S460 Setup For Clean Minimal Installation of Windows XP

These are my notes from doing my fresh install.

Sony Vaio VGN-S460 Setup For Clean Minimal Installation of Windows XP
Install in the following order:

01.BIOS Updates
02.Intel Chipset Driver Utility
03.Sony Notebook Control Device Driver
04.Sony Programmable IO Control Device Driver Utility
05.Sony Utilities Library (Sony Shared Library if you don't have recovery cd)
06.Nvidia Driver
07.Realtek High Definition Audio Device Driver
08.Conexant AC97 SoftV92 Data Fax Modem Driver
09.Intel Pro 100 VE Network Device Driver
10.Intel PROWireless 2200BG Network Connection Driver
11.Texas Instruments Driver for Memory Stick Controller
12.Touchpad Driver and Control Utility
13.VAIO Event Service (Installs hotkeys and S keys)
14.VAIO Control Center (Functionality dependent on 05,13,15)
15.Setting Utility Series (Installs S key assignment & powerup preferences to VAIO Control Center)

IMPORTANT: For those that do not have the recovery cd and cannot perform steps 13-15 then just install the Sony Notebook Utilities but this installs 16 & 17 by default i think!

Optional:

16.Power Management (Allows for manual fan adjustment and various power profiles, integrates into Vaio Control Center)
17.Wireless Switch (Sony Wireless Control, optional as the native Windows one is just as good)

Utilities:

01.Coolbits 2.0 (Unlocks native goodies from Nvidia that were hidden from the Nvidia video setup menu)
http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=815

02.Rivatuner (Utility for tweaking Nvidia settings)
http://www.guru3d.com/rivatuner/

03.NVTweak (Utility for tweaking Nvidia settings)
http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=911

04.NiBiTor (Nvida BIOS Editor)
http://www.dvhardware.net/software/675

05.NVIDIA PureVideo Decoder (DVD Decoder from Nvidia)
http://www.nvidia.com/object/decoder_faq.html

06.CHC (Supported Features in the S460: CPU speed/voltage control,cpu/hdd temperature monitoring,battery monitoring)
http://www.pbus-167.com/chc_main.htm

07.Rightmark RMClock (Supported Features in the S460: cpu speed/voltage control,cpu load monitoring)
http://www.rightmark.org/

08.MobileMeter (Supported Features in the S460: cpu/hdd temperature monitoring,battery monitoring)
http://dssc3031.ece.cmu.edu/~tamaru...terreadme-e.htm

09.CPU-Z (Displays information on some of the main devices of your system)
http://www.cpuid.org/cpuz.php

10.Nero Info Tool (DVD drive info)
http://www.nero.com/eng/Info_Tool.html

11.Sandra (Information & diagnostic utility)
http://www.sisoftware.net/index.htm...ome&langx=en&a=

12.Futuremark (3DMark, PCMark, MobileMark, SysMark) (Benchmarking utility)
http://www.futuremark.com/products/

13.Aquamark (Benchmarking utility)
http://www.aquamark3.com/

14.Codecreatures (Benchmarking utility)
http://www.codecult.com/main.asp?page=4

15.Everest (Benchmarking utility)
http://www.lavalys.com/

16.XSmark (Benchmarking utility)
http://www.glexcess.com/xsmark/

17.Prime 95 (Stability Testing)
http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm

18.Rthdribl (Benchmarking utility)
http://www.daionet.gr.jp/~masa/

19.SuperPi (Benchmarking utility)
http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=36

 

Thanks.

 

I'm confused about one thing. How did you install Windows XP? Can it be done from the recovery CD's without all the other stuff, or are you assuming we already own Windows XP?

 

renoguy...yeah sorry should have clarified. My approach was taken after a clean installation of windows xp but before anything else. I do however have an xp sp2 with streamlined hotfixes on one CD though. Not sure about whether the recovery discs include xp though, i would like to say yes but come to think about it i didn't notice xp when i was browsing the cd??? Kinda curious as well.

 

I know from experience that Xp is on the CD, but can't specify where. Not sure if its possible to isolate it from the recovery process. I was able to cancel the recovery process once after XP installation and then install what I wanted, but could not duplicate it a second time.

 

UPDATE:

Perhaps the title is a little misleading, my notes were not intended to be a guide for a barebones setup that would just function. When i was setting up my notebook i wanted to setup my notebook in a way that i could get a minimal of excess but not at the expense of optimal functionality. For any given device there is usually more than one driver that can get the job done, but i didn't just want any driver i wanted the best one. Many of the drivers that are supplied by XP may not be the latest driver or even the exact one designed for my particular devices so i opted to get the best and most up to date ones. For me personally, I wasn't willing to rely on the yellow exclaimation marks that appear in the device manager.


1. The Intel inf update...function as updates for intel components that may or may not not be supported by XP so i installed them. If you can find out whether your version of windows has support for the mother board or the 915 chipset then maybe you can do without, you should see a yellow exclaimation if there is something wrong with any hardware device controller. I installed these because they should be installed first to facilitate the setup but not sure if these are essential for your copy of windows. But again, why not use the latest drivers, things like the usb device controller or hdd controller are important.

2. Sony Notebook Control Device Driver...no info, but i would love to know.

3. Sony Programmable IO Control Device Driver Utility...I don't know what this does for certain, but i am guessing it may be the drivers for any interface devices relating to the hdd and the cpu/memory that is why i installed these.

4. Sony utilities Library...holds data that is required by many of the other utilities, i don't think that the VAIO Control Center will function with all the options available without this.

5. Intel Pro 100 VE Network Device Driver
Intel PROWireless 2200BG Network Connection Driver
...basically self explainitory, so i installed the latest drivers.

6. Touchpad Driver and Control Utility...also self explainitory, and i too seldomly use mice but if i needed to i would like the have full functionality of this, i think only through the supplied application can shortcuts assignment, gesturing, and scrolling be fully functional for the touchpad.

7. VAIO Event Service...S1 and S2 keys and the blue keys...sorry used the term hotkeys for lack of better description. I think you would agree that these are essential.

8. VAIO Control Center...this is basically the hub for all the sony utilities although most of them can be controlled independently without this application. The only thing i can think of that can't is the power up options. Not sure thought. This is actually the only Sony app that i have in my start menu, for simplicity.

9. Setting Utility Series...without this the S1 and S2 keys still work but are severely crippled since they cannot be assigned. I also like not having to go into BIOS to adjust startup preferences.

10. The latest Forceware drivers can be installed without an inf file by doing a driver update in device manager, then manually browsing for the downloaded Forceware driver.

You can install all of the above but then turn of some of the Services and Startup items manually and turn them on only when you need them, that's what i do. Hope this helps

 

I have a Sony VAIO S4XP and I need these two drivers too:

03.Sony Notebook Control Device Driver
04.Sony Programmable IO Control Device Driver Utility

But I have no idea on how to install them, as there is no hardware for them.

Can someone tell me what to do? How do I install these two drivers?

greetings

Stampede

 

All the available drivers that Sony support provides can be found here:

http://esupport.sony.com/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=VGNS460&UpdateType=Everything

The instructions for installation can be found at the site as well.

 

Thank you so much for this information... I searched for three days and didn't find anything!

Thank you!

 

This may sound like a dumb question, but to do a fresh WinXP install on my S460, is it possible to use a Windows XP CD that I purchased legally (Academic price) and have been installed on my other laptop (Compaq Evo N60), but using the WinXP key that is shown at the bottom of my S460?

This is because the S460 does not come with a "fresh-install" WinXP CD, only the recovery CD that, when installed, I believe will also install all the other junkware.

Thanks.

 

UPDATE: the S460 shows that it is running Windows XP Professional 2002 SP2. What is the difference between this and the other version of WinXP?

 

Just to make correction on number 5 from the list above, my VIO Recovery CD shows BOTH Sony Shared Library and Sony Utilities LIbrary. Should this installed at the same time?

 

To answer your questions,

1) I don't think you can share one copy of xp with two serial numbers. Just install XP using the serial number on the CD.

2) Install XP Pro SP2 2002 there is no difference this is the latest version.

3) You should only install utilities library, if possible.

Gluck

 

Hi Pygo,

What I meant on no. 1 is that I have a WinXP Pro CD that I purchased before I got my VAIOS460B. I'd lke to use this CD to do a fresh-clean install on my VAIO S460B (which came with WinXP PRO pre-installed), since Sony does not give the WinXP Pro install CD (other than recovery wizard).

However, if you go to my other post ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=1136003#post1136003), apparently it doesnt work. I even tried using my Dell Inspiron 9100 WinXP Pro key for testing purposes and it doesn't work. I think someting requires specific WInXP Pro install from Sony... I think...

 

Not sure if i understand this correctly. But i bought my S4 with XP Home on it. When i reinstalled i used my own copy of XP Pro and installed it onto the notebook after i reformated and removed any partitions. What i did was use the Serial Number that came with the XP Pro and NOT the one on the bottom of the notebook.

Where did you get your XP Pro from? If it is a Dell machine then it can ONLY be installed on a Dell machine if memory serves me correctly.

I have the full retail version and there is no problem at all. Each Copy of XP Pro has different serial numbers, you must use the one that comes with the CD.

One last point if your S4 came with XP Pro then i have heard (although i am not sure), that you can use the recovery disk to install windows, but you have to manually stop the recovery process before it reinstalls everything else. Then you can just choose which items you want to install.

 

OK, so here's what I have:

1. VAIO 460 with XP PRO (license key at the bottom)
2. Inspiron 9100 with XP PRO (license key at the bottom)
3. WinXP Pro retail box (Academic purhcase with full license, not torrent. ^_^)

So my thought is that I can simply use the CD from #3, install to my S460B but use the license key at the bottom of the S460B ( not the one that came with the retail box). By doing so, I assume I am not breaking any copyright issue as I am simply just using the WinXP Pro retail box CD to install but using the license key from the bottom of S460B. I think this is what most people do to perform a clean install.

But alas, I think the VAIO REQUIRES a "special" version of WINXP Pro as my retail box CD dont accept the license key from the bottom of the S460B.

Just for the heck of it, in the last 2 hours I spent imaging my Inspiron 9100 using Ghost, perform a reinstall of WinXP Pro using the retail box, and then use the license key at the bottom of the Dell unit (not the retail box key) and it WORK! I then re-imaged my Inspiron 9100 back.

So this seems like the VAIO have something that prevent any other version of WinXP Pro to be installed, except the one that came with it. I really not sure about this though, but so far my experiment support this evidence. My firend told me to use a "hacked" version of WinXP (bare bones) but use the license key that came from the S460B, but I haven't tried it yet. I just spent close to 6 hours installng/reinstalling this **** XP PRO to no avail.

BTW, if anyone know about the step-by-step procedure for installing XP Pro using the recovery CD WITHOUT installing all the extra apps, please let me know.

 

By installing your own version of XP Pro and not using the one supplied by Sony you are not breaking any laws. There is no mechanism in the Sony that stops users from installing other copies of Windows. I installed mine no problem. I don't see why you don't just use #3 with the supplied Serial?

 

Because #3 has been used on my desktop... so legally I can't install it on my VAIO. Right now I am just doing a recovery and I will attempt to (painfully) remove the junk-Vaio-applications, including Regstry cleanup.

 

You can try asking Saberwalk?

 

Good idea! I'll do that. Thanks.

 

I think I got it! After doing the recovery and going throgh the initial WinXP Pro setup, it boots to normal WinXP and the VAIO XP Application Recovery begin.

I opened "Task Manager" and kill the process and it stops. I took out the CD and reboot the machine. Afterwards, it still asks for the Recovery CD, so I went to the registry and removed "ARStartup" from HKEY_LM\Run

Now the bootup time for my WinXP Pro is more/less about 1 minute.

 

If your still having problems with the S keys then maybe you should look at the dependencies i listed? Not sure if it help.

Gluck

 

hi pygo, just bought my first vaio a few days ago and am in the process of tuning it, wondering if u cld give me a hand? I have the s48 but the tweaks shd be the same.

you have recommended several utilities listed for cpu/voltage and OCing, did you use them all? what setting did you find were optimal? it is a hottie and i wanna cool it a bit, don't mind the noise but then again i haven't been in a quiet room, can you give me some tips? i would like to set everything up and ghost it~

also, is it possible to use a bluetooth headphone for voip? or use a bluetooth mouse? i haven't had much exp with bluetooth, i can't even get my pda to work, but i did get my phone connected~

thx

 

It experimented with most of the utilities and i ended up using Coolbits 2.0 . The choice was pretty simple for me personally as i simply was interested in OCing the gfx card a little. With Coolbits you are basically unlocking features that are provided by Nvidia but also hidden by Nvidia. Basically, if you dl Coolbits you will see it is only a few kbs, the reason for this is because it is only a registry entry that unlocks the features that are already present. For me, i needed something simple, which Coolbits is, and at the same time it provided me with a bit of extra confidence since it was created by Nvidia. I normally run with the card with no OC but i enjoy playing with the OCing options and benchmarking, mostly for fun. Coolbits can either detect the optimal settings automatically or you can usually squeeze a bit more by doing it manually. If you do decide to do it manually, start with the memory settings then do the core settings after. The highest i pushed my card was 400/700. Results will vary from card to card.

Regarding the heat, there is not too much you can do. I have tried undervolting and it seems to reduce the heat a bit. I personally use Centrino Hardware Control for undervolting cause i prefer the layout, and the ease of use. It does use up quite a bit of resources however, so i don't know what this reduction in voltage but an increase in activity results in. The best voltages i got were .700v at min, and 1.004 at max. I usually run without any voltage mods as i am usually plugged in and don't worry about heat.

I don't yet have a bluetooth module on this notebook, but it should do all the things you are looking for. I have used previous notebooks with BT headphones, mobile phones, pda's, and mouses without any problems. For support i would suggest a bluetooth forum.

In all honesty, the notebook will perform similarly to stock even after tweaking, i basically do it for fun and cause it's free. Just be aware of the risks involved.

Hope this helps and congrats on the new notebook, i think you'll like it.

 

thx pygo,

i have coolbits installed for OCing when I game, i haven't installed anything yet but i hope WoW runs smooth on it... I tired using 3dmark03 but that craps out on me when it returns between tests... anyone know why? I have winxp sp2

for voltage installed chc, which requires .net framework 1.1~ apparently it doesn't work with .net framework 2.0?? y?? also, what is the difference betw chc and rmclock?? rmclock doesn't seem to require the .net framework d/l, is that better?? i've noticed the fan isn't on as much now while i surf the net ^^

the sony sales ppl said i couldn't use bluetooth with skype, but what do they know, they didn't even know how to make a restore cd/dvd...

thanks for ur comments~ i do love my vaio~ i was interested in the S model since the s16/17, just love the LCD

 

I run 3DMark 01,03,05 without problems. I don't have my notebook with me now to confirm the version but perhaps you can check the site for an update. I run the tests at the default settings offered. On the rare occassion i get an error between tests but i have only experienced this a handful of times. If you've tried Coolbits you should also give RivaTuner a try this is probably one of the best tools available but is not as simple to use as Coolbits but has many more features.

I'm not sure about the .net framework because i'm running 1.1. If memory serves me correctly the 2.0 is still in beta and that may have some expected implications. If RMClock is working then by all means use it. I used RMClock for a while and i don't think it is any worse than CHC, i just like the interface better on CHC. Agreed, my fans are less audible when i undervolt. The high fan comes on at 55 for me, and while running in undervolted state the CPU doesn't often reach that temperature.

Regarding Skype i have used it, but never with audio and video so i can't really say. Yeah and i agree, Sony support leaves much to be desired.

I agree never seen a nicer LCD except in the Fujitsus which are also very nice.

 

Hii there,
regarding the installation from scratch without the Sony software. You can make ur own installation CD with the files from the i386 folder. then you can use the license key from your Sony Notebook and dont need to activate XP.

Regards,
Martin

 

That's a very useful tip. Thanks for that.

SD

 

Wow, thanks for the information here.

I have an S570PS I recently purchased and I would also like to perform a clean install. Unfortunately, I don't have a legitimate copy of xp pro. I tried using a friends xp cd and the serial that came with my notebook, but that did not work probably since the key is for an oem version of xp. Is there any way to extract the xp cd from the system recovery disc or something?

I tried following lanwarriors suggestions on removing the file in the registry to disable the prompt that pops up at startup after system recovery is done but it seems that the files are different in the s5xx series. I also noticed that my hard drive is 5gb used already. Is this because of the recovery info that is on my drive still? During system recovery I chose not to keep the partition but it seems to still be there. Wow this is pretty annoying, any help is appreciated.

 

does ur Vaio come with XP pro preinstalled? If yes then all you need to do is to burn a CD with the I386 Folder found in your C drive and make it bootable. Before you shud get the needed drivers and apps from vaiolink and put them on them on the cd as well. A windows setup disk doesnt contain much more than this i386 folder you need for the installation.

to get rid of the hiden recovery partition you can use any partition manager or fdisk. personally i prefer to keep the partition as i dont use the space at the moment. this way you will be always able to recover your system with the original configuration without the DVDs.

Regards,
Martin

ps try google if you need more information how to make a cd bootable and where to get the boot image

 

I just put in an order for the s-580, and want to do a clean install of the xp pro, and it says you have to install certain updated drivers first, but on the sony page, theres only a few updated drivers that you can download, and it doesn't fill all the 15 drivers you need to install. do i get the missing drivers from other sources, or use the original drivers? kinda confusing.. any help?

 

Pygo, how much memory are you saving by doing a clean install? I have the FS750 and it's taking 500MB of memory to run it like the factory setup, so I'm thinking of doing a clean install too.

 

I just purchased a S560P and I'm doing a WinXP clean install but I can't seem to install a few of the drivers. I've used the drivers from the Recovery DVD I made and the ones from Sony support website and they don't work. I know this thread was opened for the S460 but the S560 has the same order of installing the drivers. Has anyone successfully setup a clean install for a S560? Any help would be appreciated.

01.BIOS Updates
02.Intel Chipset Driver Utility
03.Sony Notebook Control Device Driver
04.Sony Programmable IO Control Device Driver Utility -- The driver from website won't install because it says that it's not intended for this model? The driver from the Recovery DVD disk does not have an executable file.
05.Sony Utilities Library (Sony Shared Library if you don't have recovery cd)
06.Nvidia Driver
07.Realtek High Definition Audio Device Driver
08.Conexant AC97 SoftV92 Data Fax Modem Driver --Both drivers won't install
09.Intel Pro 100 VE Network Device Driver
10.Intel PROWireless 2200BG Network Connection Driver
11.Texas Instruments Driver for Memory Stick Controller
12.Touchpad Driver and Control Utility -- driver does not install properly
13.VAIO Event Service (Installs hotkeys and S keys)
14.VAIO Control Center (Functionality dependent on 05,13,15)
15.Setting Utility Series (Installs S key assignment & powerup preferences to VAIO Control Center

 

MoJoson,

If you do not know this topic, check it. You can find some info which could be helpful for you. This topic is about the Japanese version of Vaio Type S, but maybe the way to make a clean install we have already done is very similar.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=30542&page=1&pp=10

 

Thanks lukatsb, I will read up on it.

 

hi, did clear installation XP PRO. All driver, what i need work normal but Touchpad Driver and Control Utility -- driver does not install properly. Message is: This update is not intended for use with your computer model.
But http://esupport.sony.com/perl/swu-download.pl?mdl=VGNFS760W&upd_id=1647&os_id=7 is realy my model.
Any help?

 

I had the same problem with the touchpad driver I downloaded from Sony. I tried installing the touchpad driver using the installation utility on my recovery DVD, and that didn't produce an error but didn't work either.

What DID work for me is installing the drivers manually through device manager from the recovery DVD. In the device manager, find the touchpad device, it will be listed as a PS/2 Compatible Mouse under "Mice and other pointing devices". Right click, click "Update driver", choose the option to install from a specific location, and then tell it to search the recovery CD/DVD.

 

I just bought a TX650 and found this thread to be the best clean install guide out there.

What are the S keys? I'm not sure if the TX650 has them or not. If not, it looks like I don't need to install the Sony event service...?

Also, has anyone installed Intel's generic 2200BG drivers on their Sony? I don't like how the drivers from Sony don't include the Intel wireless utility that every other non-Sony laptop I own has.

 

You can install the generic drivers, they work just fine (Did work just fine for me actually ).

 

Thanks for letting me know. To double check the gener drivers do contain the Intel wireless utility to manage your profiles? I don't know why Sony didn't include them and force you to use Windows.

Did you install anyof the Sony network related files?

 

Yes it included the intel utility that lets you manage the profiles.

I did not use any of the Sony network related files.

You can always try to install the generic drivers for any device. If it does not work, you re-install the original driver which can be found in the application recovery software.

My type S uses none of the given Sony drivers except the S keys.