Fn key + 64Bit Vista = Possible?

Hey guys,

I'm trying to get Fn keys (which I have to get to work) in 64Bit Vista Ultimate.

Sony's software doesn't do it obviously, and I wanted to know if its possible before i just install a 32bit one.

I have sony sr but any i dont mind hearing if other sony models work in 64Bit OS.

Thanks

 

Why do you want 64 bit anyways?

With the latest SP1 of Vista x86 (32 bit) your laptop can read up to 4GB of RAM.

There aren't that many programs out there the utilize the 64 bit OS effectively so it would be a safer bet to get use Vista x86.

I only use Vista 64 Bit on my PC rig because I have about 8GB of RAM but considering your laptop most likely can only support up to 4GB of RAM, there aren't many incentives to switch over to 64 bit.

 

hmmm i did not know that

i will just install 32bit tomorrow then

i do have 4gb and was going to install 32bit anyway but not i dont feel bad hehe

thanks

 

This is not correct. Vista SP1 will show the amount of RAM physically installed in the system but the amount of RAM available to the OS is still around 3GB. Press Ctrl-Alt-Del, click Task Manager and you will see that only 3GB is available.

 

This is correct. Although on my hp, the fn keys work in vista 64 bit. Not sure if it would work on your Sony though.

 

I think this is a common gotcha with Sony notebooks... Sony relies on software utilities to do the Fn key stuff. Other manufacturers tend to use hardware/BIOS to achieve the same thing.

The latter solution seems more sensible to me. I've no idea why Sony don't do that.

 

Okay Has ANYONE even tried this before posting?

Look right here. 32 Bit OS, 4gb of RAM, with new SP1 of Vista. Screenshot.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w88/LakaiRIA/Untitled.jpg

So how about everyone do more research on their end? Because Vista 32 bit used to only support 3gb of RAM. Now it supports more.

 

I don't know if this is specific to Sony. Some of the function keys on my Asus will not work without a driver.

 

I think you've missed the point here. Nobody is arguing that Vista won't now display the full amount of RAM installed. But even Vista SP1 can't address the full 4GB - only 3.12GB can be addressed. It's just because of the 32bit addressing: it's a fact of life.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929605/

However, there may be minor benefits to having 4GB installed - for instance dual channel access across the entire memory space.

 

Read the posts above yours. Vista 32bit can not use 4GB of RAM.

 

Okay,

"These differences are because of the BIOS and possibly driver reservations of physical memory"

With SP1, you still "See" 4GB of RAM. Before it use to show like 3.75GB of RAM because your BIOS's reserves it for your graphic controllers

"For example, if you have a video card that has 256 MB of onboard memory, that memory must be mapped within the first 4 GB of address space. If 4 GB of system memory is already installed, part of that address space must be reserved by the graphics memory mapping."

"However, they do reduce how much physical memory is available for use by the operating system and applications. These reservations affect both 32-bit and 64-bit computers"

 

It's true that the system reserves certain memory addresses within the first 4GB. If you have 4GB of physical memory installed, some of that is blocked by the reserved addresses.

However, if you have a 64bit OS, you will only see some of your memory blocked by reserved addresses once you reach 128GB of installed physical memory.

The fact remains that 32bit/x86 Vista can only address about 3.2GB of RAM. It's a mathematical limit imposed by having 32 bits to address the RAM with, not an OS issue.

 

If you can't get the function keys to work with vista 64 bit can you still modify the brightness of your screen?

 

I installed 32 bit version and everything working great

In vista 64 bit none of the Fn keys worked, I installed the 32 bit software and it only recognized volume fn keys. Even then every 15 seconds or so a window pops that says it can not recognize the battery and force you into hibernate...

So I gotta stick to 32 bit for now which I don't mind, it is still pretty fast hehe

 

Wow that is crazy about the battery..... I just received mine in the mail and am thinking about returning it before I open it... I need all 4 gigs of memory for the kind of work I do. It's a damn shame to because I love the design of the machine....

 

I know its a shame the software suite doesnt work in 64 bit

once you install it and reboot the computer the first thing you see is that the mode switch couldnt start

and the main fn keys, for me at least, like adjusting brightness and connecting to external monitor wont work

but now i am typing from 32 bit and i love it, they keyboard and the screen is just amazing. with a new harddrive and about 3gb of ram this thing is a beauty. and its a first time i have a laptop with bluetooth and hooked up my phone to it , very nice hehe !

im a programmer so i wanted something to be able to work anywhere i want, the screen makes me not wanna stop working hehe. and i may play wow again when the expansion comes out so i thought get a dedicated graphic card.

anyway i love this laptop!