Anyone w/PC experience? PCI card into Sony Vaio Tower case

[ahunter3]

I've never installed anything into the innards of a PC, I'm strictly a Mac person. My girlfriend has a Sony Vaio (tower, not the more-famous laptop of the same name), and she does redundant backups to an alternating pair of USB external drives. Problem is, she has to manually switch in between them (stupid PC can't handle more than a small handful of USB devices, can't seem to use the hub I bought her, and is maxxed out on USB). Problem II anyhow is that USB is too freaking slow, backups take forever. With FireWire I could daisy-chain the two devices and her backups would "just run", no having to remember to switch them. And it would be a lot faster.

I can snag a PCI card from Staples that would give her a couple FireWire ports. Anyone ever opened up the innards of a Sony tower and can give me some overview tips on how to do so for purposes of plugging in the card?

Thanks...

 

[robbieduncan]

I can't tell you anything about Sony machines in particular, but once you have the case open it's really easy. Simply remove the blanking plate (normally a single screw which you the re-use to screw the card into place) and firmly push the cars into place in the slot. Screw it into place to hold it firm, close the case, boot up and install drivers (this is normally the worst bit, but that's just Windows in general).

 

[reh]

This may seem obvious... but be sure to turn off the computer before installing the card. It would probably be somewhat exciting if you don't, but I suspect your girlfriend might not like it much.

 

[taybone]

Its honestly quite simple. Even the instructions that come with the card will be easy enough. The only tip I can give you is make sure that you firmly seat the card in the slot, don't be scared to press hard until you hear the 'thunk' telling you it is in.

 

[Timepass]

This may seem obvious... but be sure to turn off the computer before installing the card. It would probably be somewhat exciting if you don't, but I suspect your girlfriend might not like it much.

Also add to that list unplugg the computer from the wall before you open it up. It just good pratices plus even with the computer off there is still standby power going to the mobo so there is still a charge there. Good idea is to just unplug from the wall and the eithernet cord is unplug since both are always suppliing a little power.

After that before you touch anything make sure any LED lights on the mobo are off. Normall a mobo has some led light on it telling you that the board has power and it will stay light until the compactiors in the board are discharged (about 30 sec or so).


As for putting in a pci card open up the case, removed the card from the tower matching the slot you are going to put it in. This gaurd can either be one that will require a screw to be removed, or more than likely it is one that just has to be punch out.
From put the pci card in the slot with firm pressure but gental pressure. After you have it in I recoment you go a little pushing all the way down the card to make sure it is in place evenly. Then take you will need a screw to screw in the card to the case to make sure it doesnt moved.
Put the side of the case back on. Plug everything back in. Turn on the computer.

Boot up going to take a little longer than normal because both windows and the mobo will dected teh new hardware in there. Windows will see it pretty quickly and you may not even need to install the drivers for it (still a good idea since windows drivers are ment to just get it working. They are not opitmized for the card. those the maker of the card should supply. install them. Maybe another reboot and you are good.


As for transfer taking a while it could just be because the USB ports on you GF computer are USB 1.1 and not USB 2.0. I know windows will tell you if you plug in any device into a 1.1 slot that can go faster on a 2.0.



All that being side the entire process from turning off the computer to having everything install should take less than 30 mins even if you are a complete noob to it. It really a very easy thing to do. I spend more time unplug and plugging everything back in than I do putting in the card.

 

[Sesshi]

How old is it? Is it a Gigapocket?

 

[ahunter3]

I see that I've done a really rotten job of communicating.

I know how to install a PCI card. I've installed cards into Macs and I'm sure it's an identical process.

What is very very far from obvious to me is how to get this ^#%$! Vaio tower open! With all the Macs I've used, I knew in advance. Push this release, case lifts up and off like so or unscrew this screw and pull straight back or whatever. The Vaio under the exterior plastic case looks disturbingly like a frame of little welded aluminum girders forming a box, with welded in crossbars holding fans and drives and the like. I'm sure I'll feel silly when I learn what you push or unscrew or pop loose to get access to the PCI slots (wherever in that frame they may lie), and if no one knows I'll probably just puzzle it out, but that's what I was asking: how do you get in?

 

[Sesshi]

Ahh... is it a fairly small VAIO desktop? Like about 3" wide?

 

[ahunter3]

Ahh... is it a fairly small VAIO desktop? Like about 3" wide?

No, a tower not a desktop model, and at least twice that wide. The exact model would appear to be:

PCV-RX650

(sounds like something you'd dump in your Pontiac's crankcase, doesn't it?)

 

[reh]

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[Ethan1492]

i know how to

there should be two little things on the back near the top of the case lift them up and pull the top of the case back and that should lift it off then look at the back and there should be a little bent metal peice that looks like its not supposed to be there if you pull that (it should be spring loaded)and then it should unlatch the 5 metal hooks that keep the case on, carefully lower the side of the case so you dont break any prongs then lift off and there you go you will see the slots for the PCI cards then unscrew the spot slide the card in and your done