Problem with SONY VAIO

Hello everyone...!

I've been using a SONY VAIO VGN-CR36G notebook for a little more than two years now. It ran extremely well for the past two years which included long hours of gaming and multimedia and frequent re-formatting the hard drive.

However, recently it is behaving so weird. After using it for sometimes, it shuts itself down without any warning or logging off... All of a sudden- total black out!!! The problem is more severe when it's connected to the AC adapter or the power plan is set to balanced (and don't ask about the 'high performance' mode!!!). If normal typing etc are performed, then the system seems to be running for quite long. On the other hand, if videos or movies hardly run for 15 minutes or so... What might be wrong with it? The service center guys say the MoBo is gone and it will need 17,000 bucks to get it repaired. But I wonder, if the Motherboard is gone, how come everything runs so smoothly for sometimes (if on battery, it seems to run for as long as the battery lasts...). Last night I surfed internet for about 3 hours before it shut itself down (obviously in 'power saver' mode). I'm really really mad with my lappy...

Any suggestion please???

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Reply to MsGardener7

Check that any fan vents haven't become clogged -- does sound like an overheating issue.

Symptoms may also suggest a faulty memory module -- have you added one ?

Reply to Anonymous

MsGardener7 wrote :

Hello everyone...!

I've been using a SONY VAIO VGN-CR36G notebook for a little more than two years now. It ran extremely well for the past two years which included long hours of gaming and multimedia and frequent re-formatting the hard drive.

However, recently it is behaving so weird. After using it for sometimes, it shuts itself down without any warning or logging off... All of a sudden- total black out!!! The problem is more severe when it's connected to the AC adapter or the power plan is set to balanced (and don't ask about the 'high performance' mode!!!). If normal typing etc are performed, then the system seems to be running for quite long. On the other hand, if videos or movies hardly run for 15 minutes or so... What might be wrong with it? The service center guys say the MoBo is gone and it will need 17,000 bucks to get it repaired. But I wonder, if the Motherboard is gone, how come everything runs so smoothly for sometimes (if on battery, it seems to run for as long as the battery lasts...). Last night I surfed internet for about 3 hours before it shut itself down (obviously in 'power saver' mode). I'm really really mad with my lappy...

Any suggestion please???

Your computer sounds like it may be over-heating, which causes the computer to shut down once it reaches a certain temp. Is your computer's fans spinning loudly before it dies? Try to clean it out by either opening it up and cleaning the fans and wiping away the mat of dust on the heatsink fins, or if that sounds too scary, use a can of compressed air and blow into the exhaust vent (when the laptop is off, of course)... tho the compressed air solution is less than optimal, because that'll just push the dust back into the computer, which means it'll probably get clogged again pretty soon... It would be best if you can find your laptop's disassembly manual, and just get at the fan and heatsink, and clean it from the inside.

Reply to sidewinderx2

Thanks guys... I opened my laptop up and cleaned the fan and the heatsink. But it was of no help. sent it to the SONY service center once and the guys out there told the motherboard is gone and I need to shell out 17,000 bucks to get it repaired. I wonder if the mobo is gone, how come everything runs alright on the machine (although not for very long)? In fact, I applied a layer of cooling paste over the CPU too... That didn't help either. Is my Core2Duo Processor the one to cause the problem? Or the motherboard is gone really?

And if I have to pay 17,000 bucks to repair that, T think I'd rather go for a new notebook instead...

Reply to MsGardener7

Also, at times the fan used to sound loud for a short while when it was new (before the problem began)... It exhausted the hot air forcefully (For a very short while). These days it hardly makes any audible sound. And the fan runs sometimes (not all the time)... The amount of air coming out of the vents is also very little... Is there a possibility that my fan is not working properly? Or the connecting cable got damaged by the continuous heat... But if that's the case, why the hell should the fan spin at all...???

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to MsGardener7

If it's not heating then maybe you can try replacing the RAM. Remove all the old RAM, and borrow/buy a new stick, and place it in there, and see if that helps? If not, then it really may be something on the motherboard, perhaps the built in Radeon X2300... maybe you can try the oven method to try to fix any micro-fractures in the solder?

Reply to sidewinderx2

MsGardener7 wrote :

Also, at times the fan used to sound loud for a short while when it was new (before the problem began)... It exhausted the hot air forcefully (For a very short while). These days it hardly makes any audible sound. And the fan runs sometimes (not all the time)... The amount of air coming out of the vents is also very little... Is there a possibility that my fan is not working properly? Or the connecting cable got damaged by the continuous heat... But if that's the case, why the hell should the fan spin at all...???

No, the heat generally shouldn't get hot enough to damage the wires. The fans may not be spinning up because the CPU might not be that hot, since you seem to be using it on Power Saver profile, and only doing very light tasks.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to sidewinderx2

sidewinderx2 wrote :

No, the heat generally shouldn't get hot enough to damage the wires. The fans may not be spinning up because the CPU might not be that hot, since you seem to be using it on Power Saver profile, and only doing very light tasks.

Thanks for the info... Can you please explain a bit what the oven method actually is...???

Reply to MsGardener7

And can I replace the MoBo myself? I heard notebook motherboards are impossible to replace except in the service center, because of the difference in notebook models... (There's no standard MoBo for notebooks). And since I opened up my lappy myself, will the service center guys repair it now? FYI, the warranty period is already over (It's been 2 years I'm using it)...

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to MsGardener7

MsGardener7 wrote :

And can I replace the MoBo myself? I heard notebook motherboards are impossible to replace except in the service center, because of the difference in notebook models... (There's no standard MoBo for notebooks). And since I opened up my lappy myself, will the service center guys repair it now? FYI, the warranty period is already over (It's been 2 years I'm using it)...

Here's a thread on the oven method:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] emperature

And no, you generally can not replace the motherboard yourself, unless you can find a laptop that's the exact model as your current one.. in which case you can just use that one instead!

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to sidewinderx2

sidewinderx2 wrote :

Here's a thread on the oven method:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] emperature

And no, you generally can not replace the motherboard yourself, unless you can find a laptop that's the exact model as your current one.. in which case you can just use that one instead!

Well... Thanks a lot. I guess I'd have to go for a new PC after all... Let's see how long this one runs before it dies completely. :-P

Reply to MsGardener7

mobo must have died due to heat or due to electricity
since he is asking 17,000 soundsl ike u live in india so most probably your laptop may have burnt out due to faulty ac in happend to my old HP blew the NB of the mobo !

Reply to rd350

So... What do you guys suggest me...??? Should I repair it for 17,000 bucks or should I rather go for a new one???

FYI, the VAIO is still running okay except that problem (shutting down automatically...).

Also, how would I know if the AC outlet is faulty? Will any kinda surge protection equipment help? If yes, then what kind?

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to MsGardener7

see the issue is it will run for couple of days, maybe few weeks, but it is sure to die on u for sure sooner or later.....so rather yhan spending 17,000 wait a for a couple of months save up and go for a new one.

Message edited by rd350 on 08-17-2010 at 04:55:38 PM

Reply to rd350

MsGardener7 wrote :

So... What do you guys suggest me...??? Should I repair it for 17,000 bucks or should I rather go for a new one???

FYI, the VAIO is still running okay except that problem (shutting down automatically...).

Also, how would I know if the AC outlet is faulty? Will any kinda surge protection equipment help? If yes, then what kind?

Hi,
Did you find any solution to this problem... ??
I am facing exactly the same issue with my Sony VAIO VGN-CR343N notebook.
I shut's down randomly and the base get's extremely hot....
The Sony service center guy is asking to replace the motherboard but he is not able to give detailed explanation for this problem..

I was wondering if some cooling pad can help in this situation...

Plz reply if u got a way to solve it..........

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by abhishek_p on 12-10-2010 at 07:56:58 PM

Reply to abhishek_p

abhishek_p wrote :

Hi,
Did you find any solution to this problem... ??
I am facing exactly the same issue with my Sony VAIO VGN-CR343N notebook.
I shut's down randomly and the base get's extremely hot....
The Sony service center guy is asking to replace the motherboard but he is not able to give detailed explanation for this problem..

I was wondering if some cooling pad can help in this situation...

Plz reply if u got a way to solve it..........

Hi there...

Regarding the problem that we both are facing, I can only say that there ain't no solution for that except replacing the motherboard (which means spending a lot if you are not under warranty).

One thing I could tell that a cooling pad can help...!!! Try to get a USB hub first, which has the option of connecting it to an AC outlet (Most of the USB hubs come with this option these days, where you plug in the AC adapter to the Hub and AC outlet...) I think just for cooling pad there is no need to connect it to the PC and put it under more pressure...!!! Okay, after you connect the USB Hub to the AC, plug the cooling pad to the hub and you are ready to go...

It helped me a lot. But I can say that my PC shuts itself down still... But the frequency is much lower than before... Try it... Good luck.

Reply to MsGardener7

MsGardener7 wrote :

Hello everyone...!

I've been using a SONY VAIO VGN-CR36G notebook for a little more than two years now. It ran extremely well for the past two years which included long hours of gaming and multimedia and frequent re-formatting the hard drive.

However, recently it is behaving so weird. After using it for sometimes, it shuts itself down without any warning or logging off... All of a sudden- total black out!!!

I'm facing the exact same problem. Try switching your OS to Ubuntu and see if the shut down problem goes away. I've been trying to fix this problem since a year since I'm not convinced it's a hardware issue. I'll never ever buy a Sony Vaio laptop or recommend it to anyone after my experience with this expensive laptop and their service centres.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to percypais

Hi People! i am getting the same issues too with my Sony Vaio SA. An unexpected power loss. Happened 3 times in a row for me over several days. Today it happened when I came back from work - 2/3 hours later so temperature is surely out of the question? It started on the 17th and had 2 shutdowns on the 19th.

Also, I use a batttery slice, that can't affect any thermal operations, right?

Got this laptop a few months ago.

There isn't much to go on from Google :|

percypais wrote :

I'm facing the exact same problem. Try switching your OS to Ubuntu and see if the shut down problem goes away. I've been trying to fix this problem since a year since I'm not convinced it's a hardware issue. I'll never ever buy a Sony Vaio laptop or recommend it to anyone after my experience with this expensive laptop and their service centres.

Reply to Soverign108

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