways, try restoring first, and contact them later.

 

Ahh, found System Restore for the 5th Novemeber

 

Let us know how that works.
And this is my good night for today. Getting late here.
Good luck!

 

Rolled back to the 5th of November but clock speed is still 1,000 Mhz. Deep sigh. Its bedtime. Looks like it the repair centre, but it might be cheaper for me to simply buy parts and built a new desktop PC for gaming, and use this SZ for everything else, or more than likely stop playing the game!

 

Ah I went to bed and you continued.

The Sony sit reads information from your computer - the laptop model to be exact - works for me in IE8 as of now...

Going 1 hour by train 1 way isn't ideal either if you don't know if the Sony centre exists.
Also: It will be expensiveif Sony does it - on the other hand they are supposed to know their own laptop.

And what Serg mentinoned - Virus or currupt file - I suppose its technically possible, but I somehow doubt it - on the other hand, if think about it this morning - because the Vaio Power Management can lock the multiplier - and that is software it may very well be a software based problem in XP - especially as you ge your 2,16GHz in Linux.

Regarding the dead Core - that is possibly hardware.

 

Hi there kzii.

As DetlevCM is saying, yes, sony should recognise the laptop once you put the tag/number on the system, and they are able to help. Now, worth doing the trip just to try and see might not be worth it.

On other things, I am now 90% sure that it is a corrupt file or group of. My CPU is running at 1.6GHz and supposedly it was 2.0 when I bought it. I get a corrupt file message tons of times, and I am starting to think that is the one causing your problem.

 

Provided it is a corrupt file it may be in the poer management.

I'm just thinking:

got to run -> cmd (in Vista run as administrator)
Type:
sfc /scannow

the "sfc /scannow" command will scan the system files and repair any damaged ones. It may take a while.

 

Tried this an no change.

Luckily, I had the WXP CD nearby, because it prompts for this during the scan.

Am off to bed. Night night.

 

Interesting - on Vista it doesn't prompt (me) for a CD.
Anyway, that mans your system files are now up to scratch - and if the problem persists it shouldn't be due to the system files

 

Nor did my check during XP. Strange indeed.

 

Possbly meant some files were so bad that they needed the originals...
Windows just "falls apart" with time
Its normal sadly.

Thankfully its less in Vista than XP and Win7 should be even better.

 

Hi everyone,
After thinking for a day, I reached came to the logical conclusion and reinstalled from scratch. I have just finished and am about to trundle off to bed.

For the record: CoreTemp reports the usual 1,000Mhz, but under load it jumps straight to 2.16Ghz. JPG attached. Phew!

There are a few outstanding problems that I have yet to sort out, and although this is more WXP specific, it is still SZ related:

i) nVidia card: I thought, that my SZ had an GeForce Go 7400 inside. However, I downloaded the latest nvidia driver from their web site and, after scanning the h/w, told me that I did not have a compatible nVidia card. Well, it certainly was there earlier, and the PC is booted into Speed mode.
The driver bundle is called: 179.48_notebook_winxp_32bit_beta.exe
Very odd. Maybe I don't have one of these cards. Any ideas?

ii) WPA2. Nope. Cannot get this to be recognised by the Intel Wireless card.
Installed patch WindowsXP-KB917021-v3-x86-ENU.exe, after reading that this added WPA2, but no luck on this PC. Strange because I had it afore on the previous installation.


//EDIT: I have just read on the nVidia website at the bottom of this URL,
http://www.nvidia.co.uk/object/geforce_notebook_winxp_179.48_beta_uk.html

Sony VAIO notebooks (please contact the notebook OEM for driver support for these notebooks)

Annoyingly, this is the only driver download they offer, which means that I cannot get the nVidia driver. They have pulled the 7400 from the archived drivers as well. I can think of many reasons why Sony asked them not to support their Vaios.

 

Good to hear it works again

Maybe it was a corrupted file in the Vaio Power Management? (it wouldn't be a system file then)

Regarding your NVidia:
Ithink you need drivers from laptopvide2go (or how that site is called) - the "normal" NVidia drivers won' instal - or only with difficulty on older laptops - that doesn't mean its impossibl though.

Your Wi-Fi - the patch shoul generally solv that issue.
Make sure you have the newest Wi-Fi drivers too.

 

I have installed the latest drivers for the wireless from the Intel site (ICS_x32.exe, signed Tuesday, 06 October, 2009 19:25:06). No WPA/WPA2. Only WEP listed. I remember having this problem last time I reinstalled and it took a very long time to work it out.

Tried the laptop2go drivers but was provided with the same message: no compatible nvidia hardware found. I found the driver package I used on the last WXP installation, and used this, but it gave the same message. Perhaps, while I was asleep someone broke in and stole the card from my laptop.

I think I shall go for a walk and a cigarette.

 

Hmmm.
All I know about the WPA2 support on XP is that you need that MS update - which you have - so I'm at a loss here right now

Regarding the video card - what about Sony's stock driver? Maybe just stay with that one?
(and you are on the NVidia card, haven't flicked the Speed/Stamina switch by accident?)

 

Interesting: I noticed that I had actually installed this Intel driver:

Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless Software, which I got from somwhere in Intel.com.
I removed this software and installed the aforementioned ICS_x32.exe. This installed another Intel 3945ABG. The SZ was rebooted, and from then it died: It would boot to the login screen, but logging on would immediatly hang. I went back to Safe Mode minus Networking, and tried to uninstall the new Intel 3945ABG drivers, but it refused to uninstall because it was in Safe Mode. Finally, I ran a System Restore and rolled back to yesterday.

Now I am ntftclone-ing /dev/sda1 so I can drop it back in next time this happened: This would be quicker than a system restore from Windows' Safe Mode.
After this, another WPA attempt. I shall have to give up with the nvidia driver, because this cannot be installed. I shall use the stamina mode instead.

 

This is bad new
I woder what's going on - I noticed that on my SZ7 the defualt Intel driver removed my 5GHz band... not sure why...

Maybe you should start a dedicated thread with it? It may bring some Network savy people into that thread?

Good luck!

 

Good idea.

I shall try this after I have backed everything up, and fiddled a little bit more with the Intel driver by installing the one that broken WXP.

 

Problems have been solved:
i) uninstalled Intel software.
ii) rebooted
iii) installed new Intel drivers/programmes
iv) rebooted
v) found old nvidia driver on an old backup DVD (from 2006)
vi) installed nvidia driver and gfx card was recognised.

Excellent.