As much as I love the new Windows 7 Ultimate on my Sony VAIO FW490, I have to admit that the USD$319.99 price tag is a bit too rich for my blood. According to MicrosoftStore.com, the full retail version of Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate are USD$199.99, USD$299.99, and USD$319.99, respectively. Here are some tips to help you get a LEGAL copy of Windows 7, without the need to sell your kidney.
1) If you own a copy of Windows Vista, you can obviously go for the upgrade version. The upgrade version of Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate are USD$119.99, USD$199.99, and USD$219.99, respectively. You CAN still do a clean install of Windows 7 using the upgrade disk; you just need to have your Windows Vista CDKEY handy.
2) Get the OEM version of Windows 7 from places like Newegg.com. The OEM prices for Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate are USD$109.99, USD$139.99, and USD$$189.99, respectively (before the pre-order discount, which ends October 20, 2009; so act now to save another $10-$15). Here is the catch: the OEM license does not allow transferring the operating system from one PC to another (the product key is tied to a single machine). Furthermore, an OEM copy doesn't come with any support and only allows performing a clean installation.
3) If you are a college student or faculty, you can purchase Windows 7 Home Premium at a discounted price of USD$29.99 here or here.
4) If you are working in the IT field or if you are a computer science or engineering student, you may be able to get a copy of Windows 7 for free through MSDN or MSDNAA. Of course, if you know what MSDN and MSDNAA stand for, you probably already know about this. If you have never heard of MSDN or MSDNAA, then you probably can ignore this as well.
5) Attend to or participate in the various Microsoft events, like the Windows 7 Launch Party or the New Efficiency Technical Briefing. Microsoft hosts events like these regularly, and would often give out product keys to attendees. So keep your eyes open!
6) For those proud owners of the Sony VAIO FW490, who purchased their machines after June 26, 2009, simply register your laptop at SonyStyle and you can receive a copy of Windows 7 for free when it comes out on October 22, 2009.
7) If you are eager to give Windows 7 a try, or just can't wait to get rid of Windows Vista before October 22, you can always download a copy from MSDN or other sources (keywords: en_windows_7_ultimate_x64_dvd_x15-65922.iso, en_windows_7_professional_x64_dvd_x15-65805.iso, en_windows_7_home_premium_x64_dvd_x15-65733.iso). Install Windows 7 as normal, but do NOT put in any CDKEY. You can then use the product LEGALLY for 30 days. You can even extend the trial period up to 120 days using a simple commend (slmgr.vbs –rearm). During the trial period, your Windows 7 is fully functional, and there is NO annoying pop-ups or intrusive activation reminders.
I have installed Windows 7 on my Sony VAIO FW490 for a few weeks already, and I am loving every minute of it. I have to admit that I have a very high expectation for Windows 7, after reading all about it on the web during its beta and RC releases. I am happy to report that the final retail version of Windows 7 did not disappoint. The OS is quick to response, the visuals are attractive, the Aero features (Aero peek and Aero Snap in particular) are quite useful, and the new taskbar is a godsend. Gone are those annoying UAC warnings and confusing security settings. It reminds me of the good old days of Windows XP; everything just works. There are, of course, still some minor problems that I hope Microsoft could fix. For example, the inability to minimize Windows Media Players to the right side of the taskbar, and the inability to overwrite an existing theme (currently, you have to save a new theme and delete the old one every time you make changes) can be somewhat frustrating.
Anyway, I am not writing a full review on Windows 7, at least not for now. Today, I just want to share my experience on installing Windows 7 on the FW490. Overall, the installation process is rather straightforward; you only need to decide how you want your hard disk partitioned. The entire process took about 30 minutes and involved two restarts. If you can install a software on Windows Vista, you should be able to install Windows 7 on this machine without reading this post. Think of this simple guide as an entertainment, instead of an instructional material.
To begin, you will need:
1) A copy of Windows 7 - You can download a copy of Windows 7 from MSDN or MSDN-AA library after August 6, 2009 or wait until October 22, 2009 for the retail version. If you system has 4Gb or more memory, it is recommended that you get the 64bit version. Here I will use the Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit version.
2) Your Sony VAIO FW490 with a fully-charged battery (it is always best to have a full battery whenever you are doing something that could potentially mess up the system).
3) A copy of the Ricoh® MS Memory Card Reader/Writer Driver (64bit) and Alps® Pointing Device Driver (64bit) from Sony eSupport
4) An external hard drive, a flash drive, or some blank DVDs for backing up your old documents.
Let's begin!
Step 1) Backup all your important documents! Since we will be doing a clean installation, all the files on your hard disk will be erased! Remember to backup your desktop and bookmarks in addition to My Documents, My Pictures, My Music, etc.
Step 2) Turn off your laptop, insert the Windows 7 Installation DVD, and turn the laptop on again. After a few second, you should see a text saying "Press any key to boot from CD/DVD..." or something like that. If you do NOT see that, chances are you have changed the boot sequence in the BIOS before. To change it back to the factory setting, restart your computer and hit F2 to enter the BIOS setting page, navigate to the third tab to change the boot sequence.
Step 3) Hit any key to boot from DVD, you should see the beautiful Windows 7 animated logo and the installation page 40-50 seconds later. Simply choose your installation language (English by default) and hit "Next". Afterward, you will see a giant "Install Now" button, hit the button.
Step 4) Read the End-User License Agreement, if you have the time, then check the appropriate box. The next step is critical! You MUST choose the "Custom Installation". It is absolutely essential that you do this, because this is the only way you can install a fresh copy of Windows 7 on your laptop. It is always a good idea to do a fresh install of the OS (as opposed to an in-place upgrade) as your system will perform better with a fresh install.
Step 5) Next, you will be asked to select a partition onto which Windows 7 will be installed. At this point, you can also change, create, and delete partitions in your hard drive. The VAIO FW490 has two partitions by default. The first one, about 10.4GB in size, is the Recovery partition, which holds an image of the Windows Vista installation located on the second partition. If you happen to ruin your Windows Vista, you can use the image in the Recovery partition to restore your laptop to factory condition. Since Windows 7 is clearly much better than Windows Vista, I highly doubt that anyone will want to go back to Vista. I recommend deleting both partitions and create new partitions yourself.
The image on top shows the original Recovery partition and the Vista partition on the Sony VAIO FW490. The image at the bottom shows my partition setting. I created a 148GB partition (Partition 2) for Windows 7, and two 75GB partitions for data and backup purposes. Notice there is a 100MB System Reserved partition; this is created automatically by the Windows 7 installation wizard. Do NOT attempt to delete or change the System Reserved partition.
Step 6) When you are satisfied with your partitioning, hit Next one last time, then sit back, relax, and watch Windows 7 install itself on your machine. The process is surprisingly fast (about 20 minutes; in contrast, installing Adobe Studio CS3 takes an hour). During the process, your computer will restart twice. When it does, simply do NOTHING. Do NOT hit any key or eject the DVD. Wait until you are asked to choose a username and password, then follow the instructions to finish configuring your Windows 7.
Step 7) Finally, you will be greeted with the Windows 7 welcome screen and you will get to play around with all the awesome new features of Windows 7. When that initial rush of excitement has subsided, remember to install the MS Memory Card Reader/Writer Driver (which is the Unknown Device listed in the Device Manager, and the Alps Pointing Device Driver that you downloaded earlier. This will enable the touchpad's scrolling function.
Step 8) Check the Device Manager (Control Panel > System and Security > System), all the hardware should function normally (no exclamation point anywhere). The volume control and playback control on top of the keyboard should function probably. The mute button (Fn+F2) should also work. The brightness control and the application launcher buttons do NOT work. You may choose to also install the Sony® Shared Library and the Sony® Notebook Utilities to enable these functions, but I rather skip them because I prefer to keep the system as light as possible.
I have also prepared two video clips demonstrating the installation process. Enjoy!
Please let me apologize for not updating this blog for a while. I have been rather busy with work, and life in general, lately. The laptop is still running strong, and it has been helping me a lot these days.
The good news is I have already installed Windows 7 Ultimate on this machine. First impression is absolutely wonderful. The installation process was quick and painless, and the OS itself is a charm. It's like Windows Vista WITHOUT all the crazy annoying glitches. Everything just works! I am going to talk a little bit more about the Windows 7 installation process in the next few days. In the meantime, I have two screen shots, one of Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit and one of Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit, for your amusement. Take a look at the system memory usage!
Windows Vista (Taken immediately after second boot, with all the stock software and factory settings)
Windows 7 (Taken after a clean install of the OS and antivirus)
A reader asked about the power adapter, so here you go...
I was at the Sony Style store the other day and I was curious to know how my beloved FW490 compare with all the other Sony VAIOs in the store. In retrospect, I really should have paid the Sony Style store a visit BEFORE I bought this laptop, even though it would probably have done very little to change my decision.
The difference between the XBRITE-FullHD and the XBRITE-Eco LCD screen (both are CCFL-backlit NOT LED-backlit, by the way) can only be appreciated in person. The FullHD screen is definitely brighter and sharper, and the higher resolution is perfect for viewing multiple windows (say Gmail, Hulu, and Microsoft Word) at the same time. 16.4" is, in my opinion, the sweet spot for the 1080p resolution. The 18.4" VAIO AW is, in comparison, too large to be considered a portable computer.
What comes as a real surprise is when I compare between the black and the chocolate brown machines, I noticed that they have different texture! The lid in the black one has a more sand paper like texture, while that in the brown one is completely smooth (though not glossy). It's hard to say which finish is superior, as the black one seems to provide a better grip, while the brown one feels better to touch. I just what to point this subtle detail out to other potential FW buyers.
I finally have the opportunity to play with my new-found-love over the past couple days, and I find myself falling in love with this beauty more and more every day. First, let it be known that this Sony VAIO FW490 is an incredibly well-built machine. The non-glossy chassis looks and feels extremely sturdy and classy; most importantly it does not attract fingerprint or dust. It is relatively thin and very light in weight for a 16" laptop; it is definitely stylish and convenient enough to be carried around in a small backpack or in the Sony FW carrying case.
Open up the lid, you will find a gorgeous 16.4" FullHD display with very crisp and bright images. Even though the screen is the glossy-type, I can still use the laptop comfortably in a brightly-lit room or even outdoor under the shade. Sony does a very good job in minimizing the amount of glare reflected off the display. Compared to the HP dv5 and Toshiba X205 I had before, this Sony FW490 really has the best display I have ever seen.
The keyboard is large and comfortable for everyday use and the touchpad is also spacious enough. The touchpad does support vertical/horizontal scrolling, although the scrolling areas are not labeled on the touchpad. The palm rest area remains cool after 2 hours of gaming, which is a welcoming surprise. Overall, the laptop runs relatively cool, the fan only kicks in when the laptop is under load. During a typical web-surfing and document editing session, I don't even notice the fan at all.
Of course, this is by no means the perfect laptop; there are some noticeable, albeit manageable, flaws. First, I wish Sony can put one USB port on the left side of the laptop. Having all three USB ports lined up side-by-side can be problematic at times, especially if one of the USB device is too bulky. Second, the caps lock light is too small and is positioned far away from the button itself; I prefer to see the caps lock button light up brightly when the caps lock function is on. Finally, backlit keyboard would be a nice addition.
I am going to install Windows 7 on this laptop soon and I will do a full review after that. In the meantime, please enjoy a short clip that I made during the first and second boots. I hope it can give you a taste of the speed of this laptop.
Want to promote your website and products with us? Simply leave your website, product, and contact information in a comment, and we will get back to you as soon as possible!
