Buying a used Vaio SZ...what do I need to be careful of?

I currently found a used Sony Vaio VGN-SZ320 for sale for $1400 CAD. The thing is, this would be my first laptop and I don't think I know enough to easily find problems with the laptop internally. As well, he said he bought it 3-4 months ago but he doesn't have a receipt but says its still under warranty.

I've read the "How to Buy Used Laptops" and will look out for things listed there, but I was wondering what else should I look for when buying it.

1) Are there problems specific to the Vaio VGN-SZ320 that are easily fixable? I don't want to not buy it because I think its a big and permanent problem.

2) Are there things that the Vaio SZ comes with that I should be aware of. And are there things the Vaio SZ doesn't come with that I should be aware of?

3) Will I need the receipt to be serviced through Sony's warranty?

4) If there are viruses or such on the notebook that are not obvious, how would I know? Would a reformat get rid of it?

5) It's operating system is XP Pro. Anything I should know about regarding this, and is it elgible for a free upgrade to Vista?

Anything else that I should know before buying it would be greatly appreciated. The seller in a way seems a bit suspicious so I want to make sure I don't get a lemon. Thank you!

 

All I can tell you is that it should be eligible for a free Vista upgrade but I wouldn't do it, so far, XP seems to be far better, especially on Vaios, just keep hearing that at least.

 

I'm pretty sure Sony can use the computers service tag # to look up its purchase date.

In order to qualify for a Vista Upgrade you would need the computers receipt, or invoice. Although you can always create your own invoice via Photoshop. If you're planning to get you better hurry, I think the deadline was extended until the end of April.

 

Create my own invoice via Photoshop? Bleh, I'm not capable of that

This next question is probably a dumb one, but where can I find the service tag number?

 

the service tag number is on the back of the computer.

to those of you who sent in receipts for their complementary vista upgrade.... how long did it take for them to send a confirmation reply? been over a month for me and no word yet.

 

Where did you read the FREEE EXPRESS VISTA UPGRADE is extended till April end? So far in almost all places I have read/heard it is over as of Mar-15-2007.

If you have any link please post.

Thnaks

 

I would stay away from it on this reason alone.

 

It was actually suppose to be over on the 31st of March, the 15th was the deadline to purchase a new computer.

Supposedly the deadline was extended due to the fact that Moduslink, and Q media didn't get users COA#'s to Microsoft on time. My only source was a thread on this forum, and I haven't tried but it looks like Q Media still has their order page up.
https://www.qdirect.net/qmsfp/VistaHome.aspx

 

The link you popsted reads:

The program is only valid for any computer purchase from 10/26/2006 to 3/15/2007. Orders must be submitted no later than March 31, 2007.

Thanks Anyways

 

Yes, I know but have you actually tried submitting your order? I would think the page would be removed if their not accepting anymore orders.

 

I tried ..As soon as I give my purchase date beyond Mar-15-2007 I get the message "Your purchase is beyond the Promotion Period"

 

How do I call Sony's Support without being charged if I want to find out how old this laptop is through it's Service Number?

 

first thing i would do is ask the guy where he bought it. If he bought it in USA then good luck with having it serviced under warranty thru Sony at GordonBakerRd (Cdn headoffice)
Sony is pretty stern with keeping US and Cdn bought models seperate and within its own warranty markets.

Warranty periods used to be so very diff too. I bought one of the very first Sony 5MP digi cameras (F707) in the US when it first came out. After getting home i found out the warranty was only 90days with Sony US but if i had bought a Cdn model it would have been a 1yr warranty. Sony also told me i had to send it to a US Sony retailer to have any warranty claims on it.

So if the unit is legit (not hot) then ask him where he bought it. Im sure he will be happy to tell you where

 

He said he bought it second hand and it was only a couple weeks old. I'm seeing it in about 30 minutes and going to check it out.

Seems a bit fishy, sucks I don't know too much about computers >.<. Is there a chance there are small viruses that I won't be able to identify after looking at it for 30 minutes or so? If so is there a way to clean them, say through reformatting?

 

I second that advice. When it comes to big purchases like this, confidence in where you're getting it from goes a long, long long way.

 

If he's going to resell it anyway, you could ask him to restore the computer to factory settings ----- or maybe he's done that already? All SZs are sold with a hidden recovery partition. As the computer is booting up, you can hit F10 to begin the process -- as long as the recovery partition hasn't been deleted, the computer will be restored to its original settings as set by Sony. The entire process only takes 10 minutes or so.

I just went through the recovery myself before upgrading my SZ to Vista. My SZ was suffering a few problems through a not-so-clean first try at the upgrade ---- couldn't get a few drivers to work, couldn't get my AVG software to work/reinstall anymore (results of a failed install and system recovery). Using the recovery application/partition solved all my problems.

Food for thought, anyway.

 

So I went to the place last night, spent a good hour testing the hardware, ports, all the sorts, and it looked great! So I bought and everything is working fine.

Despite being second, second-hand, I haven't found a problem with it. Battery is good, been working with it for many hours and its good, every button works, its awesome! Now hopefully it'll stay this way for several years...