Sony SZ750 Win7 64bit clean install (should help on other SZ's)

Sony places a lock on their installs that only allows you to install to the proper laptop. They are all the same file, Sony just tries to make sure you install the right one. Universal extractor allows you to install it anyway. That is all it is used for. If a program installs fine, you do not need to use the universal extractor.

The registry patch is one such thing and why I included one extracted and one not.

 

That is how it works in Win 7 unfortunately, it confused me for a bit as well.

Remember, as good as this works, it is still a patch job of forcing Vista32bit programs into Windows 7 64bit. While they have many similarities, there are differences. To a point, we should be happy we get it all working as well as we have. It took a monumental effort to get this far, it's embarrassing to admit how many hours and installs I have done.

 

Where to start....
I tried to keep this as short as I could, there is a lot more I coudl have added.


First let me state I'm not sure one way or another if we have a bad card. Nvidia and Sony both say no. I'll go with experience with the problem and intuition and say we don't.


While Nvidia claimed they would pay to fix any defective notebooks, they left it up to manufacturers of the notebooks to handle the actual repair. This left a huge hole in repairing them and probably will be why we will never know the true extent of the problem. Remember processors are made in batches, and each batch is a little different. Sometimes even made entirely different in different factories even. Which if I remember right is what Nvidia claimed happened, it depending on the facility and batch your processor came from.

Nvidia claimed it was mostly Dell and HP who got the bad cards. Sony tried to claim they were exempt, so did Apple. Nvidia changed the story later saying some Apples did have it. Sony later admitted to some having the problem but claimed only a few models were effected. HP offered a 6 month extension to warranties, which sounded great, except for many people their waranties expired more than 6 months prior. I'm unaware of Dell's solution. I have a Toshiba on a shelf though that has a fried 8400 GS in it. Every time Nvidia spoke the numbers went up on who and how many were effected. What I want to know is how many were actually fixed. Nvidia set aside the repair money knowing most would not be used and would be returned to them. Manufacturers were playing a waiting game knowing they would fail and you would just buy a new laptop, hopefully one of theirs.

Nvidia has played this game more than a few times. Remember the bad driver recently? Nvidias solution was “Sorry, please take this as a good time to upgrade, we recommend Nvidia” Yes, they actually said that (paraphrased of course). Same as the notebook manufacturers regarding bad cards. "Sorry, please consider one of our newer models". Bite me.


As for the SZ in particular...
We have seen a few fail recently, some, by people who claim they used the Nvidia card almost exclusively. If that was the case and we had a bad card, my experience with the 8400 says we should have seen massive gpu failures a year ago. Even with decent cooling, we still should. Even with lightened use, we still should.

There are several other factors at play that people are passing over.
The first is that parts age and fail, especially high heat cycle items, graphics chips run hotter than anything else in the system. Second, we are entering summer heat. It's also a known fact that notebook and computer failures spike on year 3

Remember that high heat? It's hell on thermal compound, which does go bad (just another reason for failures on year 3). My SZ was the last model made and was sitting in a nice cool store used as a demo model in mostly Intel mode (I assume). However, late last year I pulled it apart and replaced all the thermal tape/compound, which looked bad and it does run cooler now. Had mine been used heavily for gaming and used more often than running a small animation, I'm sure it would have been running hotter than it should by now.

Basically, I'm not sold we have the dreaded 8400 problem, I'm not saying we don't, just that I'm skeptical. I know Sony service sucks, and and I hate to take their word on things, but this is one instance I haven't seen enough to counter their claims.

 

Well thank you for your answer! I've been calling the US sony service, where they told me that i could have the laptop fixed in italy so i should call the italian, and the italian told me my laptop is "something they haven't experienced" meaning the SZ italians were different and they had to send it to france where they have all the components. I've been told i have to pay 450 euros to get it fixed, but i think i finally decided to sell the damn thing a buy a macbook pro... it cost 1000 euros, i won't need to replace it every year, because if i'll get a new sony i'm gonna want the Z full-hd ssd and all of that stuff which cost 3 times as much... and i already know that win sucks so i think i'm switching!

P.S. I didn't even know this laptop had 2 video card, the intel and the Nvidia, so when i saw STAMINA-SPEED from the first time i turned it on, i used the speed mode, so i probably burned the damn card... I also played with the laptop, and did some video encording...!

 

That would do it.

For the record (and many will dispute the fact even if it's true), very few notebooks are meant for hardcore video encoding. I know a lot of people who do it on Macbook Pros and even Sony promotes their systems as such. Editing a 15 minute video is not the same as spending 12 hours encoding a video. Very few can take that sort of abuse, if you doubt it, take look at the cooling system on a laptop vs. a desktop. The notebooks are designed to take bursts of heat, not run a processor at full power for hours. Sony and Mac (usually) deal with this better than most but still it's asking a lot. The new Macs I hear run VERY VERY hot, and some have been overheating and shutting down.

You have options, explore them.

Check Ebay UK, you can get a board for well under 300 Euros, less if you snag an auction, that was a buy it now (just make sure you get the 965/8400 board). Putting it in is no picnic but not difficult. Do that, put 4gigs of ram, and an SSD. All of which can be probably be done for well under 600 Euros and I guarantee you it will keep up with all but the fastest notebooks out there. The only place you will lose out is in graphics power. Even without the SSD, put a Hitachi or WD Black in and it will still fly for a 350 Euro computer.


As for Mac...
I told myself a while ago if they ever released a Macbook Pro in 12 or 13 I would buy it. Because Apple doesn't spill any info before a release though, I bought my SZ just 2 months before the 13in Macbook Pro was announced. Honestly, the SZ is more useful. Dual touchpad buttons (not a toy touchpad), better battery life, better durability and better reliability and I can run Mac, Linux or Windows just like a Mac can (yes, Mac runs on the SZ).

I know you think buying an Apple will solve the problem, unfortunately, it won't but I can see why you would still consider it (price). Ignoring that the new Z is faster than the current Macs, there is still more about it to consider. First let's discuss the bad for Sony... Customer support, yes, it stinks, BAD. They are also costly for the nicer models, that comes with the territory if you want an awesome notebook.


Please keep in mind, I do not hate Mac., and I'm not a windows fangirl either. I (have) used many operating systems over the years, from Dos, to Beos to Linux, I'm not trying to bash Mac, just trying to point out that when you look a bit deeper, they are not what they appear to be. Remember parts fail. Sony, Apple, all of them. I do like Sony, they make fantastic systems, but don't think I wouldn't jump ship for something better. If I wanted a 15in notebook, I wouldn't bother with Sony. Unfortunately in this class of notebook, Sony rules.

Sll of that being said, let's look at the Mac...
Great customer support, until they decide your product is out of date, "oops, sorry, buy a new one, we recommend a Mac". Apple is Draconian about this.

That great customer support, expect to use it. Did you know an Apple Ipod is less reliable than a Dell desktop? Ipods are twice as reliable as their computers. Some G4's had a 34% failure rate (20% is often considered a poor product), Intel systems last I saw were at 12%. The rate for most PC's are 3-5%. Ipods are 5-6%. Oh and don't forget, Apple had the 8400 problem as well. Why the failures? Because Apple uses crap parts inside. The DVD's are usually a generation behind, and memory is low end, though Apple charges more than you will pay for high end ram. They may have a decent chassis, CPU and screen, but the rest is mid to low end parts at best.

Lastly we have two personal issues. We have the single button, I f'ing HATE that, and no, don't give me this, "use two fingers" crap. The reason Apple went with that was to not confuse customers. HUH?! and using two fingers isn't? Sorry, I'm smart enough handle two buttons, my mouse has 9. This makes Mac's feel like a toy to me. What would stop me is that it's a Mac. A lot of what I run and use will work on it, a lot won't, not without dual booting. I despise dual boot. If one OS does everything, why have a second. It get's old really fast. Oh, and there are trojans showing up on Macs, they aren't impervious.



If I had to replace my SZ and couldn't get a Z, I would refurb my SZ myself (Ebay!, I have refurbed two notebooks already this way) or pick up an Asus to hold me over. The 13in UX is an awesome little machine for a decent price. Honestly, the SZ is still a very competitive little computer, and putting an SSD, more ram and fixing your board makes for a darn nice computer that few new systems can still compete with. Think about it, other than the Z and 13in Mac, what would you honestly replace an SZ with? Everything else is either odd or a downgrade. That's impressive considering the age of these. It's not like you only got one year out of your SZ, well, you may have if you got it used, but most are over 2 years old at this point and still going strong.


Anyhow, I hope you get something going soon, I'm not trying to defend Sony here, it's just that realistically, there are STILL very few competitors to the SZ.

 

Unfortunately i know there are few competitors to the SZ! What stops me from spending 600 euros in a new mobo and an ssd, which i know is gonna make the system go back really fast, but i mean itàs 600 euros on a machine i owned since march 2008 (i have the last sz on the market, the 791n/x), and i'm scared first of all that even with a new mobo, it is gonna get screwed soon, because still the 8400 is ed up... I really don't know what i'm gonna do...! The SZ is a really beautiful machine, and it sucks to sell it, and probably even the new macbook pro 13'' is a little bit behind, even though the OS is much lighter... i didn't consider they also use the Nvidia card... MAN I DON'T KNOWWWWWWWW!

How much do u think i could sell the machine for on ebay? i do need a 13'' and the choice aren't that many, because i could either buy an S series with i5, 8gigs and an hdd with 7200rpm cuz ssd are still kind of expensive... or i could get a macbook pro i will pay it 950 euros cuz of student discount and other promotion... ARGH... that's a difficult one!

 

Sorry,
I didn't mean to confuse you, just presenting options.

Used, working SZ's in the states are fetching around $600-$800 (USD) last I looked. Which is great for a laptop this old (see what older Dells get HAHA), but those are working models.

One thing you may be overlooking, no one says you have to dump all 600 in RIGHT NOW. You can fix the board to get running and later add ram and SSD as you can. Both are relatively easy to replace later. So for $250 Euro you could be back up and running. You could probably then sell it for double that or decide what you want to do with it later.

If you fix it, run it in mostly Intel/stamina mode, it should last a very long time. Make sure your fans are working and use fresh thermal compound when you replace the board.



One last thing, you need at least a mid level Core I-5 to see any noticeable speed improvement over your C2D, not a lot, just noticeable. I-3 will actually be slower. People have this idea that I-5 is way faster and it isn't. An SSD would tip the scale in your favor against all but an I-7 in every day use.

If it was me, I would fix it, then decide what to do.

 

Oh, and take a look at this thread, I forgot about it...
(hehe another laternative)

This company will actually FIX the 8400 in way you can feel safe about keeping it, for less than a new board.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/451511-sony-vaio-sz-graphics-problem.html
This is the eBay listing to read. Video board M/B REPAIR SERVICE for Sony VAIO VGN-SZ SZ - eBay (item 260607992494 end time Jun-22-10 06:56:08 PDT)

 

Hi All,

Lesliean wid ur help i am able to use Win 7 32 on my SZ650N...only the brghtness function is a bit of problem after sleep mode...installed the nvidia reg patch 2 times but no help...ne fix for dat ?.
One more thing my laptop takes more than 2mins for boot...ne solution for this..there r not many prog to load on startup...so donno y...i hav kaspersky AV...dats the big one...other than dat not many prog to load on startup...r the vaio event service or other vaio prog making it slow.
Also how u get 5hrs batt life...ihave never got more than 3 max...that when the lap was new....now its 2 yrs old and i get arnd 2hrs max now....my batt is VGP-BPS10.

Thanks & Regards.

 

No offense but is it that hard to actually write out words? That is painful to read.

I'm glad you got it working.
Brightness after sleep is an issue for some. If you want though, try installing the shared library or notebook utilities from your specific model. I can't say it will work, but maybe. Everything else seems the same. Mine doesn't have this problem.

Your antivirus is a hog, that is partly responsible for boot times and possibly your battery times. As is networking. As soon as you install a network card on Windows, your load time increases. Make sure the Windows startup sound is also off. I only restart when I need to.


I have the same battery, which currently shows 3% wear, I have no idea the age or abuse it was under, it was a display model at Best Buy. I have had it for a little over a year and a half. Lithiums do not like to be repeatedly drained and recharged, they like to sit between 50% and 80%.

Here is what I do:
( most of this is setup to happen automatically or is left this way all of the time)
I turn my screen down to 1-3 bars for brightness
Disable the webcam
Disable the modem
Sometimes I disable the thumbscanner
Disable as many ports as I can in bios and device manager.
I also disable the cd-rom in Viao power management when on battery.
I often will disable the network port as well when on wireless.
Turn down the wireless power
I also have it set to revert to 16bit color and 40mhz refresh when on battery.
I turn off the disk after 5 minutes too
I use adaptive cooling.
I leave bluetooth on because I use a bluetooth mouse, but I don't disable the touchpad.
I also cleaned and redid the thermal compound on all of my heatsinks, more efficient heat transfer equals less fans running or being wasted when they do run.
I also for a time removed the wwan card, which I plan to do again, though this has minimal effect as the bios disable it when wifi is in use.
I have tossed around the idea of removing the dvd altogether, however it adds structural rigidity, so I need a broken one to gut and insert.
I plan to switch to an SSD soon.

Normally, I leave Battery care at 80%, which gives me about 3.5 hours of easy surfing (using Firefox). When I need it, I turn off battery care and I can average a little over 5 hours. Sometimes more, sometimes less depending one what I am doing.

Keep in mind, I have more ram and a faster drive, both which use more power, however, I use them for less time as a result. I also have a newer more efficient wireless card. I also use a 4gig readyboost card in the Memorystick slot. I'm not sure if this helps or hurts me though.

Video and drives suck out the most juice, along with background programs like anti-virus and such.
I run Avast Free and then use MSconfig to limit what all runs at boot.I have it down to mostly essential Sony stuff, remote networking (VNC), virtual drive and anti-virus. I'm currenty have Battery bar installed and running as well to tell me battery times just to see how accurate Windows was, which also is telling me the wear on the battery. Basically a very minimal loadout. I do not let Quicktime, or Java or Flash update, etc... I don't let any of that stuff run in the background or at startup. They too will drain your battery.

Quickstarts are a joke, and why do you need an auto updater for something that updates once a month or less to run all of the time. Why can't they update while the program is running and idle instead? All of those little icons are there for promotion, not to benefit your computer. There are tons of junk that runs on your computer hogging resources. While something sitting in memory doesn't eat much battery, it will hurt you when you could be using that memory for something else and finish faster. The goal is to keep everything off or as low as possible until you need it, hit it hard and fast and return to idle.



Once again I attempt to write a novel. :wub:

 

Thanks Leslieann for this great post. It helped me upgrade my SZ330P with XP to a new HD (Scorpio Black 320 Gig) and to Win 7 32. I do have a few minor issues:

1. My Screen freaks in stamina mode, from bootup to OS and in both normal and safe modes. The driver seems up to date. Is the on-board g-card most likely simplied fried? I suspect that it is, which is fine with me since I prefer speed mode.

2. Brightness still won't work (FN keys will). I did do the extracted registry patch, but I did it while in speed mode (because of the aforementioned stamina mode issue). Should I do the reg patch AGAIN, while in stamina mode? (I would have to do it while the screen was freaking out, but I think I could pull it off). Or should I simply do it again in safe-mode? Or perhaps doing it again won't help? If there's nothing I can do, I don't mind too much since I'm still getting nearly 4 hrs of battery life on my new 12 cell on power save mode.

Thanks again!

 

Well able to manage all Fn keys sound and brightness but do not quite understand what step 10 with regard to what the driver sony register patch say that I think is only for your model of laptop but I have not that would have sz650n to do if what you say to install your own or seek hacked lines down you say that there is no where to look
And following instructions given in the same step from there no more say to install the file nvidea.reg not know where to locate

 

If brightness works in speed mode, skip the registry patch, that is all it's for.

You're welcome.
The registry patch is probably useless since you have the older model SZ. The only alternative is to try the older utilities and such for your model and hope they will work in Win7. The reg patch will go in regardless of mode.

When you say it freaks out, is it flickering and acting as though it is always trying to change resolution or color depth and such? This happens when the Intel system tries to adjust the power levels on some drivers. As well as coming out of standby mode. It's the Intel rapid power shift(?) system that is causing it.

Go check step 2 in the current guide, it may fix your problem. You may be able to do this in speed mode.

Once you get it stabilized in stamina, update the driver, preferably with a driver straight from Intel. Which actually has working power management.

If the battery is anything other a Sony factory battery, an extended capacity cheaper battery only holds about as much as a stock Sony battery. Also, what you do when on battery determines how long it will last. What browser are you using, what's running behind that? What anti-virus, any messaging, firewalls, anything absolutely unnecessary at all will shorten it. Any little thing can do it. Also remember, mine isn't stock, nor is it the same exact model.

 

But there was a problem brother went to see what the video card hardware id NVIDEA my card I would get a window box barely got in speed mode I do not remember very well but no sound left me I said "hardware sound output"
And literealmente had no sound is as if the hardware has not been able to connect what has been disconnected or

nothing more you tell me not to continue installing more NVIDEA anything except for protection but hd, web cam driver, etc.
And in step 16 to What do you mean Sony Alps Driver

 

The Alps driver is the touchpad driver. It adds a few features over the Windows driver like scroll.

Step 10 is the registry patch, Step 12 is the Nvidia driver.

I think I understand what you mean about the Nvidia registry patch not finding it. Download the driver pack, it's in there. I included the .reg file and the original Sony version. I did not hack anything, I just pulled it from the program

 

ok first you understood what you say
But I meant the comment in a step 10 Sony Driver Registry Patch nvidia which in my laptop model no sz-650n that if necessary and after in the same way indicates what the sony official patch which I do not understand well where to find it because that same current of pirate vercion
Since then in step 12 indicates the installation of the driver NVIDEA in which before the installation You say that you need to install the INF file and driver can be found in which laptopvideo2go.com and I found it and it is lowered for my video model following your instructions on how to look Through The hardware id
As if my question is in step 10 if necessary or not? to continue with the driver in step 11 NVIDEA

 

Nothing is pirated.
Everything listed Sony is official Sony.

Step 12...
Go to laptopvideo2go.com and get the newest driver, and the INF patch. Follow their instructions. You do not need to input the hardware ID anymore.

If brightness works in speed mode, skip step 10.
If brightness does not work, try step 10.

 

Now that I turn on my laptop in normal mode I have no audio I put the mouse on the icon of the audio on and says "no audio device is installed outout" I myself came when I put it in speed mode but the keys fn s1 and s2 and work both brightness and sound except that it does not increase the sound that could be or could be in this case because the driver does not install

Additionally revice in device manager and icon tnego sound, video and game controller to pass the new hardware scan and nothing I do not detect anything

 

This laptop is crazy and the sound Feature Parente was to move the balance of the battery options, and as if by magic, everything works well inclucive and install the sound driver and it works sigma
Now a new problem, install the driver of laptopvideo2go NVIDEA in the search I found that it is not the certificate but it works by reviewing the keys and other functions the only one that does not work is the brightness pq does not lower the brightness just does not climbing it can be?

in other words the brightness control ( ONLY FN + F5) is not working check the end what you put in the guide on the problems of brightness control but it is not my original dvd case but did not understand the first part of installing the patch log NVIDEA

 

And I still say this laptop is crazy off the laptop for a while there will last 10 minutes and it works so I believe ALL
Just one more thing you need to install the HD protection driver of sony vaio?

 

It is optional.
I like it, it can save your drive.

 

Well first of all thanks for the patience to answer my questions LeslieAnne've helped me a lot with this guide and I have long tried enfin guides and anything without any positive result
one more thing at the end of your guide you mention these steps:

"Intel Switching Popups
I HATE THESE, they popup and will over a large chunk of your screen for up to 3 minutes.
It was designed for the Z, I think, my quick tests showed it was helping speeds on the SZ models since we cannot enable hybrid with out a reboot. Z's can. Unfortunately you cannot adjust this until we have installed the Nvidia driver or I would have done it sooner.

First switch back to stamina mode and restart.
Go into Control Panel, Power Options, then click “change Plan Options”. It doesn't matter which.
Now click “Change Advanced Power Settings”.
Note, the drop down will allow you to change for each different power system, unfortunately this means you have to change this setting for any that you use.
Scroll down to where you see GPU Settings and click the + sign to expand it.
Now click the plus to expand Nvidia Hybrid SLI Graphics,
Next to “Battery”, change both settings to “Save Power (motherboard GPU)”.
Now repeat on “Plugged In”.

Repeat this process on every power profile you want then click “OK”.
You can now close out the other windows."

For they are? and especially if it is important
One more thing before I forget and do not know if it will be equal to all models vaio sz warming is no exaggeration dijamos is how to work?

 

You're welcome.
I need to do one last update to the guide, few minor things, but I think it's done pretty much. I just have a new TI driver, video driver, and a change to how Intel system is handled.

Which brings us to your question...
That info was for an older driver, and is no longer the case. Microsoft updated it to one that works better.

What I recommend is using internet explorer, go to Intel's website and let them do an automatic driver update (or download the 965 chipset driver pack yourself).

Something was lost in translation here I think. I don't understand.

 

So the extracted reg patch (even the one that won't check for model) won't work on a SZ 3XX? I guess that makes sense, since it's not working for me.

I believe I tried installing the utilities already (I dont' remember EXACTLY which updates I installed). Are you refering to "Sony® Utilities DLL Update" under "system compondents" or perhaps "Setting Utility Series Update" which is under "Notebook control and utilities"

And to for each, do you recommend the VISTA or XP versions?

Can I do any harm by trying to install either or both of these again, if I've already installed them?

Finally, since the other FN keys are working, can I fairly assume that there's likely nothing I can do to make the brightness work?

It flickers, has multicolored lines sometimes verticle, sometimes horizontal, and sometimes fades to all white. I tried your recommendation (thank you), but unfortunately it didn't work. It seems to get worse as the computer heats up. I think the onboard video card must be fried.

My $55 extended (12 cell) non-Sony battery is giving me nearly 4 hours, while the oem battery only produced 2 hours even when it was brand new. But I do suspect this third party battery is likely to die sooner.


O.k. O.k. one more question! (Thanks again for your time)

Do I need to update my bios software? I never did that, since everything seems to be running fine. However, one thing I noticed my bios won't tell me is my processor temperature, which I'm curious about since I just cleaned my heatsink but didn't re-apply thermal compound. By the way, do you recommend a free temperature monitoring software? How hot should a Core2Duo Mobile proc be running? (I've heard between 40 & 70 c?)

Thanks one more time!

 

Sony likes to rename the driver/utility packs on each model. If you check the guide I try and give an idea of what they may also be called on each model.

On Win7, always try Vista versions first, they are more likely compatible. Win7 and Vista share some architecture (less than people like think though).

Harm? Not likely, but each may conflict with each other.
If you are truly determined, be prepared to do lots of windows installs (a disk image makes it faster and easier, I prefer @ctive Disk Image).

Until you get those working, there is no way to even verify that the brightness is an issue.

The others not working indicates a missing driver or utility.

Sounds like it, and it seems to be becoming more and more common.

I would expect about 2 years.

YES, update it!
This is quite likely be the cause of many of your problems with the function keys.

 

I think you misread what I wrote, which I understand since seemingly half the people who replied to your guide had FN key issues. My FN keys ARE working, so it seems to me that utilities are likely not the problem. And since you say the reg patch won't work, I'm thinking that attempts to fix the brightness are likely futile. Just like you said, it might involve multiple installs, and that sort of thing would stress me out more than not being able to dim my screen.

O.k., after I make a system image I will use the bios update for vista on the sony website and see what that changes/improves.

Out of curiousity though, why are you adamant about this? I can't seem to see a reference to a bios update in your guide. Of the components of my laptop, I replaced the hard drive and nothing else. Do I for sure need to update the bios?

I won't bother you anymore. Thanks again for your great guide.

 

OH! Okay.
If the FN keys are working, then yes, the utilities aren't the issue.

The reg patch, if you haven't tried, it's worth a shot, it's not going to break anything if it doesn't work, but I would also recommend the bios update.

No worries.

Why do I say update?
Take a look at Sony's support of your computer, how many updates have they offered? Very little. So it stands to reason that they probably have a good reason for the update since they spent the effort on it.

Anyhow, the Bios update offers the possibility of getting a bit more working and possibly better battery life through better power management.

Write down your bios settings before you update it. Also, be prepared for a possible pain in the neck. I'm not sure how I did mine. I may have used an XP live disk, or I may have gone the distance and re-installed Vista temporarily. It was almost 2 years ago. I remember it being a pain my neck.

 

Gidday Leslieann

As everybody else says, great job of the guide. I am still working up the courage to give it a crack. Do you reckon your install guide will work for an SZ 58 G/N?

Thanks and regards to all..........................

 

H Wettek,
The guide works for every SZ, the only issues really seem to center around the camera, brightness and the wwan card.

Image your drive and give it a shot, I won't go back to Vista or XP.

 

My newly reformatted SZ is working just fine except for one very very minor glitch...... surprise surprise, it's the fn brightness key... or in fact any brightness settings.

IF I just restarted, I can adjust the brightness both from windows or FN keys BUT once the screen goes off (either I close the lid or screensaver) I'm no longer able to adjust brightness from both windows and FN keys until the next restart.

 

That is a common problem with no known cure.
You should be able to use the Windows brightness adjustment still, but I could be wrong. Still better than using Xp or (ick) Vista.

Also, consider trying 32bit, you may have better luck as all of the factory software works fine. Unless you have more than 4gigs of ram, the differences are minimal. If you are really dying for brightness control.

 

I took your advice and updated the bios, and it's a good thing I did! Afterwards, Windows update automatically installed the driver for my Core2Duo proc, which I didn't know was not installed, and now my computer recognizes both cores! (as evidenced by my side gadget measuring proc usage)

I tried re-installing the Shared Library, just in case I had forgotten to do it, but to no avail. Brightness still not working at all. The bios update also did not help with the brightness.

Another little issue I've noticed: Despite the fact that I have disabled bluetooth completely in network connections, the bluetooth LED light is still on all the time, presumably meaning the bluetooth hardware is drawing power and decreasing battery time. Is there something I'm doing wrong to get bluetooth to turn off? Should I install the sony wireless utility? I have so far not installed that utility since it always seemed pointless to me since Windows can ussually manage these settings fine without an extra application running in the taskbar.


Edit: Here's my system info and Windows experience scores. Is my system running as well as it should be at this point?

SZ330P:
Intel Core 2 CPU T7200 @ 2GHZ
2 GB Ram (With extra 4GB of Readyboost on flash disk)
320 GB Scorpio Black 7200 RPM
Windows 7 32-bit
nVidia Gforce GO 7400

Proc: 5.1
RAM: 5.1
Graphics: 3.6
Gaming graphics: 3.5
Primary hard disk: 5.9

Thanks

 

Gidday again Leslieann

Does the brightness and function buttons glitch only occur in 64 bit, or is it in 32 bit as well? I know your guide says 100% in 32 bit, but I am not sure if all the folks who are having issues with them are running 32 or 64.

Thanks and regards to all

 

The brightness glitch only occurs in 64bit as far as I know. If you use 32 bit, you can use all of the original Vista files from Sony. This should give you 100% original functionality. 64bit is where it gets more tricky.

 

Yay!
Maybe you will see an increase in battery life too, it wouldn't surprise me.

Use IE, go to Intel.com and have it check for driver updates automatically. You may find a fresh chipset driver.

Kind of expected.
I'm glad you got the other things sorted regardless.

This is a known bug. it was even for the orginal Vista files (there was a patch for it, but only worked on 32bit).

Don't install the utility, it's pointless. Win7 handles it better in my opinion.
DO NOT install the original WWAN software, depending on the program, it has a tendency to trash 64bit Win7. The SZ750N/C version will destroy your install.

I did some experiments with WWAN, as have a few others, I listed them in the guide as to where to find it. It can be done, but it's better to tether a smart phone these days, which I do with my Blackberry. The internal modem is not 3g I don't think. CDMA sucks and it is almost impossble to use the built in GPS without enabling the WWAN with a contract. I got it to work intermittently. Next time I go inside the WWAN comes back out again as it's useless to me now. My Blackberry has 3g and gps in it, and can be connected to the laptop via bluetooth or usb and costs me nothing to hook to the laptop.

You're very welcome.

Specs in sig.
Here is what I was getting in October.
Stamina mode:
32bit graphics 3.5 / gaming 3.1
64bit graphics 3.5 / gaming 3.1

Speed mode
32bit graphics 2.8 / gaming 5.8 (190.4)
32bit graphics 2.8 / gaming 3.4 (2 year old driver)
64bit graphics 2.9 / gaming 5.3 (190.4)
64bit graphics 3.5 / gaming 4.1 (2 year old driver)


Here is what I'm getting today (Latest Nvidia driver)
(64bit only sorry, 32bit graphics at 60Hz. Not a clean system).
Stamina mode: 3.1
Processor - 5.6
Memory - 5.6
Graphics - 3.5
Gaming - 3.1 (strange you got higher here)
Drive - 5.9

Speed mode: 2.9
Processor - 5.6
Memory - 5.6
Graphics - 2.9
Gaming - 5.3
Drive - 5.9

 

My SZ650N with Windows 7 32bit becomes quite hot during normal operaions too...if i stick my hand out at the blower it seems that the temp is very high, my hand starts to warm up fast...is it normal or there is some problem. I have Level 5 performance mode when I m plugged in and adaptive in battery mode. Pls let me know abt this issue.

 

Depends on what you are doing and what video card you are using.

The Nvidia will heat up fast.
Also, Flash is very inefficient and sucks up a lot of power. Just normal web browsing it should run cool, especially using I.E.

More ram can lower your temps.


Heat out the back is good actually, it means you are getting rid of it. The bad part is, why is there so much heat in the first place. Use task manager to see what is running and how much cpu power it is using. Firefox isn't the most efficient browser, and using it to watch flash can cause the cpu to heat up considerably.

I use Winpatrol Portable to disable useless startup junk.

 

Gidday Leslieann

Sorry for the delay reporting back. My clean install of Windows 7 Professional worked beautifully, thanks to your guide, fantastic job.
While I've got you, a quick question. Can I go from Win 7 Starter Edition directly to Win 7 Professional via upgrade disc on a netbook?

Once again, thanks for the great guide.

Regards to all.................

 

You're welcome.

I'm glad it went well.

My understanding is that you don't even need the disk, just put the pro activation code into Starter Edition and it will enable the missing features. No disk needed.

 

LeslieAnn,
Thank you again for all your contributions.
Do you have any feedback, experience or opinion regarding DriverMax, or any other hardware driver assessment tools that claim to help identify the most current driver for all the hardware on your PC?
It would appear that there are a large number of driver updates through this sort of application. However, I am rather concerned about how the multiple driver updates might not work together - potentially creating internal conflicts.

Given all the driver related issues for the conversion to Win 7 64 bit, I've been tempted to give it a shot.

Thoughts? Thanks in advance for your input.

 

You're welcome.

The only drivers to be concerned with are the two Sony drivers for the most part. Most everything else works independent of the rest.

Realistically though I wouldn't bother with those programs, I have never found them that helpful unless you pay for them. At any rate most of the hardware is easily identified anyhow and that which isn't often can't find them either, but I haven't tried them all. I will give Drivermax a try.

The Nvidia driver is easily done with Laptopvideo2go. Just grab the latest generic driver and INF.
The memory stick driver is relatively new and works fine.
The same goes for the touchpad.
The modem driver I have never even used.

I do recommend using Internet Explorer and visiting Laptop, Notebook, Desktop, Server and Embedded Processor Technology - Intel and letting it to an auto update on drivers. These are the drivers that can do the most I would think as they effect everything.

The only thing I can see being improved really is bluetooth but for me at least it works fine.

Most people never update drivers unless they have a problem. If yo have a decent anti-virus and the latest MS patches you are probably safe. I doubt anyone is looking to hack a way in through the T.I. memory stick reader, it's just not worth the hassle. The Intel stuff on the other hand, maybe, but this is easily updated. Same with Nvidia.


Oh, and definitely get the latest Intel Wireless drivers, I had one that was corrupting transfers. Again, easily done on the Intel website.

 

Okay I tried out that program, not really sure of the results, but if you are having bluetooth trouble it might help.

It won't identify the camera.

It found a lot of Intel drivers that don't even show up on Intel's site. Odd. I updated everything I could, we'll see how it works over the next few days.

 

You're a gem! I never expected you to take a dip into that pool, but I will be interested in your professional opinion. Who knows? Maybe something good will come of it.

Thanks again!

 

You're welcome, I like to experiment.

Some of that program is a bit weird, each com port ends up as a different driver, quite wasteful when it's the same driver but being free, it's already points ahead of other driver programs like it. Those with camera issues may find some help, same with bluetooth, but since mine works fine I can't hope for anything major. I was experiencing weird lag when I used bluetooth to tether my phone, I still have to check and see if that's fixed.


The one thing I would like to do though is pull the bluetooth driver. This seems a problematic area for some. I have traced it to another Sony model and an HP model. Hopefully I can find some more info and get us a nice driver and make one last big update to the guide.

I have some new drivers to throw in and I want to add more info to help people track down problems and such, things already here, just spread out across the guide.

 

Okay I definitely need to get this bluetooth driver.
It is a big upgrade.

Before when connected to my phone, it seemed to only uni-directional communications (one way at a time). Not anymore. It runs sooooo much better.

As for the other drivers it downloaded, no change. not that I expected any.



If you want better bluetooth, do this, at least until I can find the driver (yes I have some leads)

 

Very glad something worthwhile came from it...

Thanks for investigating it.
Looking forward to your updated guide - as it might help some of the glitches that I continue to experience since I initially made the upgrade to Win 7 - 64 bit.

 

Sorry, if I have given you the wrong impression, the guide won't really fix anything as I don't think there will be any significant changes.


I do have a new approach that might help others, I'll get it written up and see if maybe someone will take the bait and give it a shot. I would love to get every SZ running 64bit Win7 as well as mine does.

 

I just looked at the Sony page, it seems they have uploaded a lot more than before.

Expect a guide update soon.
Unfortunately I still do not see a webcam driver. They may have uploaded one to Microsoft though.

I'll be breaking out a spare drive tonight for testing. Those with other SZ models may want to take a look as well. It may solve your issues.

 

Okay, I still plan to refresh the guide as I do have some software to update on it however...

Regarding the new Sony uploads, there is still no wwan support, they still have not included a webcam driver that works, they haven't put up the drive parking, battery care, and still no 64bit memory stick driver, which is a Sony proprietary format. They could at least support their own formats. Worse though, they pretty much posted a bunch of junk, that doesn't offer any more functionality than they did 3 months ago, brightness still won't work. That is, IF you can get the software to install as it's VERY fickle.

 

Thanks for the guide! I was able to adapt it for an SZ670N pretty easily.

I'm having some issues with Bluetooth control though. Ideally, I'd like a way to turn it on and off without having to turn off all connectivity. Right now, the only way I can turn off Bluetooth is by turning off all wireless communications via the wireless switch. Are there any Windows 7 64bit drivers out there that will allow complete control of bluetooth?