Need help with upgrading my TX/TXN

Hi i opened my TX to upgrade the hard drive. This job would have taken me no more than 15 minutes but i have spent to long on it now trying to get the small flat metal round screws that hold the metal plate in place that goes over the hard drive.
Does anybody know what the screwdriver is that i need to buy?

Thanks

 

a description or picture would help....I suspect it is a torx head, but cannot swear. Head to lowes and get yourself a precision screw driver set. They were selling them at Xmas time for about $12 and they had 36 different heads in them. Bound to be one of them.

 

Hi gerryf19 thanks for your help. I took a picture before and it was hard to make anything out so i never posted it. It is a flat screw that is small and round. I would think that other Sony models like the TZ might use the same screws.

I cannot seem to get a good picture but if you go here and look under the optical drive and enlarge the picture you might be able to make it out.
http://home.comcast.net/~nw_systems/vgnTX.pdf

 

The picture isn't very sharp but I guess it's PH00 x 60 Phillips screwdriver.

If it has 4 'points' it is the Phillips, if it it's circle with 6 points it's a torx.

 

you're right...terrible picture

http://www.pbtools.us/screwchart.html

Take a look there

 

Please tell us the result as well I'm going to do the same soon BTW, which HDD and RAM is possible to use in TX series? 1.8 " ATA 100 4200 rpm and DDR2-400 (PC3200) only? Is there any limitation (like max. 2 gigs of RAM)?

 

Trying to find information on sony products without an actual model number is like trying to lick your own eye-brows.

I've actually even had times where I was working on a sony product and the model number on the case was wrong.

Sony makes pretty products but they are a major pain in the butt

 

True, sorry VGN-TX51B

 

Wow...sony's support (and I use that term loosely) site is worse than I remember. The manual alone is the biggest joke I've seen in weeks.

Looks like you are stuck with pc3200 memory, but you should be able to go all the way up to a 7200 2.5 pata drive. I'd probably stick with a 5400 as the extra speed is limited and the extra heat may be an issue in the sony case.

 

For the HDD you are stuck with what you can find in 1.8" HDD with a ZIF connector. Though I believe they just released 5400 versions of these recently.

 

if I remember correctly the samsung 1.8" 5400RPM is too tick for the T/TX/U, although you might be able to squeeze it in a TT. It is fatter than the 80GB toshiba/hitachi.

 

Thanks for all answers Yep I was hoping for 5400 rpm HDD instead of 4200 rpm. First I was planning to exchange some plastic parts which got scratch or crack by the years of using, but after checking it's prices, glue will be more appropriate for a home only use computer.

 

thank you for correcting me...zif connector. Criminey, I thought only old Macs used those. Found a few samsung drives spinning at 5400, but very expensive.

A pox on sony,,,,

 

Well i got the screws of in the end i cannot say that it happened without event. I started to bend the metal plate and then i even thought about cutting it with some scissors. Anyway after trying various screwdrivers i got them of.

I was replacing a 100GB 4,200rpm drive with a 32GB Samsung SSD drive. Right now i am getting the dreaded operating system not found. It is not even booting to the BIOS. This probably means that i have to take everything apart again. Btw, i have a UK model and i have a 2GB stick in it and it has 512MB on board. This laptop supports up to 533mhz i think.
The 4,200rpm drive is pretty thick. You would be able to replace it with a 120GB 5,400rpm PATA drive for sure. I know because installed this drive in another computer.

The original drive is a lif drive and the Samsung SSD drive keeps on coming out of the connector. Getting into to stay in the connector is a bit tricky and that might be what has caused my problem now.

I also fitted a N wifi card the Intel 5300 and fixed a third antenna in place then i removed it as the wires were going everywhere. This laptop is to small to be able to tuck the wires somewhere.

Metsn where did you buy your laptop?

 

Japan...as well as Z now

Upgrading Sony laptops is always so tricky. The TX is great one really...using it for so many years while travelling...carrying it in minus 20°C as well as plus 40°C just in soft leather messenger bag and still works great.

 

So if I'm right, these two components would fit in my TX?

Toshiba MK1231GAL HDD
INFINEON 2GB DDR2 533MHZ PC2 4200 4300 SODIMM

 

Metsn i googled your laptop part number and your laptop has got a Pentium M 1ghz processor. What is the part number of the drive in your TX? I doubt that your drive is a zif drive because i think that the later models had them. Is there anyway that you could link to the full specs of your laptop also?

I broke my laptop and i need to take into service. After what i wrote above i tried to get the SSD working but my laptop was just not picking it up. After a few attempts i ended up breaking my HD/DVD cable.
I also damaged the trackpad connector also but that can be replaced without needing to buy a new motherboard.

At this point i don't know if the SSD drive is ok. I will get it checked out when my laptop is in service. Not with Sonystyle i might add the cost of the repair will be too expensive.

I am also going to get the N wifi card fitted at the same time also. If the SSD drive is ok then that will be fitted as well.

I don't think that i am ever going to open up a laptop ever again and try to upgrade it.

 

The problem was I didn't have TX with me You're right, I'm starting to be lost a bit. The HDD in my TX is this one (MK8007GAH). I want to exchange it mainly because it has it's years already and who knows how long it will still be working. Of course upgrading it for higher capacity or speed would be nice. But now I'm not sure what kind of disk I can choose and if they're are still sold.

Full specs can be found here ( translated)

So it looks like I'm stuck with 400MHz memory as well. And they're hard to find...no 2GB stick and more expensive than 533mhz...

 

Metsn that is an IDE drive in your notebook. You would need a IDE to zif convertor 50 pin adapter to be able to use the drive that you linked to. You could always go for an SSD drive as well. There are 32GB IDE SSD drives out there as well but they are a bit hard to get hold of.
This is the 120GB 1.8 PATA drive that i was refering to in my other post. It should fit but with out the support that Sony put around the smaller drives. To be on the safe side though i would go for a 5mm drive especially if you are going to use an adapter.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SAMSUNG-120GB...D2VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em122
I sold one of those on Ebay before that i bought to upgrade my nieces laptop. I also took a picture of the adapter in the picture below as well.
http://usera.ImageCave.com/rachuk/drive.jpg

I did not notice any speed boost but at the same time i was not doing anything intensive with it.

The memory if you buy a 2GB stick that runs at 533mhz it will will most likely operate at 400mhz speed. Most will do this anyway. I bought a 2GB stick for my laptop that runs at 667mhz and i am running it in 533mhz and sometimes i opt to run it in 400mhz as i am given two choices about what speeds i want it to run at.
Edited to add:
I just ran a search and this is the 32GB SSD drive that you can use directly.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Samsung-32GB-...yZ158852QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

I want to put a WWAN module into my TX5XN/B (UK model) which is basically the same models as the TXN upper model as mine has a 1.33 core solo processor. I am using a HSDPA PCMICA card with speeds of 7.2 right now.

I want to put a WWAN module like so into my laptop-




I am tending to think that i have the US TX casing as i have the sim slot, but i am not sure on that. The TXN models used a different wwan card a celluar one that cannot be unlocked to use in the UK. The TXN models also used a different antenna stick i believe.

You can unlock these Cingular cards so that is why i am interested. I also want a WWAN stick as well as it will help give me a better signal. I think that the speeds maybe limited to 3.6 but it does not really matter considering that mobile broadband speeds in the UK are currently capped at 1.4 with a view of increasing to 3.6 in the future. It probably will be over 5 years till 7.2 speeds are implemented.

This is the card that was used in the TXN models. They are locked to EDVO and cannot be used in a GSM country.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...sPageName=ADME:L:MAV:US:1123#ebayphotohosting

My laptop has the slot where i can put a sim card and it also has the connector on the motherboard where the cable for the wwan cable goes.

I want to send this to person who is upgrading my laptop.

I am also confused by the part number(s) of what exactly it is that i need to buy. I have the board, cable and plate i think.
http://www.sparepartswarehouse.com/Sony,Vaio,VGN-TX,VGN-TX650PB,Laptop,parts.aspx
http://www.sparepartswarehouse.com/Sony,Vaio,VGN-TXN,VGN-TXN15PW,Laptop,parts.aspx
Any ideas about this?

This is the manual.
http://home.comcast.net/~nw_systems/vgnTX.pdf

Edited to add:
I went with a TX7 wwan card in the end (i linked to one above). I am going to chance getting the TX WWAN stick also.
http://www.impactcomputers.com/1-754-391-11.html
Also, i am not sure what this is for? I see no mention of that part in the manual. Do we need either one or the other or both parts?
http://www.impactcomputers.com/1-754-391-21.html#
Maybe this all that i need now?

 

I cannot find any information about the wwan card on what is now the ATT website. The card is a Cingular EE52 modem. It operates GPRS and Edge only i believe? Is there no HSDPA for sure?
What are the speeds like? I am not certain what i even bought lol.

I might end up just using the built in antenna+wan stick with my PCMCIA 7.2 HSDPA card if that is possible.

I am a adding a little bit of weight to my laptop but the differences with the SSD drive and the standard drive probably makes up for that.

 

I have run Cingular Edge on my UX before and noticed its speed is around 250kbps.

 

Thanks ngvuanh
I would unlock and use it on the 3G network in the UK it but the speed will still be 250kbps that is pretty bad isn't it. I was thinking after i bought this that it might even be able to take a better modem card then the one that i bought.
I can get 1.4Mbps from my current card as that is what is supported in the UK until speeds of 3.6mbps come into effect.
I am not entirely sure if I will install the modem now. It would be great if i see the spec sheet for this card. I am not sure though if the antenna that is located near the wan stick and the wan stick would help give me a better signal with my HSDPA card.
Maybe i should just inform the person to proceed with it instead of just waiting for these parts to turn up from the USA.

Edited to add:
I remembered that my SZ7 has got a PCMICA slot. I inserted my card into the slot and i could not just get it to recognise my card even though i disabled the built in HSDPA modem. The SZ7 antenna the base unit is connected to the module. Based on that i think that i will definitely not install the modem. The TX antenna base unit is not connected to the module i think so i should be OK i think if i get that installed but not the modem. Whether it will work and help boost my signal though i just don't know about that.
.......
I have been told over PM that the wan base unit has got an antenna that attaches it to the wan module so i guess for now this idea is ruled out for me.
........
On second thoughts what i might try and do is to run a third party antenna from the wan base and route it around my laptop as opposed to attaching it to the modem.

 

This is a useful thread!!

Does anyone know if the core solo processor is soldered in? If not, what faster processor can be added (and what should be done about the bios)?

My plan for this TX is to add an SSD, max RAM at 2GB, and if possible change the processor/bios. It's now on XP, but if W7 is found to be faster I'll go there as well.

THANKS!

 

notaguru the processor is soldered down. I tried to remove it myself when i had my laptop open but there is no way that can be done. There are people that can remove it with special tools but it is a case of finding someone like that. I think that you can go up the max ULV drive that was used on the TZ which was like the 1.33 C2D.
I know someone on ebay who can do this but they are in the UK and not the US so that is not helpful to you.
I would also expect that you would lose a little bit of battery life but not much.

I was going to get a Mtron SSD drive but i was put of with the fact that it consumes a fair amount of power. It consumes more power than the standard 1.8 drive also. The Mtron drives have a read write of 2.5watts opposed to 1.8 read watt on the standard drives. They also idle at 0.7 watts compared to the Samsung SLC drive which has a 0.36 watt write and it idles at idle: 0.035W.

The Mtron drive is the one to go for if you want pure speed and Samsung is more conservative with power and it performs decently as well.

When i get my laptop back i will post my thoughts and see if i notice a decent gain over the standard drive. I went with a 32GB Samsung MCBQE32GEMPP-01A drive.

I was planning to upgrade and put wwan into my laptop but i think that i am going to give up with this whole antenna thing.

 

Thanks - if it's soldered in place I won't even go exploring. The Mtron drive makes sense, along with the last 500MB of memory and a clean decrapified (nlite) XP installation.

Well, there are perhaps 6-7 people in the world who understand antennas (thousands who know the math, but "understand" is at another level). You might solve your problem with a compromise solution, and the difference could be undetectable.

 

I can replace processor for you. That's what I am doing for UX series.
Take a look at my signature and go to http://micropctalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5468 for more detail.

 

Right now it's a U1500 at 1.33GHz. What processor can you put into this, what would it cost, and how long would you keep it?

I was thinking that the processor would be the last step - I really need an SSD and more memory. By the time I've finished, I could buy a used TZ.

Thanks

 

Highest you can put is Core2Duo U7700 1.33GHz.
But I think you better sell your TX and get an used TZ like TZ240N for around $900.

 

The person who is doing my upgrading for me is going to put the TX Edge modem into my laptop. In fact they have already done so. I am sure with effort i can get it working properly. For web browsing Edge is not that bad. I have bought all the correct parts now although i did get sent one wrong part for something that i bought of Ebay so i had to reorder the correct part from Sony yesterday.
The problem is for to me to try to get an unlocking code from Sony for the card. Hopefully it will not be too hard to get. I'm hoping that it already is unlocked though.
http://www.laptopsinc.com/SonySIM/SIMUnlock.ppt

In the end i got my SZ to recognise the PCMICA card through the networking tools but i could not get it to work with globetrotter.

I am also going to try something else and i'll also let you know how it goes.
I am going to buy the TZ WWAN base card and see if that can be used in the TX. In my first post about the WWAN upgrade i also added a link to the WWAN base that is used in the TXN.

This is the unit that is used in the TZ. You can buy this part for $35 from Sony. The part number is A1289820A. I might as well buy it seeing as i have an item that is due to be shipped tomorrow and i am paying like for the overnight express shipping service.

That picture came from this thread-
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=228529

 

Thanks, and good luck with that.
I'm under no pressure to move quickly (lots of laptops in my office!). Some one told me that the TZ is now available with the 9400 at 1.6GHz - obviously, that would be costly but worth 2-3 years. It's not visible at the Sonystyle website, but I have someone looking for it.

And of course with a new unit I'll get an EVDO modem as well.

 

Does the TX have the WWAN slot like the TZ, also by defualt what card goes in there?, SOny are worse than HP, as on the TZ you cannot get the WWAN card working on a fresh install of windows, it is simply not detected, only way to get it to work is by using the system restore cd... total BS

 

notaguru thanks.

meansizzler thanks.
The TX i own does have a sim slot. I'm not sure if the TXN models are the same though. The European TX5 model appears to have the upper TXN models specs but the TX North American chasis.
The TX came with a edge modem that took a cingular card.
http://www.docs.sony.com/release/994637000_Rev_B_NO_PHONE.pdf
Anyway i am now hoping to use the TZ board that i bought above with a HSDPA card. I want to get the same HSDPA card that my SZ7 uses as it is a pretty decent card.

 

I found out that the mini pci TZ board that i bought is too big for my laptop. This means that the WWAN mini pci card i bought will have to be sold on.

The edge board i decided to use because well i bought all the parts for it. I had the FOC and bought the wwan base, edge board and wwan antenna so it is a bit of a waste not to use it.

I don't have it back yet but this is what i have been informed today. The job is complete now though so I should have my laptop back in a couple of days time.

I didn't get the bluetooth webcam in the end. I ended up getting a NX-6000 Microsoft webcam. This webcam is really light and portable and it can do video as well.

UPDATE:

I got my laptop back today and I can't believe how fast it feels. The SSD has made a very big difference speed wise.
I would recommend anyone to go for this upgrade.
Having XP as my OS helps as well speed wise. The laptop is just so speedy.
Also my intel card is working very nicely.
It is going to take me a while to figure out what to do with the wwan card. I am sure though that i will sort it out in the end.

 

Upgrade to Windows 7, everything should work fine, you won't regret it, very stable don't have any problems with my Hp Mini, sound, wifi, wwan, bt all working... and it flies!...

 

I will give Windows 7 a go on my SZ when Windows 7 is released. Depending on what i feel about it i might decide to try it on my TX.
It is so fast with the SSD and XP though that i don't have much of a reason to change.

I just cannot get the edge modem to work and i tried everything. I tried just about every smart wi tool on the Sony site that uses the Sony ericsson modem. I also tried just about every driver out there for the modem. I got one for the TX7 to turn of an turn on the WWAN but the cingular communication tool just does not pick it up. It is not even picked up in the device manager.

I took the sim out yesterday and when i opened up my laptop a message came up about protecting the sim so something is going on but i cannot just get it to work. The Cingular connection tool is pretty resource hungry as well. I also read that the 90mhz signal is locked but i'm not entirely sure about that and if it would work anyway without that if i could get my laptop to recognise it.

The TXN evdo modem board would have been ideal only if it had a sim card holder lol.


They obviously can come of the wwan card.

 

Well the Vaio WWAN slots are tricky, best to stay clear of it and stick with whatever was intended to go in there... You can get a USB O2 HSDPA stick for£30 from O2 pay and go, I can unlock it for all networks, advantage is it doubles as usb stick and you don't have to remove batter from laptop to access sim slot

 

So, i opened my TX for myself and removed the Edge modem that i got fitted. It looked bad to have the PCMCIA card there and the antenna at the same time. I couldn't even get the Edge modem to work properly.

I had a go at trying to fit the TZ wwan base myself but it was a complete no go. Here is a picture. It just does not fit and the board cannot be altered in anyway.


I've just gone back to using my PCMCIA card.
It uses a fairly low amount of power so i'm happy about that and the signal is ok. I will keep onto the TZ wwan base though and the option card. You never know in the future i could buy a TZ.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Internet-online-anywhere-everywhere.14870.0.html
Also, the 3rd antenna that is used for my intel wifi 5300 card looks like a bluetooth antenna so it is nice and short and ideal really.


Edited to add:
LOL i have not given up about this. I'm going to try one more thing.
I'm going to get this expert that i know to solder a sim card holder on the base of a later SZ board because that looks like it will fit. I've seen all of them now so i have some idea. If anything positive comes of it i will update.


UPDATE

I got my SZ wan base board today and it is the perfect size, the flat cables are also the same as well so it will work. I've also got the sim card holder which is just perfect. The card that i am going to be using is the same Option card that was in the TZ and SZ6-7. It is going to be a little while before i get a chance to fit it because well i gave my laptop to someone in my family to use and the display got smashed by accident so they are taking of it and getting it fixed for me.









UPDATE
I got all the parts, soldered the sim card holder not without incident though lol. It was my first time of me doing any soldering. Anyway, it did not work. I never took into account the wwan module itself. This made it took thick for me to able to shut the TX's casing. May be the only way for me to do this is if i remove the dvd drive or replace the wifi card with a Novatel card that has a sim slot holder built in. I don't even want to dismantle the TX anymore. I have done it enough times and well i don't want to end up breaking this laptop.


....................................................................
I discovered that the reason why my casing did not shut was because my TX5XN/B does actually have actually have the North American TX casing as opposed to the TXN's casing which was thicker to take into account the thicker wwan card.

It might then be possible if you own a TXN to replace the wwan card with a more up to date one. I do actually now have the TXN wwan base board at home and all the correct parts. I don't think that i will change the bottom casing though. I wasted a lot of money on this and i did wonder if i had the TX TXN casing before but i didn't think that the TXN casing would be any thicker. If anyone has tried this i would be interested in reading how it went for you.

I have also since upgraded my HD to a 64GB SSD SLC HD.