Taking apart a Vaio VGN-T250

So I took apart my Sony Vaio VGN-T250 laptop. I was going to take some pictures, but then I realized that someone's already done that and posted them online:

http://www.siliconpopculture.com/forum/viewthread/4332

It wasn't easy to take this thing apart. This is a tiny notebook. The HD is a 1.8" drive, the screen is 10.6" and the DVD writer is ultra-thin.

I was hoping to find something loose so that I could fix this machine. I keep getting the BSOD with it. Will this machine ever work properly again?

BSOD every time I move my laptop

I have an older Sony Vaio VGN-T250 that's been giving me some problems lately. It's about to be converted into a digital picture frame because it's not working properly anymore.

Every time I physically move this laptop, I get the blue screen of death (BSOD). Every BSOD is slightly different, ranging from things like memory problems to page files, etc.

I've reinstalled XP and Vista and I continue to get this problem. The SMART rates my HD as 100% in performance and reliability, so I don't have any reason to think it's a faulty HD, unless SMART isn't picking it up.

I've also run MemTest - RAM is fine.

What other hardware could be causing this type of problem? Could something be loose on the motherboard?

Rev A on my XV6800

I love the Rev A speeds I'm getting on my XV6800. I still don't understand what Verizon is waiting for. Why don't they provide Rev A upgrades for all their smartphones?

I'm thankful that there's a community of developers who are willing to share resources to help people utilize the full potential of their smartphones. Thanks XDA developers for making all this possible!

EVDO Rev A on my XV6800

So now that I'm using the latest ROM (DCD 3.0.4) and also running the latest radio (3.37.20) on my XV6800, I'm getting Rev A speeds! It's great! Certainly much faster than my old Treo 700wx. I don't understand what Verizon is waiting for. Why don't they release the upgrades so that other customers can enjoy the benefits of Windows Mobile 6.1 and also have faster downloading and uploading speeds? It's also great having an active GPS chip on my device so that I can use it with Google Maps, Live, TomTom, etc.

Well, I'm certainly thankful for the xda-developers forum. Couldn't have done it without your help!

Newer ROM for the XV6800

Just realized that I loaded an old custom ROM on my XV6800. The latest one is DCD 3.0.4 and you can get it here:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=385336

This one's a bit tricky because you want to load Radio 3.37.20 from a micro SD card, not via the USB cable.

You get: GPS working, improved battery life, and better performance.

Live Mesh

Has anyone tried it? I've been using FolderShare for a while now and I'm loving it! Live Mesh may be the next step for me once it becomes readily available. I need to keep everything synchronized since I use several different mobile devices.

Switch to Verizon XV6800

I've been a Verizon Wireless customer for many years now. I've also been a Windows Mobile user since the days of the old Pocket PC and Windows CE devices. I went ahead and upgraded to the new XV6800 and I'm happy so far.

Here are the main reasons why.

Compared to the old Treo 700wx running Windows Mobile 5:

1. I can save $15 each month for a cheaper unlimited data plan ($29 instead of $45).
2. I've loaded a custom ROM that includes Windows Mobile 6.1 and this gives me much better Internet browsing capabilities and several other useful features. Want to know how I did it? See below.
3. Much faster processor.
4. Much more internal RAM.
5. Larger screen.
6. Built-in GPS (only available if you load the custom ROM described below)
7. Bigger, better keyboard.
8. Smaller size and no antenna sticking out (not by much, but it still counts).
9. Mini-USB connector and charger.
10. Bluetooth 2.0 vs. the older 1.2

Those are the top 10 reasons why I went for this upgrade.

So what do I miss about my old Treo 700wx? I miss the one-handed operation. I could hold that phone and press the keyboard buttons using one hand. Now with the XV6800, to type on the keyboard, I really need to use two thumbs. Also, the Treo seemed to have better screen visibility outdoors.

So how did I load the custom ROM for the XV6800? I will refer you to these sites:

http://www.phonenews.com/how-to-add-gps-to-htc-mogul-xv6800-p4000-titan-2663/
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=371314&page=1

I'm currently running the DCD 2.3.2 ROM for Verizon. The instructions may seem a bit complex, but you just have to have some faith and go for it! It reminds me of the old days when Compaq would release ROM updates for the old iPaq 3600 models. Some of those ROM updating attempts would 'brick' the iPaq and turn it into a dead paperweight.

To get the internal GPS to work (only works with custom ROMs):

1. Go to Settings -> Phone - then click on the Services tab -> Location Setting and set to "Location On"
2. Allow Windows to manage the GPS automatically
3. For Google Maps, set the GPS settings to be set by Windows (not manually to a specific COM port)
4. For Windows Live Search, set the GPS to "GPS Intermediate Driver" at the bottom of the list.

To learn more about using the GPS on this phone, take a look at this:

http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=17032