The "Help the first timer" Thread

So, bought my first laptop ever last week so its still in back order / shipping, but i figure this would be as good a time as ever to ask some questions seeing as how i'm brand spanking new to the world of laptops and happy to be


Onto some questions...

#1. Are laptop batteries the same as cell phone batteries etc... if i plug the laptop in when i first get it, will the battery not be able to reach its full potential?
(Eg. Cell phones.. need to let them die and completely 100% recharge a few times to avoid battery memory thingy..)

#2. I've been hearing ALOT about how sony includes alot of "bloat ware" i've also read up on clean / semi-clean installs, but alas, i'm not that tech savvy, and i REALLY dont want to damage anything on the laptop,

(Honestly i know almost nothing about drivers etc, so if i clean install i may be lost if theres a drivers issue etc)

Cant think of anymore beginner questions for myself at the moment,

PLEASE let me know if theres anything you can suggest i do as a first time laptop user... any important steps that even though obvious to yourself, most likely will be a mystery to me


As always, thank you everyone for all the help

Flounder911

 

1. I'm not sure about the first question. I'm actually also quite interested seeing what the answer is.
2. The newly announced Vaio's actually have a lot less bloat ware compared to before. Which Vaio did you order? You should be perfectly fine without removing any of them. If you buy from portableone.com, you actually have the option of letting them remove the bloat ware for you if that's what you want.

Hope this helps.

 

bought a fw140 viao, just awaiting its arrival

And any ideas / tips anyone has

 

Congratulations on your order.

Personally I think it's always a good idea to give a new battery at least one charge/discharge cycle before using it normally (e.g. topping it up when not empty, etc)... but that may be just habit/superstition from the days of NiCad. Lithium Ion and Lithium Polymer batteries as used in modern notebooks are apparently not prone to the memory effect so you shouldn't worry too much.

As for bloatware, I would only tackle it if it annoys you. They are simple things you can do first without doing a clean install or something drastic like that: remove any programs from the startup group which you don't like popping up during startup, uninstalling trial programs which you don't use, etc. Deleting rubbish shortcuts from your desktop (such as links to AOL search etc, etc) would be another easy one...

Oh, one tip before you do anything is to create the 'Recovery DVDs' for your notebook. For this you will probably need two blank DVDRs. Search in Windows Help for Restore or Recovery or something like that you should find the Sony utility which allows you to create the discs. Later on, if you have a severe problem and need to restore your machine to factory settings, you can do it using the DVDs.
(You can do it without the DVDs too, but only if you have kept the recovery partition intact and it's the original hard disk... so safer to have the discs, IMHO.)

Enjoy your new FW!

 

got a stack of 50 Dvd's that i havent found a use for so the backup is a great idea

Ya, the battery thing i'm going to run the laptop dead than recharge fully i think 2 times before i use and recharge randomly, my phone i have right now is brand new and i forgot to let it die etc so i only have a half battery now lol.

Any other hints / tips for the new guy?

Anyone know a GOOD backpack i can get for this is canada?

 

For most recent batteries, whether phone or laptop, I would suggest doing exactly the opposite, which is to FULLY CHARGE before using it first. Then one full discharge is probably ok, but it's using the device before the first charge is what kills the battery. Most manufacturers suggest to fully charge before use, just follow the instructions!
Also there is a very good utility coming with Vaio which allows you to specify how fully charged you want your battery to be, in order to make it last longer. Say you mostly use your laptop at home, always plugged-in, you don't want it to be charged 100% all the time, as it slashes the life of your battery. The vaio battery utility allows you to keep it topped at 80% max (stop charging when it reaches this level). And if you occasionally you need 100% (ie you leave home) then you can change the setting, and switch it back to 80% when you're back home. Of course if you're on the road all the time, then there is nothing wrong in letting the charge go to 100% (you'll need it!). Highly recommended to follow this routine if you want to get you battery to last as long as possible (I mean the total life of the battery, not the battery time for one charge obviously).
Good luck with your new laptop!

 

Sorry, I meant fully charge then fully discharge.

I didn't know batteries came new with any charge in them at all..?

 

@manni ..

Does this mean it would be best if i resisted the urge to turn on right away and play away? do i plug the laptop in without touching anything first, and than get to play after a recharge?

Can i plug it in and than turn it on? does this still charge the battery or is this a plugged in not charging mode or something...

How long is a recharge by the way?


i'm really not kidding when i say i know nothing about what to do with new laptops lol

Sorry for the ignorance i'm learning though

 

Check when you buy what the manufacturer recommends, but I would (unless stated otherwise) plug it immediately to power, and either let it charge fully before I use it (usually what the manufacturer advises), or make sure I keep it plugged in if I can't help playing with it right away. That's what I do with all my battery-equipped devices, and battery life is pretty good, with good wear.
And don't worry about ignorance, everytime I post something here, I learn something new (and /or get corrected!), that's what's great about the common knowledge available here. I'm actually quite surprised noone has yet remarked that my advice was a pile of c**p. They must be to busy waiting for the Z...

 

So, i've been reading up on everything i can find in the FW so i know what to do, and not to do when i get it

Most people say they like the screen brighter / etc, BUT my question to all of you is... how do i adjust the screen brightness on a laptop?

I've always used a desktop with a screen with buttons built right on the screen for brightness, but i was thinking that hey... this probably isnt the same for a laptop.

Anyone help?

Also suggestions for a new laptop user always appreciated

 

no other helpfull hints for a first timer?

 

laptop is arriving on monday, any last minute advice would be wonderful

 

"how do i adjust the screen brightness on a laptop?"

You will notice on your FW that there is an "Fn" button next to the Ctrl button on the lower left portion of the keyboard.

Press that

and then notice on the top row of your keyboard you have function keys. On two of them you will notice an icon of a Sun with a minus or a plus sign on them. So while pressing the Fn key in combination with the plus or minus brightness buttons up top, you increase or decrease the brightness of your screen accordingly.

 

without this i never would have know that lol thank you tons will make it better to turn down the brightness when i'm taking notes in class so i dont bother anyone

any other hints / tips from anyone? i mean anything...

 

My SR battery came about 55% charged

 

Ok, your FW has a HDMI connection that you can use to hook it up to your TV or LCD.

If your LCD only has DVI you can buy a cable HDMI to DVI for < $20.

It's possible to work in dual screen mode, laptop LCD + external LCD at the same time.

 

whats the pros / cons of this? just bigger work space ?

 

yep. and being able to watch a video on one, and do some surfing on the other.

 

any suggestions for a good screen i should look into?

havent bought a screen since my cicero 15 inch big box thingy lol

 

I recommend having a look at 24" 1920*1200 screens with HDMI.

If you like glossy have a look at the 24" HP W2408h http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-+LCD+Flat+Panel-_-Hewlett-Packard-_-24176090

I have the 22" version and am very satisfied with it.

 

there anywhere in canada you can suggest? dont think we can order from newegg in canada

 

Newegg is not yet in Canada.

I don't know much about Canadian retailers, just use google > shopping.

By the way there are many other good LCD's just check the reviews online. People seem to be very happy with some Dell and Samsung models too.

Or if you need more advice (what and where to buy in Canada), i suggest you start a thread for it here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/forumdisplay.php?f=27

 

Here are the main sites that i use when ordering online;
if you live in ontario
http://www.canadacomputers.com/
canada computers is your best bet, i have a store in town and i get most of my hardware from their, just be careful not to buy refurbished products.

and most people use this as a replacement for neweggs in Canada
http://www.ncix.com/index.php
the prices are the best your going to get compared to the US
and
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/
i get lucky with tiger direct sometimes.

hope these help