nsane.forums Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 More than half a million Sony laptops sold this year contain a software bug that could lead them to overheat, the company said Wednesday.Sony has recorded 39 cases of overheating among Vaio F and C series laptops that have been on sale since January.A bug in the heat management system of the BIOS software is to blame. Sony is asking users to either update the software themselves or return their laptops so it can apply the update.The fault affects 535,000 computers although Sony is asking a total of 646,000 owners to update their machines. The additional 111,000 machines are susceptible to several less serious problems that have also been found in the software, said Sony.BIOS is present in every PC and runs below the operating system, controlling the most basic functions of the computer and interaction between major components. It's usually invisible to users except for a BIOS start-up message that is typically seen when a PC boots.The problem affects machines sold both in Japan and the rest of the world.Japanese models with the problem are the VPCF119FJ/BI, VPCF118FJ/W, VPCF117FJ/W, VPCCW29FJ/W, VPCCW28FJ/P, VPCCW28FJ/R, VPCCW28FJ/W, VPCF11AFJ, VPCF11AGJ, VPCF11AHJ, VPCF11ZHJ, VPCCW2AFJ, and VPCCW2AHJ. Affected models sold outside Japan are the VPCCW25FG/B, VPCCW25FG/P and VPCCW25FG/W. View: Original Article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsane.forums Posted June 30, 2010 Author Share Posted June 30, 2010 Sony Issues BIOS Update for Recalled Vaio LaptopsSony has announced a recall of 535,000 Vaio laptop computers following reports of issues with overheating that has caused system damage, and could potentially cause injury. If you own a Vaio, verify whether your laptop is part of the recall, and take the steps necessary to get the problem resolved.In a statement on the Sony support site for Vaio laptops, Sony posted a notice from Mike Lucas, senior vice president of Vaio for Sony, stating " Recently, we became aware of a potential issue affecting certain units within the VPCF11 and VPCCW2 series of notebook PCs." Lucas also explains "In rare instances, these notebook computers may overheat due to a potential malfunction of the internal temperature management system, resulting in deformation of the product's keyboard or external casing, and a potential burn hazard to consumers. In May of this year HP announced a recall of laptop batteries due to concerns over the potential for fire or injury from overheating. That recall affected only about one tenth of the total systems as this Vaio recall, but the HP recall involved physically replacing the defective battery, and the Sony recall can be fixed with a simple software update. The heat management system in the BIOS of affected Vaio laptops is not functioning properly and can cause the system to run hot. The BIOS for the Vaio laptops was developed by a third party, and customized for Sony by a separate third party, but Sony tested it on the Vaio platform prior to making it available. Sony has received nearly 40 reported cases of Vaio laptops overheating to the point that the casing becomes deformed. While there are no reports of fires or burns caused by the overheating issue, Sony warns that it is a possibility. To resolve the problem, Sony has developed a firmware update for the BIOS. Sony is directing users with affected Vaio laptops to apply the update to prevent overheating issues. The Sony statement also suggests "If you have any questions or need additional assistance with the firmware update installation, call Sony technical support at (866) 496-7669 for assistance." A BIOS update is not a complex task per se, but it can be daunting for less technical users. Even though the Vaio laptop is portable, make sure it is plugged in. Relying on battery power during a BIOS update could mean running out of juice mid-update. If the BIOS update process is interrupted, it could result in turning the laptop into a glorified paper weight. Make sure you have backed up all data on the Vaio laptop before beginning the BIOS update--just in case. In the event that something goes wrong during the BIOS update, or the BIOS update itself is somehow corrupt, you will appreciate at least having your critical data to restore to a different system pending a fix for the Vaio. View: Original Article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Owl Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 Good, my Sony VAIO laptop is not affected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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