My discoveries on Vaio Z’s Hybrid Graphics

this is only my theory
after 2281 none of 4500mhd driver will work...
i tested 2322 and 2321
i don't remember if i tested 2372 but i don't think it will work.

 

I'm inclined to agree with you. There is no incentive for the major players involved (M$, nVidia, Sony...) to enhance the functionality of older models, so compatibility of the newer drivers is more accident than design.

For my part, I am well satisfied with your 26314-2266 and will stick with it until M$ puts out an updated nvbridge_int.kmd for you guys to mod for us.

 

If you couldn't care less for dynamic switching and just want to install current Intel and nVidia drivers with working BLU brightness adjustment, I made a small how to.

 

Interesting, sonic74. However, mine is a VPCZ115GG, so I'll probably have to find a different BIOS hack. Not too keen on hacking the BIOS, anyway, because of the possibility of ending up with a bricked laptop if the BIOS gets screwed up. Don't want to do anything that can't be fixed with a reinstall of the OS.

 

Just another poke at this, but do any of the GeForce 9300 folks using nVidia 25x.xx or 26x.xx drivers have switching working and is also able to use two monitors (laptop screen and another screen) at the same time while on Speed mode?

If so, please link me the driver that you are using.

I've tried HGMS_N26063_I2020_x64 and both 263.08 releases and while on Speed* mode, I can only use a single monitor at a time.

 

Unless you're using the INFs/drivers unmodified, swapping .cats around won't help. But let me know how you fare

 

looks just right

repped

 

Just out of curiosity, who have you repped - Nautis, thomaskc.dk, Andrew08 or someone else?

WithinRafael and Andrew08: obviously I need to read up on driver signing. Andrew08's drivers installed just fine on my system without having to do do anything other than click 'install anyway' when the warning about unsigned drivers came up. Perhaps as only the inf is modified (hence unsigned) the drivers themselves don't need the test mode as each file is untampered, and presumably signed by nvidia, intel or microsoft as the case may be.

While trying out Optimus on Hybrid graphics, I had no problem installing WHQL Intel and NVIDIA drivers either, just the warning about unsigned drivers.

Can someone point me to a nice, concise, 'for dummies' link which explains the concept?

 

These might be interesting for you all !!

DELL driver 270.57 - LaptopVideo2Go Forums

new dell drivers 270.57 ! and they contain Hybrid support - at least stated on laptopvideo2go ! enjoy

 

Thanks.
My model is VPCZ128GG. Will it work for me. Another thing, how do I install it> should I just run the BAT file from Windows 7?

 

My Model is VPCZ128GG. Will it work for me?
How do I flash the BIOS? Do I run FLA.EXE from Win7?

Thanks.

 

Thanks for the heads-up. Let's hope they contain an updated version of nvbridge_int.kmd. Then Andrew08 can make a fresh package for us.

Ah! what a lazy fellow am I! LOL

 

Maybe it's not exactly the right thread, but since I got the answers I was looking for, I post here

I hacked the BIOS and installed the standard Intel (8.15.10.2361) and nVidia (270.61 thanks to Computer Cowboy modified .inf) drivers, but now the battery seems to last a little shorter. With Wi-Fi turned on, half brightness and dvd and card reader turned off (running on Stamina), it says about 4h at 90%, is that normal? I'm not totally sure but before I think it was more. May having installed Windows 7 Ultimate changed something?

Also, maybe it has already been asked and answered, is normal that I have no more automatic brightness? Both on nVidia and Intel? The buttons work but not the sensor. With the hybrid drivers it was working fine.

 

Are you currently running hybrid drivers or optimus drivers? (hybrid = 3 position switch; optimus = automatic switching based on application) This thread is about hybrid drivers, so if you talk about Optimus drivers here you'll confuse everyone.

Optimus on hybrid hardware still has some (minor?) issues - power consumption, brightness sensor and HDMI.

 

No hybrid anymore, just normal drivers with the hacked BIOS.

 

That means optimus. And that's not normal - for laptops that didn't come with Optimus to begin with, hybrid graphics is normal.

 

^It doesn't mean optimus. It means you can disable one of the graphics cards and use plain-jane nvidia drivers. It IS "normal"....

 

yes it will work for you but you can't run the F L A S H I T . E X E from win7
you have to follow the instructions on the forum.
I suppose I'll rewrite the instructions, since they are confusing, an put them on my site.

This thread is about "Discoveries on Z Hybrid Graphics"
I think that the talk about installing any sort of modded drivers is relevant here. There isn't any thread dedicated to running standard drivers with the BIOS hack.

None of this is normal. Normal is leaving the same drivers that came with the laptop.

By the way I am not trying to flame you here.

There are three ways to do the drivers on the Z.

1. Hybrid: Use the drivers that came with the Z or the community hybrids.
2. Optimus: Use the community built optimus
3. BIOS Hack + Manufacturer Drivers: do the BIOS hack, install vanilla Intel drivers, install slightly modified nVidia drivers

As I said above, I think that any discussion about any of those things is relevant in this thread because these are all discoveries about the graphics in the Z. Hopefully this eliminates your confusion.

 

I stand corrected. Thanks, ComputerCowboy.

 

Well it is not really about being right or wrong. We are all here to share ideas and opinions.

 

I am using the same method.

Can you change the screen brightness on speed mode?

It is not working for me.

 

For me it's working in both Speed and Stamina with the buttons, but not with the sensor. But I noticed the light sensor is on and working, because when the environment turns dark the keyboard backlight turns automatically on.

 

Yes, that's a known issue. You might find this forum useful as well:
Nautis1100 Hybrid and Optimus Drivers - LaptopVideo2Go Forums

 

I'd hadn't noticed that the light sensor doesn't work with the BIOS hack and manufacturer drivers. I don't like the light sensor anyway so I don't care. Automatic brightness is annoying to me.

No I can't but I don't care, the only time I use speed mode I am docked and using an external monitor. If I am using the built in screen I am on stamina mode.

 

I don/t understand but I have been running with a hacked bios, intel disabled and always in speed mode, external monitor as well, different nvidia drivers and I have ALWAYS been able to control brightness...

 

We're talking about the light sensor that automatically adjusts screen brightness depending on ambient lighting. Like ComputerCowboy, I too find it irritating, so I don't miss it at all when its not there. When it is working, if you put your finger on the hole to the left of the numlock LED, the brightness will decrease and the keyboard will light up.

It can be disabled in the settings - VAIO Control Center>Display. When enabled, when you change brightness using Fn+F5 or F6, the OSD will say Brightness (Auto).

 

The Vaio VGN-Z has no light sensor.

The strange thing is, I can make the screen brighter with the keys but not darker.

 

Which Vaio do you have?

 

How did you get brightness adjustment to work?

 

what did you patch in that INF file. It would be a lot more useful to me if I knew what you changed

 

I have the Z-12 (VPC-12) I think its called. The Vaio Z before the Z-13

Hehe

 

Running mode: Optimus on Hybrid Graphics.

OK. Installed latest nVidia 275.27 and Intel 2361 drivers. Surprisingly painless.

Power consumption: still higher than with hybrid drivers. Will test further to confirm.
HDMI: cannot test - no HDMI display device.
Ambient light sensor (for automatic brightness control) now totally non-functional. Even the keyboard is not lighting up when I cover the sensor with my finger.

No significant change in performance. Maybe these drivers will have more effect on newer hardware; perhaps my older hardware is already doing the best it can???
Some improvement in Windows Performance Index - Intel drivers showing performance boost - Aero score up from 4.6 to 5.1.

 

I was amazed I didn't have to do anything.

 

I want to know, too. Komeil Bahmanpour modded the inf. I made a diff and it seemed quite involved, so I was the more happy he did it again for 270.61 .

 

I can confirm hdmi doesn't work.

 

Without my doing anything particular, the keyboard now lights up when I cover the light sensor with my finger. Doing some head scratching...

Vaio Update updated the Realtek Audio driver to version 6.0.1.6028 yesterday. That's all I can think of.

 

That's not really difficult.

Just grab the original Nvidia drivers.

There you have two sections.

[NVIDIA_SetA_Devices.NTx86.6.0]

[NVIDIA_SetA_Devices.NTx86.6.1]

They contain a list of PCI Ids and what to install.

For the Vaio Zs 9300m it is PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_06E5&SUBSYS_9025104D.

As this id is not include the driver will not install.

But what a surprise there are two lines with this id CI\VEN_10DE&DEV_06E9&SUBSYS_208B17C0

Bingo this is also a 9300M.

Just copy the two lines, change the PCI id to the sony PCI id and the drivers will install.

 

I'm going to try and install these custom-made NIVIDA drivers, since Sony's official drivers are practically prehistoric.

The only question I have is, does this 'test-mode' interface effect the performance of the laptop in any way?

Thanks!

 

No, it doesn't. It just makes your Windows override the driver signature check.

 

I just installed the drivers and encountered some serious errors.

After I enabled the 'Overrider' like the exact directions, I installed the 260. drivers. Upon completion of the installation, before restarting I checked and found that the Nvidia control panel had recognized the new driver.

Yet when I restarted, the resolution resorts to 1280x1024, and the control panel doesn't recognize any graphics driver installed.

Thoughts?

 

Why do you need test mode? If the drivers are WHQL certified (signed, not beta) and you're only modding the inf, all you'll get is a warning that the driver is unsigned, but since the driver files themselves are signed, they'll install just fine on a x64 system.

 

If you install unsigned drivers, you need test mode enabled AND you need to manually sign the driver files like described in the thread.

 

For the record, I have not enabled test mode and I have not self signed any drivers. This procedure is needed only when you are trying to install non-WHQL certified drivers, i.e. beta versions. Please check where you have downloaded the drivers from. I am using 275.27 WHQL drivers. AFAIK they are not yet available on nVidia's website, at least not in my country.

I have downloaded WHQL 275.27 drivers from here:
v275.27 Windows 7/Vista 64bit | NVIDIA OEM Mobile - LaptopVideo2Go Forums

 

275.27 is a beta driver, not WHQL. LV2go driver info is wrong.

 

Ok, I got the 260 drivers to work!

Question: Is 263 driver compatible with Nividia 3D? I tested the 260. and it worked successfully.

 

Hi folks... New to this forum. Many thanks to contributors for the great information!

I am trying to play with CUDA programming on my Sonly VPCZ1290X (8M, HD, etc.) as safely as possible. So, I am primarily interested in updating to some newer version of the nVidia 330M driver. I have tried to digest as much of the 290 pages in this thread as I can, and believe I have it sorted, but wanted to be sure of a few points.

1) The basic .INF mod on, say, the 270.61 driver (looks like most recent with full WHQL) would work, but currently folks who have done this have lost HDMI support, correct? I am not as worried about stamina/speed (Intel/nVidia) issues, but I use HDMI in hotels on the road a lot.

2) For (1), a BIOS mod/hack is NOT required (?) However, it provides some additional level of control over the mode switching (?)

3) Related to 2) What does the BIOS mod gain you? HDMI support?

4) Do any of the other, older driver releases provide CUDA support with fewer side effects? I don't need to be on the bleeding edge (yet).

I don't mind messing with drivers, but on this RAID'd system (I have 256G SSD), I am really not wanting to do anything that would result in a full rebuild if I can help it. I have done an image backup, but I am not 100% with those. As with some others here, I have been messing with computers since the punch card days; however my "Z" is still my favorite system, and I'd hate to kill it.

Resources I have been reviewing are this thread, ComputerCowboy's page, Komeil Bahmanpour's page, and the LaptopVideo2Go pages, and it seems like I ALMOST know these answers for my platform, but any additional suggestions would be appreciated!

-Mike

 

If you don't want too many side effects suggest you go with the latest stable version of hybrid drivers, that is Nvidia 26314 - Intel 2266 signed prepared by Andrew08.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...vaio-z-s-hybrid-graphics-252.html#post7176699

If you run Optimus on hybrid graphics, you can install the latest drivers, even 275.27, but then you'll have to live with the few issues that still remain.

 

Hey Mike, welcome to the forums. Here my thoughts:

1) HDMI support is only currently not available to OPTIMUS setups. The modded driver package itself does not make HDMI not working, it's Sony's implementation of the hybrid graphics system.

2) If you dont mod your BIOS, you will have to deal with some issues (HDMI not working and higher power consumption than hybrid drivers or static switching mode w/ BIOS mod). I don't know if one can just deactivate the Intel card in the device manager and get a single 330M setup with HDMI working. Need to figure that out.

3) BIOS mod does allow you to set switching mode to static. Meaning depending on your tri-state-switch position when you turn on the machine, you will either have ONLY your 330M or your Intel HD activated. This allows you to install every full-featured NVidia driver that comes out without hassle (2 lines need to be added to the inf files). HDMI, 3D Vision and latest CUDA support etc. included.

4) Andrew08's hybrid driver package works good, has no issues except CUDA only works when you boot with SPEED mode. If you switch to stamina, CUDA is disengaged until you do a reboot. It is also pretty recent. It will give you CUDA 3.1 support which also works with stuff like Premiere CS5 mercury hw acceleration engine.

Good luck!

 

BIOS Mod FTW!