USB mouse problems on the new Sony SVE14A27CXH Windows 8 touch-screen laptop.

Below is a bug report I sent to Sony (which is an activity in frustration itself). If anyone else has this same computer, I'd appreciate if you could do this test if possible. thanks!

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Hi. I am on my second new SVE14A27CXH and am having the exact same problem that I was having with the first one. I really want to keep this computer, but I do a lot of my work over my local LAN and I simply can't keep a computer that doesn't work well when accessing network shares.

Problem description:

When doing heavy network traffic over the wireless adapter, the Trackpad mouse works fine but an external USB mouse will become erratic and jumpy (basically, unusable).

How to duplicate the problem:

1. Open up a desktop window to a network share drive.
2. Open up a desktop window of local files (for example, c:\)
3. Drag and drop a large amount of files from the local drive to the network share (c:\program files (x86) is a good one to use)
4. Note that the trackpad mouse works fine while the copy is happening.
5. Note that the attached USB mouse (Logitech M325 in my case) is very erratic, jumpy, and unusable. I have also duplicated this problem using a Microsoft USB mouse.

My findings so far:

I wish I could say I've been successful, but I really haven't. Sometimes turning off "Enhanced precision" helps a little bit, but not much.

I also have an ASUS K55N (AMD A8 processor) machine running Windows 8, and I can do this same test on it and the USB mouse remains completely stable and usable while copying the files.

It has to have something to do with a Sony-supplied driver, since the AMD is running the exact same version of Windows 8 that the Sony is. So that tells me it's not a Microsoft thing, but something that Sony or one of the vendors (Synaptic maybe?) is supplying. Interesting fact - my ASUS that works fine DOES NOT have a Synaptic touchpad - it has an Elan touchpad.

I am available at any time to do any tests if needed. You can contact me by cell phone or by email.

thanks!
Keith

 

Hi Keith
I've also bought the same laptop on 8th November 2012. Although I do a lot of research before buying a new one, this one came by rather suddenly on BestBuy and they offered it for $999 under weekly deals. I thought it was a special price just for that week, but I'm still seeing the same price tag on this laptop even after that week is over. Feel a bit cheated though.

Anyway, I haven't yet tried the USB mouse thing, but just wanted to ask you if you've heard anything back from Sony yet ?

Also, I've just begun using this laptop now and given the good graphics capability, I plan to game a bit on it. But the keyboard feels a bit delicate to me, do you think it is too weak to handle moderate gaming use ?

Also, Some keys sound like springs tingling under them sometimes, is it the same with you ? (Like the Right Shift key, backspace key etc).

Just that I couldn't find any trustable reviews for this laptop on the net, so thought a fellow buyer could be of help.

Thanks in advance. And yes, I'll try out the problem you have as soon as I can.

Anurag

 

hi Anurag,

Unfortunately, no, I haven't received any help from Sony. I got the standard "make sure your mouse battery is ok" and "try a different USB port" form letter message.

As to your other questions, let me say that I feel a bit like you do. I definitely have a love/hate relationship with this thing. This is my fourth Sony laptop (between my wife and me) and, like you, I usually research them and them buy them custom-built through the Sony web site.

First things first - I don't think that I'm getting near the frames per second that I should be getting in games like World of Warcraft and Diablo 3. I can literally switch between the Intel HD4000 graphics and the ATI graphics, while in the game, and only see minor differences between the frame rates. I just don't think this hybrid graphics card is that great. I'm not the only one. Go to sony.com/support and search for "SVE14A27CXH" and you'll see a thread from someone else on the exact issue. I'll admit I'm not a hard-core gamer, but my old i5 with discrete graphics seemed to be faster in games than this quad-core i7 with discrete graphics is.

Second - the touch screen is cool and all (and it is a beautiful screen), but I can't even play solitaire with it using touch for over a minute or two before I go back to the mouse. My arm just gets too tired Also, the touch screen makes this thing HEAVY for a 14" laptop. I think I would be better off with a non-touch screen laptop and a 7" iPad.

Third - yes, I agree with you on the keyboard. Even though the machine itself feels sturdy and like a tank, the keys are definitely "bouncy". I type on a Lenovo Thinkpad all day at work, so I admit I'm spoiled when it comes to keyboards. But you're right - it definitely feels springy in certain places. Do I think it means it won't last as long? No. However, there are people complaining that if you hold down a key and go into "repeat" mode, the Trackpad doesn't work! I don't consider that a big deal, since I can't even imagine playing a game that fast-paced with anything but an external mouse. But it is true - I tried it. Go into Notepad, just hold down a key and then try to move with the trackpad. If that's how you WERE going to game, that could be a serious problem

Overall, I'm seriously torn whether to keep this machine or not. I could order a really nice 14" i5 with a true discrete graphics card from Sony.com for around $250 less. I've decided I don't really need the touch screen, and I have to enlarge the font size to read it anyway - so I might as well be at 1366x768 resolution.

I think maybe I've talked myself into returning it

Love to hear your thoughts after you've used the machine a couple of days.

Keith

 

By the way, I forgot to add that I did improve the mouse performance problem somewhat by downloading and installing the latest Logitech drivers for the M325 mouse. I think this is the first time in like 10 years that I've actually had to install a driver from the mouse manufacturer. But it definitely has helped the problem a lot.

 

Hey Keith

Nice to hear your views.

Now that it has been sometime having this laptop, I feel it is a nice machine overall. I don't have to carry it a lot so the weight doesn't matter much, but I feel the same on the touchscreen - I'm not going to use it like ever. First, I don't like fingerprints and smudges all over my screen and second, a touchscreen is best usable on a handheld device.

As far as the graphics go, I found that when I was using Fraps to know the frame rate, the FPS was hovering around 10-15 while playing Need for Speed Most Wanted 2012 on 768p resolution. But when I play it without Fraps, the performance is much better, even on full 900p resolution. The game isn't very jittery and unplayable, but yes the performance could be much better given it is a 2GB card.

As for the keyboard, I was spoilt too, with my Dell Vostro 1500. Those keys won't go anywhere even if animals trampled on them. But now I'm getting up to speed with the Sony, I type a bit lightly now, so I think it'll be fine.

Well I also read on another thread that someone tried to install Win7 on this laptop and couldn't get the drivers for Wifi, even from Sony. Sony said they didn't provide them. And even their website doesn't give the option to choose Win7 for drivers, it is just Win8 and that too only 64bit. It is a bit of an annoyance for me though, I was planning on going back to Win7 on this laptop. Have you tried doing that ? If not, could you please guide me with a way around this ?

I was in two minds too, about whether to keep it or return it. But now I've moved to India and can't return it so I guess I'll have to live with it. I like the machine overall, but yes the resolution is a tad bit too much to handle - I have to zoom in on most websites to be able to read. I miss my 768p Dell now. But have to live with it now. I wonder how people live with Retina displays on Macbooks ?

Have you returned yours by the way ?

Great sharing thoughts with you, and glad that you could sort out your mouse problem.

Thanks
Anurag

 

I duplicated your problem and I'm using a Microsoft Comfort Mouse 6000 wired USB that I got from Amazon and I did not have this problem, however I do have similar problems using my Dell Bluetooth mouse (P/N PU705).

Hope this helps.