Internet problem with new Z620D

Hi all,

I purchased a Vaio VGN-Z620D yesterday and have been having issues with my browser(s) connecting to the internet. The laptop will connect to my network with no problem, says it's connected (Access: local and internet). MSN will even work most of the time, as I can speak with friends, but when I open either Firefox or IE neither will connect to the internet. They will occasionally connect, but it is definitely not consistent.

I dont believe it is my network as I have another laptop working correctly on it. I also took the Vaio to my office and tried it there with the same result.

I spoke to Sony Canada and their explanation was "something isn't working with the browser, so try doing a reformat". To me that seems a bit odd considering I purchased the unit new yesterday, but will consider doing it if others feel it will be a genuine fix.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

 

A reformat sounds like they don't want to fix the problem and just want you to restore default settings which usually work. You can do a restore/reformat if you have the time and it will probably work.

 

I tried doing a restore to the point when I got the unit yesterday and still have the same issue. Load up a browser, may connect to a couple webpages, then just stops. Restart the computer and often works again, but after a few minutes stops.
Could someone enlighten me as to how to do a full reformat? I am not overly computer savvy. I would have thought I would require the Vista disc, but there appears to be only the XP downgrade disk in the box.
Thanks.

 

hmm, i just had a similar problem yesterday and was gonna post about it today.. on m vaio SZ, which i bought last june.. its been working fine, and suddenly, when connected to my wireless network, the browser stops working.. in my case, msn remains signed in, but messages dont get delivered.. google talk seems to work, strangely.. when i reconnect, the connection is made, but then neither msn or gtalk signs in, and the browser remains the same.. i have to restart for things to get working again.. and after an hour or so, maybe 2... same problem! anything i can try?

on a side note, i noticed that my RightMark CUP utility monitor was showing very high CPU usage, lately.. wondering if this could indicate anytying?! please help! im gonna try a system restore.. i dont wanna reformat my comp!

 

That sounds EXACTLY like what is going on with my system. MSN stays logged in but messages arent always getting delivered/received. Its quite peculiar and Sony Canada seems to have no explanation. Luckily I can simply return the unit if I feel it is a necessary step, but its quite a nice laptop and would prefer to have it working correctly.

 

MSN/Live messenger is known to often fail delivering messages... It is very frustrating...

Honestly, I don't think it's your vaio's problem, at least for msn.

 

Well, if you re-read my post you will see the issue has very little to do with MSN. It's just an example of how the computer appears to be connected to the network and the internet yet the browsers do not work.

 

yeah, its got nothing to do with msn.. msn and gtalk are sometimes the only two thing that works... no website opens on any browser.. i use firefox, but i tried IE, safari and chrome.. firefox gives a blank page and says Done on the bottom bar.. the rest say the page is unavailable... right now, ive been using it for a couple of hours, no problem.. but it just unpredictably acts up! its crazy.. i tried a system restore but no go.. i dont wanna reformat my comp, i got a lot of data n stuff ive been using the last year, and it'll be a bit messy.. i'd like to avoid that.. hope its ok me posting my troubles on this thread too, but im very sure that our problem is the same

 

I have a Z21 ZN/X and have been having the exact same issue, i.e., most programs using the wireless such as thunderbird, putty, skype etc are working fine but the browsers always eventually end up losing access to the network. I initially thought it might be an issue with port 80 but it also affects uTorrent, which stops responding when thisproblem occurs.

Furthermore, when I close my Firefox/Explorer window and check the Task Manager the process is still running and can't be killed. When this occurs, I typically have to do a hard reboot of the computer.

It's been like this for a month and is driving me crazy! I'm coming close to reinstalling Vista or installing Windows 7. I was thinking that maybe I caused the problem when doing the 'Vista Tips and Tweaks' although this is just a guess.

It's interesting to see I'm not the only person experiencing this problem.

 

are you still getting the blue ball on the 2 computers down by the clock w/ vista? whats the IP address is this laptop is picking up?

 

Just to say that the 'blue ball' is a globe, (the planet earth), like you're connected to the world wide web.

 

same problem again! instant messengers seem to work, but nothing else.. im using XP, btw, just in case i didnt mention it.. i get the connected icon (the little computer on the task bar) but it stops.. between 1-3 hours

 

Since Sony Canada could do absolutely nothing to resolve the problem, and I had only had the unit for a day, I ended up returning it. They offered me an exchange but I turned it down as it's apparent the problem, while not a common one, was not only with the unit I had.

 

i've noticed my laptops been heating a LOT lately.. sometimes, when its been on and inactive for a while, i touch it and its really hot.. this is something new ive noticed, dunno if it makes sense with regard to my problem.. also, strangely.. when i click on a link sometimes, it doesnt work.. i need to click it like 2 or 3 times for the page to actually load.. this never happened before either.. im just listing out all the problems ive been having over the couple of days, hoping to make sense and get a solution! anyone??

 

bump, anyone?

 

My main suspect is the Intel 5100 wireless lan. Seems as though this item has significant issues (do a quick search to see what I mean) and perhaps this is what is causing the problem.

 

manage to find any fixes?

 

give some of the things from the following thread a try. The more I read about the multitude of issues with the 5100 the more I am inclined to think it is the culprit http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=364084

 

So after some more research and trial and error I have discovered that the issue (for me at least) relates to the type of security that the router/access point is using. My original router was using WEP, and even after the updates from sony, and the recommendations for Intel's site was still disconnecting. I decided to purchase a new router to see if that would solve the problem. When I set up the new router (DLink DIR 628) I used WPA security, and all was well for about 2 days- no disconnecting. Tonight I decided to try setting this router to WEP to test a theory and sure enough within a few minutes it was disconnecting and reconnecting.

Thus my trial and error suggests this is a problem with the Intel 5100 (unless someone has a theory of what else the problem could be). It seems as tho WPA works perfectly. WEP on the other hand, regardless of router does not work even after utilizing both Sony's and Intel's "fixes".

So there you have it, thats my experience at least. Another Sony going back to the store!

 

my antivirus updated itself yesterday, and immediately detected a virus file called connection.exe in my startup files, and quarantined it.. now my CPU utility shows minimal usage, my laptop doesnt heat up anymore.. and the internet is fine! no disconnecting anymore... wat a relief.. so it was a virus