topic Also, Vaio S2HP fan runs even with lowest performance settings in PCs & Accessories

Vaio S2XP fan runs even with lowest performance settings

sebastianb2 — Fri, 28 Jan 2005 14:20:02 GMT

Hello,

I've got a question concerning my Sony Vaio S2XP Notebook. Since I use it mostly for Office applications I'm really a little bit annoyed that the fan runs steadily. Even with the lowest performance and battery friendly settings the fan keeps running.

Has anybody the same expiriences? Is it maybe supposed to be like that?

Looking forward to your answers

Sebastian

Re: Vaio S2XP fan runs even with lowest performance settings

Kawasaki — Fri, 28 Jan 2005 17:05:12 GMT

Dear Sebastian

I had the same problem with my S2VP. I am not an expert with these things but I turned off a number of programmes connected with start-up mode (though you need to be careful here about turning off anything important) which I didn't need (including viao launcher) and I have kept the desktop icons to an absolute minimum.

The fan seemed to become a little quieter but I am not sure if I have simply gotten used to the noise.

Re: Vaio S2XP fan runs even with lowest performance settings

kee-lo_ — Fri, 28 Jan 2005 19:34:01 GMT

A bit of fan noise isn't a bad thing, at least you know it's keeping the components cool

Re: Vaio S2XP fan runs even with lowest performance settings

sebastianb2 — Sat, 29 Jan 2005 23:16:54 GMT

Thats right, but why should components be kept cool that are not really used? (Despite tipping some words for an essay...)

Re: Vaio S2XP fan runs even with lowest performance settings

Jay1 — Sun, 30 Jan 2005 02:30:55 GMT

who said tht compontents wont used??

When the laptop is on, most of the compontants are used and the fan is there to keep every compontant cool and the main processors which is on all the time. the cooling is needed due to lack off space inside the laptop and many other factors. But i do agree with the noise and sony should have made a better design on the themal side but to me it looks like they did not.

anyway the bottom line is tht the cooling is keeping the laptop a live so there is nt much u can do and i hate the noise was well

Re: Vaio S2XP fan runs even with lowest performance settings

kee-lo_ — Sun, 30 Jan 2005 15:43:36 GMT

I wouldn't suggest messing around with it as you could damage the computer.

Re: Vaio S2XP fan runs even with lowest performance settings

Fuzzillogic — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 22:05:11 GMT

With MobileMeter (great tool btw!) I found out that the fan starts when the CPU is 40 degrees celsius. I too was surprised to hear the fan turning on and off when doing nothing with the laptop, but it seems to me that the treshhold for the fan is set quite low, 40 degrees.

Perhaps it's possible to hack somewhere to increase this treshhold a bit, to say 50 degrees, but I wonder if that'll matter. Probably the CPU will reach 50 degrees eventually anyway, when idling.

Be sure however to use power management. Using MobileMeter I discoverd that when disabling power management, the CPU always runs at 1.8GHz instead of 600MHz.

Also, Vaio S2HP fan runs even with lowest performance settings

mickery — Tue, 01 Feb 2005 15:42:51 GMT

the weird thing is that my fan was extremely quiet for the first few weeks of usage but now suddenly is very loud. I use programmes which don't take up much processing power, and the noise is really irritating. i have been on to Sony about this and suggested what others in this thread have recommended eg. disabling start up items, setting power management to minimum and lowering fan noise from setting 5 to 1 but none has made any difference. any other suggestions.

Re: Also, Vaio S2HP fan runs even with lowest performance settings

kee-lo_ — Tue, 01 Feb 2005 15:49:30 GMT

I would use some compressed air.

I don't mind fan noise, just hate whiny fan noise.

Re: Vaio S2XP fan runs even with lowest performance settings

Foxhound — Tue, 01 Feb 2005 18:30:22 GMT

Yeah, like always Kee-Lo gives some good advice. Use some compressed air and try to clean out the fan of the laptop. It really does make a difference.
Alot of dust accumilates over time in the machine which is not benificial for it's cooling.
The S series are quite loud, that's for sure. Mine stays on even when running on 600Mhz in the lowest setting. Over time you'll get used to it and hardly notice it. It is louder then my older Vaio. I think it has got to do with the fact the S series are very slim and not much space was left for optimized cooling space between the components.
You should look on the bright side, with your s serie you at least have the best notebook screen available, nice specs in a light pc.

Re: Vaio S2XP fan runs even with lowest performance settings

kee-lo_ — Tue, 01 Feb 2005 20:54:52 GMT

Yeah it is very compact in that case.

Re: Vaio S2XP fan runs even with lowest performance settings

sebastianb2 — Fri, 04 Feb 2005 15:28:45 GMT

Ok, you all are right, more or less, but I what I noticed in the last days is really strange: When I'm using the computer with my power cord, the fan runs always! When using it with the battery pack (and with the same settings as with power cord, I said the same!!!) it's quite! Almost the whole time, unless I'm executing some bigger processes. Is there a reason for that? I would be surprised, cause why should a fan set to lowest fan noise be louder when using the power cord? Or why should a CPU, set to battery saving, perform higher?

What I else noticed is, that there is a process running in the background that is called VZFW.exe It's using the CPU almost all time with almost all power. So, does anybody know this process? Try it, if you end it via task-manager the fan-noise will decrease dramatically!

Sebastian

Re: Vaio S2XP fan runs even with lowest performance settings

jeje38 — Fri, 04 Feb 2005 15:50:22 GMT

To lower the fan speed, you can use this tool, called CPU MSR :
http://www.cpuheat.wz.cz/BetaVersions/CPUMSR_0_88.zip
found on this page : http://www.cpuheat.wz.cz/html/CPUMSR_main.htm
In fact, this tool lower the processor speed.
I use it on my VAIO notebook (PCG-FR215H) with a range from 300 Mhz to 1.67 GHz.

For the VZFW.EXE process :
http://www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/processlibrary/VzFw/

"VzFw.exe is a process belonging to the Sony GigaPocket multimedia entertainment center. This program is non-essential process to the running of the system, but should not be terminated unless suspected to be causing problems."

Perhaps, you could try to rename the EXE file (after killing the process)
to prevent the system to run it on boot.

Re: Vaio S2XP fan runs even with lowest performance settings

kee-lo_ — Fri, 04 Feb 2005 17:48:23 GMT

I wouldn't suggest changing the fan speed you could cause damage to the CPU

Re: Vaio S2XP fan runs even with lowest performance settings

sebastianb2 — Fri, 04 Feb 2005 18:29:45 GMT

I wouldn't suggest changing the fan speed you could cause damage to the CPU

If you would read the comments more intensive you would have noticed that he wrote that it lowers CPU speed. For some tasks I wouldn't mind to have less processor power...

Re: Vaio S2XP fan runs even with lowest performance settings

Fuzzillogic — Sat, 05 Feb 2005 00:36:01 GMT

The tool is made for the AthlonXP and Intel's NetBurst architecture. I haven't run the tool on my S2XP, but since the Dothan CPU isn't a AthlonXP or a NetBurst CPU, I guess it won't work.

Would be nice tho. And lowering the CPU to 300MHz might do the trick to stop the fan.

Re: Vaio S2XP fan runs even with lowest performance settings

jeje38 — Sat, 05 Feb 2005 22:57:17 GMT

You're right. It's a Dothan but some people reported it to work in this page in italian (I used "babelfish" to translate and understand even if it was a bad translation) : http://www.canusiumfood.it/mess_106209_951507.html
They say it is stable at 600 MHz and 0.7V.

And lowering the CPU to 300MHz might do the trick to stop the fan.

And surprisingly, on my Athlon XP-M, provided you don't run too many applications, 300 or 600 MHz could be enough for using a word processor or basic web surfing (for pages without Java applets of course, who is very power consuming)
When you need more power, you can go back to max frequency or any of your choice that is working.
Hope this works on your S2XP Vaio "sebastianb2" and "Fuzzillogic". Please report your results.

Re: Vaio S2XP fan runs even with lowest performance settings

Bugge — Mon, 14 Feb 2005 17:06:21 GMT

Any new experiences with the fan-problem?
My S2XP most of the time only starts the fan for a few seconds, but doing this every 10 - 20 seconds.
Would it be better to start at higher temperature and cooling longer, but less often? Can this be regulated?
cheers Bugge

Re: Vaio S2XP fan runs even with lowest performance settings

Fuzzillogic — Mon, 14 Feb 2005 17:18:56 GMT

Same here. I wonder whether it is the BIOS which controls the fan, or some Windows app. The setting "fan noise" in Vaio's power managment is of no use, as it only seems to lower or limit the maximum CPU speed in order to keep the temperature down, which of course results in a less hard-working fan.

But indeed, would be nice if it could be more controlled. Say, fan on at 45 degrees, fan off at 35 degrees. Now both fan on and off limit is 40 degrees. CPU at 41 degrees? Fan on. Back to 40? Fan off.

Re: Vaio S2XP fan runs even with lowest performance settings

fraheato — Mon, 14 Feb 2005 20:39:25 GMT

When my fan was running noisily I was advised to go to Control Panel, Power Options, Sony Power Management, and changed System Power Control (at the bottom) to Adaptive. It makes a big difference.
I have PCG-K315M by the way.