Vaio Care update

[barrynb]

I have Vaio Care version 7.3.1.05290. I am getting a message "A new version of Vaio Care is available. Vaio Update cannot be used until it is updates. Do you want to update now?"

on answering affirmative the update attempts to download, but then comes-up with an error message that it failed to load, please try again later. My internet access is OK, and I've tried many times. What to do?

[Nick..]

Can't believe how old this problem is... 'Cause it's still here! Can't even download the updates from their site, not that they're the right updates anyway. The version numbers and release dates point to them being the last lot of updates, not the latest ones that are supposed to be coming in via Vaio Update.

And No! I'm not going to be using an FTP client to download an old update or wiping hundreds of hours of work and personalisation off my laptop doing a Factory Restore.

The name Sony used to stand for something....

[Befuddled]

I am with you on this one.

I am having this problem too.  I posted a couple of days ago as a separate thread not realising how widespread this problem is and before I found this thread.

I bought my brand new SVL2412Z1EB less than a week ago and have had no luck installing Vaio Updates - could not even install the manual.  Sony support want me to wipe my new machine and start again. Even though I pointed out that there is evidence here on the forum AND that one support technician ADMITTED on the phone only a couple of days ago that there were problems with the Sony servers and he did not know when they would be put right, I have had a further email today telling me that

"it is not confirmed that the Sony Vaio Care servers are at fault"

and to proceed to wipe my machine.  I think not.  There is nothing wrong with my machine that I have yet detected.  However we tried running Vaio updates on two Sony laptops we have and surprise, surprise, Vaio Update did not work on them either.

The tecnician on the phone suggested I went to the Sony site and downloaded the necessary updates individually.  So using one of the laptops eventually managed to download the user manual for my new pc.  This took some doing as the download repeatedly failed, I just kept hitting the resume button and eventually completed the download. I then transferred the file via usb stick to the new pc. I also managed after much persistence to also download a couple of  other updates the same way though I am not sure which ones I need so have not run them on the new pc following the maxim that if it ain't broke don't fix it.

NB when you hit the resume button the download starts over so hopefully will not be corrupted by the break.

I did try these and they may in any case be helpful things to do when trying to download updates:

1)Turning off smart screen as another member suggested

2)Turning off automatic Windows Updates as somewhere I read that Vaio Update won't run if Windows update is scheduled to run within 60 mins. (As far as I can tell Windows seems to be constantly scanning for updates).

Will continue to watch with interest.

[MyTien]

Hi,

I had exactly the same problem, not being able to update Vaio Care for months, was on version 7.3.something.

To those, who don't want to bother with FTP, Links to asian vaio care versions etc., here is my solution, it worked for me just minutes ago:

You have to find the right time to start updating. I live in Germany, and I usually tried updating in the evening, without any success.

But today I am up early and the update just worked at ~9:20am. Now I have version 8.1.0.10120.

I remember that updating in the morning already worked, when I couldn't update Vaio Care 6.4 to 7.x, several months ago.

So, just check what time this would be in your country and please give feedback if  this solution works for you as well.

[asha1234]

hello,

my sony vio laptop does problem with windows 8.in this sitehttp://www.simonmacbeth.co.uk"> i  tried to find a book online to get rid of it.

can you suggest a way  ?

Message was edited by: asha1234

[ianx43]

Hi Folks

I had the same issue with the VAIO CARE update on a new SVE1511A1EB. As soon as I ran MCPR.exe to fully remove McAfee, and also disabled Norton, the update installed correctly.

Hope this helps.

Ian

[barrynb]

Mine is VPCCB4C5E, Service Tag C60A9XQ6.

Message was edited by: barrynb

I disabled my security suite (incl. firewall), but the result is the same. Vaio Care shows an active download bar at the bottom of the screen, but disc activity is minimal leading me to think it is hung-up waiting, and then times-out with the 'try again later' message.

[catenaires]

As ianx43, after some futile trials on my SVE1711X1EB (at first stopping McAffee, then fully uninstalling McAffee) I finally let mcpr.exe to completely cauterize McAffee out - and that's it. Thanks.

[Thumper427]

Well this is brilliant. I have a brand new Vaio laptop that is trashed so I need a recovery and repair disk. So I open Vaio Care to do that and I have so far "updated it" 7 times and repeatedly get the same message. Can't ever run it as it doesn't work! Well, what a terrible waste of money this laptop is, I too thought Sony was a name to trust, clearly not. I uninstalled my virus protection and tried everything recommended on here and it doesn't work so I'm left with a completely useless laptop that I cannot repair. Marvelous. Well done Sony, I applaud your utter incompetance.

[reubenscratton]

Same problem here, stuck on 7.3. Disabling Windows Firewall gets partway there.. it downloads *something* but then gets stuck in a loop of permanently detecting updates.

This is far from the first problem I've had with this machine and I am very fed up. I paid a premium price for a rather expensive Vaio for my wife, wanting her to have a good quality laptop. Clearly the Vaio range is trading on past glories because the current reality is a disgrace to Sony. I will certainly never buy another laptop from Sony.

Whoever's responsible for the mess that is Vaio "Care" needs to sort it out. That there's no firewall exception added for updates tells me that not even the most basic quality control occurred before shipping these machines. And the Vaio software itself is so *bad*... it's confusingly scattered into a ridiculous number of separate apps and background services. The start menu has eleven Vaio-related shortcuts and there are no less than twenty-one separate Vaio items in "Programs and Features". Ridiculous!

[rich912]

Hi reubenscratton,

As I am sure you will have gathered from the length of this thread you are not alone in your frustration. Although some members have had success in updating either by perseverance or other weard and wonderful means it remains the case that the update does not work as it should and Sony have been aware of the problem since December 2012.

Your post has been highlighted to Support in an ongoing escalation of this problem and a request has been made for them to contact you directly. Can you please make sure that your contact details in your profile are up to date?

Please let us know as and when contact is made and the solution proposed.

Rich