Intro
It’s been a while since the last time i update this blog. As you can see from the last post before this, I use Sony VAIO VPCEA16FG notebook for work and gaming. It’s performing great for 15 months now. But then, recently, the left part of the keyboard felt rather hot than it was.
So I download HWMonitor (64bit version) and checked the CPU temperature of my notebook. The result is 48 – 51 Celsius at 5 minutes after I start it up, and leave it idle. And after I run MS Flight Simulator for around 10 minutes, it jumps to 85 – 88 Celsius, and the fan starts roaring that reminds me of an airplane getting ready to take off. It’s trying it’s best to cool down the hot temperature by spinning faster. But it failed. The CPU temperature is still around 85 – 88 Celsius.
After googling here and there, I found that many people have this problem too. This is caused by thick dusts on the fan. Blocking the airflow that supposed to release the heat. The cure is, of course, by cleaning up the dusts. So I gathered my guts to disassemble my VPCEA16FG by myself, and took some pictures I to make a little documentation. I hope this guide can help people with their overheating VAIO notebook.
Warning and Precaution
- By disassembling your VAIO, you will void the warranty (if any). If the warranty is still valid, do not continue. Instead, take your VAIO to your local Sony Certified Service Center and ask them to clean it for you. Don’t forget to bring along your warranty card.
- I do not and will not take any responsible for any damage caused by this guide.
- I made this guide merely to help other people having overheating and noisy fan on their VAIO notebook.
- I fix the overheating and noisy problem in my VAIO notebook, but I do not guarantee or promise you will get the same result as I do.
- If you’re not sure you can do this yourself, then don’t. Either take your VAIO to Sony Certified Service Center, or ask someone you know capable.
- Again… Do this at your own risk!
Required Tools
- Small Phillip head screwdriver that matched the screws size.
- Jumbo Hurricane Blower to blow the dust away. Do not use your mouth.
- Paint brush to brush the dust away.
- Credit / ATM Card to slide and crack open the notebook.
- Magnet to hold your removed screws, so you don’t lose any (optional).
The steps
- (Optional Step). Before we start cleaning up, you might want to download and run HWMonitor to check the idle temperature and the heavy load temperature of your VAIO. So that you can compare them later. Idle temperature is the temperature after about 5 minutes after you start your VAIO and leave it alone, and heavy load temperature is when you check temperature after opening heavy applications or games, and let them run a while.
- Remove the charger cable, USB stick, mouse, and any attached cable / peripheral from your notebook.
- Put your notebook on a soft and level surface (eg. on your bed), bottom side up.
- Unlock and remove the battery.
- Using the phillip head screwdriver, remove all the screws. Screw locations are marked on the following picture.
- Remove the memory cover. Removing memory module is not necessary.
- Make sure you remove the 2 screws marked below, then pull out the DVD drive carefully.
- Remove the Hard Drive cover. Then, remove the 2 little screws (see picture below) that hold the Hard Drive bracket.
- Carefully slide the Hard Drive to the left until it’s completely detached from the socket.
- Hold the transparent plastic and pull the Hard Drive out to the right.
- Make sure you removed all the screws in step no 4 above. Carefully hold your notebook with one hand so that you are looking at the battery slot, then carefully slide in a credit / ATM card to the corner part where the base of the notebook meets the upper part. Lift the card a little bit to split them. Do the same to the other corner if needed.
- Do not open the base part just yet. Lie down your notebook like in step no 2 above. Then slowly lift the base part upward. Just like opening a suitcase. If you feel something is stuck, do not force it. Shake the base part a little bit and try again.
- By this time, you can see the dusts at the marked spots.
- But the main target is the fan. So let’s clean it up carefully with paint brush. Then blow the dust outward. Locate the Jumbo Hurricane Blower between the fan’s blades. Repeat step 13 until the fan’s blades are clean, and you can’t see any dust anymore when you blow them with the blower.
- OK, the fan is clean now. But we are going to clean the other parts as well. Such as the base part that we removed just now. You can brush and blow them like we did to the fan, of use a dry cloth to wipe it clean.
- Now that your VAIO is cleaned up, we can now reassembly it. It’s as simple as reversing the steps given above.
- If you downloaded the HWMonitor above, you can now check the temperature of your VAIO. After starting it up, run HWMonitor and leave it idle for 5 minutes. Note the idle temperature. This is my VAIO’s idle temperature after cleaning up.
- Now try to open heavy applications or games to make the CPU work hard. Converting video file or play high CPU and GPU demanding games is recommended. After 1 hour or so, note the temperature again. This is my notebook’s temperature after 2 hours playing MS Flight Simulator (the game still running).
Notes
- Because I live in a tropical country, my room temperature is around 28 – 30 Celsius.
- No Air Conditioner was used during the test.
- No notebook cooler was used during the test.
- I hope this guide can help you fixing the VAIO overheat and noisy fan problem.
A few months ago, I was a happy Sony VAIO VPCEA16FG user. It has everything I want and need. One feature that I like is Battery Care. What this Battery Care does is limiting the battery charge to a certain level to extend the battery lifetime, and in the end will slow down the battery degradation. It comes with 2 presets. 80% if you usually use the computer with battery power, and 50% if you usually use the computer with the AC adapter. So basically if you set it on 80%, then whenever the battery charged to 80%, it will say it’s full. Same thing with 50%, it will say the battery is full whenever the battery charged to 50%.
This Battery Care can be found inside VAIO Control Center application. And after tons of VAIO software updates, windows updates, install / uninstall a lot of software, one day I found out that my battery says it has 100% power. What the…? It was supposed to be limited at 50% since I mostly use it while on AC adapter. So I opened up VAIO Control Center, and *boom*. I got this ugly window saying VAIO Control Center has stopped working. 
I Googled it and got no solution at all. And after days of headache, I fixed it by myself. This is how I did it.
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Uninstall the Setting Utility Series.
click start (orb) > computer > click Uninstall or change a program > find and click on Setting Utility Series > click Uninstall -
Run the VAIO Care application > click Recovery & restore > click recovery > click Launch VAIO Recovery
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Once the VAIO Recovery Center appears, click Reinstall Programs or Drivers > click start > (make sure you check on “Skip”) click next > click next > find Setting Utility Series from the available programs list, and check it > click next
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Restart your VAIO when finished.
Once restarted, I can run the VAIO Control Center again to set the Battery Care feature on, and set it back to 50%. Now I’m happy once again… 
I hope these steps may help you dealing with the VAIO Control Center has stopped working problem.
What is Monster Hunter Portable 3rd (MHP3rd) Charm Mining Analyzer?
When MHP3rd game is started, it will randomly load 1 table from 15 charm (also known as talisman) tables available, and keep using it as long as we do not exit the game and return to PSP’s XMB. To keep the long story short, if the charm we want to get is in table no 1, and the game is loading table no 5, then we will unlikely to get it. The best way is to exit the game, return to PSP’s XMB, then restart the Monster Hunter Portable 3rd game, and pray the game will load the right table this time. But how to tell which table is loaded by the game? This is what MHP3rd Charm Mining Analyzer does. MHP3rd Charm Mining Analyzer is a software to analyze and determine if the game is currently loading the right table, that will eventually give us the charms we want to get. MHP3rd Charm Mining Analyzer will analyze the charms we obtained after mining at Volcano map (note: currently only supports High Rank Volcano charms), and give us advice whether we should exit the game to XMB and restart the MHP3rd, or just keep on mining until we get the charms we want.
Features :
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Uses nosuke’s Timeworn Charm Table (both XLSX and CSV format supported)
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Compatible with Microsoft Excel 2003 and Microsoft Excel 2007 (for XLSX format)
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Simple and easy to use interface
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Auto / manual charms filtering based on Skill 1 and / or Skill 2
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Wanted charms list can be saved, and loaded later when needed
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Obtained charms list can be saved, and loaded later when needed
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Hotkeys for quick operating
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Simple advice to keep on mining when 1 or more charms table are matched
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Every lists can be sorted ascending or descending
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Every lists supports multiple selection (simply use SHIFT or CTRL button on the keyboard)
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Every lists have anti-duplicate feature
Requirements
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Microsoft Windows (self tested by myself on Windows 7 64bit and Windows XP SP3 32bit)
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(Optional) Microsoft Excel 2003 or Microsoft Excel 2007
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A little bit of brain power and common sense
How to use MHP3rd Charm Mining Analyzer?
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Make sure you have everything mentioned in Requirements section above.
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Install MHP3rd Charm Table Analyzer and run it from the start menu.
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Open nosuke’s Timeworn Ancient Charms Table excel / CSV file.
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Search the Skill 1 and / or Skill 2 that you want to get.
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For slower computer, you can uncheck the Auto Filter option.
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Select the charm(s) you want to get from the list on the top, and click Add to Wanted Charms List button.
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If you accidentally added the wrong charm, simply select it from the Wanted Charms List, and press delete button on your keyboard, then click YES.
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Repeat step 6 if you want other charms to be added to the Wanted Charms List.
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Saving your Wanted Charms List is recommended. Click File > Save Wanted Charms List As or press F4 button on your keyboard.
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Click the Obtained Charms tab.
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In MHP3rd game in your PSP, go to Gathering Quest LV 7* in Volcano map (currently nosuke’s Timeworn Ancient Table only support high rank charms), and mine in map no 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10.
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When you get the charms appraised, enter the Skill 1 and / or Skill 2 of the obtained charms. (note: currently only Queen talisman, King talisman, and Dragon talisman supported).
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Click Add to Obtained Charms List button.
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If you accidentally added the wrong charm, simply select it from the Obtained Charms List, and press delete button on your keyboard, then click YES.
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Repeat step 12 for all your obtained charms.
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Saving the Obtained Charms List is recommended. Click File > Save Obtained Charms List As or press F12 button on your keyboard.
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After all obtained charms added to the list, click Analyze button or press F9 on your keyboard.
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The result will be displayed in a few seconds (depends on how many charms on the lists), along with the suggestion whether you should go back to XMB, and restart the MHP3rd game, or keep on mining because there is a possibility that you will get the charms listed below the suggestion text.
Download link
Download MHP3rd Charm Table Analyzer
(file password: thelivedevil.com)
Notes
There are some skills that have alias name. I’ll list them here:
- Combo Plus = Shotmix
- Tremor Res = Quake Res
- Tranquilzr = Rewards
- Determination = Awaken
- Anti Defense Down = Fortitude
- Severe Blow = Debilitate
- Heavy Blow = Slam
Disclaimers
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This software is provided as is. Meaning there is no support.
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I, as the author of this software, will not take any responsibility should anything bad happens to your computer, such as hardware and software problems, and or losing any kind of data or information, after using MHP3rd Charm Table Analyzer. Use it at your own risk.
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This software is virus free, ads free, and spyware free. However, if you feel unsure, please use your antivirus scan the file before installing.
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However, should you find any bug(s), you may contact me and inform them to me. I will try to fix them as soon as possible.
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MHP3rd Charm Table Analyzer is freeware. However, if this software is useful for you, please consider donating.
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Please do not post the download link and or download mirror link to forums, blogs, or websites. Instead, you may share this page’s URL anywhere you want.
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You may not download, install, and or use MHP3rd Charm Table Analyzer if you do not agree with the Disclaimers provided above.
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By downloading MHP3rd Charm Table Analyzer, you are agree to all the Disclaimers provided above.
Credits
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CAPCOM
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nosuke @minegarde
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http://hore.mokoaki.net
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Team HGG
Change Log
- v1.0.23
- + support CSV format of Timeworn Charm Table (hence ms office becomes optional. yay!)
- Cleaned up some unused code
- ! Charm Slot column is now aligned center
- + support CSV format of Timeworn Charm Table (hence ms office becomes optional. yay!)
- v1.0.17
- Initial release
Categories: Application, Games
Employees in my office, like most of us, use Yahoo Messenger (besides email) to communicate between each other. Especially to communicate between different buildings and cities. So, Yahoo Messenger is somehow a must in almost all computers in my office.
Today just like everyday at office with my routine activities. Sending files and giving IT support to the users. Suddenly one of the supervisor in Medan (north Sumatra) outlet sent me a message that looks like this picture. 
As we already know, vampires most of the times have cool names. Browsed around and found a website where you can generate a vampire name from your real name. “A vampire name? I am not a vampire. What is it for?”, I hear you asked. Well… Here’s the answer quoted from the original website.
The Vampire Name Generator is designed to be used for gothic role playing games like White Wolf’s Vampire: The Requiem, and Vampire: The Masquerade, and also the Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG.
I myself don’t play any of the games mentioned above. But if you do, this might be useful for you. Or you can use it for your new alias in chat rooms. Some people that gets the same last vampire name (uhm… vampire family name) even create their own clans and social groups. Oh, by the way, this is my vampire name…
Lately I became addicted to papercraft. And a few weeks ago, I tried to join a Korean online papercraft community. I was surprised that my browser cannot display the Korean characters (Hangul CMIIW) properly. It only showed up as squares with small numbers. 
As far as I know, I already installed the files for East Asian languages. I tried to open some random Chinese and Japanese websites. They all showed up fine. My system only can’t display Korean characters properly! 
Although I can’t read any Korean character, at least I can tell the difference between words in that Korean web, if my browser can display them properly. 
This of course troubled me a lot.
This is my first papermodel design. A 1:1 replica of “lem FOX STIK”. A PVAc base glue that many papermodelers in Indonesia use to build papermodel. The idea of modeling this glue container popped up in my head some times ago. There’s no particular reason though. I just think it’s not a complex form, and I think I can model it myself. I don’t think I should start with a mecha or a tank. I’ll just start from the simple one.
I have a plan to model all tools I use to build papermodel. But of course this plan depends on my spare time, courage, and willingness. 
By the way, if you look carefully in the picture, my model is slightly different from the original one. It’s on purpose. I modify it that way, so it is easier to build. There’s no use to design a realistic model, but very very hard to build, right? 
Anyway… I wish you enjoy building it as much as I enjoy designing it!
Whoa.. No update for several months. My job as an ‘all-in-one’ IT staff has kept me busy everyday. They really know how to keep me busy
Several weeks ago, I got a new activity, which shortly after that, becoming my new hobby . It’s called Papercraft or Papermodel.
Papercraft or papermodel is a replica or model of the real world (and or virtual) objects, such as vehicle, building, certain characters from video games or movie, etc, which is built by using paper as the material. There are various kinds of papercraft, from the simplest to the highly detailed one. From the unscaled miniature model, to the precisely scaled model.
These models are designed by skilled people which is called papercrafters or papermodelers. There are 2 methods in designing papercraft. One is called ‘Scratch and build’ (also known as SB in papercraft world), and the other is by using 3D softwares to design and unfold (transforming the 3D model to printable 2D patterns) the model. Both methods require some skills, creativities, and efforts to be able to design a good papermodel.
About 30 minutes ago, I was talking with my co-worker in my office room. Suddenly I heard cracking sounds. I said to my co-worker, “Earthquake!”. He was still not realized and said, “errr… what?”. I looked at the water dispenser. It was shaking quite hard. Immediately I locked up my room and rushing down to get out of my office.
Arrived outside of my office, there were a lot of people already got out of their office. The ground was still shaking that time. Making some of us felt dizzy. Heard in the TV news, it was 7.3 richter scale on the center of the earthquake, which located in Tasikmalaya, and probably may generate tsunami. But thanks God there’s nothing damaged here in the place I work. Called my dad, and other family members. Everyone’s alright. But still worried for more earthquake. I hope no earthquake any more, and of course… No tsunami please!
Most of us have heard about computer virus, computer worms, or trojans. They are simply a (usually) small sized computer program, specially designed to damage other people’s systems. Once this virus or worm successfully infects a system, it will try to spread out to other systems to create greater damages. They corrupt files, slows down the system, clone themselves as much as possible, steal data or password, etc. Scary! Millions of losses have been caused by these malwares. In this article, I’d like to share my tips and tricks to help preventing your system from getting infected, or worse, damaged by these malwares.
Malwares evolutes rapidly every day. They got more and more features to get more success rate infecting the target systems. The creators of these malwares also find more and more creative ways to increase the chance to spread around their malwares. One of them, is to trick users with little knowledge of computer systems. The trick is by arming their malwares with the innocent look. Yes, they made them looks like the files or directory people would click everyday. They will try to mime many common files found in everybody’s computer, ie. image files, spreadsheet files, directories or folders, etc. All by simply using the same icon the system used to display our files or directories. If people clicked these “innocent looked” malwares, then they are going to be executed in the system. Which will trigger the infection. But what if we can identify these impostors just by looking at them? It would be cool right? Errr… no?
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