Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony VAIO PCG-TR1A Laptop (900-MHz Pentium-M (Centrino), 512 MB RAM, 30 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive)

I bought these computer just before starting law school, hoping to ease the strain on my back with a lighter computer than the others on the market. I won't be buying another Sony Vaio anytime soon.

In the last year, I've had to have the hard drive replaced TWICE, (along with the keyboard, video card and CD/DVD drive last February - not that anyone told me WHY) and it takes FOREVER for Sony to get the parts to their authorized service centers (in my case, a CompUSA where I, thankfully, bought an extended warranty). I've lost files BOTH times, because I apparently should be backing up my system every day "just in case" (an unrealistic ideal to hold us every day users to, and frustrating that we should expect catastrophe at the drop of a hat). I've also had to replace the power cord, which took 6 weeks.

My friend at school also bought this computer for portability, and has had the same trouble: our hard drives mysteriously go on the fritz and the "Operating System not found" message pops up.

Overall, I wish it were a better system, because the portability is fantastic, the screen is sharp and colorful, and if it didn't randomly die on me it'd be the perfect laptop.

I bought this and absolutely loved it. But 4 months later I found the left corner mysteriously cracked, and a whole piece of the case fell out! I did nothing to get there. But Sony said that this was damage due to misuse somehow and refused to repair it. CompUSA charged $500 for extended warranty but then say sorry, they don't cover plastic parts and any kind of damage. I now have a gaping hole in a brand new computer without misuse, and facing a huge bill without recourse!
This machine is too sensitive for normal use.

If you're looking for a capable, small, and light subnotebook, this is one of the best on the market right now. The other one you should consider is the Fujitsu Lifebook P5000 Series. The Sony is an outstanding machine. The screen is beautiful and looks great even in direct sunlight. Performance is pretty good too. Mine dual-boots into Linux (an ACPI kernel is required), and Linux is the reason this machine only gets 4 stars. The native screen resolution (1280x768) is not supported under Linux because Intel won't release the necessary technical specs on the 855GM chipset -- so you'll be stuck with 1024x768, either stretched to fill the screen or with black bars on either side. Intel claims to be working on this issue, but if you're a Linux user, please take the time to contact them on their website to let them know it's important!

I just bought PCG-TR2A last week. I am very satisfied with the product, but unfortunately the customer service is very bad.

I failed to upgrade the pre installed XP Home to XP Pro. The network smart capture software just can not work. And there is no clue on how to reinstall this application. So I called Hong Kong Customer Service and send them many emails without any solution. They only responded my email suggesting me not to upgrade the O/S. So, I should stay with XP Home forever???

This notebook is great, the keys are much larger than previous 3lb micro notebooks. It is a very usable keyboard. The display is the most vibrant, beautiful display I have seen yet. The built in 802.11B has great range. The battery life is excellent, I still can't believe you can get 6-7 hrs on a standard battery.
I love this notebook.