Hardware Analysis Community Forums http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/8891/ 2008-08-28T12:59:33-05:00 http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/8891/ http://media.hardwareanalysis.com/halogo.gif text/html 2008-03-29T17:48:22-05:00 socrates philosopher http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/8891/?l=1#532384 thanks for the help! I did notice it could take 2 screws with nuts. I've been lazy to do it because i wasn't sure what size the screws were, but now i do.<br /> <br /> Also thanks for the tip to lubricate it, never thought of that.<br /> <br /> Thanks again! text/html 2008-03-24T14:14:36-05:00 Armand Vergilius http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/8891/?l=1#531990 How to fix hinge on Sony Vaio PCG-GRV616S...<br /> Remove plastic caps on hinges, the tiny screwcap hidding selfadhesive plastics and screw loose. Remove the clicked in window around the LCD panel. Don't forget the screws on the frontside of the hood where the relase hook resides. Then you see two L-shaped pieces of metal that connect the hinge with the screen on the corners. Two times two M2.5 screws with bolts can take the place of the copper busses that are moulded in the plastic rear. There it usually breaks, or the top of the screw just snaps off (in my case). Make room in the plastic for the new bolts on the hinge. Don't forget to lubricate the hinge... the cause of it all. Another shame on Sony... mounting copper busses in plastic. Is this made for breaking? Dismantle a Mac and learn !!! text/html 2008-02-20T05:25:17-05:00 socrates philosopher http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/8891/?l=1#529597 Well, i still only have 1 hinge busted, but i am soooo careful with the other now! Still haven't been able to find a hinge fix.<br /> <br /> If you hear anything let me know! text/html 2008-02-12T16:08:41-05:00 Erin Kae http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/8891/?l=1#528870 Oh, and the most recent problem I've had with the GRZ530 is that both hinges for the screen are completely busted. I have to prop my screen against the wall to use it anymore. It just happened one day when I opened the screen and &quot;pop pop&quot; little broken pieces of plastic and various crews fell from both sides. No idea why this happened - I wasn't being rough with it or anything like that. But at least the LCD still works, even though I can't use the laptop in any portable way anymore. <img src="http://media.hardwareanalysis.com/smilies/smile2.gif" width="14" height="14" border="0" alt=":(" title=":("> text/html 2008-02-12T16:04:00-05:00 Erin Kae http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/8891/?l=1#528869 I had this overheating/shut-down problem and here is what worked for me.<br /> <br /> I opened up the laptop (it was more complicated than I thought, but there are some good instructions you can find on the web). All I wanted to do was try and clean the fan to see if that would help the problem. Much to my surprise, I found a large piece of metal screwed tight on the back of the fan, and it was covering more than 3/4 of the fan! No wonder it was overheating!!! I took out the screws that were holding this metal plank on, removed it, and put everything else back together. I have never had a problem with overheating since!<br /> <br /> I would be very interested to know if others have found this metal plank inside their GRZ530. I can't begin to imagine why it was there. I bought the computer new and it had never been opened up before I opened it that day. <br /> <br /> I may post a picture of this if I can figure out how to do that. text/html 2007-11-16T06:15:13-05:00 socrates philosopher http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/8891/?l=1#519283 for anyone still following this thread, does anyone know where i can get my hands on a hinge repair kit? the right hinge screws busted! so i need some new screws that'll fit it. text/html 2006-05-07T15:21:15-05:00 Mike Knisely http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/8891/?l=1#410861 I've had a GRV550 in constant use for 3 yrs, I run a business off mine so its on more than its off. If blowing it out doesn't work any more or it's still running hot there's a big heat sink mounted just under the power switch. As most everyone seems to have figured out, blowing out all the crap helps, but the only way to get everything is to disassemble some of the laptop and get at the motherload. You'll need a very small screw driver and a small pair of plyers. Start by removing the panel w/the power switch. There's one screw under the S400 port cover on the left side of the computer, slide the panel to the left and flip out of the way. Next there's a screw retaining the keyboard @ the top-center. Slip the bottom of the keyboard out from under the cover and flip over out of the way. A metal channel runs from one side to the other with 6 screw holding it in. Use a pair of needle nose plyers or hymostats to extract the screws. Carefully remove the cover. Now the fan in the top right corner needs to come out. Carefully extract the ribbon cable that crosses over the top of the fan by wiggling it as you GENTLY pull it up. Remove the 3 screws marked A, B, &amp; C and ease the fan out. The motherload is trapped between the fan and the fins of the heat sink. Remove the hairball and reassemble in the reverse order. Be very careful re-installing the ribbon cable. Press straight down on the cable with your finger as you gently wiggle it back in to its socket. After doing this myself My Vaio went from an idle temp of 136F to 104F and when running the CPU @ 100%, before cleaning I maxed out @ 192F (I'd seen enough). Now the most I can get with the CPU @ 100% is 132F text/html 2005-10-21T15:25:16-05:00 Mits Spyder http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/8891/?l=1#339303 It looks like there's already something started for Sony notebooks with power problems.<br /> <br /> <a class="ext" href="/action/r/http://www.lieffcabraser.com/sony-vaio.htm" target="_blank">http://www.lieffcabraser.com/sony-vaio.htm</a><br /> text/html 2005-08-25T15:40:05-05:00 tony carter http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/8891/?l=1#316315 My Vaio Pcg -grz530 used to suck until I came across this forum. <br /> <br /> I immediately went to work on cleaning out the fan assy and heat sink and now the machine is like new again and working as it did on the first day.(accept for the second memory socket which is gone due to the overheating. I will ignore this and double up on the ram using the first socket only. Some say this will also go eventually, but I don't think so, because I will take care not to let my cooling system get blocked again. <br /> <br /> No one told me that you had to clean out this machine on a regular basis. But now I know, and hopefully, with my new care and attitude towards my machine, it will behave like it should do and be good to me. <br /> <br /> Instead of using compressed air, I decided to strip the machine (which is very easy) and remove the fan Assy with Heat sink. I was &quot;absolutely amazed&quot; at what I discovered behind the heat-sink - a blanket of dust blocking the flow of air through the heat-sink radiator. Now, if this was a motor vehicle it would also shut down, in fact the engine would blow with the persistent shutdowns. <br /> <br /> I had to be careful in removing the heat-sink because the CPU came out of the socket attached to the heat sink by means of the thermal paste. (I chose not to separate the two because I suspected the fusion of the two surfaces i.e. the CPU and the heat-sink still to be good). If it failed again, then I would replay the clean out process and insert the new thermal paste.<br /> <br /> I am aware in some cases the intense overheating destructs the paste (which forms a &quot;conductive&quot; bond between the CPU and the heat-sink) and needs to be replaced so the heat can dissipate along its course to the radiator section of the heat-sink. In my case the dissipation of heat was taking place, but because there was a blanket of dust between the fan and the radiator, there was no cooling.<br /> <br /> I believe the problems mentioned here, in this &quot;Vaio sucks forum&quot; first originates with overheating due to dust build-up in the cooling system. This results in other components failing and in particular the memory sockets, which is the cause of boot failures so many are reporting <br /> <br /> I definitely under-estimated how easily the dust build-up takes place, especially because my machine was being used as a desktop replacement in a clean home office environment. I would have never believed how bad it was had I not done the job myself.<br /> <br /> I have posted some pictures of the components removed from my machine during the clean out process – check out the “Sony Killer Dust Blanket.” <a class="ext" href="/action/r/http://www.dynacc.com/sonykiller.htm" target="_blank">http://www.dynacc.com/sonykiller.htm</a><br /> <br /> At this point I would like to comment on the so called class action suite against Sony<br /> <br /> In my mind overheating and component failure is a dust problem and a maintenance thing that users should be educated about, and maybe Sony should warn users about this hazard or better still do a redesign on the cooling system. <br /> <br /> But I don’t think the law suite will go any where because it’s like suing the Ford Motor company for having engine problems due to an obstructed radiator. It’s a servicing and user factor. <br /> text/html 2005-08-06T22:06:29-05:00 padmasne radhakrishnan http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/8891/?l=1#309062 Thanks for starting this thread. I was really frustrated with my GRZ-530 and was ready to buy a new one, till i came across this thread a couple of days back. Unbelievable, but, true, the compressed air solution does work!!! And now, I have a quiet and working notebook <img src="http://media.hardwareanalysis.com/smilies/smile1.gif" width="14" height="14" border="0" alt=":-)" title=":-)">. I guess, none of us should have to open our notebooks every couple of weeks and clean just to keep it working, but, it's a lot better than having it and not being able to use it at all. text/html 2005-06-07T09:40:20-05:00 Jim L http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/8891/?l=1#284525 Hi,<br /> <br /> In case anyone's interested, I just tried Speedfan (<a class="ext" href="/action/r/http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php" target="_blank">http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php</a>) on an FRV37, and it is able to sense and display the CPU temperature. <br /> <br /> Jim text/html 2005-03-30T12:02:12-05:00 Kim Shreve http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/8891/?l=1#260124 I originally purchased this unit at Best Buy brand new 2 years ago bought the extended warranty thank goodness. It is doing all the same things the grz is, overheating and shutting down, they then replaced some I believe heat sensors Fall of 04, went to upgrade memory at Best Buy because tech said it only had 256, I was sure it was 512 but ok. Bought more memory paid them to install it went back an hour later only to be told my motherboard was going that's why it was only recognizing 256 instead of 512 sent in for service replaced motherboard, got it back had it for 2 days wasn't recognizing any discs in drive and video was distorted took it back in, the tech stated something had to be wrong with the motherboard, I informed him they just replace the motherboard. Here we go again. Just got it back only to be told they could find nothing wrong. Went in to pick it up made the tech try it within 1 min of playing a dvd the video went distorted they then all agreed it was the motherboard again. I then asked for a supervisor and told him this was a lemon from the start and I felt they should replace it, he stated they would only replace it if they had replaced 3 hardware part and oh we're at 2. He would try a restore to rule out any software issue and call me back and see if it fixed the problem. Called back restore &quot;fixed the problem&quot; so they say but now the video card is freezing, the video card is bad. Back in it goes and I wait again for word on what they intend on doing. My theory is all these part are going bad because of the overheating problem. I've been without this unit more than with it what with this. Is anyone else having these issues with the PCG-GRV680 text/html 2005-03-14T21:40:44-05:00 Tom Pappas http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/8891/?l=1#254563 I have posted instructions on my web site to assist owners in solving overheating problems.<br /> <br /> <a class="ext" href="/action/r/http://www.vaioshutdown.com/overheat.htm" target="_blank">http://www.vaioshutdown.com/overheat.htm</a><br /> <br /> Tom Pappas text/html 2005-03-14T19:06:01-05:00 francesco lisbona http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/8891/?l=1#254517 hi<br /> <br /> I just had the over heating problem with my vaio grz615 until yesterday nught, but without sony i traied to open it and repair..<br /> <br /> now it's very fast and it work like a dream, i can't listen the fan and the cpu process is very fast.<br /> i just posted some work detailes here:<br /> <br /> <a class="ext" href="/action/r/http://vulcan.afraid.org" target="_blank">http://vulcan.afraid.org</a><br /> <br /> si very simple to open it, with whole attention obviously, and clean the cooler part under the fan.<br /> <br /> good luck<br /> <br /> lisbona<br /> <br /> p.s. exuse me for my english ;-/ text/html 2005-02-24T02:38:25-05:00 medusa iyer http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/8891/?l=1#246181 Hi ppl,<br /> I was asked to exchange the PCG-k45 for the sucker 35 series.<br /> This system does not have a DVD burner. I had no choice but to settle down for this one.<br /> Now this system only crashes, when I try installing the Yahoo messenger , the same IRQL error comes.<br /> once i uninstall it.. everything is normal<br /> for the past 5 days, i have been trying to install different versions of the messenger, the IRQL error seems to show up.<br /> Finally I decided not to load it at all.<br /> Andnow the now the laptop works great.<br /> i ran it for 5 hrs, running multiple applications..<br /> oh yes, I also uninstalled norton internet security (also a blacksheep in this issue)<br /> now what i am not sure is whether its yahoo or norton or a combination of both.<br /> another unusual error that i get at startup is<br /> Duplicate name exists on the network...system error.<br /> now if some one could please explain this.<br /> thanks<br /> medusa