Defective Nvidia chipsets in your current Vaio?

Since you have more than a month before the laptop's warranty expires. I suggest that you buy the Sony laptop extended warranty. That should be a pretty good investment IMO.

Sorry to hear about your problems & good luck.

 

Why strange and why not logical?...especially why not logical...if the guy’s fixed it and it’s working there has to be some logical explanation....you can’t say something like that and not expand...

I have to say, just like everyone else here, all this talk of a major manufacturing mess-up by Nvidia has got me seriously concerned about the GPU sitting inside my machine.

As I mentioned, I too was sceptical about this fix, but the guy in the shop explained to me how it works using a spare motherboard, showing me the chip set up, explaining how it can behave under extreme heat conditions. It looks to me that the GPU sits on some kind of bedding which is at least two to three times the area of the chip itself, and in my case this bedding had become distorted due to the extreme heat, therefore causing some detachment of its connections to the main circuit board. Obviously on the Nvidia boards (and not ATI) the guy is able to get access to the chip/bedding and re-seat it (or reform it) using the same kind of extreme heat.

It could well be that there are faulty GPU’s out there, but it may also be a fact that not all these problems are caused by the GPU going nuclear of its own free will – it could be that it’s operating under extreme stress – as in my case caused by a blocked cooling system.

If you have just bought a new machine with this GPU my advice would be to get extended warranty – I didn’t and I was too late to qualify. I would also advise making sure that people keep their machines and the operating environment as free from dust as possible. Also think perhaps about getting a laptop cooler.

Like I said this may not be the answer for everyone, but if your warranty has run out it may be worth a punt – might save you a few quid and a lot of agro.

On a final note I’ll add that I usually do a lot of AutoCAD work and some video editing (Avid Xpress DV) on my machine which is likely to ask a fair bit from the GPU – I haven’t had a chance to test this with the repair yet.

Paul Mick

 

If you buy a pretty powerful laptop then you shouldn't expect it to be really obsolete in two years. Besides when you buy a laptop you should be able to really expect it to be able to actually keep going for more than two years.

 

Paul Mick - it doesn't make sense, because in theory actual connections in the GPU break - this is why I can't understand how logically a heat gun will resolder these tiny lead balls.

I don't doubt it has worked for you though.

Rachuk - true, a truly powerful shouldn't be obsolote aftre two years, but depending when you bought it, it can be.
The changes from the first SZ to the 7th weren't that great overal - yes, it got more powerful, but the step was significantly smaller than from the old Pentium M (single core) to the newer Dual Cores - and here the Pentium M had become obsolete, also due to generally low clock speeds.

This is technology....

I agree that there is no reason why technoloy should just fail after 1 or 2 years, but depending on the kind of advances, even the most powerful laptops can be obsolete after one or two years.

 

The bottom line is that if a laptop meets all your needs for you in 2 years time then it is not obsolete for you.

 

100% percent true.

 

This is the last post I’ll make on this subject - I'm too busy. Obviously the guy is able to do something – maybe he’s some kind of gifted genius of Nvidia GPU’s.

I don’t think that this guys experience/advice/ability can be dismissed out of hand as ‘not logical or not making sense’ – I am absolutely convinced by his explanation (I have a BSc honours degree Broadcast Engineering of which a significant part was dedicated to electronics – hence my keen interest in what this guy seems to able to do).

Look at the guy’s web site and see the tiny level detail he is able to work to: http://www.laptoprepair.co.uk/see-our-work.htm

Look at the picture here (not an 8400 but very similar): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:6600GT_GPU.jpg

Possibly the whole thing may be described as the GPU. But for our purposes I’m going to call the big silver chip at the centre the ‘GPU’ and the surrounding raised area is what I have previously described as the ‘bed’. It is this bed that I have been informed distorts. You can see there are also a number of surface mount components and connections on the bed that may also become dislodged/damaged. The guy is adamant that there was nothing at all wrong with my GPU chip itself but the surrounding bed had become damaged/distorted due to the extreme heat.

Make your own minds up – maybe I got lucky. In case anyone is wondering I have absolutely no connection with this company whatsoever. I’m just offering a suggested alternative to people who’s machines are out of warranty like mine is – based on my experience. I’m genuinely over the moon to get my machine back from the dead. I will recommend these guys to anyone in the future though!

Good luck, hope you all get your GPU's sorted.

Paul Mick

 

Well maybe you had a different fault on your GPU - but if you read the initial article - it doesn't sound as if heat per se could solve the problem.

The GPU problem is that dies expand at different rates and the little lead balls connectiing the GPU and the underlying structure break - that's the NVidida GPU problem.

Now if internal little lead balls (each nanometer I suspect) break then heat won't be able to place them in the right place and reconnect them.

Anyway - where are other people in tis thread?

 

This is the problem I have with the nVidia problem. As an owner of a Macbook Pro with the 8600 GPU (which has already failed once) I was under tremendous pressure to buy the extended warranty.

Because of this known issue and Apple's original stance (nothing is wrong) I felt like I was being extorted to buy the $349 3-year Applecare. I felt this was bad form indeed since I've never had to purchase one in the past and have several old laptops laying about that are well past the three year mark.

I eventually relented and bought the warranty. The GPU failed 3 months later after Apple acknowledged the problem and extended the warranty by 12 months (for this problem only).

Now I sit wondering whether I will have a working Mac a year from now. This problem is directly related to me buying my first Sony Vaio. No longer able to comfortably use my 8600-based MBP for Vista gaming I sought a ATI-based Windows laptop that at least had some style. The FW 290 CTO fit the bill perfectly. Now when I travel on business I have to lug two computers if I want to have some gaming time (thankfully I drive to most of my remote locations).

The point of all of this is thus:

We should expect the manufacturer of our technology to stand behind their products regardless of whether it is a component manufacturer whose part has failed. Sony needs to step up! (and nVidia needs to make them whole)

And...

We should not be forced into buying extended warranties as a backstop when there is a known issue with a particular product or component.

Cheers,

 

My daughter’s SONY VGN-FZ190 CTO had the exact same graphics problem as described in Post #650. I can not even read the BIO manual clearly. It was bought at SonyStyle on 07/16/2007 at a price of $1653.99 plus Tax. I realized Apple, HP, and Dell have extended one more year warranty due to the NVIDIA 8400M and 8600M problems, while SONY denies the issues even with the fact that many of their laptops have the same problems. At a cost of more than $600 to replace a SONY motherboard that might last one year with the same NIDIA chip, I decided to buy a new HP (with 9xxxM NVIDIA) for my daughter since I know at least HP will help their customers if the same problems occur and the laptop can be used at least two years.

It might be time to fill out the petition at
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/vaioproblem/

Some reference I found on Web:
http://laptoping.com/nvidia-mobile-video-graphics-card-problem.html
http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/02/nvidia-says-significant-quantities-of-laptop-gpus-are-defectiv/
http://laptoping.com/macbook-pro-geforce-8600m-gt-gpu-problem.html
http://www.obsessable.com/news/2008/08/19/dell-offers-warranty-extension-for-nvidia-gpu-failures/

 

Someone told me that they sell the FZ190 for $650 open box at Circuit City. I don't know if it's true, so I tried to call and ask them but they were too busy. Maybe this is a stupid question. But would it be possible, strictly hypothetically of course, to buy one from Circuit City and return my older defect one a month later for free repairs?

 

Possible - yes, legal - doubt it.

 

I am pretty sure everything you buy during the liquidation cannot be repaired/returned at the store.

 

Two words: serial numbers.

Gary

 

If you haven't registered your Vaio this wont work - they don't show up on the receit.

 

I agree that the serial numbers will give you away. Unique serial numbers are "locked" to each individual machines. Furthermore, Sony will probably have a system to specify which laptops (serial numbers) are being sold at a particular location and so on...

 

Question is though:
Is that proof?

It is enough to cast serious doubt - but what about the legal standpoint?

 

It's fraud, period. And as such, I don't think it is allowed to be discussed here. So we don't risk getting this thread locked, let's just drop the discussion.

Gary

 

That is true.

 

Sorry guys. I gave up and sold off my defect VAIO FZ190 for parts. So no more Sony and nVidia for me. This time I'm getting a MSI GT735 with ATI graphics and I'll probably never own a Sony or nVidia product again.

Good luck to the rest of you and keep signing that petition.

 

Soory to hear that, but I can undestand why you are frustrated.

Good luck with your new laptop!

 

INSURE YOUR LAPTOP:
yesterday my NVIDIA chpset stopped working while i was playing a game.
FZ180E 8400M GT
Now Vista is set into Lowest reolution i cant even switch between windows,its terrible. my waranty finished last year and now i have to spend loads of money in order to replace main board or get a new laptop.
If you are having FZ series,just insure oyur laptop ASAP or someday you might get into terrible situation like me.
Anyone know what is the best way to fix this problem?
can i just replace the NVIDIA chip or i have to change the whole mainboard!
will appreciate if some one help
Thanks

 

You'll need a new mainboard.

 

OK... so i am eligible for the doubled warranty that Mastercard provides upon use of their credit card.. so I've been setting this up for a while now and they required that I get a repair estimate from a local repair shop. I took it in on saturday and explained the situation as well as I could, and the tech called me back today and told me the problem with the lines on the screen is due to the screen itself, because apparently when you move the screen around the .:.:.:.:. lines go away (i don't believe this.. i think it's just the behavior of LCD screens that makes it look like they've gone away when you look at it from different angles).... he hasn't even tried yet to figure out why it won't boot into windows but seemed to be calling it a software problem (the OS)... again i don't believe it... I guess he doesn't understand how the GPU has literally burned out, and has in turn burned up the motherboard to which it is mounted, which in turn causes the computer to fail. he said he was aware of the recall that HP and Dell did though... augh... anyway he said he could order a screen for $249, but for the sake of the estimate he was going to quote it much higher, like around $600 or something. I'm still not sure this will do me any good. I thought I was done jumping through hoops and that it'd be smooth sailing from here... the guy at the shop is even an acquaintance of my brother's.. I thought I'd be getting some real help... augh...

will continue updating...

 

New Nvidia failures on the Apple forums - this time it's the 9400M/9600M in the new Macbook Pros:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1924473

 

Ha ha. Havent been active for some time, since i linked a friend to this forum for any laptop related Q's i thought i d' revive this eternal thread with: (and sorry if its already posted.)

http://vr-zone.com/articles/nvidia-...ve-gpus--buy-our-new-chips/6351.html?doc=6351

While i did deviate from sonys with my new laptop i have to admit i was not the wiser to avoid the real culprit.Nvidia, which after reading the above is just taking the ....

Good luck to all. Make sure you pay that annoying (and goldmine for the companies) warranty extension when acquiring a new one.

 

Here's my experience dealing with Sony of Canada:

-FZ180E purchased August 2007
-Died on Christmas 2008 with symptoms mirroring the above
-Contacted Sony for a repair estimate
-The estimate was around $900
-Sony of Canada offered me a CR series with 3 year warranty at around $350 as a gesture of good faith
-It didn't have the features I was looking for so I ended up with an FW285D for around CAD $800 including the extended warranty, tax and shipping
-I then discovered this thread, and realized that this was a known issue that other manufacturers had addressed
-I brought this to the attention of the agent that had assisted me at Sony of Canada customer relations
-After about two weeks, got a voice message back stating that he had investigated the issue with Sony of Japan and Sony of Canada. He indicated that Sony is aware of the NVIDIA issue however does not believe that it has affected any Sony product. Should a service advisory be issued in the future, he can look at refunding the $800 for the replacement unit.

I guess there is nothing more I can do now other than hope that Sony realizes that their products are affected and issues a service notice. The guys at Sony of Canada seemed like they genuinely wanted to assist but apart from the discounted replacement were unable to go any further. Fingers crossed that eventually a Sony service notice will address this.

 

I just stumbled upon this thread after posting in the Sony Vaio FZ owner's thread. I too have a failed GPU and Sony just informed me that they cannot do anything except charge me an arm and a leg to diagnose the problem (2 months outside of warranty period). I for one am fed up with Sony in this matter and the way they are handling the situation. I am going to contact American Express and see what they can do with their extended warranty. I've heard sometimes they reimburse you the full amount of the laptop. Good luck to all those with the same problem.

 

The Vaio forums have got a thread on it... the last was a good one.
(Sorry, didn't save the link)

Consumer protection laws may be used depending on where you live.

 

As an update, not only does my SZ 680 now have a randomly inverted mousepad, bad GPU (I can only use the laptop on "stamina mode"), but it occasionally shocks me. Fantastic!

My warranty is about a year expired, am I probably screwed?

 

the inverted mouse is a knows static problem.

The shocks - I think that has to do with static/earthed unearthed plug, not he GPU.

With respect to the GPU - you should feel happy that you have a stamina mode.

You may want to try consumer protection laws.
You can call Sony and ask, or ask a privately owned repair shop...

I think you're good off sticking with your X3100 - that's what I use all the time.

PS: Yours is I thínkt the 2nd SZ that failed...

 

The touchpad issue is annoying but fixed by using a mouse, I hate touchpads anyway.

The shocking has only recently happened and is only annoying.

I am glad that my backup GPU works but I used this laptop for games which I can't do now... so I've lost half of the usability for the laptop.

The little annoyances I can live with I suppose, but it's the culmination of all of these broken parts that is about to drive me up the wall... I suppose I'll call Sony and see what they say, but I don't want to send it in just to get a 700$ bill. I'd rather just buy a 700$ new laptop and be done with it. It's a bit frusterating I guess

 

+1

My Sony FZ's nvidia 8400 GT looks to have hit the wall and now I can only use it for a few hours on power save settings before I get the blank screen, reboot, messed up Vaio boot sequence, and then going into safemode with network utilities.

After reading about the horrors of what people went through with customer service, I tried reaching them but since my warranty is over by about 6 months, they wanted to charge me just for me to get someone on the phone. I know it's the GPU and reading the run around that people have been given here, I just pulled the trigger on an Asus with a radeon card. I will be keeping an eye on the situation as well, but it looks like I have an expensive computer gone to waste sitting on my desk. Its beautiful screen...only running at a stretched 640 res >_<

I'm pretty bummed by Sony's lack of a response to this issue...if not outraged :T

 

I've got an FZ-180e (19 months, no warranty extension) that was getting progressively hotter on the lap over a couple of weeks. I went through the cooling system to make sure there were no blockages, but that didn't help. On a day when I was intensively preparing some paperwork, I started to get dots, lines, and patterns on the screen. It looked to me like the GPU going out. Then I had a couple of long response pauses, followed by a Vista message that the GPU had stopped but had been successfully restarted. Shortly after I got a shutdown. Restarting, I could only successfully boot into Safe Mode.

I fired up the chat access to Sony support, and they had me try several driver-related actions (nothing). Then they had me wipe out the disk contents and replace it with the initial load. Part way through the first-time experience it locked up (graphics start), and that was the last time I used it. They suggested I purchase a set of restore disks to solve the problem (thank you very much).

Online support information led me to the local SonyStyle store and their Backstage crew. They had access to details about this model and said the repair cost should be $279 because the GPU was socketed on this model. So I dropped it off with the $100 open/inspect fee and submitted it to Sony Service. Seven days later I received an acknowledgment of arrival in San Diego - nothing more yet. I've just finished reading this forum history and expect a $700 repair quote.

I'm going to start researching credit card warranty extensions, as it sounds like that's my only hope for an affordable "solution". I expect that, if fixed, it will be returned with the identical Nvidia chip that got me into this situation.

It was a nice, convenient notebook - but maybe it's time for a change.

 

ugh. . . 60+ forum pages to find out there is no solution. I have the sony fz190 and the gpu chipset failed. vertical lines, only loads in safe mode; it works once in a blue moon, only to fail expectantly in the near future. I tried cleaning all the dust out of the fan (quite a bit). I called sony the day it happened and they want me to pay a repair shop or buy sony start up disks. I saw "itsweeny" was working the problem diligently. Is there any beneficial way i can participate in resolving this ridiculously obvious problem with nvidia/sony?? What is the count on how many gpu chipsets have failed?

Side note: I DJ and ran anywhere from 2 to 4 very demanding programs at once during a gig. Needless to say; I cant work now. . . .

thanking you in advance.

brian

sony vaio vgn-fz190

 

Really sorry, here kind of solution from fellow DJ. I use FZ only in studio-after learning about those disasters, bought SZ from Ebay few months ago just for gigs.. I dont even use Nvidia for Traktor or Ableton Live, anyway if one card would die there is still another. You can find SZ for around 400$ mine is cheapest SZ 1 M/B but fine for Traktor pro, Live8 , reason 4 etc. Put 2G RAM in and 500 GB HDD, update all music with synctoy. I had SZ before that is why I knew what i am getting, better build then FZ iand over 4h. on batteries...

 

So I should buy a 400 dollar SZ chipset? I cant believe I missed the warranty by 3 months. bleh. I run ableton; pcdjvj, and audacity at once. Sometimes even winamp too. I run winamp in external display modeto put a plug in on a projector so the crowd gets some trippy designs. Needless to say, my fz got really hot. This happened ever since I purchased it so I assumed it was normal.

My heart dropped when I walked into the mac store the other day. I never thought I would find myself there bc ive been a pc user for 10+ years. IF money was not a concern. What would be the most dependable computer to buy designed for playing music and gaming.

Also, if there are any petitions to sign or emails, letters to send or phone calls to make. I would be more than happy to file some sort of complaint. I can't believe my FZ took me out of my gig. All I do is promote sony when I play in front of 100 to 300 people. They all see that big vaio symbol and of course ask questions about software, hardware, and my overall machine. I guess I have to now say: I was wrong, forget sony; go buy a mac!

 

I would suggest writing an executive email carpet bomb if you keep running into a wall with their lower tier tech support. (this should be directed at Sony, not Nvidia since you are (Sony's customer) while Sony is Nvidia's.

Sony's claim is that there haven't been enough cases to warrant further action and I don't think we ever received a response about their investigation into the matter.

Aside from making as much noise as possible I'm not sure what else to do at this stage until a suit is announced.

That's probably something we should keep track of since there's not much in the news lately about this. If I have some time this weekend I'll try to go back through the whole thread and extract numbers of which models users have reported as failing. If I were to hazard a guess I'd say a couple of dozen - quite a few F models iirc.

 

Hell no.You get whole notebook for that.
Forget Crapbook, all the Macbook DJ friends are pissed when they hear what I paid and see how SZ performs-lighter better build and so cheap.
Macs have even worse issues with the heat and dead GPUs are as common, it is not Sony or Apple but the Nvidia.
Rule of the thumb with any Sony products is not to buy cheaper products ( I bought FZ because it is the last notebook with s video which I need for VJ jobs), only their top models are really worth it. I had a dozen Vaios over the years and never any problem. I hope my FZ will not die like yours, will sell it before warranty is over.

 

You're right with Macs having worse heat issues.

The thing is that at least Apple acknowledges the Nvidia issue & will fix it for free if problems occur on a case by case basis (within 3 year AppleCare if you have that or an extra year warranty extension on GPU if you don't have AppleCare) but Sony simply "hack care" & don't even admit there is a problem.

 

I think it was 2-3 years back that I contacted Sony support, it was so pathetic that I wont do it ever again. AFAIK Sony is the worst of them all concerning the Nvidia 8xxx series disaster, pretending not to know anything.
The only notebooks with good cooling, no heat issues are IBMs but then they have such hopeless displays ( and here we go MBP or top Vaio models is all that is left)

 

Off Topic: Just wondering, what kind of EDM do you DJ?

 

First; I would like to express my full gratitude to you guys. (Aviray, issdev, SpeedwithJJ,and VAIO_fz for getting involved). We are all savvy with cpu's; which is scary because there doesnt seem to be one right machine that we have found to be completely dependable. I appreciate PC's so much more, and part of this is appreciation comes from the community behind PC's (such as yourselves).

The EECB that iisdev suggested seems most useful, and I am working through the steps suggested.

For all you FZ users. I think the other aid to frying my gpu was the dust build up near the fan area. The "exhaust port" was 33% covered with a thick layer of dust. |__________________| dust coverage that length. I think it is imperative to clean the vents,fans, and exhaust port of your vaio. There is a tutorial online (easy to find), and it is quite easy to do. It just takes a bit of time. Make sure you have a dust cleaner can as well.

The 2 lowly tech support guys informed me that this was a very rare incident, and that these machines usually last up to 7 - 9 years. I replied, "they havent even been on the market for 7 - 9 years?!"

So guys, what do i buy next? an sz with an extended warranty? I have to attain a top performance machine (graphics & ability). I have to get back to work. I'm going to buy this new machine on credit, and hopefully eventually get some type of reimbursement from sony. (holding my breath; even tho I shouldn't).

oh yeah, for VAIO_FZ. I play whatever the people will dance to; Im there solely so they have a good time. I'll play mary had a little lamb if it pleases everybody. But I generally try to invent someway to mix any song. Love those effects. I am not marketing this at all!!! but VAIO_FZ asked the type of music I play. This is a link to some mixes I made a while back. (Personally, I think the first one is the best). http://www.betarecords.com/dj.xa

my preference? drum & bass. maybe just a little trancy; with some timeless a capella's mixed in for a short duration.

be well guys. Any other advice or input will be happily read. Sitting on my hands with my 8 year old HP computer is beginning to feel like being in a 3rd world country. (Pathetic attempt at a joke)

brian

Sony Vaio FZ-190.

 

I was talking to fellow DJ's today, and a Dell studio was suggested. Also, another mbp. . .

 

Well I havn't had any issues with my GPU yet (fingers crossed) and I'm 3 months out of warrenty. I do take my laptop apart like every 3 months to give it a good clean and replace it with fresh thermal paste, maybe regular cleaning did the trick? who knows. I do get worried about alot of FZ's tend to fail just few months after the 12 months warrenty has gone though.

mirage.xa: pretty good tracks you have there but sure its different to me as I listen to trance.

 

I got the SZ because I knew it from before and for 350€ no big drama if someone spills a drink. I dont want my studio notebook exposed to road/club life.
The best notebook for musician/DJ high stage a(buse) is Thinkpad. Most solid build and best cooling = low temp, low noise. Since I do visual work too that is why I am stuck with Sony (best displays).IBM, nearly any other brand seem poor compared to Vaios.
IBM support is the most professional I ever dealt with and comes 3 years standard in many countries.
BTW. to be DJs notebook is probably the toughest life for any computer, the worst are the bl...dy fog machines true computer killers.

 

So today, for the third time in less than 2 years, the NVIDIA chip on my FZ180e ,melted down hurray. Once again i have to start the warranty process where they will replace my motherboard...until it happens again till im out of warranty.

I'm sick of this. I just want to buy an XPS (i prefer dell just because theyre warranty is, in my experience, the best) but i see they only offer an NVIDIA Dual GeForce 9800M GT . I dont know if these suffer from the same problems, but Im really quite sick of dealing with NVIDIA issues and would really want an ATI, seeing as my previous Dell laptop had an ATI card and i had no problems whatsoever...

this is... dissappointing in so many levels =(

 

So update:

and **Warning** . Buying Sony's extended 4 year warranty is a smack in the face. I just got a call from the warranty stating that since My computer has been fixed several times (2 before to be exact, this would be the third, and for the same reason) and the fixes have exceeded the original price of the unit (of course it has, they've had to replace the motherboard twice now) my warrany is pretty much up.

Finished, in the sense that they will not pay for fixes that go over the original price of the unit.

At the beginning they only gave me this option. I was pretty enraged and demanded to speak with some supervisor. After much convincing, I was finally transferred over to someone that offered to replace my vgn fz180-e with a VGN S-230E . If you care to compare both models, you'll notice its pretty much a joke.

Of course, this pc wouldn't have a dedicated graphics card (which is pretty much what i use the pc for) as it has an Intel GMA 4500 MHD with shared video RAM.

At this point, i just feel like i wasted my money on this Sony laptop. I have had pc downtime for 3 times now, and sony wont answer for it, and the 4 year extended warranty is a joke. I am so upset and disappointed. It's incredible that Sony can sell you a defective product and get away with it. I, for one, am never buying another Sony vaio.

In the end, im probably going to take the money and invest it into another pc from a company that offers better customer service. This has been an ordeal, and finally seems to come to an end. Even if its totally unsatisfactory.

So just want to let you guys know, not even sony's extended warranty will protect you from the constant chipset meltdowns. In the end, you will still be as unprotected as someone who didn't buy it.

Worst money wasted in my life.

 

Ouch, that sounds really wrong. You need to call BBB or start a law suit or something -- you bought an extended warranty and the machine should be warranted to operate within the period. If the cost is too much for them, well, don't sell a defective product. At the very least, you need to get an FW in exchange. Don't let them get away on this.

 

tiduspr, I'm sorry to hear about your troubles.

This is really news to me that Sony is having this kind of warranty standard in terms of not paying for repairs that are in total more than the costs of the laptop. I know quite a few Asian companies do things similarly but that happens only in Asia, but for Sony to try this "Asian stunt" in the US, this really is an eye opener. I'm really shocked to hear this & I cannot believe that they would stoop this low with the warranty dealings. I guess there is a "hidden" meaning to their moto, "Like.N ther!"