Vaio VGNA3 series PCMCIA II reader.

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

I wrote in message
news:42b26b8b$0$3214$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...
> Sony sales and support told me that their PCMCIA card reader for this
> model
> does not support compact flash type cards. I have been unable to find out
> if
> Sony card readers for other models (advertised as being able to read CF
> cards) will function in this machine.

Here's what they said:

"As PCMCIA is a different physical form factor than CF, CF cards cannot be
used in a PC card slot."

So what are these?:

http://tinyurl.com/cnedm

My problem is if the Sony will have problems if I plug one in. Any help
appreciated.

Dave

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

hyperoglyphe wrote:

> Sony sales and support told me that their PCMCIA card reader for this
> model does not support compact flash type cards. I have been unable to
> find out if Sony card readers for other models (advertised as being able
> to read CF cards) will function in this machine.

The only PCMCIA card reader that I see on the Sony site is the VGP-MCA10,
which supportes several different types of card but not CF.
>
> I am waiting on a call back to determine how I go about reading Sandisk
> Ultra II 2GB cards that I use in a DSLR.
>
> Unusually, I cannot even get a USB card reader to function reliably, with
> the machine hanging on start up, or simply not recognising a card, if
> plugged in after start up. Sometimes it works, but never as a simple plug
> and play- I usually have to open the folders via explorer, to get to the
> camera formatted pic folder.

?? What do you _expect_ to happen? The CF just mounts as a disk like any
other disk.

> The model has a 17 inch screen, PM 2.2Ghz, ATI X600 GPU and is fairly new.
>
> Anyone familiar with this? I have tried a few cheap USB readers all
> performing in a similar manner. I would prefer a PCMICA slot solution.

Simple Technology has CF to PCCard adapter that you can get for 6 bucks and
shipping. I've had one for years and it's never given me a problem in any
machine that I tried. Now, it might be that Sony has deliberately broken
their machine in some way so that it's not possible to make it read
CF--they see CF as a competing technology to their Memory Stick--but if
that's the case then nothing you do is going to work unless you can
outsmart their engineers.

> Dave

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

"J. Clarke" <jclarke.usenet@snet.net.invalid> wrote in message
news96uer01e4s@news1.newsguy.com...
> hyperoglyphe wrote:
>
>> Sony sales and support told me that their PCMCIA card reader for this
>> model does not support compact flash type cards. I have been unable to
>> find out if Sony card readers for other models (advertised as being able
>> to read CF cards) will function in this machine.
>
> The only PCMCIA card reader that I see on the Sony site is the VGP-MCA10,
> which supportes several different types of card but not CF.
>>
>> I am waiting on a call back to determine how I go about reading Sandisk
>> Ultra II 2GB cards that I use in a DSLR.
>>
>> Unusually, I cannot even get a USB card reader to function reliably, with
>> the machine hanging on start up, or simply not recognising a card, if
>> plugged in after start up. Sometimes it works, but never as a simple
>> plug
>> and play- I usually have to open the folders via explorer, to get to the
>> camera formatted pic folder.
>
> ?? What do you _expect_ to happen? The CF just mounts as a disk like any
> other disk.

That's right, but it is not mounting like any other disk. With XP I expect
the disk to be recognised after a few seconds and a dialog box to open
asking what I want to do with the contents- eg, view pictures, open with
different programs or just open the containing folder. That is not
happening. What is happening is variable. Sometimes nothing will appear to
happen but if I navigate with explorer to the USB reader and try to open the
disk (which may or may not have a folder icon), it might open, or it might
recognise a disk but think it is unformatted. The sporadic performance is
difficult to deal with and I cannot notice a pattern to connect the problem
to one thing.

One thing that can usually be replicated, is if I have problems seeing the
disk and I restart with card in situ the computer will hang after the BIOS
screen displays: XP will not launch. The same thing happens with 4 cards, 1
and 2GB from 2 manufacturers.
>
>> The model has a 17 inch screen, PM 2.2Ghz, ATI X600 GPU and is fairly
>> new.
>>
>> Anyone familiar with this? I have tried a few cheap USB readers all
>> performing in a similar manner. I would prefer a PCMICA slot solution.
>
> Simple Technology has CF to PCCard adapter that you can get for 6 bucks
> and
> shipping. I've had one for years and it's never given me a problem in any
> machine that I tried. Now, it might be that Sony has deliberately broken
> their machine in some way so that it's not possible to make it read
> CF--they see CF as a competing technology to their Memory Stick--but if
> that's the case then nothing you do is going to work unless you can
> outsmart their engineers.
>
I do think it very strange Sony do not support CF in their factory PC card
reader. If Sony had DSLR cameras as good as Nikon or my Canon 20D, I might
have a need for memory Stick :-) I will probably buy a 3rd part adapter to
try it out- I was hoping someone with a new centrino Sony might confirm my
problem was unique, possibly requiring repair. Sandisk support (I have
emailed) may help.

Thanks

Dave