Simplify your laptop buying
Miscellaneous laptop discussions : sony vaio, touchpad behaving badly ?
On your new computer...
by CptnNemo - 8/2/08 4:49 PM In reply to: should I buy a sony sz791N? by toadman16To tell you the truth, I wouldn't buy a Sony again, and I'm one of the guys that has gotten it repaired and seemingly fixed. Had I seen this thread prior to purchase, I would have gone elsewhere myself. There is a Toshiba that is almost as small, with better options, cheaper. My last toshiba, now going on its 7th year, is still running like a champ (after 5 years, there were things that broke because of extended abuse, but, I can't blame it. I'm very happy and still use it daily). I also so an ultra-thin voodoo the other day which looks amazing. Shop around, although this is a pretty laptop, it's not the quality you'd expect for the money. (And sony's software sucks too)
Sony Repair Update
by CptnNemo - 8/6/08 1:51 PM In reply to: On your new computer... by CptnNemoLess than a week after receiving my Sony SZ440 back from repair, there are dead pixels on the LCD. This is my third LCD, the first having many dead Pixels and "light spots", the second just light spots, and now this third one dead pixels. Should be calling Sony again tomorrow to see if I can get it fixed again, or get a replacement PC. I am so sick of this.
Same thing on the hard drive
by ogman - 8/2/08 5:48 PM In reply to: Just got my VAIO back from Sony by CptnNemo*** is with the hard drives? I sent mine in last week, to get the touchpad fixed, and they called me yesterday to tell me that they were replacing the hard drive. I'd really like to know what's going on with that! The machine will be back in my hands on Monday. The touchpad replacement had better solve the problem.
You're right, why didn't they just ship you a new computer? ;o)
Sony Touchpad reversal problem
by rasputin1958 - 8/5/08 2:55 PM In reply to: Same thing on the hard drive by ogmanGo to http://esupport.sony.com and plug in your model #. Download the original Alps pointing device software, Run it .....Problem goes away
You're a Troll, Right?
by ogman - 8/5/08 3:36 PM In reply to: Sony Touchpad reversal problem by rasputin1958Glad that worked for you (if it actually did), but if it worked for everyone, this thread wouldn't even be here. In fact, it's just kind of an asinine post.
Ouch!!
by rasputin1958 - 8/5/08 6:32 PM In reply to: You're a Troll, Right? by ogmanOuch, that was vicious. Did you happen to think that maybe the newer alps software might have a problem? I may not have the answer but for the first time in months my deal is workin right for whatever reason. The only change made was to dump the latest Alps software for a version that worked 18 months ago.
8 reboots and still not a problem!
Not "Harsh" Enough. Read the Thread.
by ogman - 8/5/08 8:36 PM In reply to: Ouch!! by rasputin1958Harsh? Not nearly enough. Read the thread. Not only have people posting here tried numerous software solutions, most with poor results (including the return of the problem after days, even weeks), but Sony has stated that it's a hardware problem. You don't want "harsh" treatment, browse the topic before posting!
Sorry, Misquoted You.
by ogman - 8/6/08 5:04 AM In reply to: Ouch!! by rasputin1958Sorry, you said vicious. I guess harsh was the worst I thought I might have been. No, I wasn't even close to "vicious."
Got it Fixed, So Far So Good
by ogman - 8/5/08 3:42 PM In reply to: Complain to State Attorney Generals by ogmanI called Sony about a week ago and reported the problem with my machine. They were quick to acknowledge that the touchpad thing is a hardware issue and they asked me to send it in. I got it back yesterday. They replaced the touchpad and, for some strange reason, the hard drive. So far, it works great. I'll report back if the problem returns.
Oh, and wouldn't it be nice if, when they replaced the HD, they didn't insist on reinstalling all the crapware!? Took me two hour to purge the junk from the machine.
sony vaio, touchpad behaving badly ?
by willwool - 8/5/08 3:20 PM In reply to: sony vaio, touchpad behaving badly ? by AA90278Hi,
Thanks to all the advice on this thread. I fixed my Sony SZ61 mousepad problems (mainly single clicks doing double clicks intermittently and the occassional mouse madness) by disassembling the palmrest and mousepad, cleaning all the paper dust around them, and reassembling. My problems only started after the disc drive was replaced by Sony (another issue with this laptop). After repair I noticed there seemed to be a few specks of fine paper dust in the cracks around the mousepad so this may have been the problem.
I also changed to the DELL Alps drivers, but have subsequently gone back to the SONY drivers and everything seems to work OK.
So as mentioned several times - I think there is a problem with this mousepad and capacitance or whatever. Maybe it is overly sensitive to dust or dirt getting down the cracks at the side, and maybe this is why the tape solution also works.
It is soooo annoying that SONY support just say recover your laptop. OK - naturally I have a couple of free days to spare doing that!
It was the posts here that helped me in the right direction, so thanks for all the posts.
Regards
Graham
Yup, same problem, same BS from Sony
by umich1 - 8/14/08 12:33 PM In reply to: sony vaio, touchpad behaving badly ? by willwoolI read all of this about 2 weeks ago, and tried the deleting two files solution with absolutely no success. Finally, last night, I emailed Sony, and they gave me the typical troubleshooting list to go through (restart computer, reinstall drivers, restore BIOS stuff...whatever). In my email, I gave them the link to this forum. His response? "We aren't allowed to comment on quotes from websites other than Sony" He also claimed this problem is not "a known problem" and "no one else is having it"
I just wrote him back, pointing out 50+ people seem to be having the problem on this website. I told him I don't give a sh** if you want to comment on what these people on this forum are saying or not...USE IT TO FIND A SOLUTION.
Finally, I threatened a class action lawsuit. I am 100% serious about this. I am a college student at the University of Michigan, and have many friends in law school. I am sure between them and their professors we can figure out how to get the ball rolling on that.
For the record:
Sony VGN-SZ220
Its like 2 years old...been having the problem for as long as I can remember
I have experienced the inverting problem, but its mostly the beserk deal where the cursor jumps around and closes/resizes/opens windows. POS.
MORE THINGS TO TRY
by umich1 - 8/14/08 2:12 PM In reply to: Yup, same problem, same BS from Sony by umich11) Download the original ALPS driver from that esupport website.
2) Uninstall your printer- I read that might be it somewhere else too.
So far, this has worked for me....for all of 1 hour. If it fails, I am opening it up and taping the touchpad. Ill keep everyone posted.
EMAIL THE SONY EXECS
by CptnNemo - 8/14/08 2:34 PM In reply to: Yup, same problem, same BS from Sony by umich1So I followed the consumerist's advice and emailed all the Sony America executives telling them of my problem. My computer was recently fixed, as noted in this forum, but it's third LCD came from the repair center with dead pixels. I got tired of dealing with reps on the phone, so I emailed the following people:
ryoji.chubachi@jp.sony.com, stan.glasgow@am.sony.com, Mike.Abary@am.sony.com, Rick.Clancy@am.sony.com, Ed.Cotter@am.sony.com, Michael.Fasulo@am.sony.com, Charles.Gregory@am.sony.com, Jay.Dellostretto@am.sony.com, Hugo.Gaggioni@am.sony.com, Steve.Haber@am.sony.com, Hiroshi.Kawano@am.sony.com, Rintaro.Miyoshi@am.sony.com, John.Scarcella@am.sony.com, Nobu.Kurita@am.sony.com, Stuart.Redsun@am.sony.com, Dennis.Syracuse@am.sony.com, Marjorie.Thomas@am.sony.com, Randall.Waynick@am.sony.com, Jay.Vandenbree@am.sony.com, Michael.Williams@am.sony.com
I sent a respectful letter, telling them of where I purchased it (include the company you work for too), when, and what the history was with the laptop. I then requested that they replace it by a certain date, or I would file with the BBB and consumerist.com.
NO JOKE, WITHIN 20 MINUTES FOUR PEOPLE FROM SONY HAD CALLED ME, INCLUDING THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF SONY AMERICA. They told me to send it in, and they will most likely replace it with a superior model. We will see if that actually happens, but at least I got someone's attention. I followed the advice given by the consumerist.com for someone else with a Sony problem that can be found here: http://consumerist.com/364718/sony-doesnt-repair-your-laptop-for-3-months-accuses-you-of-warranty-fraud
I got a call from Sony
by gschrob - 8/20/08 5:54 AM In reply to: EMAIL THE SONY EXECS by CptnNemoI emailed the list of Sony execs and got a call 2 days later (on a Saturday), then a follow-up call on Monday, then a box in the mail on Tuesday for it to be returned. He said they were aware of this link and it would be fixed. When I asked if Sony was aware of the electrical short that seems to be the root cause of all the problem, and whether Sony was going to just replace my touchpad with another crappy touchpad, he said they would get to the bottom of the problem, not just replace it.
SOLUTION: Insulating touch pad from palm rest
by ajhoff - 8/14/08 4:14 PM In reply to: Yup, same problem, same BS from Sony by umich1I swear this is a solution, but let me give you some background info on my system.
OK, so Im on the SZ460N model, vista, alps touch pad.
My problem was erratic cursor; window closing, right clicks and jumps, etc, as well as a 90% inverted cursor; up goes down, left goes right, and visa versa. (I say 90%, because by random when i would restart cursor would not be inverted.)
I had tried 100's of steps from different forums to fix this. Re-installing driver, old and new. Even synaptics driver, even though its an alps touch pad. Following sony's 20 step process to recover the system, bios, etc. Solutions sometimes would work temporarily, no more than a week.
The only permanent (about a month now) solution is listed on page 12 of this forum.
The metal palm rest of the SZ model seems to be interfering with with the poorly grounded alps touch pad.
So if you insulate the touch pad from the palm rest using insulating electric tape (the black rubbery kind), all problems go away.
My cursor is now right side up, as well I have not had any erratic behavior episodes.
For detailed information on how to do this go to this great site:
http://doube.org/sztp.html
He also has a link on how to open up the laptop if you are uncomfortable with that.
I am not sure if or how this voids any warranty, however don't be afraid its really easy.
Lastly, please right back after trying and let us know how you make out.
If we are certain this fixes the problem, maybe we can start to relay this info to Sony tech support, or someone.
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