Sony VAIO Questions

Hi guys!

Before I begin, I would like to thank the people in the Windows 7 forums, for the activation thingy stuff, I actually applied their advices to my old Acer laptop... Anyway...

My Dad gave me a Sony VAIO Laptop, he bought it in Kuwait City. Then when he went home (Philippines), he gave it to me. And it totally changed my life

I'm really happy using my new laptop. It's my first VAIO laptop. The first laptop I used, literally, was an Acer Aspire 5500z. I've used it for more than 2 years. The only thing I hate about it is it doesn't support Windows 7. Well, you can use Windows 7 properly but wihout the Aero effects. Probably because the graphics card is just 64mb. Modifying the BIOS settings did not work either. I already tried changing the memory from 64mb to 256mb just by modifying the shared memory settings. Still no luck.

Thank god because my Dad gave me a new laptop. Actually my first choice was the F series and then the Intel Core 2 Duo CW series. But, the F series and Intel Core 2 Duo CW series were out of stock. That's why I immediately browsed Sony VAIO's Middle East website. I saw the VPC-CW26FA model. I totally love it. It's a lot faster than the Intel Core 2 Duo (I guess) since it's i5. Please don't hesitate to correct me if I'm wrong.

My first choice for a VAIO laptop would be the F series. Then the second one is the CW series with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor. Unfortunately, my Dad told me that the F series and the Intel Core 2 Duo CW series were not available. It was out of stock. I then immediately access the Internet then I saw the CW26FA model. I love it, it's perfect. I personally think it's a lot faster than the Intel COre 2 Duo model. Don't you think so?

I love it. It's white. It looks like a MAC

Originally it comes with Windows 7 Home Premium. I really want to have Windows 7 Ultimate. I'm still wondering how can I convert to Windows 7 Ultimate. I have an installer of Windows Ultimate but I"m afraid that might delete the VAIO Softwares that came with this laptop. Of course, before installing or doing anything on my new laptop, I created a backup/recovery disk. It used 3-4 Single layer DVD disks.

Since it's white and I think it's perfect, I wanna take care of this laptop as much as possible. It's pefect, fast, quality is clear and superb. I hope in the future I know where to buy a Sony VAIO Cleaning Kit, Sony VAIO Mouse, Sony VAIO Protection Kit (if there's one) and the Sony VAIO Keyboard Protector thing. I saw this rubber, which is the size a VAIO Laptop's keyboard. And you just put it over your Laptop's keyboard. It's like a protection for the laptop's keyboard.

Let us now discuss my old laptop. There's a problem with it's battery because when I use it's battery, it's only good for 5-10 minutes then it goes off. I'm still thinking the reason why there's a problem with that laptop's battery. Is it because it's really old? Like 2-3 years old? Or is it because that old laptop was always in AC Power and I rarely use the battery of that laptop?

I think it's impossible. Because most of the battery of laptops these days are all Lithium-ion right? So if the battery is full, it would stop the charging automatically, right? It would totally use the AC Power, not the laptop's battery power.

Moving forward, since I totally love my new VAIO laptop, I am so paranoid when using it. It's battery is full. Windows 7 would say it's fully charged, 100%. I'm on AC Power. Is it still charging it even though it's full? Or the hardware/software is totally using the AC Power, and not charging the battery of the laptop? Does it automatically halt the charging if the battery is full to prevent battery performance issues?

Also, there's this Sony VAIO software that has "Battery Care Functon for Longer Life" function. My question is, do I need to use 50% of the battery or 80% of it and which is better? Those options were in the Power Option section of the Sony VAIO Control Center.

Of course, we don't want the battery degrading easily right? So I then selected the Battery Care 50% in the Sony VAIO Control Center. My laptop is fully charged, and then I turned it off. After a few minutes my Dad turned it on, he forgot to plug it in to the power outlet. He used it for about 15 minutes. After that he turned it off again. After an hour I turned it on, made sure it's plugged in to the power outlet. Windows 7 shows that the Battery level is 91%, and it's pluged in but not charging. It's a good thing. I least I won't be paranoid and there's an assurance that whenever the laptop is plugged in to power, it won't overcharge it. After a while, I decided to drain the battery. I used it for 2-3 hours. Good job Sony! I love the battery life! The laptop turned off by it self, because the battery is empty. While the laptop is still turned off, I plug it in to the power outlet. After an hour or two, I turned it on then it says 50% plugged in, not charging. It means 50% of the laptop's battery is charged. Then what happened to the other 50%? Is it because of the Battery Care thing of Sony VAIO Control Center?

Now, I decided to conduct a little experiment. I turned off the Battery Care Function. After a few seconds, it charges. I waited until it's 100%. Now it says Fully charged, 100%. So does that mean even though it's 100%, it's still charging? It should say, 100% Fully charged, plugged in, not charging. So it means at 100%, it's still continiously charging?

I'm thinking of other ways how to prevent the battery from degrading... is it a good idea every time I use the laptop in AC Power, I will remove the battery first from the laptop?

Lastly, I tried using the Sony VAIO Media Gallery program, and I don't understand what's the purpose of that program or what does it do. By default, it's a part of the Windows 7 Sidebar Gadgets. The only gadget that I see is the Sony VAIO Media Gallery program logo. I double-clicked it, then I configured the program to search for Pictures automatically. Now, it displays like a slideshow of my Pictures on my Windows 7 Sidebar. Is it possible to reset the entire settings of Sony VAIO Media Gallery to factory defaults?

Do I also need to register my Sony VAIO Laptop? I can't see the registration page of Sony Philippines and the Sony Middle East Website. That's the reason why I register it through Club VAIO. Did I do things correctly?

I also bought an HDMI Cable. It's just a generic type. At first I plugged it in to my Brvia TV. It doesn't work. It says the resolution does not match, some errors too. I changed it, then it works. Using the right resolution whether it's an Extended Desktop or a Duplicate Desktop, it works. After a few days of using it, it doesn't work anymore. Is it an HDMI Cable issue? I tried switching both ends of the cable and it doesn't work. My Sony VAIO Laptop can't detect the HDMI Cable I plugged in as well as my Bravia TV. Does that mean do I need to purchase the original HDMI Cable from Sony Retail Stores? It's kinda expensive though.

I'll be waiting for your reply,
Thanks in advance.