[GUIDE] Sony Vaio SR XP Downgrade Instructions

Last Updated: Oct. 26, 2008

So, I finally got around to downgrading my Vaio SR to Windows XP and thought I'd post a helpful guide here so others can avoid the problems I encountered during the downgrade process.

REQUIREMENTS:

1. Clean XP Installation Disk - If you've done any slipstreaming before, especially with drivers and want to re-use an old modified XP disk - don't! Start off with a clean XP Installation disk. I used a copy of XP Pro that I got on discount from my school.
2. nLite - Download here.
3. Service Pack 3 (Optional)

STEP ONE: DOWNLOAD THE DRIVERS

1. Download the ICH9M-E/M SATA AHCI drivers here. The file should be named something like f6flpy32_85.zip. As far as I know, all the SR models have this SATA driver, but to be sure, Right-click on "My Computer", go to Device Settings, and look under IDE/ATA controllers.
   
   
   
2. Download the Intel Chipset Drivers from Vaio-Link - look for the file named "1_CHIPSET DRIVER INTEL 8.7D _ 8.7.0.ZIP." You can also download the other drivers & utilities from the Vaio-Link site, but Sony Support recently added XP drivers to their main site and that is where you will find the most up-to-date drivers, which I recommend you use. We only download this one to slipstream in order to avoid potential blue screens of death.
   
   
3. Download the remaining drivers from Sony Support. Enter your system number to see the list of drivers available for your specific model. Make sure to select Windows XP as your operating system!
   
   
   
   Download ALL drivers EXCEPT:
   - Intel® SATA Driver for Microsoft® Windows® XP Operating System
   
   Instructions for Specific Configurations:
   - For VAIO SR129E/B Users: DO NOT DOWNLOAD Intel® Wireless LAN Driver for Microsoft® Windows® XP Operating System - we have the Atheros wireless card, not the Intel wireless card.
   
   - Download EITHER the ATI Graphics Drives OR the Intel Graphics Driver - not both.
   
   
4. SR129E/B Laptops Only: Download the Atheros Wireless Card Driver here.
   
   
5. Download the Protector Suite QL Fingerprint Reader Drivers + Software - Go here for the drivers. Then, download File:9_PROTECTOR SUITE QL UPEK 5.6K _ 5.6.2.ZIP from Vaio-Link. Sony Support does offer this download as well, but it wouldn't recognize my model (SR129E) for whatever reason, so I used the Vaio-link application instead.

STEP TWO: Slipstream SP3 + the Drivers:

1. Copy the contents of your XP Installation disk onto a folder in your hard drive
   
2. Fire up nLite and select the folder above as your XP installation folder
   
3. Click Next, and Next again to get to the "Task Selection" window. Choose the following:
   
   - Service Pack (ONLY select this if your XP installation disk does not come with SP3)
   - Drivers (required)
   - Bootable ISO (required)
   
   You can also select some of the other options, such as "Remove Components", which will let you cut down the size of your installation by removing unwanted components in the XP install. Unattended will allow you to enter your password, CD key, time zone, language settings ahead of time so you don't have to wait around during the install. Options & Tweaks optimize & configure XP to your liking and are worth checking out if you have the time.
   
   
4. When you get to the screen to install the drivers, click on "Insert" and select "Multiple Drivers in Folder." First, go to the folder where you extracted the 1_CHIPSET DRIVER INTEL 8.7D _ 8.7.0.ZIP file. A window will pop up that says "Select Multiple Drivers to Integrate" and you will see two lines/options. Select the first option that ends with "1 Chipset Driver (Intel) 8.7D-8.7.0.1007\All". Don't select the line with \Vista.
   
   
5. Click Insert and Multiple Drivers in Folder again. Then, go to the folder where you extracted the f6flpy32_85.zip file (i.e. your SATA drivers). You should then see an Options box pop up like this image. You only need to select the controller corresponding to your model. Make sure that "TEXT MODE" is selected, not PnP mode!
   
   
6. Go through any optional steps and tweaks if you want and then create the Bootable ISO (or just do Direct Burn like I did) and create your new Bootable slipstreamed XP install.

STEP THREE: Install XP + Drivers + Utilities

1. First, take all the drivers you downloaded in STEP ONE and back them up somewhere, like a USB drive.
   
   
2. Then, with your XP installation disk in your CD/DVD drive, restart your computer. After the Vaio Logo shows up, you should see "Press Any Key to Boot from CD..." - Quite obvious what to do here: Press the Any Key.
   
   
3. You will then have to wait a couple of minutes while Setup loads a bunch of files. Then, if you've slipstreamed the correct SATA drivers, you should see the familiar installation screen asking you to select a drive to format/install XP on. I chose the second and largest partition and left the recovery partition intact to be safe just in case my installation went wrong.
   
   IMPORTANT: If you see a BSOD here, then the SATA driver was either not slipstreamed properly or you slipstreamed the wrong one. Go back and check to make sure everything is correct!
   
   
4. After XP formats your partition and copies over the files, the computer should restart. Don't select boot from CD this time and the XP installation should automatically begin.
   
   
5. After the installation is done, the computer will reboot again. If you've done everything correctly, then Windows XP should load - most likely in a really bad screen resolution. Don't worry just yet! This will be fixed once the graphics drivers are installed.
   
   
   IMPORTANT: If at this point, you get a BSOD or continuous restarts and messages about hardware errors, then your install of XP was not clean. If you've slipstreamed the MassStorage drivers from DriverPacks, they will conflict with the ICH9M-E/M SATA drivers for Sony HDDs and cause errors. I know it sucks to have to re-do the slipstream process, especially if you've put in a lot of add-ons and tweaks, but there doesn't seem to be a way around this problem except a clean install + minimal slipstreamed drivers.
   
   
6. Copy & Install the Sony Drivers. There is a recommended order to install this, but honestly, I just installed everything by alphabetical order and it worked just fine for me (although I left the Sony Utilities install last). Nonetheless, I will list the recommended installation order here:
   
   - RealTek Audio Driver: REDAUD-15417500-XP.EXE
   - Modem Driver: CODMOD-15680000-XP.EXE
   - Bluetooth Driver: BRDBLT-15282100-XP.EXE
   - Graphics Driver: ATDVID-15498400-XP.EXE (ATI 3470) OR INDVID-15582500-XP.EXE (Intel 4500HMD)
   - Touchpad Driver: SPDOTH-15486600-XP.EXE (Synaptics)
   - SR129E/B USERS SKIP THIS STEP: WLAN Driver: INDWLL-15374000-XP.EXE (Intel Wireless Card)
   - LAN Driver: MRDETH-15165700-XP.EXE
   - Camera Driver: RIDCAM-15458600-XP.EXE
   - SATA Registry Patch: INDSAT-15468200-XP.EXE
   - HDD Shock Protection: SODOTH-14514300-XP.EXE
   - Memory Card Readers: RIDMSC-15490300-XP.EXE + RIDMSC-15490400-XP.EXE
   
   IMPORTANT: For Sony SR129E/B users, you must install the Atheros drivers that I instructed you to download in Step 2. Extract the xp32-7.6.0.239-whql.zip file into its own folder. Then, right click on "My Computer" - go to Hardware - Then go to "Device Manager" and look under "Other Devices" with the "?" marks to see if you can find one that says "Network Controller."
   
   Right-click and select "Update Drivers", "No, not this time", "Install from a specific location," "Don't search, I will choose the driver to install" and finally "Have Disk." Navigate to the folder with the extracted Atheros driver and your wireless card should now be recognized.
   
   
7. Install the Sony Utilities.
   - Battery Care Function: SOAOTH-15327100-XP.EX
   - TPM Module: IFAOTH-14762400-XP.EXE
   - Protector Suite QL: setup.exe from the zip file downloaded from Vaio Link or UPAPWD-15459500-XP.EXE from Sony Support if you can manage to get it working (I never did).
   - Sony Notebook Utilities: SOAOTH-42800000-XP.EXE

At this point, if you have an SR with the Intel wireless graphics card, your install should be complete. Go ahead and set up the fingerprint reader if you want. It worked perfectly for me, though the 5.6 version given by Sony is not compatible with FF3. I don't use the PassBank though, so it's not an issue for me.

For SR129E/B users with the Atheros wireless card, we need to go through one additional step. If you find that you can connect just fine on your WLAN, then you don't need to follow step four.

STEP FOUR: Fix Wireless Problems (ONLY if your wireless card appears to be disabled - i.e. you have a router nearby, but it does not detect *any* networks at all)

Now, if you have the Atheros wireless card, the last step where you installed the Sony Utilities might give you some trouble with the Wireless Switch Setting Utility. It seems that every time I installed it, my wireless card would become disabled. So, the solution is to go here and download 8_WIRELESS SWITCH SETTING UTILITY 4.1_XP_ 4.1.00.ZIP. Extract and run "setup.exe" - this will UNINSTALL the WSSU.

SHUT DOWN your computer (do not restart!). Then after a few seconds, start your computer up again.

At this point, WLAN should be working properly.

FINAL RESULTS:

A clean install of Windows XP. At idle, I have about 36 processes running. You could probably prune it down by uninstalling some utilities, but I find most of the Sony utilities useful.

wPrime 32M v2.00: 36.249 s
PCMark05: 4383
3DMark06: 2144

If anyone has any questions or problems, feel free to post here and I'll try to help as best as I can!

 

Is there any big benefit from having XP over Vista? Thanks

 

Well, I personally see a huge speed up in loading my programs and things don't feel as sluggish. (For example, Firefox took forever to load on Vista while it generally loads within a few seconds for me on XP). However, at least part of that is due to the fact that the Sony vista install comes with gazillions of horrible bloatware. On the factory install, you'd have almost 80+ processes running. My XP install has 36.

And I guess the rest is up to personal preference. I think Vista is a resource hog compared to XP, and I really dislike a lot of the new vista features. The other is that some of my older programs require XP to run (too cheap to shell out more money for the compatible upgrades). A lot of people do say that Vista has improved with SP1, but I'm still an XP fangirl at heart.

 

I already have a CD with just the SATA driver slipstreamed to avoid the BSOD problem--I went through this whole ordeal the first day I got my SR, but had to abandon it even after a successful XP install, due to a total lack of compatable drivers from ATI. I can still just install the rest of the drivers after installing XP, instead of slipstreaming them, right? Should I still update the SATA drivers and chipset drivers after I get XP installed?

Sorry for the questions, but my tech-wiz of a brother basically did the whole install for me the first time, but I don't get his help this time.

 

Yes, the only drivers you really need slipstreamed are the SATA drivers - although to be safe, I've also been recommended by other people to install the chipset drivers as well. If you've already had a successful install without the chipset driver though, I guess you can just re-use the same CD.

The rest of the drivers can just be installed using the *.exe files from Sony Support. I didn't update the SATA driver, but I did update the chipset driver. Since you have the same model as me, take special care to have the Atheros drivers ready for your wireless card and be prepared to disable the WLAN switch settings utility if you have trouble finding wireless networks.

By the way, if you want a newer driver from ATI, here's what I recommend that you do:
- Install the older ATI drivers + Catalyst Control Center using the Sony installation program
- Download the Desktop 3400 series drivers & follow the instructions to use Mobility Modder

I personally thought my own GPU performance was fine with the Sony-shipped drivers, so I haven't updated it myself. Let me know if you have any trouble and I'll try to help.

 

HI lattice!

Ive been scouring the net for this exact guide!! THANK YOU!!!

Personally I agree with you that vista is a resource hog. I love xp and one of the reason i dont plan to get any new laptops is becos they all come load with vista!!!

Reading the comments I see you guys are experts at what you do. I have no knowledge on computers but i have managed to reinstall the Asus eee pc 1000H to factory settings follow really good instructions (like yours!). I would like to attempt this but the Vaio SR that I'd like to do this is now overseas with my sister. I will be going back overseas in late january. so this is a little premature but can I still ask you questions if i come up with problems when i attempt to downgrade to XP in january 2009?

and another question is what is "slipstreaming"?

 

Oh sure, that's no problem! I'm subscribed to this thread, so I should get any notifications if you have further questions.

Slipstreaming is basically adding applications, drivers, service packs and updates, and tweaks to a Windows disk. STEP TWO of my guide basically covers the procedure using a program called nLite. The main problem with installing XP on a lot of new laptops is that the hard drives are SATA drivers, and the XP disks generally don't come with SATA drivers, so those need to be slipstreamed into the disk so XP can actually recognize your hard drive. Otherwise, you get a blue screen of death and you won't be able to proceed with your install.

 

Hello Lattice.
please help me.
I downgrade my SR129E/B from vista to winxp sp3 by your instructions. but my Atheros wireless adaptor has problem. i installed its driver as you told, but i can't find any wireless network. We have wireless network in our office and i used it before.I must say i couldn't find the file " 8_WIRELESS SWITCH SETTING UTILITY 4.1_XP_ 4.1.00.ZIP " at the link that you said.can you send it to me?
Thank you.
Hossein

 

Try the 8_WIRELESS_SWITCH_SETTING UTILITY 4.1_XP_4.1.00.Zip here to uninstall the wireless switch settings. Then afterwards, you must do a complete shut down (not just a restart), then wait a couple of a seconds, then start the computer up again. That should fix the problem.

 

how is the battery life of the sr with xp in comparison to vista? and wat's ur laptop spec?

 

Hi Lattice,
I followed your guide and manage to install XP and most of the drivers. Unfortunately I can't use the FN button to change the brightness and zooms, (for the sound I can). The only file I have trouble installing is Sony Shared Library. As the small window says "installing" after verifying, it closes without giving me the finished installing window.
Any idea of how to fix the problem?
Thank you

 

You might try using the Universal Extractor to extract the *.exe for the notebook utilities and see if you can install the sub-components separately?

 

Has anyone else had trouble retaining laptop functionality, such as using the FN key? I'm probably going to make the switch to XP on my new SR190 and it would be nice to have some troubleshooting advice if this has been a common problem.

Or if you've installed XP without a hitch, please let us know that too!

 

The brightness/volume/mute function keys, and the home/page down/end/page up function keys work fine for me. I can't seem to get the zoom buttons to work, although I'm not sure if I'm using them correctly or not.

 

I've just received my new SR290 today, and I'm looking forward to getting it set up. I have the XP downgrade CD, but I'm wondering: does anyone know if the quicklaunch or mode buttons function in XP? Many thanks...

 

Do you mean the Mode Switch stuff? It definitely works on XP for me. Also, do you have the XP downgrade CD directly from Sony? It's actually very possible those will come with the drivers/utilities you need for the installation already, so you may be lucky enough not to worry too much about it at all.

 

Thanks, Lattice. Yes, I'm wondering if all those buttons up near the screen (mode switch/quicklaunch) work with XP, and it sounds like maybe they do? And I did get the downgrade CD from Sony, and am hoping to sidestep the downloading of all those drivers. We shall see...

 

Yep, those buttons definitely work. I started using this function awhile ago and now I wonder how I ever did without it. Very handy to have separate desktops/buttons for when I want to play games (all my favorites on the launchbar) and when I need to do work and use a separate set of apps.

Let us know how the Sony downgrade CD works!

 

Is it possible to buy the XP downgrade disc directly from Sony? The guys in the Sony store told me I could ONLY downgrade the machine if I brought it in and had them do it... for $120. And I would NOT be getting a disc.

 

As far as I know, you only get the downgrade disc by ordering Vista Business or one of the higher-end Vista operating systems, whose license also allows you to install XP. If you want to install XP yourself, you're better off grabbing an older copy you're not using anymore or buying a new copy and doing the install procedure as in this thread. Paying $120 and having no disc is simply not worth it at all.

 

So far, so good on the XP downgrade. I've got XP running, with the only problem so far being the bloatware included in the XP disc. When I ordered the computer, I requested the "fresh start" option, but it seems the XP downgrade disc contains the annoying programs I'd hoped to avoid. Hopefully things will continue smoothly from here...

 

I tried downgrading from vista home preimum to windows xp via a comp teq. but when I got XP I couldn't run games nor was I able to run sony website. Can anyone please help?

 

Hi thought this might be handy for all MALAYSIAN VAIO SR laptop users.

this is a link for winxp drivers
http://www.sony.com.my/support/download/product/vgn-sr12g/modelfirst

here is what the notes says if u attempt to downgrade!
"Please note that when installing either of the Windows XP versions, users may no longer have access to some preinstalled software or will not be able to use some of preinstalled functions.
Below are the functions that are confirmed to be unusable once users downgrade to Windows XP on VGN-SR1 Series:
1.HDD Protection function cannot be used.
2.Fn+F9/Fn+F10 function cannot be used.
3.After switching off Bluetooth device/Wireless LAN device via Wireless Switch Setting Utility, the Bluetooth device/Wireless LAN device cannot be powered on again via Wireless Switch Setting Utility. Users must manually switch Wireless Device H/W Control button to power on Bluetooth device/Wireless LAN device again."

 

DO u have the xp downgrade discs? I will purchase it from you

 

Hi Lattice,

I have the same problem about downgrading the Sony Vaio, from Vista to Win XP SP2/3, but in a different series. I have laptop sony vaio CS with Model Name: VGN-CS13G, and Model Number: PCG-3CBP.

Is it your advice before that downgrading the SR series is the same way to downgrading such a kind of my laptop?

Could please help me? I really need use my laptop with WinXP as the OS, because I have some program that not suitable/compatible yet in Vista. I just need it.

Thank you in adanced

 

I had slipstreamed the SATA drivers, and xp installed. But I couldn't install any of the supposed XP drivers for my model from sony's site. The model I have is VGN-NS160D/W. I'm starting to think it's not possible

Why would they supply drivers from their site but can't install xp? Most of their drivers are executables, but not self extracting executables. So you can't just extract them and slipstream all drivers into the xp cd.

 

Hello everyone,
I did an XP downgrade (using disc provided by Sony and the driver package from sony website) on my SR290. Everything runs smoothly, except that there's one annoying problem. The screen resolution has turned from 1200x800 to 1024x768 and I'm not able to change it higher. There's just no option. HAs anyone encountered the same thing and could suggest a solution?
Many thanks,
J.
PS! I think all my posts so far have been stupid n00b posts asking for help

 

Bump!

Could anyone help?

Many thanks,
J.

 

Hi Lattacie, thanks for your guide, i have tryed with the help of a knowlegable friend a few times to downgrade my wifes Sony vaio VGN-NR11S/S to XP following your guide to the book useing the exact drivers for that model.

Everything goes well until a few seconds before the windows XP wellcome screen appears and the i keep getting the blue screen of death.

Any ideas, hope you can help, cheers

 

Hello. Thanks for the guide. I actually got it to work on a vgn-sr250j/h by using the drivers for a sr240n. I had a copy of xp that I bought when Vista came out and there were complaints of problems. I did it on a new hard drive to save the old setup though. I hoped that the hardware was the same on the two models and it appears that it is. I almost peed my pants when it started working after about the tenth blue screen. Thanks again.

 

Can i use the same method for CS17?

I will be downloading the drivers for the same..

Will the below be the used for CS17 or do i have to download a different one?
(Download the ICH9M-E/M SATA AHCI drivers here. The file should be named something like f6flpy32_85.zip)

 

Hi Lattacie,

I am planning to have both Vista and Xp on my notebook. So I have Created a different partition for Xp. But I was getting The Blue Screen error mseg. So If I follow your Guide Lines will I be able to Install Xp with Vista being there....Waiting for your Reply Thank you so much....

Regards,
Memorymask

 

Are you guys using Windows XP 32 bit or 64 bit???
How much ram are you guys working with. i wanna utilize the full 4 gigs instead of 3 gigs.

 

Ok I managed to get my sr290 downgraded to windows xp using special recovery discs (just insert and it will do the job for you....meaning no more stupid "screen of death" or other retarded errors)

 

Can anyone help me get the ability to "auto scroll" by pressing both the left and right touch pad buttons? I can do it if a mouse is plugged in but not on the touch pad with the sony vgn sr220j downgraded to xp using this guide.