Vaio SA390X battery "not present"

So I just got my SA390X CTO today, and a few quirks show up (not sure where to post about the others but this first).

I shut it down and disconnected the sheet btry and reinstalled it and then it showed everything normal, but then this shows up (both batteries attached, plugged in).



It seems to work fine on standard battery power (without the extended sheet attached), so I don't suspect the battery is defective. What is going on?

 

UPDATE:

It seems it is not detecting the standard battery when the sheet is attached and it uses power from that first.

 

This happens very rarely with my SA21. I just reboot, and the problem usually goes away.

EDIT: though both batteries always show up in the Battery Care manager.

 

I had to downgrade the latest BIOS update. Widows would force my laptop into "power hibernate" because it thought there was no battery #1 to fail to.

 

I am surprised more people haven't posted regarding this issue.
I just received my SA390x on Tuesday and then picked up a sheet battery at a local B&M.
The laptop would go into hibernation when the sheet battery was depleted, because "Batter #1 is not present".
I then installed an older BIOS version and both batteries were detected and the switch to Battery #1 was seamless.
Hopefully they'll release a new BIOS soon to fix this....for those that DON'T want to have to go through the hassle of reverting to an older version.

Side note: The sheet battery is awesome. it doubles the time you can run unplugged. Granted it is not the 15 hours that Sony claims, but it is closer to 10 hours.
It only adds about 12 oz to the total weight, which is still lighter than my older Sony SA590 which was about 4.5 lbs.

 

I have the exact same problem with my SA3X9R.
When i take the sheet battery out, the device thinks it does not have any battery installed, etc. etc.
I also remember upgrading the BIOS.
How do we downgrade it btw? Where can i find the original BIOS utility?

 

Is this when you first got your laptop or has it just recently happened?

 

It happened recently. I've deleted the Russian OS and installed my W7Ultimate that's when I recognized it. I'm not sure but It might also have appeared after the BIOS upgrade released by vaio support which was mentioned above. Last night after depleting the sheet battery the notebook hibernated. Took the sheet battery off and everything went back to normal. Something I would never have noticed if I had not purchased a sheet battery i guess.
Below link is a screentshot of what I see at the moment with battery care function enabled (80%) and both batteries connected.

Though it's probably better to start with downgrading to older BIOS state as Pez11 has suggested . Only if I knew where to find one.

 

Hi,
I have the same problem, i'm pretty sure it started after upgrading to latest BIOS version.
Has anyone tried contacting Sony?

 

Sony wasn't of much help.

This is what they managed to come up with,

Dear Ms. xxx,
Thank you for contacting us.
I am sorry to know that you are having an issue with your VAIO related to the latest BIOS update.
I would recommend that you can rest the BIOS to default values through the steps below:
1. Turn on the VAIO and press F2 repeatedly to access the BIOS.
2. Press F3 or F9 to reset the BIOS.
3. Press Enter to confirm.
4. Press F4 or F10 to save the changes and exiting the BIOS.
5. Press Enter.

If the issue is not resolved, I would recommend that you can test another battery to identify whether the issue persists with the VAIO or the battery.
If you do not have the facility to do that, you can go to any local Sony Centre to ask them to assist you testing another one.
Should you have any further questions or queries, please feel free to reply to this email or contact us at the below numbers:

----------
Dear Sony,

Isn’t there some BIOS Flash utility, an earlier version of EP0000259037.exe which I can make use of?
My BIOS version is R2084H4, I’m wondering if there’s a way to revert it back to what it was when the notebook was shipped.

Cordially,

--------
Dear xxxxx,
Thank you for contacting us.
Apologies for the inconvenience but kindly be advised that we cannot revert it back.
I would suggest that you can reset the BIOS to default values as mentioned in my last email.
If the issue persists, I would suggest that you can test another battery at any local Sony centre for more assistance and to identify whether the issue actually persists with the VAIO itself or the battery.

 

I've installed EP0000248982.exe to switch to BIOS version - R1031H4 from version R2084H4.
So far everything seems to be working fine.
I'll let you know if anything fails.

 

Sorry guys.
I found a 'hacked' version of the older bios: R1031H4.
It's somewhere in the "Official Sony SA/SB/SC Series owners thread." It took some time to find the correct link.
Anyway, it not only fixed the battery issue, it also unlocked the advanced functions within the bios.....clock speed, mem frequency, etc.
It is a clean hack. Worked flawlessly.
If I locate it later I'll post the link.
I'm sure eventually Sony will create a fix.

Found it!
http://www.mediafire.com/?k9h29i61brox26k
Unzip and run the setup util.

 

Sony Released a new BIOS upgrade and have sent me the below link.
http://www.sony.com.tr/support/tr/product/VPCSA3X9R_XI/downloads/EP0000261563_6065

EP0000261563_6065.exe

• BIOS - R2085H4 32 / 64 bits 5.34 Mb 25/11/2011

 

Installed the new Bios, the battery works now.
on the other hand it seems as if i have a bit more fan noise now