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Dead after half an hour
This laptop died after half an hour while charging battery the very first day of receiving it.

VGN-FW170J/W.....nice machine but needs help!
The Sony Vaio VGN-FW170J/W is overall a very nice laptop with a great screen (720p HD and not 1080p as advertised), blu ray player, plenty of system memory, new penryn class intel cpu and a nice sized HDD. However, I have owned this laptop for about a month now and I have had numerous problems with its factory installed Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit edition. As most of us know, there are inherent compatibility issues with 64bit OS.....but when SONY ships a laptop it should work out of the box with all of the bundleware it shipped with. First, There are numerous problems with the Roxio Easy Media Creator 10 LJ software....CD writing speed maxs out at 8x instead of 16x as indicated in specs....with most of the burns ending in errors.
Secondly, The WindDVD BD for Vaio software from InterVideo has some limitations with regards to advanced settings. Blu rays seem to play perfectly but you have no ability to access and tweak some of the sound/video settings to enhance your viewing. I first thought this was an Intel Video driver issue but after upgrading the drivers for that, there was no change. Again I attributed this the 64bit edition.
Third, If you own a Sony Digital Reader Book (a really cool gadget) you will be UNABLE to use it with this laptop. Sony Reader software will not support Vista 64 and Sony will not update it to support it either. I found this particularly annoying since Sony wasn't willing to support their own products. Initially there was a work around to force the installation of non vista 64 signed drivers to make it work but recent Windows updates have secretly closed that loop hole.

I have recenlty found that there is a link on Sony's website under this models home page that points you to their parts department for a recovery disk that will SUPPOSEDLY load all of the drivers and software back to factory condition but with the 32bit Vista Home Prem instead. I am trying to hunt that down now and I am willing to give up the memory loss with 32bit systems so that I can use all of my peripherals and have less problems.

Overall, the machine is really nice, not very heavy and has a nice powder coated magnesium alloy sreen assembly. The SD card slot does handle SDHC very nicely. Battery Life is decent. When buying a case, be aware that this will not fit in most cases designed for 15.4 inch laptops. Stick with those suited for 17" laptops. I am currently using a Targus Grove Edition Sling bag that has been modified a little to fit it and I also have a Targus Messenger bag for 17" laptops that fits perfectly.
I also recommend the SONY Slipcase and power supply pouch that you can purchase here at amazon for added protection. It fits perfectly with the 16.4" screen and also tucks away the powersupply beautifully. Well worth the 25.00 bucks or so.

My perfect computer
I have always wanted to have my own computer and this is my first one. I couldn't be any more happy with it! It is very fast, fairly lightweight for the size so I can easily carry it around with me anywhere I want to go, doesn't overheat, tons of memory, great screen resolution and sound quality, and very modern and sleek design. I would have to say that the best part about this computer is the fact that it is a wide screen notebook so I have more room to have a couple different programs open at a time without feeling too cluttered and since the computer is wider the keyboard isn't cramped like all other notebooks because that is one thing I hate about all other notebook pcs I've used. The only down side is that the battery doesn't last all that long but for me the computer itself makes up for it by far. I recommend this computer over all other notebooks, even macs!!!!!

FW-198U - Great computer!!!
Great computer, very fast and complete.

Pros:
- Processor, memory, blu-ray recorder
- The 16.4 screen makes it a real widescreen, without the black stripes above and below the movie.
- HDMI out: connected a HDTV LCD TV and the image is great.

Cons:
- Vaio's software that came pre-installed in the computer constantly crash.
- Computer comes without any documentation, just a very simple (1 page) quick start guide.

Star Performer With Great Looks!
I have been waiting on a replacement for my old Vaio GRT Series. Alas, the new FW series has just what I was looking for; style, sophisticaton and performance!

This laptop will not only turn heads with its modern keyboard layout and brushed aluminum facia, it will also deliver stunning graphics and quick processing.

The complaints about too much adware are a little overtstated. Some of them are quite handy! Webcam is crisp and clear.

Anyway, good overall PC! Another pleased Sony repeat customer.