# Sony vaio laptop?? Good or bad?



## brandonbmx1

Hey,

Does anyone know anything about sony vaio notebooks? I am looking at the sony vaio k37 (click here for specs)

Does anyone know of any problems with this laptop or sony vaios in general? Does anyone think its a good decision? I am an engineering major so i need one that can handle CADD and other software. I also do a lot of photoshop, flash, and html projects. Please let me know what you think.

Thanks.


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## CadGuy

Hi brandonbmx1

I worked with a guy a while back who bought one of those about 3 years ago. A short time after he bought it he had problems with both the HD and CD. He claims that when he priced out the replacement parts they were 2-3 times the price of regular replacements due to proprietary components. I don't know if this is true or not so you may want to check this out before you purchase.

I'm using a Compaq presario 2100 for Acad and CNC apps and have had no problems with performance and I really drive it hard sometimes.

Just my opinions...


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## TechGuy

Unfortunately, just about any laptop uses proprietary parts... they are very expensive for any laptop.

I've personally owned two IBMs, two Toshibas, and a Sony laptop. I've worked on too many Dells to even consider one, but if I were to go out and buy a new one today I would probably buy a Sony or an IBM.

My personal vote.


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## hermes

I have a VAIO and it has certain strange peculiarities.

1. You cannot click on the D drive in Explorer or it crashes explorer
2. It takes an eternity to boot
3. If you try to adjust or open the volume control before it has completely booted it opens the volume control 32 times
4. Screen is loose and has been almost since day 1
5. Support is appalling. My colleague bought his at the same time and had an issue with it. He rang Sony support and was told they couldn't help as it was an obsolete model, three weeks after selling him it.


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## pjblevin

I've worked on a couple of Sony's (never owned one), but I can say they are absolutely the easiest to deal with when it comes to reinstallation of Windows. You just put disc 1 into the tray and let it run. No fancy booting up or going into the bios and all that. Just put it in the tray. When it's finished, you're instructed to insert disc 2. And so forth. After all the discs have run, you've got a machine with a fresh installation of Windows. It's a dream.


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## replay

my friend bought a top of the line sony about a year ago...he had probs with it right out of the box(it had a fast cpu and got hot) he returned it for another...it wasn't long before the same problems arose..... he got so frustrated with it he literally threw it in the trash can


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## Fyzbo

_
1. You cannot click on the D drive in Explorer or it crashes explorer
2. It takes an eternity to boot
3. If you try to adjust or open the volume control before it has completely booted it opens the volume control 32 times
4. Screen is loose and has been almost since day 1
5. Support is appalling. My colleague bought his at the same time and had an issue with it. He rang Sony support and was told they couldn't help as it was an obsolete model, three weeks after selling him it. _

I would just like to point out that 1-3 are all software problems. I don't know about anyone else, but for me, when buying a new computer software doesn't matter. Software will be changed and upgrade, it's the hardware that's important.

My labtop is a SONY Vaio and I love it. It's one of their slim models so its' extremely light. It's going on 4 years without a single flaw in the hardware. Even the battery still holds a full charge. I have upgraded to a new version of windows and I was able to find all of the drivers I needed on the sony website. More than you can say for HP or Compq.

Sony does cost more than other brands, but I believe it is worth it.


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## borgdoc379

I have a K37 and am having problems w/ trying to get the Sony Fn drivers to work w/ XP Pro, anyone else have this problem or know of a fix aside from reinstalling XP Home?

BTW, aside from the short battery life (90 min), loud CPU cooling fan, and I've had towers lighter than this laptop I have to say I like it. The wide viewing angle of the screen makes it handy for small group presentations.


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## linskyjack

Love my Vaio---


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## llsee

My VAIO laptop is 4 years old and still going strong. Not a single problem in all this time.


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## Suprem

I would recommend toshiba, I have one and it is very reliable, Dell's I would shot myself before I get another dell(They put more time into their desktops then their labtops) and sony I have not had one or owned one, But I hear good thing's and then bad thing's.


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## pjblevin

I just got my 17" Toshiba laptop from Ubid, and it's GORGEOUS. $1469. Had it only a few days, but love it.

pjblevin


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## borgdoc379

Sony laptops are good, the support can be so-so, I tried calling Sony technical support and couldn't understand the person, outsourced to ___? Their chat help was better, though their first reaction was to tell me that XP Home was the only authorized software package for the Vaio K37 and kept sending me links to the Sony troubleshooting site. The probelm was resolved by finally emailing Sony and explaining the problem. Apparently someone there could read and understand English and sent me a link to an online support page which explained how to upgrade the drivers for XP Home to Pro http://ESupport.sony.com//support/pops/osmig/xpclean.html#pre


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## dbs1uk

From my experiance with Sony laptops I would say that they are very good laptops overall with good compatablity - work great with loads of linux distros. However, if you get a bad model you might as well throw it away because the support is non-existant. You might think that sony laptops are mostly good and there aren't that many duds, but absolutely loads of all the sony laptops have exactly the same problem - refusing to power on. The only fix for this is to leave all power disconnected for several days, or replace the motherboard (very costly). The second common problem is in the build quality - screens are often badly fixed to the hinges. This may be due to the screws that are being used, or just a lack of screws to hold it. Anyway these screws often come loose and then the screen is just being held by the plastic surround which will eventually crack. 

I'm sorry if this sounds like a very negative post, I do think that sony's are good laptops overall, just pray you don't get any problems :up:


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## mattbro75

Never buy a Sony laptop. Decent enough machine, but the support is a full-on disaster. Also, Sony is WAAY over priced for the technologyt they sell. As one person said, if anything goes wrong with it just throw it away. The support will not help you in any way.

Dell is pretty much in the same categroy here, but slightly better.

Get a Alienware machine. Fast, slick, and service that blows me away everytime I deal with them. Dead pixil? AUTOMATIC replacement.

My current laptop is my 7th one ever, and my 1st Alienware. It truly is a different world.

What's weird is, they are also about less than Sony, IBM, or Dell.

When I bought my most recent laptop I priced out Dell, HP, Sony, IBM, and Gateway all for the same or close as poss specs.

Alienware which had the best support ratings at every opinion site came out around $500 less than Sony, Gateway, and IBM which were the most expensive. Alien was about $100 less than Dell, and HP was less than Alien again by about $100.

Problem with HP was their components weren't quite up to speed. For instance Alien included 1 gig of SDRAM 1 dimm, while HP had 1 gig of RDRAM 2 dimm.

Now, my primary PC and my laptop are Aliens. Go their site and read up on them a bit.

Alienware


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## areffvenn

Just don't ever buy a Sony if you expect any kind of support if it goes wrong. My Vaio developed a k/b problem (O and P fell off, O stopped working properly) and Sony picked up, said it was my fault and wanted £120 to fix it. I complained at that, so they sent it back and (eventually) sent me the O and P keys. Of course, the O still doesn't work. Eventually they picked it up again (3 weeks later) and I still don't have it 2 weeks after that. They have closed the e-support case twice on me with no contact, and I have spent hours on the phone trying to get them to do something. This on a laptop that was only 9 months old. This has now been going on more than 9 weeks. 

Just don't EVER buy a sony.
 
I can post the whole set of e-support notes if you wish or email them to whoever's interested. 
DON'T BUY SONY


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## Space Cowboy

I have a Dell that just got a new Motherboard, CPU, And Hard drive put in. Was under warrenty so that was a close one.

Personally ~ I think The SONY has the best lookin screen outa them all.

Just my 2 cents worth


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## areffvenn

Space Cowboy said:


> I have a Dell that just got a new Motherboard, CPU, And Hard drive put in. Was under warrenty so that was a close one.
> 
> Personally ~ I think The SONY has the best lookin screen outa them all.
> 
> Just my 2 cents worth


Mine is supposed to be under warranty, but Sony are wriggling out, delaying, trying anything.

It's no good looking good in some repair shop, or just not working. I agree, the screen is fabulous. But I can't even see it! Sony still have it!

Don't ever buy a Sony if you want any support.


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## Colossus610

Ok, I specialize in Sony Vaio laptops, and I love them to death.
however, as with anything and everything tech/computer related, there ARE gonna be the good models and the cheap models. I have come to believe that the "K" series Vaio is not the best series to choose from, for the money they're OK but....
Much of what I have read in this thread have been people complaining about things that they have control over, or little understanding of.
Example; I have myself a Sony Vaio PCG-GRT260G, a laptop that is classified as a DESKTOP REPLACEMENT. Not a cute little laptop to take on the train or to the potty.
It is a P4 3.0 Ghz with 1 GB DDR RAM, an 80 GB HDD, wireless G, a built-in TV Tuner with an almost 17-inch screen.
The thing is almost 11 pounds with the AC-Adapter and is 14.10 inches x 11.90 inches x 1.90 inches.
I paid almost 2400 bucks through the nose for the thing, but with the proper amount of care and respect for such an amalgum(amalgam,hmm...gotta look that up) of technology, it has treated me great and been nothing short of spectacular.
When I was considering it, because of it's addons, I found that 90% of the reviews on this item were negative, then I actually READ the reviews. ALL of the bad reviews were about people complaining about the size and weight. you dont buy a laptop like this and then complain about this. It doesn't bother me because I am 6'10" 255 pounds and I used to deliver furniture for a living, what's 11 pounds to me?
If you wanna buy good products, do a little research before you buy, sit down with yourself and ask, what DO I NEED? Not what do I want and what does everyone else have?
Too many people buy things they don't need or understand and then whine when they cant get it to work or they need to buy something else to justify something on the laptop, it only adds more frustration to an already frustrating area for the average non-geek person.

Laptops are not toasters, they are an amazingly complex assortment of new and sometimes quirky technology often mistreated by the people that set their drinks to close to them, or place them on a blanket on their lap for a 5-hour long drive to Mississippi(My sister-in-law), which causes them to overheat and burn out. I repaired my sister-in-laws' only because my wife made me( and so I could have her owe me) and I buy peoples burnt out $1500-$4000 machines for 150-200 dollars on a regular basis.

Support from any major corporation whose customers expect the best for dirt cheap is gonna be crappy at best. 
1. You get what you pay for.
2. Become an educated consumer, than you never have to deal with "customer support"
3.If you dont at least grasp the concept of something, dont use it or complain when you cant get it to work.

Im sorry to seem so rough, but that's the way the proverbial cookie crumbles. 

Oh ya b4 I forget......


borgdoc379 said:


> I have a K37 and am having problems w/ trying to get the Sony Fn drivers to work w/ XP Pro, anyone else have this problem or know of a fix aside from reinstalling XP Home?
> 
> BTW, aside from the short battery life (90 min), loud CPU cooling fan, and I've had towers lighter than this laptop I have to say I like it. The wide viewing angle of the screen makes it handy for small group presentations.


sometimes the Sony Fn software and TouchPad Utiliies CAN be sorta funky when it comes to reinstalling another OS, or just installing from a NON-SONY install disk.
Much of Sony's proprietary(that spelled right?) software relies on a Shared Library that manages much of the programs' required dll's and such, their IS a way to install your own NON-Sony version of let's say WinXP Pro, and use their application recovery disk to install the Sony Shared Library and "fool" the programs into thinking they are running on a Sony OEM(from Factory) OS.
Mine came with WinXP Home SP1 which I then wiped and reloaded with XP Pro, used the application recovery disks to install the Sony Shared Library, the utilities I need for the TV tuner and remote for the TV software, the touchpad utility and nothing else, none of their crap trial software and free trials and stuff.


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## bedner24

I have a sony vaio that I purchased in 2002 and it has lately been telling me that there is not enough disk memory every time I turn it on. Obviously I have to use a different computer to be able to do this because opening one program completely locks up my computer. I'm wondering if I could reformat my hard drive, the only problem is that I don't have a backup disk of my operating system and I don't know if it would be destroyed by reformatting. If anyone has any advice, suggestions or solutions....PLEASE, let me know! Thank you!


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## clsxmas

linskyjack said:


> Love my Vaio---


I agree!!


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## soniq

im no expert but i have heard that sony vaio notebooks are the best thing for heavy graphic and all that kinda crap,games,auto cadd ..


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## soniq

and i forgot i got a vaio and i love it too


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## hermes

Bedner24, was the Vaio OEM? Mine has a recovery disk that I had to use when I discovered I no longer 'owned' mine (It had three viruses in the system volume information, which I was locked out of, and system restore was infected). It has the OS and everything on three disks that take about an hour to load, and an additional disk that has all the Sony graphics and audio drivers and additional software, that you add at will. You really should have recieved one with the laptop. It does not need to re-register XP as you have not reinstalled, just repaired. 

What model is it? If there was a way you could use mine you would be welcome. 

BTW My HD failed too. But it was pre-partitioned and only the E drive failed. I have used it and reinstalled on it and it still works, bizarrely. I just have a half size hard disk, but it works as well as ever.


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