My discoveries on Vaio Z’s Hybrid Graphics

In Optimus mode, the mode switching works fine; it is the power consumption that's the problem - seems both adapters continue to draw some (significant amount of) power at all times.

About my being an expert - that's overstating it; I last did this for 275.33, and that was quite some time back.

Anyway, FWIW, these are the steps:

0. Set the mode switch to SPEED and leave it there.

1. Download the Intel driver you want to install. The Intel website has generic drivers for your OS and the processor model.

2. Download the nVidia driver you want to install. Run the installer - it will fail, but never mind; we want it to extract the files into a folder (usually inside c:\nvidia\) Alternatively you could use Uniextract to do the same thing.

3. Note down the hardware IDs for your device. Check the inf for the previous driver that you installed and note down the corresponding hardware IDs for reference if needed.

4. Open nvam.inf in the display.driver folder in the folder that the nVidia driver was extracted to. Add your hardware string in the strings section (right at the end of the inf).

5. Look at the strings of the other devices in the strings section of the inf that use the same hardware as yours. In my case I have a GT 330M, but it is not listed in the nvam.inf for 275.33. The nearest compatible device that works for me is

and when I look this up in the NVIDIA_SetA_Devices.NTamd64 sections (there are two sections - one for Vista and one for Win7) I see that this device uses section numbers 055 and 057 resp. so I use the same numbers for my device (copy/paste the entire line, and change the hardware ID to yours).

6. If you haven't already, get driversweeper or nfr.

7. Uninstall the current display driver. It takes time - be patient; let it do its thing. Good idea to disconnect from the internet to prevent Windows Update from downloading a driver for you!

8. Reboot, and check device manager. You should see two entries under display adapters, both VGA compatibe, one with an exclamation mark saying it has a problem. If you don't see these, select whatever is there in the display adapters section and uninstall it. Repeat this step as necessary.

9. Run driversweeper or nfr to get rid of any traces of the previous driver.

10. Install the intel driver downloaded in step 1. Install the nVidia driver with modded inf from the setup file in the first folder in which the driver was extracted in step 2 (NOT the display.driver folder inside).

11. Reboot.

Check device manager to confirm that the drivers are installed. Do not run the nVidia control panel while it is not in use. Run some app, e.g. VLC in enhanced graphics mode (right click, run using...) to force the nVidia adapter ON whenever you want to use the nVidia control panel.

 

So is there any chance to set the Open GL acceleration on the z2 without using an other driver?

Is it possible to use the newest intel gpu driver from intel website and update it through the device manager?

The Intel HD 3000 driver in the new z21 is listed ONLY as OpenGL 1.1 capable! Sorry sony, but this is a no go!

*EDIT* If i understand it right, the ATI driver is ok for OpenGL acceleration?

 

Nautis, if i´m not wrong the technology used in our new Z21´s is called ADM XGP technology - Information

Does it mean that this "drivermod" is somthing offical from AMD?

 

Anytimer,
Thanks for the quick reply. I hope you do not mind that my inexperience leads me to ask a few more questions.

I'm hoping to install the 280.26 driver from NVidia, but I also downloaded 275.33 so I could try to follow along with the details of your instructions, but I ran into a couple issues.

(1) What is up with all the versions oof the strings with different numbers of spaces at the end? You said you have a GT 330 M (as do I) so you chose the closest device already listed in the nvam file which led you to NVIDIA_DEV.0CAF.09
Why 09 (which appears to have a bunch of spaces after the 335M in my version of 275.33) instead of 01-08 some of which seem to use different section numbers?

(2) When you say "add your hardware string" in step 4, what line am I supposed to add? My device manager gives the following for the value of the hardware id of the GeForce:

PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0A2B&SUBSYS_905A104D&REV_A2

Am I supposed to create a line involving NVIDIA_DEV.02AB.something?

(3) I also don't quite get what I am supposed to do in step 5. When I track the name you chose (NVIDIA_DEV.0CAF.09) in 275.33 I seem to find lines indicating that sections 47 and 48 are referred to instead of 055 and 057. Am I looking at that wrong? When I get that straightened out, what should the lines that I copy and paste look like?

Is this close?
%NVIDIA_DEV.02AB.something% = Section0??, PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0A2B&SUBSYS_905A104D

Thanks again for your help (and patience!).

 

Sorry, I made a typo in my post - it should be 08 instead of 09.

It is a pleasure having discussions with someone who takes the time to think and investigate and understand. That's how I work myself.

1. The driver has a large number of files and supports a large number of devices. For each device supported, a subset of the driver files needs to be copied to the system and settings made accordingly.

The section number tells the driver installer what to do, i.e. which files to copy and which settings to make.

The strings section helps the driver to identify your device. If it does not find a perfect match in the inf for the device ID reported by your hardware, it will try to find a partial (generic) match, and if even that fails, it will tell you that no compatible device was found.

The spaces at the end of the string are very important. Compare the string from your original driver inf and make sure they match, or the device identification will fail or be incorrect.

I'm attaching my inf for 275.33. Do go through it and see the changes that have been made. Note that the changes have been made to nvam.inf, not nvszc.inf which is the Sony inf, because Sony VAIO doesn't have Optimus support for the 330M.

 

Good stuff... I have some instructions in the eGPU thread with a bit of a breakdown and some info on modding for optimus. One thing to note while modifying the INF of existing notebooks/GPUs is that there may be settings specific to that notebook so just be aware.

When originally trying to figure out if Optimus would function on the VPC-Z1, I compared as many INFs with Optimus enabled GPUs as I could find and used the settings common between them.

 

Thanks Nautis. I was beginning to feel we'd lost you permanently to the SA/SB/SC guys.

I noticed that in all the previous modded Optimus driver releases NVIDIA_DEV.0CAF.08 used the same section numbers as the NVIDIA_DEV.0A2B.01 which is our VPCZ1 330M. So basically until you tell me different, I'm sticking to that like glue, and simply use whatever section number NVIDIA_DEV.0CAF.08 is using in the latest nvam.inf. Seems to work for me so far.

We really need your help in figuring out if anything can be done about the power consumption issue in Optimus on hybrid graphics. I often leave my laptop on all night just downloading some large files, and this issue worries me.

 

Not lost. The Vaio SC is my girlfriends machine so I really cant experiment to the extent I would like to on it anyways. The AMD/ATI switchable stuff is new to me so there is still a lot of learning how things are done on that end. Still have my old Z that I use daily.

The Z stuff especially with my old VGN-Z has felt for a long time like we have hit a roadblock. (Its difficult when you have tried almost everything you can think of with little to no progress made.) Most of what I do is through trial and error so it is a bit difficult to help with the VPC-Z1 as I have ideas but can't put them to tangible use on my own. I of course will help but its hard to find people who are willing to dig into things as much as I am.

If things work for you stick with them. I would rather people not stick 100% to the groundwork I have put down because it may not be fully accurate. Just be aware of any issues that may arise by using settings that my not be meant for our notebooks. Experimenting around is really the only way to figure some of these things out IMHO. As much experimenting around as I have done, I don't think I would have ever fully realized that using Intels security catalog would bypass the need to do the "test mode/sign the drivers thing".

The power issues with Optimus on the VPC-Z1 I assume have to do with the multiplexer. I have seen settings which talk about disabling the multiplexer but I don't think they actually do anything.

I will pm you some info that might help you further on the adventure.

 

Hey Nautis, it's been a while! My BenQ Joybook S42 is practically dead and with great effort I've somehow ended up with a VPCZ1.

I tried for a day trying to get Optimus to work. Oddly enough, I could get it to semi to work as others, but only if I was using the Intel driver version 2021...

Did you guys have any luck or come to any conclusions about the EnableCoProcPowerControl setting or issue about HDMI not working?

Also, one thing I am worried about would the the nVIDIA GPU turning on and off unnecessarily when idle.

The seemingly optimal EnableCoProcPowerControl setting (I can't remember which number at the moment, but I have it written down somewhere) that I found would use the least power seemed to keep the nVIDIA GPU on at all times, idling as low as 40C.

 

Download and run Optimus Tools (NvGPUStateViewer64.exe). It shows whether the nVidia GPU is ON or OFF. The switching works rather well, at least for me. I did not notice any unnecessary turning on of the nVidia GPU. The problem is that it seems to consume significant power even while off.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m11x/495489-m11xr2-optimus-test-tools.html

About the Intel Driver version, I have used 8.15.10.2361 along with 275.33, no problems other than what we all know about. I haven't used Optimus drivers for a while now - just getting ready to try 280.26 - but I have acquired an LCD TV, so I'll update you about the HDMI stuff.

 

Do you recall how many watts it was using when you were testing Optimus?

Battery discharge rate was about 14W in Power Saver with brightness all the way down in Forceware 280.26 with the nVIDIA GPU 'idle'. What might normal idle power consumption be in those circumstances without Optimus? 9-10W?

 

With hybrid drivers it is about 6W under light conditions - reading ebooks, etc.

 

Ouch! That's pretty bad then..

 

Nautis, do you think it´s possible to update only the intel part of the installed ati/intel drivers through the device manager?

 

Hmm, regarding HDMI output on VPCZ1 with Optimus, maybe one could have a look at the Dell XPS15 R2 (L502x) Optimus drivers as that laptop also has the HDMI output connected to the nVIDIA card.

Any hints to if I should look in the Intel or nVIDIA drivers first?

 

@Anytimer and Nautis

I tried yesterday to mod nvam.inf by myself in order to give optimus a try on my Z11, both with 280.26 and 275.33

It ended with "no supported hardware found" from both drivers, even if I follow the last instructions from anytimer (and realised that he made a little mistake here when I was reading laptopvideo2go optimus thread)

Anyway, there's something that appears strange, using sections 55 and 57 (those from 0CAF.08 GT335M). From what I understood, the first one is for Vista and the second one is for 7, but they don't use the same parameters :

Section 57 got "NVSupportOptimus = 1" that sound like optimus enable to me for win7, whereas section 55 doesn't...
Am I misleading or is it strange ?

 

Hard to say really. I don't think it would work based on how the Z2s INF is put together. There seem to be some pretty specific settings related to the Intel part on the Z2. I can't say for certain as ATI/AMD may have factored issues like this in with their drivers.

Nvidia drivers would be the ones to look at. The only reason to pay attention to the Intel drivers would be to make sure nothing for HDMI is installing. Great to hear you got a Z1 the more people willing to experiment around with it the better off the community will be.

The HDAudio stuff on the nvidia side is probably part of what you want to be looking at.

For Optimus:
[Section0##]
NVAllowHDAudioPreStage = 1 ; Maybe
AddReg = nv_HDAudioInstall

[nv_miscBase_addreg__##]
HKR,,HDAudioCoprocDynamic,%REG_DWORD%,1

Other than that I dont know... looking at nvdm.inf I don't see anything extra specifically related to hdmi.

Those NVSupport... lines are to tell the installer that those components are to be installed for that GPU. So yes it seems like it should be there.

Optimus settings are usually labeled with either Optimus or CoProc.

--

The Optimus settings taken from the 280.26 verde drivers are:

Code:

HKLM,"Software\NVIDIA Corporation\Global\CoProcManager",ShowTrayIcon,%REG_DWORD%,1
HKLM,"Software\NVIDIA Corporation\Global\CoprocManager",OptimusEnhancements,%REG_DWORD%,1
HKLM,"Software\NVIDIA Corporation\Global\CoprocManager",ShowContextMenu,%REG_DWORD%,1

HKLM,"Software\Wow6432Node\NVIDIA Corporation\Global\CoprocManager",OptimusEnhancements,%REG_DWORD%,1

HKLM,"System\CurrentControlSet\Services\nvlddmkm",EnableCoproc,%REG_DWORD%,1
HKLM,"System\CurrentControlSet\Services\nvlddmkm",PreferCoprocOverHybrid,%REG_DWORD%,1
HKLM,"System\CurrentControlSet\Services\nvlddmkm",OPT724566,%REG_DWORD%,1
HKLM,"System\CurrentControlSet\Services\nvlddmkm",CoprocDgpuDisplays,%REG_DWORD%,2

HKLM,"System\CurrentControlSet\Services\nvpciflt",EnableBootReinitGpu,%REG_DWORD%,1

HKLM,"Software\NVIDIA Corporation\Global\CoProcManager\ForceIGPUPowerPlan",{92aa4406-3cbf-471d-bb08-1fdc071fb5c2},%REG_DWORD%,1 ; ??????
HKLM,"Software\NVIDIA Corporation\Global\CoProcManager\ForceIGPUPowerPlan",{381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e},%REG_DWORD%,2 ; Balanced
HKLM,"Software\NVIDIA Corporation\Global\CoProcManager\ForceIGPUPowerPlan",{8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c},%REG_DWORD%,2 ; High Performance
HKLM,"Software\NVIDIA Corporation\Global\CoProcManager\ForceIGPUPowerPlan",{a1841308-3541-4fab-bc81-f71556f20b4a},%REG_DWORD%,2 ; Power Saver

HKR,,EnableCoprocPowerControl,%REG_DWORD%,4

there is also

Code:

HKR,,EnableCoprocPowerControl,%REG_DWORD%,0x00000008

is another option for powercontol I found elsewhere

Doubt these will help too much but who knows.
HKLM,"System\CurrentControlSet\Services\nvpciflt",EnableBootReinitGpu,%REG_DWORD%,1
seems interesting as it relates to the pcifilter kernel driver.

EDIT: I also see some new KFilter stuff which I am wondering about with the newer driver sets. There is a KFilter service that gets installed with some of the Optimus stuff. (looking at 280.26)

[Section0##]
NVSupportKFilter = 2

[Section0##.Services]
AddService = nvkflt, , nv_nvkflt_serviceInstall

[nv_nvkflt_serviceInstall]
ErrorControl = 0
ServiceBinary = %12%\nvkflt.sys
ServiceType = 1
StartType = 1

 

Ok, so i´ve to wait for the first modded driver set i think. I´m sure Sony will not do this work for us.

 

You've got that right.

 

After spending some time on testing the open gl capabilities for the intel part of the new z, i can say it´s truly only open gl 1.1 supported - you can see it on the following picture.

My old z is full open gl 2.1 supported - this is a very big step backward!

 

Anytimer's directions worked like a charm, so I can report that I am now running the NVidia 280.26 driver for the GeForce GT 330M in my Sony Vaio VPCZ1 and appear to have good CUDA 4.0 functionality.

I have already successfully tested several of the CUDA sample apps, and the CUDA functionality in Mathematica now works too (which was not the case with pre-CUDA4.0 drivers).

I am very excited to finally have the tools I need running on a nice, lightweight system. Thanks to all involved for the excellent help!

 

So Andrew's 263.14's build is the last perfectly working build?

Are you guys working on the the 270's by any chance? That would be awesome!

 

I am attempting to put a 280.28 package together that will work with both the VGN-Z and VPC-Z1 but am currently running into a couple of issues.

 

thanks so much for your efforts Nautis!

 

I´ve send an email to sony europe to the "old" z 2011 driver set - don´t think this bring us newer drivers. maybe the customer support in us is better so i think some of you should send an email too...

 

I was thinking about some sort of petition on behalf of Vaio Z users to get us at least slightly updated drivers and a new bios release with updated vbios (if needed). The drivers being so proprietary with zero support from Sony to update them is really the Vaio Zs biggest flaw IMHO and no one seems to talk about it. It is a great notebook model but users shouldn't have to hack together their own drivers.

I was even thinking about petitioning of the tech news & review sites and ask them to do some sort of write up on the lack of support for switchable graphics systems. These notebooks may have semi powerful Nvidia, ATI and Intel GPUs but they can become almost useless in the long term due to no driver updates. Statements like the following from Google Product Manager Henry Bridge emphasize the importance of updated graphics drivers.

Googles Statement:

Mozilla agrees:

The users of switchable graphics have done about as much as we can to make it so we can update our products. We shouldn't have to rely on BIOs hacks or often unreliable driver mods to be able to update the products we own. This is important information for people to know when making a purchase decision on a new notebook. These news and review sites have helped hype the technology they need to put forth the same effort to notify people of this issue.

Technology like Nvidia Optimus has been put together to remedy these driver support issues but has its own set of drawbacks. I cant say too much on AMDs new Dynamic Switchable Graphics yet because I don't know enough about it from a driver perspective to know if it can be updated in a non-proprietary way. (From what I have seen thus far it doesn't seem like it can. )

 

I agree. They should provide driver support for older hardware for at least a decade, which is the longest that these devices are expected to last. Instead, they just abandon their old customers who paid through their noses to adopt cutting edge technology, thus setting a precedent that will erode people's confidence and ultimately deter them from adopting new technology. Today, Hybrid graphics has been abandoned in favour of Optimus. Tomorrow, if something better comes along, will Optimus be abandoned as well. Why should we buy an expensive Sony product if they don't look after their old customers?

 

Absolute right, i would sign this petition! i think there must be a way to inform sony about our problems with the old and laggy gfx drivers! Nautis, you do best work for us, why not sony? We have top hardware in our hands and outdated drivers!

 

You are awesome!

Is it possible to get it signed as well?

 

^
Using the security catalog from the intel driver has seemed to work. It should work with these too if I can get the unified package working correctly.

--

I have noticed one thing that we apparently have been overlooking and feel like an idiot for missing it. The Intel side of switchable graphics may need some entries to fully work properly. We have been including them for the most part but they may be missing from some as I havent out them in the modding instructions. I have been looking at the ATI switchable graphics drivers to give further insight on the Intel side of things. Note: I assume these settings apply mainly to Intel drivers above 2020 as they were not included in the Sony INF for the VGN-Z.

For the Intel side the "SG" entries signify settings for switchable graphics. With the VPC-Z INF there is an area with the following;

Which of course have to do with Switchable Graphics.

The drivers for ATI have the following:

The registry for the ATI drivers has some more so I put this together:

I still cant seem to get drivers above 2020 to work properly on the VGN-Z but maybe this will help with the VPC-Z1. I have been working on forcing EDID on both the Nvidia and Intel side to try fix it but still a dead end.

 

Great work, Nautis.

Just re-read your istructions in the first post. While you are in the process of updating the instructions, perhaps you could clear up some doubts about this as well.

1. the commands regarding nvbridge_int.kmd or nvbridge_int.km_. As I see it, this file doesn't really exist on the target system, but is copied to the system as nvbridge.kdm (some renaming goes on as well as the extracting/copying).

2. feature sets. Some of us need extra functionality that is exposed by the default feature set - e.g. I like to have rotation enabled so I can read whole pages by holding my laptop sideways like an open book.

3. The newer drivers have a lot of files; many more files than in the old ones. Which files are to be kept in the new hybrid package and which aren't? What about interdependencies between files - if we leave out a file, will the rest fail to work?

3a. HDMI support in the Intel driver. AFAIK in the hybrid graphics laptops, HDMI support is hardwired to the nVidia chip. Should we remove HDMI support from the Intel inf before merging infs?
Note: this seems to be an issue with the hardware, affecting all models with hybrid graphics, including those running Optimus on hybrid graphics and those running the BIOS hack. I don't think anyone has been able to use HDMI with Intel graphics.

 

As far as I can tell the Intel chip is NOT physically hooked up to the HDMI port on the laptop or the DVI port on the dock. I don't know anything about the rest of your questions.

 

Interesting. When you reboot with switch set to stamina, are you able to use the HDMI port? The Intel graphics driver does have support for HDMI (intended for PCs without discrete graphics).

(for the benefit of others reading this post, ComputerCowboy uses the BIOS hack)

 

Anytimer,

1.) Correct.

Per MSDN INF CopyFiles Directive

So essentially yes it is telling the installer to copy nvBridge_int.kmd as nvBridge.kmd. You can check the MSDN link above for what 0x00004000 means.

2.) Most features can be enabled through settings. It is just a matter of finding them and the correct value. Rotation AFAIK should be:
HKR,,RotateFlag,%REG_DWORD%,0x40
^INF string of course in the registry that translates to the default display class. (usually HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E968-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0000 or 0001)

3.) Most of the files are actually used by Optimus. Nvidia uses a pretty simple naming scheme which essentially tells what each file does. I had a breakdown of the files and what each generally does. Let me see if I can find it. In the mean time from one of my more informational posts on Optimus:

nvpcifilt.sys is also for optimus and was added since that post.
There are a couple of new files added in the latest drivers, I am not really sure what they do fully yet. They are nvkflt.sys and nvml.dll.

Some of my later driver sets had all but the essential files excluded in the INF. I will try to get a better list posted.

AFAIK the Optimus stuff can all be excluded. Some of the other files can be excluded but you may lose features like OpenCL (OpenCL.dll), Cuda (nvcuda.dll). Usually with enc, dec or encode, decode in the file name these are for video encoding or decoding. So breaking down nvcuvenc.dll we get nv_cu_v_enc which basically tells us Nvidia Cuda Video Encoder.

An additional tip to finding out what each file does is to either do a string search or right click the file and choose "properties" and then the "details tab". In either case look for "Product Name".

3a.) AFAIK ComputerCowboy is correct about HDMI. HDMI is Nvidia only. I haven't used it or looked at it for a while so im going on shaky memory.

.... whew...

 

Thanks, Nautis. And ComputerCowboy.

1. Do you think a better approach would be to include all the files from both drivers into the hybrid package, only removing those files that are Optimus specific and/or known to cause problems, like Intel HDMI?

2. Is it OK to install Intel files using the nVidia installer? Might the Intel installer be doing anything else other than copying files and creating registry entries?

 

^
1.) I keep jumping back and forth on this. Sometimes I keep everything and sometimes I remove the files and INF entries for them. The only benefit to removing the files and INF entries really is to save space. I haven't had any negative effects by removing the files but for ultimate safety/compatibility it might be best to keep them in. The only time these files have effect is when they are registered in the register dll section of the INF.

2.) The Nvidia installer really just installs the Intel drivers. The Intel installer sometimes installs additional intel apps like Intel Control Center. Other than that there may be some minimal differences but nothing that should effect functionality.

With the HDMI stuff on the Intel side oemdspif.dll is for HDMI but I think it has been removed from the intel drivers for a while. I will try to pay more attention to the HDMI stuff so we can get it all sorted out.

 

Did you look at the Setup.if2 and Setup2.if2 files in the Intel driver?

 

^
I have.. The key is "HDMI=NOT IsCmd(nodrv) AND IfDrvExists(HDMI)"
I assume the installer would be detecting HDMI though the hardware id or some similar process. It has a detection mechanism in place for HDMI so I don't think it would install it unless it supported it.

With the HDMI stuff there it also references "%source%\Media\Media.cab" and I don't see a media.cab file.

--
EDIT: M'Fin bingo... I think I got the unified installer working. Gonna run it through some tests.

 

Terrific!

Problem with the HDMI is that the hardware is there, it is just not hooked up to anything. The driver will install, and the HD Audio device will show up in device manager as disabled, but if you enable it, it will get enabled successfully. But it won't do anything useful, and next reboot it will go back to being disabled.

BTW, not installing the HDMI driver doesn't fix it either - the hardware gets auto-detected anyway and a driver installed.

I'm currently running in Optimus mode 280.26/2361 - installed last night. No new issues to report, yet.

 

Sorry to report - unable to get HDMI output while running in Optimus mode. TV is detected in both Intel and nVidia control panels, but no output on TV screen.

Display properties> advanced opens up Intel control panel, even though nVidia GPU is being forced ON by running VLC with HD content. nVidia test tool says nVidia GPU is ON.

nVidia control panel shows in PhysX pane that both displays are connected to the Intel graphics adapter.

 

Isn't the lack of HDMI support a known issue with Optimus on the Z1?

 

Yes, it is. However, I just recently acquired an LED TV with HDMI inputs, so I was able to verify this for myself for the first time.

 

nautis

Waiting for this more than everything on this planet, coz i'm totally unable to use my laptop with flicker screen

 

^yeah ran into a couple of issues. I had it install correctly a couple of times and then it never wanted to install properly again.

Something with the way the control panel tries to install is throwing errors. I have been able to get it to work by using an old control panel version but I would much rather have it properly versioned.

-

When it comes to flickering I am going to assume you have a VGN model Z. The two things I know to address flickering are disabiling powermizer or forcing it to a constant state & setting a custom resolution through nvidia control panel that has a refresh rate of 59hz.

All of the more rescent driver sets seem to exibit this flickering on the VGN models. I am looking for a solution in the same areas I am looking into when it comes to the black screen issue with newer Intel drivers.

-

BTW for anyone running into similar issues with modding nvidia drivers the best way to figure out where installer errors are: Run setup.exe using

Code:

setup.exe -log:"C:\NVlog" -loglevel:6

and look at the log files in C:\NVlog after any errors
also check

Code:

C:\Windows\INF\Setupapi.*.log

one other thing that can be done is to use something like process monitor and set a filter.
*Information from ManuelG on Nvidia Forums

 

question, currently I am using Sony's 190.24 (8.16.11.9024) nvidia drivers...and have been using them without problems for some time. If i was to upgrade to the community modified 263.14 (8.17.12.6314) 2281 (8.15.10.2281) drivers as seen on page1, what kind of gains if any would I notice? Would games have a better frame rate or run smoother perhaps?

Also, would I have any major issues such as hdmi connecting to an external tv, flickering screen, etc?

 

For best compatibility (no issues at all for me), go with 263.14/2266 built by Andrew08. Benefits in games etc., especially those using PhysX and apps using CUDA.

 

As i have allready postet in the Z´s owner thread, there is a new review in german find here: Test Sony Vaio VPC-Z21Q9E Notebook - Notebookcheck.com Tests

It´s the first review which gives information about the open gl 1.1 issue! After reading this i don´t think sony will give us new drivers...*fail*

 

After reading the text 3 times, i´m not sure about what i´m reading. In the review is the information that the open gl problem is caused by an old part in the ATI driver, not the intel driver. Is it right or i´m missunderstanding this point?

 

^SirRobin,
Have you tried the official Mobility 11.8 package that was released by AMD/ATI? Most ATI switchable graphics users seem to have success going this route. I can verify it works on the Vaio SC. Make sure you DO NOT uninstall the Sony drivers and that you just do an upgrade.

This of course won't update the Intel side so...

Cant guarantee success with the Z2 as things could be different due to the PMD. Not sure if or how it will work if it does so as always watch for heat and do so at your own risk.

 

This is the problem; not the ATI part is making me sleepless, it´s the intel part