How to take a good care of your Vaio?

Such as minimalize the scratch, fingerprints, etc.

Thanks.

 

You could: keep it in a vacuumed box.

or carefully handle the vaio and wipe away fingerprints with a cleaning cloth from time to time.

Dedicated laptop sleeves and carrying cases for travel would be a good idea as well.

 

One of the things I do:
I take the battery out when I am on regular power. In my experience this prolongues battery life.

Some people also say you should keep the battery in the fridge. I don't know if this is true.

 

when you fell like you laptop you will take a good care.hahaha
first take it easy because it is a muchine and must be scratched by us.what we do only dely this couse
second do not use it under bad circumstances,such as moist and dust.
add:do not eat any think or drink before you notebook

 

i have a sz483 premium. the way i see it, the most vulnerable parts are the lcd and keyboard.

personally, i have a screen protector put on for the lcd. for the keyboard, look for one of those thin rubber membrane. it helps to keep dust off and the printing on the keyboard from wear & tear.

 

Wow I've never done this and my battery life has never been good on my VGN-S580
Now that I have this TZ191 , maybe when operating on power I should remove battery and see if I can actually see a difference i
I almost aways operate on power when it is available due to previous experience in airports ands really short battery life.
As far as scratches and blemishes and dirt I'd try to have clean hands and I wipe-down very, very carefully, the case and keyboard areas with micro fiber wipes that are called disinfectant wipes
and dry up with special anti static wipes
Bb

 

Putting a battery in the fridge is one of the better ways to store it. If you are going to store it for a prolonged amount of time, then, from what I have read, charging it to around 40% and leaving it in the fridge is the best way to store it. Note though, do not leave it in a freezer.

 

let's see...

I wear golf gloves when I use my laptop @ home >_>....
the finger/hand oil is kinda hard to remove from the carbon fiber finishing.

always but your Laptop in a soft/protective case/cover to isolate your laptop from any other items if you can. (even when you put it in your laptop bag etc. like the ones sony offers.. or you can find some on Ebay. try not to buy ones with zipper... the zipper have a good chance to scratch laptop.. try the fliptop ones.

never but your laptop with 100 other items in the same bag.. (ie... 20lbs textbook that prob will come crashing down on the LCD screen) also be aware of the way your carry your laptop bag... I perfer carrying laptop on the side.. so I don't crash it with my back when I sit down. and always make sure the strap won't slide off my shoulder. the shorter the strap the better.. so your laptop has less chance of going on a sling ride and crash into something.

I bought keyboard covers from ebay. I recommand this type.. (non silicon)
http://tinyurl.com/2ck89b fits really well and is very flexible (i'm currently using it)

I also bought privacy filter from Sonystyle as a mean to protect my Screen from fingerprint. water etc. (or unwanted "hey, what is this???" fingers) and I recommand those high performance cloth by 3M that won't scratch your screen if you want to clean it.

you can also buy a laptop surge protector from Belkin (life time warranty)
of course... this for you to take with you when you go out and plug your laptop directly into the wall w/o surge protection plugs.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16842121003

you can buy USB / Video / firewire port protective cover from L-com.com
but I will admit this is going a little too far in terms of protection.
IEEE-1394 Firewire Protective Cover for Type 2 Jacks
USB Protective Cover for Type A Jacks
DB9/HD15 Protective Cover for Female Connectors

I am still looking for gloves or palm rest cover I can use to prevent hand oils on the carbon fiber finish....... outside of my home

 

wow golf gloves, that is pretty extreme.

I also take out the battery when the A/C is plugged. I've have good success with it in the past and it has prolonged my battery life temendously. Keeping it at 40% is perfect!

 

in a bag or out in the open?

 

I don't recall, sorry, Furia. I would personally put it in a bag regardless, and I can't see why storing it in such would make it any worse.

 

golf gloves that's a good idea and the battery I'll try that one check if what will going to happen .. JUST CURIOUS..

 

golf gloves? thats a bit extreme dont you think?

 

I remove battery when its plugged, as well. It seem to help with heat as well.

Otherwise, my FS turned out to be fairly durable - it survived several drops and spills, and it also endured when I accidentally dropped a heavy textbook on keyboard from above. So I am not very concerned - not that I will treat my FZ in the same way, though.

 

Thanks a lot for all the suggestions!

What I am really interested to have is the keyboard protector, too bad it doesn't handle shipping outside of the United States... But does having the keyboard protector makes it harder or uncomfortable while typing?

The black part of SZ top is very easy to have fingerprints marks. I bring my notebook to class so it'll be useless for me to wear gloves as my friends will touch it anyway...

About the travel surge protector, what exactly does it do? (My English is rather lacking)

Other than the privacy filter, do you have other ideas to protect the LCD? If using privacy filter, I think I won't be able to watch some videos with my friends...

For the bag, I have Dicota protective case with zipper (it is for 14" though), Vaio bag that comes with SZ-440, and a Targus convertible backpack/shoulder bag. Any good case for the SZ4? Like the one so I don't have to take out the notebook from the case while charging... Or like this but for the SZ?

 

yea... I've noticed hand oils can be hard to remove on the carbon finish. Anyone have anything that work really well?

 

I don't have the carbon fiber finish, but I do know of something that REALLY cuts oil and is very gentle at the same time.. "Dawn" dish washing liquid. It is used to clean ducks and other animals that have been in an oil spill. I have used a few drops of it mixed in a small glass of water to clean oils and grease from all sorts of things. BUT I have not tried it on carbon fiber. You might try it in an inconspicuous place first.

Gary

 

I have a keyboard and screen protector. I also have a small towel on the palm rest to prevent any fingerprints and such. The computer doesn't leave home so the towel thing isn't as tacky as you might think

 

The surge suppressors basically protects your laptop from voltage spikes. I don't have one of these for my laptop, but with my desktop I do.

The keyboard protector doesn't hurt nor improve your typing. It does however help with the key noise some ppl complain about. I would be willing to buy the keyboard protector for you, and ship it to your desired location(Granted you cover all charges)

Instead of a privacy filter, get a regular screen protector. Their all over eBay. (Again I can get this for you if you'd like)

 

Can you please post some ebay links of the screen and keyboard protector ?
I own a Vaio AR520E , so it will be great if you'll find something that will fit its ( large) keyboard and protect its 17'' screen .
Thanks in advance !

 

lmao@ wearing gloves while using a laptop

 

I just occasionally wipe mine down with a damp soft cloth. All these other measures seem a little overboard for me.

 

I use to remove my battery everything it finish charging, but ever since I got Vantec LapCool 4 I can't do that anymore.

STUPID Vantec + Sony don't have enough of those rubber thingy on the bottom. My laptop slides down everytime I take off my battery!

I got myself a custom made Micro Fiber cloth in between my LCD and Keyboard. I got the stupid invisible line from the space bar! :'(

 

Do you think removing the battery is miles better than using the Battery Care Function that is included in new models? It lets you avoid continuous charging of the battery when it is plugged in.

How have people been cleaning their lcd screens -- mine did not respond too well to a damp cloth and it has one fingerprint on it that is annoying me (though it is only noticeable at certain angles or when the screen is off)

 

I use non-toxic lens cleaner on the screen and then a non scratch lens cloth cleaner. Also use a Camera Lens Reverse Blower Brush to wipe dust off. I keep that foam inlay between the keyboard and lid when ever transporting.

Worst thing is the grease marks that start to appear on the keyboard after prolonged use. Getting a Exim screen protector and keyboard cover to fix all that.

 

My old battery died unexpectedly a week ago, like many other SZ1 owners, and it had always been attached to the notebook even under AC power. Now I've decided to remove my new battery while being powered by AC, and the lighter weight has definitely made it more convenient to use. The power plug stays firmly attached, so I'm not worried about any accidental power outages.

Monster iClean has always worked great for me, and although it's a bit pricey, I highly recommend it. After 1.5 years of use, my screen looks good as new and scratch-free after cleaning it with iClean. Search for the family size 200mL bottle on Google, Froogle, eBay, etc. -- model #126067.

 

I got a little mark on the left side of the palm rest, and cant remove it with cleaning cloth, it looks like oil mark from hands, I tried a little soft soap on it and it didnt do anything. Anybody tried that "dawn" thing on it? The mark is not visible you have to bend around and face it in a strange angle to the sun to see it, but I dont like it anyways.

I only use a cleaning cloth very often on it, like 2-3 times a day before I use it to remove little dust and grease marks. My keyboard is still very clean.

 

I used the inlay as well -- but then I thought it looked kinda weird to have the foam thing sticking out whenever I pulled my laptop out in class or elsewhere -- I have the vaio sleeve for a case and I think that does a pretty good job on its own.

You may have misunderstood -- there is a program that Sony has on Vista called "Battery Care Function" -- it tells the computer to specifically not charge the battery if it is above a certain % when plugged in (there are other criteria I believe). So basically -- if I plug in a laptop into the wall with 100% charge, it will act as if the battery weren't there. Normally laptops use the battery to power and the AC constantly recharges it (which is why they recommend taking the battery out when plugged in). My understanding was this program has the same function as taking the battery out.

 

I can't verify if this is true, since the battery care function is not a feature on my SZ1 (the battery care application doesn't work on my SZ either). Have you tested if it actually works, though? According to the VAIO G interview, it's possible to stop the battery charge at 50% and have that setting stored on the battery. I think it would be beneficial to all of us if this statement can be verified. Does the orange battery LED stop blinking once the battery reaches a 50% charge while the notebook is on and in Vista? What about when the notebook is off, does it also stop blinking at 50%?

 

Hmm -- I actually don't use it, and i did a clean install -- I just tried running it and all the options were greyed out -- I'm probably missing one of the shared utils that it needs (though I thought I installed them all)

but the greyed out functions indicate that it can specify for a battery to not charge all the way --- and the setting can be set for each battery independently -- what is the advantage of that?

 

At the end , I don't know why you need all these glowes , display protections , keyboard protections etc. ?
OK , you'll have to clean the display and the keyboard from time to time .
OK , you should be a little careful not to scrach the display .
But why do you refer to a notebook display as it was a PocketPC/Palm display where you should be aware not scraching the display with the stilus .
Laptops does not have stiluses to type on the screen .
On your car do you use a protective film on its windows ? Do you wear glowes when you drive your car ?
Instead of enjoing your laptops and use them "naturally" you're aware all the time if your next move won't destroy it .
Watching the display through a protective film is not as good as watching it without it and typing on the keyboard is not so good through a protective silicon mask as without it .
I think that you should calm down and enjoy more USING your laptops instead enjoying PROTECTING them clean all the time .

 

My Fz's screen attracts a lot of dust. I have no clue on how to clean them up. When I try to clean it up with a cloth it never goes away coz the surface of the lcd screen is kind of sticky. Any suggestions? I used to carry my notebook in a backpack, now the right side of the lid doesn't seat fully on the base. The lcd is kind of flimsy and flexes a lot when kept sideways in a backpack.

 

Using a keyboard protector doesn't make typing any less enjoyable for me. I'm actually happy that I won't be damaging the key surface. Same goes for the screen protector, movies are just as great as without a screen protector. I spent a lot of money, why not take care of it? Even if it's something cheap, it's part of my belongings I paid for it of course I'm gonna take care of it. Also when it's time to sale I will be able to honestly say it's in excellent shape, and possibly get a higher dollar amount

 

You guys just have different philosophies on possessions and value -- I dont think either is right or wrong -- I think I fall somewhere in between the two.

Personally, I just want to know how to keep my laptop screen clean (so I don't see smudges) -- I agree that keyboard and screen protectors are a little bit of a stretch (though my PDA does have a screen protector -- and it used to have a body protector -- though I have since gotten rid of it since it wasn't worth it, and have consequently picked up some scratches on the way), but some people (including myself at times) get enjoyment/satisfaction out of keeping their possessions pristine.

Now if the keyboard protectors made typing softer -- then I may get one of those too

 

The keyboard protector does feel nice and soft

 

Blowing away the dust is a good idea. That way you don't need to touch the screen which will collect grease or solution films. Use a rubber ball syringe (available at pharmacys), or perhaps a blowdryer (not hot air).

Using a keyboard cover AND golf gloves at the same time sounds pretty extreme!

If you plan on selling your computor I can understand the use of all these protective measures. But if you plan on keeping it, if you really like it as a personal belonging, like me, then it's kind of sad to cover it up in plastic. Handling it carefully and using common sense to keep it clean should be sufficient. I like to fully see its shape and feel it. Otherwise it's like I haven't unpacked it yet. It's "halfway" from the store. Not a real part of your home.

Just like filthiness in people is disgusting, overly obsessive cleanliness can become repulsive. For example, my brother's old wife was extremely pedantic and critical with everything material: She had some fine furniture in the appartment, but she didn't want to have any wear on it, so she kept it just for display. Wrapped up in plastic! I couldn't help it, but I found her disgusting.

I think overly protectiveness with material possessions comes down to deeper psychological issues (fear of shortage or lack, fear of change, fear of growing old, fear of death.)

Another example of such exaggerated behaviour is when parents will not allow their children to play because they are afraid their clothes will become dirty.

 

A quick note about putting your battery in the fridge.
Don't use the battery straight away out of the fridge. Let it reach room temprature before inserting it back in your laptop.
Cold batteries produce condence (moist) that could shortcurcit your battery!

Sorry I can't spell for s**t...

Regarding cleaning your laptops.
I have a antistatic cloth from 3M that I only use for the screen. It doesn't scratch it and attracts dust.
For the toplid, palmrest and keyboard I use the same trick I use for my iPhone and all other gadgets;

After you showered, when your towel is still moist use it to wipe down your gadgets! ;-)
It removes all grease and fat!

Just my two cents worth...

 

Be very careful about using your laptop without a battery. Computers are very sensitive to power fluctuations. I'm not talking about surges. Surge protectors protect your computer from massive power surges that go through the line. However, power can fluctuate at below that set limit.

What am I saying?

Lets say your power goes out. If you are on your computer, the power going into it will fade out. Same thing for if your power comes back on. This can be very harmful--it fried my other computer's motherboard.

Personally, I like having the battery left in. That way, if there is a power fluctuation, it just switches on over to the battery, so the power essentially never fluctuates.

I understand people are talking about preserving the life--but for me a new battery is way less costly than a new computer 8)

 

I agree, and the battery will always descrease its life expectations, no matter what you do.

One suggestion for a better care of the laptop would be: don't play exaustly on it, specially first person shooters, your keyboard will apprecciate

 

Sony's user manual tells you to always keep the battery in the computor during use.

 

I agree, and the battery will always descrease its life expectations, no matter what you do.

One suggestion for a better care of the laptop would be: don't play exaustly on it, specially first person shooters, your keyboard will apprecciate

 

"Ships are safe in the harbour - but that is not what ships were built for." I use the machine with care and give it good cleaning with a very soft cotton cloth. A damp corner for some stains is appropriate. Gloves and boxes may help keep it in great shape but let us not forget that we buy machines to serve us and not the reverse!

I do enjoy caring for my machines and have a lot of polishes that I buy for my car. I use most of them (after checking for appropriate finishes) on my phone and computer. This Sunday ritual works for me.

I have had a laptop for years and I never remove the battery. Most last me over 2 years. The IBM is showing some weakness now after 3 years.

Some of the comments I have read make me feel like a cruel machine driver! But, as I stated, I use the machines, enjoy them and care for them and accept that just as I am aging, so are they.

 

Its always nice to store your laptop in a sleeve if you want to avoid scratches during travel. Always make sure you don't put too much weight (pressure) on the screen and NEVER EVER put your laptop on the sleeve during use because it blocks air intake at the bottom for the cooling system.
as for fingerprints, i really have no idea, gloves maybe? LOL
I recommend you to pay less attention to the laptop's exterior and pay more attention on how to take care of its interior (for example, extending its battery life and HD protections).

 

I was thinking of some other things. We all know the two main enemies of electronics are 1. dust 2. heat (or lack there of)

Try to keep your laptop as dust-free as possible. No, that doesn't mean carelessly wiping the dust off of your laptop or surrounding area with your hand. I mean carefully wiping away dust on and around your laptop onto a towel or microfiber cloth, so it doesn't spread around the room.

Invest in a cooling pad. They are small and relatively portable. The cooler you can keep your laptop (within reason) the better off you are. Just make sure you don't get it too cool. Follow directions on optimal heat environment. The usual I think is around 50-80 degrees Fahrenheit (room temperature). Also try to avoid using your laptop outside. There are too many uncontrollable variables outdoors.

Another thing I do is while I'm at home, I have a separate monitor, mouse, and keyboard that I Plug in. This way the screen, touchpad, and keyboard are all not being used and worn out. My laptop sits on the cooling pad, screen closed at all times while I am at home--even when I am using it.

I think this will help dramatically extend the life of your laptop, both internally and externally.

 

I disagree on the bit about keeping the screen closed. By doing so, you are allowing the lcd to get much warmer than it would. Not all of the heat is dissipated out the vents. On some models a significant portion of the heat would be trapped as it rises up and would be trapped under the lid. I know for example on an older Sony laptop I had, when I did leave it closed while running a job overnight, the next day the screen itself was quite warm.

Gary

 

Interesting - On the older models was the screen off when it was closed? I haven't noticed much heat. I like it closed because it prevents dust from getting on the keyboard/screen.

 

The screen was off. It was not the source of the heat. The disk drive and processor were. Ever notice how some folks talk about the palm rest suface of their laptop being quite warm? It is this heat that was being trapped on my old machine. Since that time I never leave the lid closed while the machine is running. In fact mine is configured to sleep when the lid is closed.

Gary

 

Wow, if you have an external display, a mouse and a external keyboard for your laptop, then why didn't you get a desktop then? (you are only using the actual laptop for processing)
Personally, I really would not invest another $500-$600 for accessories simply to protect your laptop. While a separate mouse is required for comfort, I really don't think you will need another keyboard and monitor. If you don't do a lot of typing on your laptop then the keyboard should last around 3 years. As for the monitor, if you are going to buy one then you might as well get a desktop with it since it will just be sitting there if your laptop is not around. Everything you bought is meant to be used and replaced sooner or later, if you don't use it, you will lose its value and what you have paid for. Currently, new technologies is being introduced at a stunning rate, so you will never worn out a laptop before you want a new one.

 

Several reasons. Like I said, my desktop fried, so I had a keyboard, mouse, and a monitor already. But, also for comfort and preservation of my notebook. I don't like a huge laptop screen because then it isn't portable. However, when I'm at home, I do like a big screen. So, to me it is worth the money to have the portability of the laptop, while having the comfort of a PC. Saves more money than buying both. Keyboards and mice are relatively cheap, so the only real expensive thing is the monitor. I like taking full advantage of my Blu-ray disc drive

Gary- I realize that a lot of power is generated from the bottom, I just didn't think it was that much--glad that you pointed that out though! I won't close the lid anymore. I have it so my computer hibernates when the lid is closed so I don't walk around with the risk of the hard disk still spinning; but when I have my external monitor plugged in I have it so it doesn't do anything on a lid close.

 

I guess this is a preservation thread though 8) so yea, I guess a monitor is extreme for *solely* the preservation of a notebook.