One Month Later With Vaio S54B

I've had my Vaio S54B (PCG-6H2N) for about a month now and I thought I'd just post a few of my thoughts on it. Since I live in Japan it is a Japanese model, and I don't know what the same North American model would be. It was the newest model available when I got it. If anybody knows what a similar North American model is I'd love to know, because I can't find the English drivers to program those two S1 and S2 buttons.

First, some basic specs of my machine:

Intel Centrino Package with 1.73GHz Pentium M
Intel Integrated Wireless Card 2915ABG
Intel Integrated 915GM/GMS Graphics Card, 128MB Shared Memory
1GB RAM
100GB 5400RPM Hard Drive
Matsusita 4x DVD-R/RW/ Dual Layer Optical Drive
Sony 13.3" XBRITE Screen
Toshiba Bluetooth
Sony Felica Reader/Writer (only on Japanese models)
Memory Stick Reader/Writer
PCI Express

I got this machine to replace my desktop, even though it's not techincally a "desktop replacement". But it does just about everything (except graphics) as good as my desktop did. My motherboard fried in my desktop, which then destroyed all of the other parts. Since I'm never home and never use my desktop anyway, I decided to get a notebook as my main machine. The Sony S series was the perfect balance of size, style, weight and performance for me.

So far I'm very happy with this machine. There are some small things that are annoying, but overall it's been a joy to use.

Pros
----

Screen
First, the screen is simply amazing. It's bright, clear, is easily used outside or in other bright environments and makes movies and games look really good. The widescreen format is great and gives me more than enough desktop space to work with. With the resolution that it is I can have two windows side by side, which is great for me when I work. This is simply an almost perfect display.

Speed
This machine is fast. It boots up in 34 seconds and with the fast hard drive and gig of ram it runs all my applications perfectly. I can be running Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Excel, listen to music and burn a CD all at the same time and I don't get any slowdown. It's much faster than my old desktop (a Athlon XP 2500) and runs great.

Games
What? You can play games on this, you say? Yes, you actually can! I'm a light gamer so a dedicated graphics card wasn't a priority for me. I like to play World of Warcraft, Age of Empires III, Civ IV, and adventure games like Syberia II. I'm happy to report that all of these games run perfectly! While I can't run them on max settings, they all look great at 1024x768 resolution and I don't have any slowdown. I can even play Doom 3 at a decent framerate at 640x480 with all the settings on the lowest (of course, it's not enjoyable to play it like this). For my gaming needs this machine works perfectly and I was pleasantly surprised.

Optical Drive
Having a built in dual layer DVD burner in a machine this small and light is amazing. I have friends with machines of a similar size with only combo CD-RW/DVD drives and they are always lugging around an external DVD burner. To have that already on the machine is such a great feature.

Hard Drive
100GB! That's almost as much space as I had on my desktop (120GB). To have so much space in such a small machine is really great. I have more than enough space to make this my main machine for both work and at home.

Size
This machine is so small, compact and light! It's amazing that it only weighs 1.9kg and has so much power. I can ft it into my backpack or other bag for work and I hardly know it's their. Even with the power brick and a mouse it is so light and easy to get out, use, and put away again.

Wireless
This is my first notebook with built in wireless and I'm loving it. With my old notebook I always had to carry around a PCI card, which was always annoying. It's great to have this built in.

Style
I love the style of this machine. My model is completely silver, with only the keyboard and the inside bezel of the screen being black. It is so simple yet so stylish. It's like the iBook of the PC world. I think the case is also magnesium because it feels very strong and doesn't seem to scratch easily.

Battery
I got about 4 hours of battery life under normal use (programming, web surfing, listening to music, document editing) with the screen brightness at a middle setting. You'll easily be able to watch a complete DVD with one charge and it holds a really good charge.

Cons
-----

Screen
What?! That great screen has a problem? Yeah, it does. THe backlighting is uneven. I freaked out when I first saw this and thought something was wrong with my machine. When I took it back to the retailer they told me it was normal and all Vaio S series had this problem. When I looked at other machines in a few different stores I found out that unfortunately this is the case. I'm probably a bit more anal with this kind of stuff than most people, so it probably won't bother most people and actually isn't that noticeable. The only time you can see it is if you have a white background. The edges of the screen will be dimmer than the center.

If you have Google open and the window maximized, you are going to notice it. If you have a Word document maximized, you will notice it. If you have Photoshop, Dreamweaver, or some other program maximized that doesn't have a white background, you aren't going to notice it. You also aren't going to notice it when playing games or watching a movie. Basically if you have a white or other really light colored background you'll notice it, otherwise you won't. I had to point it out to most people for them to be able to see it. But if you are really anal about stuff like me, it may bother you.

I've gotten used to it. I don't browse the net with the window maximized because I find it too wide anyway, and most of the programs I use daily (as well as my desktop wallpaper) don't have a white background, so I don't notice it anymore.

The problem comes from this machine only using one light bulb instead of two to save battery life. If I had to choose one, I'd choose the battery life since I'm away from my desk a lot and need to be mobile. But for such an amazing screen it is is kind of a big problem. Also, I wish more reviews of this machine mentioned this problem. Most of them don't (only one Vaio S review on this site mentioned it) and I'm surprised because it is a problem with almost all of the S models. I guess if it didn't bother the reviewer or if they didn't notice it they didn't mention it, but it would be nice if more reviews recognized this problem.

Loose Battery
Yes, even though the battery is locked in it feels loose. This doesn't really bother me that much and is easily fixed with some tape.

DVD Playback
On my machine, the drive makes a little whirring sound every ten seconds or so when playing a DVD movie. It's not that loud and when I showed it to my friends most people didn't even hear it, but for those other anal people out there you will notice it and it will bother you. But then again this could only be a problem with my machine. Usually when you are watching a DVD just with the notebook speakers the sound from the movie is enough to drown out this noise. But, if there is a silent part of the movie (just two people talking or something) then it is much more noticeable. This has no affect on the performance of the drive. It works perfectly and I have burned CD-Rs, RWs, DVDs and dual layer DVDs without a problem. It just makes this little sound when you are playing a DVD movie. It's really not that loud and if you are on an airplane, using headphones or are in a place with more ambient sound you won't notice it at all. And even in a really quite place, it'll probably only bother the most anal people (like me).

Heat
Yes, the right palm rest does get warm. It doesn't get hot, it just gets warm. It's not that big of a deal, and at home I use an external keyboard, mouse and monitor so then it's a non-issue. The bottom of the machine does get hotter than other laptops, so you wouldn't want this on your lap for a long time. But for all of the power this machine packs, I'll take a little heat.

Top Screen Bezel
On the S series, there is a little strip (kind of like a cover) that is on top of the screen, only visible on the very top or back of the screen. This strip on my machine is loose on the corners and isn't flush with the rest of the bezel. I looked at other machines and some had this problem and some didn't. It's nothing a little carefully placed glue can't fix and doesn't affect performance at all, but it shouldn't be there in the first place.

No Multi Card Reader
Come on, Sony! Only a memory stick reader? That's not good enough. My friend's $600 bargain laptop has a 6 in 1 memory card reader and my brand new Sony doesn't? They should definately have included one of these.


Conclusion
----------

Overall I'm really happy with this machine. All of the problems that it has are not major in and of themselves, but the thing is when you pay almost $2,000 for a laptop you don't expect it to have these kinds of little problems. They can add up enough to where someone may take the machine back. I thought about taking mine back, but living here in Japan where it is very difficult to get machines from Asus, Alienware, Dell and other non-Japanese companies, I just couldn't find another machine that would give me this much power in such a small, light and stylish package.

Each problem is really minor and may not bother some as much as others, but still they shouldn't be there at all in the first place. But they are all not that big of a deal and this machine is really an amazingly powerful and small machine that I can recommend to others. If I have to give it a score, I'd give it a 8/10. And remember the few minor problems that I have with my machine may not be on another machine, though I'm pretty sure that the uneven backlighting is a common problem on S models. Despite it's few small problems, this is a really great machine that I'm happy I bought and is exactly what I need. If you are looking for a machine of this size and with similar specs, I think the Sony Vaio S series definately deserves a look.

 

Dear Arcanum84 first of all I’d like to thank you for your great and genuine review. The Vaio S-550P/S should be the equivalent of your system for the U.S. market though its specs are a bit different in terms of hard drive (80GB) and RAM (512MB). I’m looking forward to place an order for a customizable VGN S-580 this weekend and since I’ve almost decided to pull the trigger on a Sony I’d like to know how you would rate S-series build quality and reliability in general. Would you qualify your machine as “sturdy”? Do you think this is the right choice for heavy traveling?
One last thing, did you encounter any issues with the fan/cooling unit continuously turning on and off? Did you under/overclock your unit to save battery life and reduce heat or to increase performance?

THANKS!

 

Hi EPluribusUnum, I'm glad my post was of some help to you. I think that overall this machine is very sturdy. There is no noticeable flex in the keyboard, though the palm rest will flex a bit if you puch hard on it. The back of the screen has a little flex, but you would have to push really hard to see any ripples in the screen. I myself have never pushed on it hard enough to see any ripples in the screen. The case is magnesium (I'm pretty sure) so it's quite sturdy. The screen hinges are nice and tight and it stays closed well too, even though it doesn't have a latch. I travel every day and this notebook goes all over Japan with me and I feel that it is more than sturdy enough.

Of course, like anything it depends on how you treat your notebook. I'm very careful with it, always carry it in a case and make sure not to put things on top of it so it won't get scratched. But I have heard of people tossing these around a lot and they still work without a problem, so it seems as though it can take a beating. And it feels like it can, too. But like any expensive piece of equipment, if you want it to last long I'd recommend being as careful with it as you can. In short, yes I think this machine is more than sturdy enough for heavy traveline.

As for the fan, it does turn on when it is using the CPU a lot, but if it turns on it stays on for the entire time you are running the application that is causing the system to work harder. It doesn't turn on and off during that time, which I think would be annoying. For example, when I run Dreamweaver the fan kicks in at a medium setting. When I exit or stop working in the program for a few minutes, the fan will shut down. I think this is normal and doesn't bother me at all. I've heard people say that the S series can have a loud fan, but my fan almost never turns on (well, when I'm playing World of Warcraft it is running full blast) and this machine is very quiet overall.

I haven't done any under/overclocking on this machine, so I'd have to defer you to someone else who has more experience in this area.

If you have any other questions just let me know. Good luck with whatever you decide to purchase!

 

All right! Don’t worry I’ll be really careful that’s why I’d care to stuff the adaptor, cables, additional batteries,… in a Sony Vaio large carrying case ( VAIO CASE) but I also need something like a portfolio case to protect my notebook from scratches,… I have two candidates: a Portfolio case and a Neoprene carrying case which one do you suggest me? Looks like the portfolio case is a bit more "protective", don’t know much about neoprene.

 

That is a very nice, compact review!

I'm very surprised that the backlighting is uneven on the screen....ah well nothing is perfect. Also surprised that you can play Doom 3 on minimum settings.

That would be one of my top choices for a small laptop, good purchase!

 

As for cases I haven't used either of the Sony ones. I am currently using a third party case which I really like. It's made by a company called Elecom and the case brand is Zeroshock. I'm not sure if they sell them outside of Japan or not, but you can get them anywhere here. They are a thin case but lined with polyurethane foam. If you make a depression in this foam it will absorb a lot of shock and then the depression will bounce right back to where it was before. They are very sturdy and protect the computer really well. I'm extremely happy with this case.

I too was really surprised at the uneven backlighting, but as you said nothing is perfect. Out of all of the notebooks I looked at I never found a perfect one. The screen isn't really that bad (only noticeable on a white background), but it still should be something Sony fixed because they really advertise how great this screen is (and it is) and this problem can be a big surprise to some users.

I was shocked Doom 3 ran too! It's no fun to play it at such minimum settings, but it was cool just that it could run decently. A lot of games that shouldn't run on this machine do, which has surprised me. Actually I find this Intel card to be much better than the integrated ATI 7000 with 64MB of shared memory that I had in my old Toshiba Dynabook (Satellite). Most of the games that run well on my Sony S won't run at all on the Toshiba.

Anyway, overall I'm really happy with this machine.

 

I have the Sony neoprene case, and can tell you there is absolutley no padding. It is to protect from light scratches and will not protect it when dropped. I bought the neoprene case mainly for the Power Adapter Case. Haven't tried Doom3 yet, but I know Quake 4 runs at 640 x 400 at High Res and no AA.

 

Thanks Stimp, Arcanum 84

 

Dear Arcanum84, first, thanks a lot for your very detailed review.

I am also living in Japan and just got a Vaio VGN-S94S 3 days before. So I have not so much experience with it as you.

It was originally delivered with Japanese WinXP and all the other softwares are also Japanese versions as your Vaio, I suppose.

My questions are about this problem:

Can I just reinstall my system using an English WinXP and download all the English version drivers, without any problem? I know I will lose all the softwares. Or can I order a CD or DVD disk for my model from Sony Japan including all the softwares (WinXP, Drivers, etc.) in English which recovers my system changing the language into English? I found on the US Vaio site a so-called Recovery CD/DVD. But the US model naming and numbering is different from the Japanese one. Do you know about such kind of CD or DVD here in Japan but in English?

So, how did you do it? HELP!!!

I would really appreciate any infos you can give me about your experinces using your Vaio!

I think so, recently the Vaio S type is the best buy in the 12" size notebook segment. I am really impressed because of its performance.

Specs:

Intel Centrino Package with 2.0 GHz Pentium M 760
Intel Integrated Wireless Card 2915ABG
NVIDIA GeForce Go 6400 (256 MB: 64 MB dedicated + 192 MB shared ???)
1GB RAM
100GB Hard Drive
DVD-R/RW/ Dual Layer Optical Drive
13.3" XBRITE Screen
Bluetooth
Sony Felica Reader/Writer
Memory Stick Reader/Writer
PCI Express

 

Lukatsb and Arcanum84,

I am another S-Series owner, also in Japan. I bought mine from Yodobashi in Akihabara, but actually just sat down with a salesman there who could help me translate the sonystyle website to make my purchase.

Mine is a VGN-94S and is the following

Intel Centrino Package with 2.0 GHz Pentium M 760
Intel Integrated Wireless Card 2915ABG
NVIDIA GeForce Go 6400 (256 MB: I figured it was 128 dedicated with a further 128 shared if need be????)
1GB RAM
80GB Hard Drive
DVD-R/RW/ Dual Layer Optical Drive
13.3" XBRITE Screen
Bluetooth
Sony Felica Reader/Writer (I think?)
Memory Stick Reader/Writer
PCI Express

Mine arrives in 10 days as it was Owner Made - was there a prefab one with the same specs? I too am getting a Japanese OS version, and one of the first things I will need to do it resolve this. I've done a little research, and know the following.

Firstly, there is a partition on the HD that includes all the recovery stuff needed. It's a good idea to leave this partition incase you screw up, or at least burn it to DVD in a usable format.

The guy at Yodobashi gave me the following URL to read.

http://vcl.vaio.sony.co.jp/english/

It looks like there may be a bit of prep work to do to get it running. I also read somewhere else about a guy who did the same to an older T-Series and he got the drivers from the Sony US site.

Anyway, lets keep in touch and see what we can discover

On the basis that a similar export machine is the S580 then we could utilise drivers from the following list.

http://esupport.sony.com/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=VGNS580&UpdateType=Everything

This is a guide to re-installing a fresh XP and what to do with the drivers.

http://esupport.sony.com/EN/osmig/xpclean.html

 

rh2600,

Thanks for the infos and links! After checking the first link you gave It seems not so easy to solve our problem as I expected.

I think, Arcanum84 installed an English WinXP and he downloaded the English drivers (except that for the S buttons) but lose all the bundled softwares.

The answers to our questions on the link you gave are disappointing. The Sony Japan does not think about the foreign customers at all. I do not really understand, why?!

We have two possibilities, I think:

1. We install an English WinXP and download the English drivers. But in this case we lose all the bundled softwares and any support related to them. And, as Arcanum84 wrote we maybe could not use the S buttons.

2. We keep looking for which US (or other regions) model fit our Japanese Vaio. And we try to use its recovery CD. But, I do not think it will work.

BTW, I hope Arcanum84 will post how he did with his Vaio.

Thanks again for the infos! The second and third links seems really useful, I think, these will solve our problem.

Lets keep in touch and share all infos we get!


My Vaio is also an owner made version and took to get it about 10 days. The only difference is that mine has a 100 GB HDD. I found the infos about the NVIDIA GeForce Go 6400 at the following link. It says this card has 64 MB dedicated memory and the possibility to share 192 MB more from the system memory.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=25449

 

rh2600!

I am through to reinstall my vaio!

It seemed a bit difficult but finnaly almost everything is working fine!

Now, I try to give a short summary about the steps I made:

1. BIOS update (R0103V0)

Using the appropriate vaio application already installed on your vaio. Of course, for it you need somebody who can read japanese characters.

2. Making the recovery DVDs (2 pcs) with the preinstalled vaio application.

3. Making a copy of the "Drivers" folder

It contains all the factory preinstalled drivers. Because I kept the original partitions I just copied this folder to the D drive. I kept the partitions (C, D and the Hidden one) because if later I need a full recovery I can use my recovery DVDs.

4. Istalling the English WinXP

5. Installing the drivers

Use the list for the appropriate order on that link you posted.

I tried to use the drivers from the US Vaio site but they did not work. I always got the error message: this computer is not a supported model.

So I tried the drivers from the original "Driver" folder and they were OK!!!! All the drivers are also in English. I only installed a newer driver for the chipset and the wireless downloaded from Intel.

I could only install the Sony Shared Library from the drivers I downloaded from the US site but maybe it was a mistake. Because after completing the entire installation procedure I tried to use the 1st Recovery DVD which contains the original applications but it did not work. After it I installed the Sony Shared Library from the Drivers folder again, it seemed ok but when I tried using the DVD I failed again. Maybe it could work if you will install only the original one accordingly to the installation order.

6. Installing applications

On the 2nd DVD you can find some applications (e.g. power management) in the appropriate folder you can install if you need them. Except 2 (one is the Norton Antivirus, I forgot which was the other) all of them are also in English.


Arcanum84 mentioned that he cannot use his S buttons because of the missing driver. But after installing all the original drivers and the Vaio Control Center my buttons are working well. Using the Vaio Control Center you can set the functions of the S buttons.


Now, my Vaio is working fine I only (?) lost the applications. I hope that you can use my infos. Anyway, please post how you succeded. I am also wondering weather you can reinstall the applications.

 

lukatsb,

Awesome! I just got an email saying that the package has been dispatched from Sagawa facility today. So maybe it will arrive tommorrow or Monday.

Well, to be honest I haven't started learning Japanese yet so I hope I can follow the instructions OK. If I get really stuck I will go around to a Japanese friends house.

The BIOS update looks pretty straightforward, I translated the page with google ( http://vcl.vaio.sony.co.jp/download/SP-008778-20.html). Basically I just download the app to C:/update and then run C:/update/Phbsys-00877820-UN.exe ?

The recovery DVD's hmmm... I hope I can figure those out. Can I use these screenshots as a guide? http://www.css.ap.sony.com/vaio/website/General/KBDetail.aspx?ID=35881

Where was the drivers folder? Is it just a folder on C? or is it hidden?

Thanks for the info though, I will let you know my progress. Fortunatetly I have another machine to allow me access internet and stuff in an emergency.

 

rh2600,

What do you mean about dispatched package from Sagawa facility???

To be honest I just started to learn Japanese but, of course it is not enough to operate with Japanese Windows. So I asked one of my Japanese friends to help me for the first steps. For making the BIOS update and the Recovery DVDs. I did not dare to make them alone because of the language problem. So, these two steps were made in Japanese by my friend and he used the appropriate preinstalled applications for making them.

I checked the screenshots of making the recovery DVDs. Since, in my case it was made in Japanese by my Japanese friend I just remember the icons, but I think so it was the same except that in the case of my Vaio 2 DVDs were needed for it. The first is for the applications and the second is for the system recovery.

The Drivers folder is located on the C drive you can find it easily. It contains all the necessary drivers except the Sony Shared Library. You can find the last one on the first recovery DVD, in the Applications folder.

Thanks for the info and please let me know about your progress. My only problem is that I lost all the major applications. If you get any idea or info how I can recover them I would be really happy.

 

Well I managed to guess my way through the recovery DVDs so have them now.

I downloaded the BIOS update but get a pop-up saying something. I will need to get my japanese friend to read it. Perhaps my BIOS is already updated?

My machine arrived within 6 days! Not bad service. Thanks for the info will keep you posted.

 

Sorry.
My Vaio is also an owner made version, but it is VGN-BX90.
i have same problems. I have two Quetion:
- How to making the recovery DVDs (2 pcs) with the preinstalled vaio application?
- Download a bios for Vaio Japan or other?
Thanks for the info

 

OK,

I have got through. English XP is installed. I have a couple of issues though.

Firstly, despite having installed the AUDIO drivers (many times) I still have no audio devices. I run setup.exe from the Drivers folder. It runs and installs the files, but at the end there is no audio device loaded. Even after a restart.

There are 2 other devices still showing up under Device Manager that need drivers:

PCI Device
USB Device

Do you have these showing up or remember what they are?

I also don't think my modem installed.

If you have the Modem or Sound installed OK could you tell me their exact model names and I will try and install them manually.

Thanks!

 

in the my laptop, the audio, modem, camera are not working in English Windows. I can't get the applications folder, where it?
Thanks

 

Hi Giangcun,

If you made the recovery DVD's then on the second DVD should be the under the VAIO folder should be an Applications folder and a Drivers folder. I hope this helps.

 

Thank

help me
how to made the recovery DVD? with programs?

 

OK, you can only make these DVD's before you install English XP. If you have already installed English OS over the top of original Japanese XP then it is too late.

In original Japanese XP then you will need someone who can read japanese to help you. There is a program off the start menu called Vaio something that has a long list of options down the left hand side, one of these is to make Recovery DVD's (You will need 2 blank DVDs). If you can get that far then you should be fine. Make these DVD's and they will have everything on them.

Hope this helps

 

hi rh 2600
thank you verry much
i'm verry tired with Vaio

 

hi rh2600
thanhk for replay
I have download driver for audio from realtech, but it not working with my laptop.

 

Do know which realtek driver to use? I am not sure which one. Hopefully Lucastb will be able to help

 

http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads...s=2004061&Software=True&title=HD Audio CODECs

 

rh2600 and giangcun,

I had the same problem with the audio driver of the original Driver folder. So, I downloaded it from the net but I forgot from where. The following is the driver which is working well on my Vaio:

Realtek High Definition Audio System Software Ver:R1.26

And the name of the zipped folder I downloaded: Realtek_HD_5178

This audio driver will also solve your problem with the modem. During installing the Realtek driver an additional driver for the modem will be installed as well. But first, you also have to install the driver from the original Driver/Modem folder (I think so you have already done it).

I had the same problem with the PCI and USB Devices. But you can find the appropriate drivers in the original Driver folder. I also forgot in which subfolders. I just tried all the subfolders for the 2 devices through the Device Manager. But you can also find out which subfolders contain the necessary drivers if you check which subfolders you did not use during the installation.

Other issue:

There are 2 subfolders in the original Driver folder:

SonyNC and SonyPI

These subfolders contain the drivers for 2 devices which can be found in the Human Interface Devices category of the Device Manager. These 2 devices are already installed during the WinXP installation but using only Microsoft drivers. If you want to use the appropriate drivers you also have to update the drivers for them through the Device Manager. You can find them in the 2 subfolders I wrote above.

You can check in the BIOS (press the F2 button during booting) your current version of BIOS.

I hope these info will help both of you!


rh2600,

Would you please tell me what do you mean about dispatched package from Sagawa facility??? Did you already get it?
And what is about the applications. Did you succeed installing them???

 

Hi Lukatsb
for rh2600
driver used good for VAIO:
http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads...s=2004061&Software=True&title=HD Audio CODECs

get Beta Version

 

audio, moderm ok
thanks for Lukatsb and rh2600

 

http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads...s=2004061&Software=True&title=HD Audio CODECs

 

OK,

Downloading the beta file now. Here's hoping! Thanks Giangcun and Lucatsb

Ahh Sanagawa Facility was just the delivery company. I don't have the other applications. Which is a little annoying. I wouldn't mind that DoVAIO application and some of the other little ones... hmmmm. Maybe a trip back to Yodobashi with my memory stick to get some of the apps back!

Giangcun, how did you install this audio/modem driver? Simply just run the executable and it should be fine?

 

rh2600,

OK! If you have new info how to get back the preinstalled applications, please, post it. I also will try to install them using my recovery DVDs during the next couple of days. If I succeed I will share the info with you.

This beta version of the audio driver is newer than mine but if this beta version has not real advantages compare to my version, maybe I will not update. Would you please post how it works, how stable it is?

Thanx!

 

Ok,

Firstly, the USB Device was the Felica Reader, which it installed as Felica Reader, but then that device "has a problem". So I selected the device again, and pointed to the Felica folder again, it found some more bits and was happy!

The PCI device was either the modem or soundcard. Because after installing the BETA drivers (I'm sure the stable would work too, but just wanted to use one that someone had definately made work) for the sound card, it disappeared. Now after restarting, windows found the modem, and wanted drivers. So I pointed it back to the original Modem folder in Drivers and it found what it wanted! Now no more broken devices in the manager woohoo!

So that means everything should be working. I also installed all the sony apps too which give me volume control back and S buttons are doing (something).

I don't know what to do with the apps. Maybe we can look inside the packages on the first DVD? They could be in there. Otherwise I will go to Yodobashi

Thanks guys! I hope this all helps other people too!

 

Hi Everybody,

It's nice to see other English speaking Vaio S owners here in Japan! Sorry I didn't reply to any of your questions earlier, I have just been really busy lately. I read over most of the posts quickly, and it seems like everyone is talking about putting an English version of Windows onto this machine. I'll just go over with what I did.

First, my computer was partitioned into two seperate virtual drives, as well as the hidden one that the recovery material was on. I left the Japanese version of Windows Home edition on my PC as well as the hidden partition. Yes, I lose some space, but sometimes I want to use the Japanese version and it also makes it much easier if I ever want to sell this computer to somebody here in Japan, as it will already have the Japanese OS and recovery partition all set.

The first thing I did was boot up the machine in the Japanese OS and make the recovery DVDs. Then all I did was boot up my machine with my Win XP Pro English CD to get into Windows setup. I deleted the partition that didn't have anything on it and divided it into two, one 10GB partition for my English Windows XP drive and then a 60GB partition for all my other stuff. After I did that, I simply installed Windows XP on my new 10GB D drive. It went without a problem.

Once I was up and running my English Windows XP, I went around the internet looking for drivers for my compnonents. I found drivers for everything except the software to program the two S buttons. They both work, but I can't change their function at all. Besides that, everything else works. As for all of the Sony software that came with the machine, no, I can't use it on my English XP OS and I don't really care because I wasn't planning on using it anyway. For someone who wants to use all of those applications, you would have to find some way to install them from the recovery discs you made or get them online somewhere. I haven't tried this because I don't need them, so I'm sorry I can't help you there.

If anyone wants the drivers I used, just let me know and I can email them to you. I have them all in a RAR file for future use if I need them. Right now I have a dual boot for the Japanese and English XP versions, and everything is running fine. This is the fourth Japanese PC I've installed an English OS on, and I must say it was the easiest. I've done it on one Toshiba Dynabook and two NEC LaVie's and the LaVie's were definately the hardest because they didn't have a comprabable model outside of Japan.

Good luck getting everything running, and if there's any help I can give anybody just let me know. Enjoy your new Vaio S!

 

Hi everybody!

I am through trying to reinstall the bundled softwares. I used the following method for it found on this link ( http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/5449/?o=220):

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extracting Applications from "Application Recovery CDs".

Well, the trick is to extract all applications from sony.pac archives on
"Application Recovery CDs" #1 and #2. For that you'll need to copy
CD:\image\SONY.PAC and unpacking utility kcap.exe
( http://www.myplc.com/sony/bin/kcap.zip) to directory on your HDD.

On C: disk make folder "sony". Copy \image\SONY.PAC from "Application
Recovery CD #1" and kcap.exe to C:\sony. Open Command Prompt set path to
C:\sony type command "kcap sony.pac c:\sony". All programs will be extracted
to C:\sony with meaningless folder names like "0133101.SNC ... 0129801.SUC"
for each application. To see which application is in each folder open in
notepad file \bin\SONYINSTALL1.INI on "Application Recovery CD #1". There
you will find, for each application, something like:

[Common Solutions for Support Agent]
text=Common Solutions for Support Agent
cmd=0129801.SUC\Setup.exe
prompt=Insert your VAIO Application Recovery CD Disk # 1
volume=ARCDG111B2D1
icon=165
compress=1
PromptBefore=
PromptAfter=
hide=off

Where "[Common Solutions for Support Agent]" contains application name and
"cmd=0129801.SUC\Setup.exe" contains folder name it is extracted to. So,
just rename folder "0129801.SUC" to "Common Solutions for Support Agent".

After renaming all folders replace C:\sony\SONY.PAC with \image\SONY.PAC
from "Application Recovery CD #2" and repeat above extraction procedure for
other applications.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Because this instruction is not for a Japanese model it does not fit entirely our Vaio. You can find 4 .pac files on the first recovery DVD (Sony.pac-Sony4.pac) and the kcap.exe is also working. But I could not find the sonyinstall1.ini file after unpacking. So I made a search for the Setup.exe files. There are around 50 apllications and the name of some of them can be found in English in .ini files. Unfortunately, most of the applications are only in Japanese. I made a list about which folder contains the Setup.exe files. I copy it here. Unknown means that I could not identify the appl.


Roxio Digital Media SE 2.3 - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\SP009803\BIN – IN ENGLISH!!!
Click to DVD® 2.4 - C:\Sony\Sony2.pac\MI-000132-03.pac\SP008541\BIN – IN JAPANESE!!!
Click to DVD Menu Data - C:\Sony\Sony3.pac\MI-000132-03.pac\SP006985\BIN
PictureGear Studio 2.0 - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\SP005852\BIN
Memory Stick Formatter 2.4 - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\SP005054\BIN
Image Converter - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\SP009136\BIN
DVgate Plus 2.1 - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\SP008475\BIN – IN JAPANESE!!!
C:\Sony\Sony.pac\SP009780\BIN – IN JAPANESE!!!
WinDVD 5.0 for VAIO - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\SP007051\BIN (WinDVDX) – IN ENGLISH!!!
Smart Network 2.2.02 - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\SP004751\BIN
Unknown (GPS???) - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\SP005070\BIN – IN JAPANESE!
its-moNavi PC - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\SP005840\BIN
Unknown - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\SP008410\BIN - IN JAPANESE
SetGamma - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\SP008524\BIN
BIGLOBE - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\SP009088\BIN
OpenMG Secure Module - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\SP009142\BIN –In English
Sony Video Shared Library - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\SP009171\BIN
Sony MP4 Shared Library - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\SP009172\BIN
VAIO Entertainment Platform - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\SP009842\BIN
Unknown - C:\Sony\Sony4.pac\SP007768\BIN - Unknown
VAIO Original Screen Saver - C:\Sony\Sony4.pac\SP008470\BIN
Miseban - C:\Sony\Sony4.pac\SP008479\BIN
VAIO Original Screen Saver VAIO Scene SD Wide Contents - C:\Sony\Sony4.pac\SP008486\BIN
VAIO Original Screen Saver VAIO Motion SD Wide Contents - C:\Sony\Sony4.pac\SP008491\BIN
Edy Viewer V2.0 - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\MI-000147-02.pac\SP009190\BIN
FeliCa - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\MI-000147-02.pac\SP009350\BIN
SFCard Viewer 2 - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\MI-000147-02.pac\SP009352\BIN
Unknown - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\MI-000147-02.pac\SP009353\BIN – IN JAPANESE!!!
Unknown - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\MI-000147-02.pac\SP009354\BIN - IN JAPANESE!!!
Sony FeliCa - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\MI-000149-00.pac\SP009357\BIN
Wireless LAN Starter - C:\Sony\Sony3.pac\MI-000146-00.pac\SP009771\BIN
Wireless Switch Setting Utility - C:\Sony\Sony3.pac\MI-000148-00.pac\SP008423\BIN
ATOK 2005 - C:\Sony\Sony4.pac\MI-000138-01.pac\SP009209\BIN
Unknown - C:\Sony\Sony4.pac\MI-000138-01.pac\SP009346\BIN - IN JAPANESE!!!
Justsystem – Serial Agent - C:\Sony\Sony4.pac\MI-000138-01.pac\SP009843\BIN – IN JAPANESE!!!
InstallerToInstall - C:\Sony\Sony4.pac\MI-000138-01.pac\SP009853\BIN,
C:\Sony\Sony4.pac\MI-000138-01.pac\SP009855\BIN
Bluetooth Stack for Windows by Toshiba - C:\Sony\Sony4.pac\MI-000142-02.pac\SP009926\BIN - IN ENGLISH
Unknown - C:\Sony\Sony4.pac\MI-000150-00.pac\SP007027\BIN- IN JAPANESE!!!
Unknown - C:\Sony\Sony4.pac\MI-000150-00.pac\SP009129\BIN - IN JAPANESE!!!
Office˜AŒgƒc?[ƒ‹ for ATOK 2005 - C:\Sony\Sony4.pac\MI-000138-01.pac\SP009209\BIN\ATOK2005\AT18EXT
ATOK 2005 for Windows - C:\Sony\Sony4.pac\MI-000138-01.pac\SP009209\BIN\ATOK2005\ATOK
ATOK 2005‘€?ìƒKƒCƒh - C:\Sony\Sony4.pac\MI-000138-01.pac\SP009209\BIN\ATOK2005\GUIDE
Adobe Reader 7.0 - C:\Sony\Sony4.pac\MI-000138-01.pac\SP009853\BIN\Inst_Data\Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Elements
Unknown - C:\Sony\Sony4.pac\MI-000138-01.pac\SP009853\BIN\Inst_Data\Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Elements\Elements
Unknown - C:\Sony\Sony4.pac\MI-000138-01.pac\SP009853\BIN\Inst_Data\Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Elements\Reader
AC3 Encoder - C:\Sony\Sony2.pac\MI-000132-03.pac\SP005361\BIN
Felica something - C:\Sony\Sony.pac\MI-000147-02.pac\SP009792\BIN
Unknown - C:\Sony\Sony4.pac\MI-000137-00.pac\SP009011\BIN – IN JAPANESE!!!


This is a quite long list but I use only 2 applications from it. But maybe for someone it could be useful.

 

I hope I won't need it, lukatsb, but I've got to say that's just an incredible piece of work. Thank you for sharing the information!

 

Wow indeed, I guess this is very helpful for anyone who wants to do a clean install, thanks again!

 

OK,

Well its over a month and I am *still* waiting on NTT/YahooBB to get their act together and install my internet! So please excuse my lack of input

I have one question though!

When we buy our Vaio's, Sony gives us an XP key to use for the Japanese version of XP. When I re-installed the english XP I used "another" key, not the one provided by Sony. Did anyone use their original Sony/Japanese XP key when installing an English XP and did it work?

If it that would good because then I can switch keys and use my Sony XP key.

 

Also, I can't actually play DVD's. I unpacked the recovery disks, but winDVDx installed but with no exe's. MS Media Player says no too

I think I might try and create a virtual machine and "recover" onto that.

 

Arcanum84............or another Sony Vaio S Series owner.

I have a Japanese model Vaio VGN-S94S. I didn't create the recovery DVD's but have sucessfully installed nearly all drivers.

Just missing the modem drivers, and am desperate to locate them.

Does anyone have the drivers or know where to get the from?

Thanks,
Kate

 

Check the bottom of page 3 on this thread for info links to the audio driver chipset, which also is the modem. If you have done that and got all that installed and still need the modem drivers then pm me your email and I can send em to you

 

Hi, Guys,
I am a user of VGN-S94S, this is a really good laptop. I am in USA and I've done everything that the following link which suggests that I shouldn't do. Well, my CD/W doesn't work, but CD/R is just fine. Having not tested for Memory Stick yet, and I don't know what FeliCa RW means.

Notice that all drivers of S580 don't work on this model.

Again, this is a very good laptop. Made in Japan is just excellent. I can't find any good one in Taiwan and USA, hence I asked my friend to buy this for me in Japan.

Now I am looking for all technical supports for this model with the English edition of Windows XP Pro. Initally one thing which confused me a lot is that there was no voice out there, but at last I got native audio drivers from Realtek Inc., based on this exp., I am thinking maybe something we cant get from Sony original can be found on the original chip manufactures.

I am very welcome that ppl who use this model and have installed English XP Pro on it discuss this with me and let's make it work more properly!!!

Feel free to send me email at [email protected]

Neil

 

Hi All,

Now I am getting desperate. I have been back home in Australia for 3 weeks and still can't use by Tokyo purchased Vaio (and I only have dial up here). If anyone has the modem drivers for the VGN-S94S can you please please please send them to me.

Thanks,
Kate

 

I would like to get the drivers for a NEC Lavie LR700/9

Please let me know if you have them available.

Email address: [email protected]

 

Hi,

I also have i japanese vaio, vgn-s54b

When i was in the process of reinstalling everything into english I forgot to make a recovery disc with all drivers and stuff.

I didnt reformat the space with all the backup stuff only C:

Do you think I can use Partion Magic and in some way make a recovery disc or do you recomend i do something else?

I've found most of the drivers on the internet but i cant get my memory stick, the bluetooh and the Sony® Notebook Utilities program to work.

Any sugestions to my problems are kindly accepted

Best regards
/Ricard

 

New versions of some drivers (ie bluetooth) can be found here:

http://vcl.vaio.sony.co.jp/support/note/vgn-s94s.html

More specifically the download list

http://vcl.vaio.sony.co.jp/support/note/vgn-s94s.html#download

Interestingly, I've downloaded the latest wifi drivers, and they seem to remove intel zero config, which seemed to do a better job of connecting to weaker networks than the native XP one.

Sony also offer a "Wireless LAN starter" App, but this keeps telling me to turn on my Wifi.. despite having the latest drivers installed and even using the "Wireless switch setting utility"... hmmmm

 

hey here is a challenge for you guys. what should i do if i want an english OS for my vaio laptop. The problem is, i dont hava a dvd rom for recovery cds or actual windows cds??