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

R-install is probably your best option.

The Vista driver is pretty old.
NVIDIA & Laptop News | Latest NVIDIA drivers and related news | laptopvideo2go.com and grab, one of the older ones, not the newest, go back a few and find one that works. Unfortunately I can't as my Nnvidia was trashed when I had to replace my mobo.

Here is the 266 driver 64bit, it seemed to work fine.
266.45_win7x64.rar
and the 32bit
26635_win7x32.rar

Give those a shot and see how they work.
Let me know and I will update the guide.

 

I re-install so often it's nothing for me, if it dosn't work I just do it again, I have it down to science, about an hour to have the system up and ready for the most part.

Why?
Honestly, I have no idea. It has always been stressed to start in stamina mode even in Vista and XP. My only guess is the Nvidia system and how the registry handles it. You actually only have one and a half video cards. The Nvidia lacks many components and uses the Intel system for those.

You can try uninstalling the main utilities and then re-installing them on stamina and see if that fixes it. Also, next time, try and verify certain things are working before you start installing your own stuff just in case.


I did end up doing it in Stamina once or twice, but I don't remember the outcomes. It may have worked, but this guide was also built around my machine, so it may be more tolerant.

 

thanks leslie, but I have a lot of heavy stuf including Office, Acrobat, .... and lots of personal things that makes re-installing a real nightmare.

 

AmirUvic, what's not working in Stamina mode? Is it just the graphics? If so, just reinstall the Intel graphics driver (get it from the Intel Web site). That should fix the problem. It did for me.

If that doesn't work, then you really should reinstall. Trying to hack whatever you have will cause you more trouble down the road, which would defeat the purpose of the fresh Win7 64-bit install. Think about it; don't wimp out

 

I have weird trouble with WWAN - can`t install drivers - system (win7 x64) shows me just one device - novatel CDMA and just won`t install any drivers (can`t find compatible device). Anybody can please advice what to do or try to do?

 

There are some links on the first post regarding wwan.

If you are in the E.U. you probably have a chance of it working. Here in the U.S., the best I can say is good luck. Even if you get it working, the cost is kind of silly, you are better off seeing if you can just tether to your phone.

 

I`m in US and have novatel card. the silliest thing is that I already had running this card under x64 win 7 (with instructions from your thread...) - but had to reinstall OS and now device does not work properly... I think probably it`s can`t be turned on correctly cause last time I used other smartwi tool... - cant find it now... also last time it worked I saw 3 cdma devices in my device manager, but this time only one and it`s not accepting any drivers .... I have sprint contract... and also I like their coverage...

 

Yeah, it has to be turned on through Smartwi or similar before Windows will see the device. It won't install drivers until it sees it.

 

but after turning it on I see only 1 device - not 3 as before.

 

I think it will only then show the three devices once you get the right driver for the first device and get it turned on.

 

A quick note about my experience with Nvidia drivers, Windows 7 64-bit, and a Vaio SZ4.

I'm running Ableton Live with an external USB sound card and the audio in the program was skipping horribly with the laptop in Speed mode, but worked fine in Stamina mode. I use an external monitor connected to the docking station with a DVI connection, so using Stamina mode wasn't an option.

Big thanks to leslieann for this very helpful guide -- it definitely put me on the right track. Unfortunately, after doing all of the steps, the audio in Live was still choppy and skipping.

The solution for me was to download and install an older Vista 64 driver (and modified INF) from laptopvideo2go. The one that worked for me was 98.15 from early 2007. It's a close match for what my computer (an SZ450) originally shipped with. Now Ableton Live plays through my USB sound card without a glitch.

I should note that of the four USB devices plugged into my computer (keyboard/mouse, MIDI keyboard, external hard drive, and external sound card) they all appeared to work fine *before* installing the older Nvidia driver. Even the external sound card worked fine when it was used to listen to MP3s or play YouTube videos. It was only when I used the sound card with a pro audio application that it would behave badly.

Anyway, if other people following this guide are having random or intermittent problems with USB devices in Speed mode, this may be a solution for you too.

N.B. -- This isn't a fix for the FN key brightness issue. That function still doesn't work in Speed mode. The notebook screen is set at full brightness, which is fine for me.

 

Thanks for going through the trouble of putting this guide together. I followed everything exactly as posted on my SZ740 and even used Sonys Win7x64 drivers as they prescribed on the second attempt, but both times it failed to provide the special / brightness function keys. Oh well.

Only the VCC7 x64 Ricoh driver allowed the camera to function, however it has a lag between video frames and audio that is somewhat annoying. Even my older SZ120s VCC2 did better than that.

Since there is no Sony W7x64 camera settings I can change I was looking at tinkering with the install file / registry settings for the VCC7 Ricoh driver. Ill let you know if anything works to improve performance, unless someone knows how to remedy this already.

 

Thanks to your review, my Sony Vaio SZ330P (purchased refurb in Spring '07) has run Windows 7 beautifully since Fall 2010. Finally, it's time to move on. I'm excited about Windows 8, and I've got my eye on the Asus N56VZ. Thank you again for this tutorial on Win7, which helped me squeeze longevity and reliability from my only PC for over five years.

 

help, i have the sz670n and my computer doesn't even load up windows 7 in speed mode. stamina mode is fine.

 

I think you didnt get the switch message right? It should work if you did a clean install but in this case just switch in to speed mode in windows even you won't get the switch message and restart!

 

btw. I just wanted to share with you guys the new version of the Nvidia 306.23 Driver.
I have modded so it will work fine.

NEW 64bit DRIVER for Nvidia 8400m GS / Version: 306.23
https://rapidshare.com/files/379387...n8-win7-winvista-64bit-international-whql.exe

and big thanks at the TS, this tutorial helped me a lot.

 

Well, after reading many of the features of Windows 8, I decided to try and upgrade this build on my VGN-SZ491N with a SSD hard drive. All I can say is wow! I selected the options to move all apps, settings and documents to the Windows 8 installation and it went flawlessly. All drivers were installed without exception and I did not have to make any changes to the install. Overall this version of windows seems much faster than Windows 7. I mainly switched to 8 for the benefits of SSD performance and it really shows. All functions keys work as before and I just need to get used to the new interface. Anyway just thought I would post this up.

 

UPDATE: Just a quick note: Intel no longer supports the 945 Chipset on Windows 8 and has let Microsoft take that over. So in order to update the Intel Graphics driver to the latest version you need to go into Device Manager and let it automatically search for a new driver - which it finds and installs. This cleared up a lot of the new Tile Apps like eBay and IM+ that would not draw using the last Intel driver for Windows 7.

Some Windows 8 shortcuts that will come in handy while you learn the new navigation:

Windows Key +C : Charms Menu
Windows Key +I : Settings
Windows Key +Q : All Applications
Windows Key +D : Desktop (classic windows)
Windows Key +R : Run
Windows Key +F : File Search
Windows Key +K : Devices
Windows Key +W : Settings Search

I have not messed with the nVidia Speed mode, but it looks like there needs to be a new driver for that. Since I never installed it before upgrading this build, I'm not sure if Upgrading this build in Speed mode would work as flawlessly as the Stamina mode did.

Hope this helps others on the "bleeding edge".

 

Thank you so much for this wonderful guide. Finally made my SZ760n/c perfectly work with Win 7 x64.

 

Another follow-on to installing the GeForce Go 7400 driver to Windows 8. Again this is for the VGN-SZ4xx series.

1) Download and install either the 32-bit or 64 bit GeForce Go 7400 driver from LaptopVideo2Go: Drivers and locate version 180.70 (filter on Windows Vista 32 bit and 64 bit to reduce scrolling). You will find it after a few page forwards:

180.70 2008-11-18
Windows Vista 32bit 44.3 MB
Windows Vista 64bit 52.02 MB

Once you download the driver and inf file, follow the great instructions that Leslieann put together in this forum. Credit to the folks here: How to install GeForce Go 7400 driver to Windows 8 - Super User for testing this out.

2) Because Microsoft does not allow you to install an Un-Signed 3rd Party Driver in Windows 8, you will need to disable this check in the advanced setup menu. Here is a great tutorial: How To Install An Un-Signed 3rd Party Driver in Windows 8

So I have successfully installed Windows 8 now on my aging yet never run better Sony Vaio VGN-SZ491N. Thanks so much to all the posters in this forum who have kept the SZ dream alive! :thumbsup:

 

I'm using Win 8 and I don't like it at all .. I'll re- install Win 7 (this time in a SSD) ..
I'm thinking in get a HDD bay to replace the optical drive on the SZ750 .. any ideas ? Suggestions?
Cheers,
Fábio

 

Upgraded mine with SSD and replaced the optical drive with 1 Tb HDD via caddy

 

Where and which bay have you got to put the HDD on your SZ?

 

remove the Optical drive and replace it with this one:

 

I'm curious about how I looks on the side. Is there a way to maintain the flush trim that is part of the DVD drive, so the side where the caddy is still looks good aesthetically?

 

I'm curious if anyone has tried Windows 8 on an SZ7?

 

Remove the original DVD Bezel (Small mod needed) and glue or use other strong adhesives to the HDD caddy. Mine still looks Original, as if nothing happened

 

I´ve Installed and SSD (Corsair 240GB) and is working super fast!

 

I really want to say THANK YOU OP! I just upgraded my old SONY VGN-SZ780N to Windows 7 and everything works fine except the Fn+Brightness control. But That's not a big deal. I am really satisfied.
Thank you again!

 

Hello,
I am looking for a new\used VGN-SZ750n.
If someone sells it please send me an e-mail to: griddavid<__at__>rocketmail.com

 

Hi All,
I benefitted greatly from this thread by upgrading my old SZ1 from XP to windows 8. Thanks to Jedstern, Leslieann and Olo for their contributions. It works fine, but not experienced the increased speed that I was hoping for, it's still as slow as ever.
I have one problem which I'd appreciate help with, I have a 3rd unrecognised device described as ACPI/SNY5001. There are several drivers for ACPI system devices (eg module device, fixed feature button, processor aggregator), but I can't work out what the unknown device is. I saw a number of posts from people with the same problem, but they don't identify the device.
Any ideas?

 

I'm answering myself here! Apologies if it's in the wrong place. I found the solution in this post, it's for a different model but the solution works, just needed the appropriate original drivers for my model for XP:
CountrySelector - Sony

 

Gidday guys.

Just curious to know what sort of battery life you are getting out of your SZs. I upgraded my SZ58 (Asian version of SZ 670) to a T9300 processor, Windows 7 using Leslieanns guide, and installed a Samsung 840 Pro 512GB SSD (not sure my computer likes it, seems to have had a few crashes on battery since installing), and find myself struggling to get 3 hours.
What sort of battery life are all you old SZ users seeing?

Thanks and regards

 

I disabled the dvd-rom and installed a 240GBssd. Battery today runs around 3 hours. I just remember that when the computer was new, this battery never exceed 3 hours..

 

Hard to believe they advetised it as below:

" Bundled Battery VGP-BPS10 Lithium-ion battery: up to 7 hours of use*12 " The caveat (12) probably should have said "when computer is hibernating" Anyone reckon their battery life dropped after installing Windows 7?

 

I never experienced more than 3 hours on this laptop (since Jan/2008). Maybe, with zero brightness on the screen, no CDMA, no WiFi, no USB, no Bluetooth, no sound, no cd rom, speed set on stamina, no nothing, it may reach 7 hours.. but with everything off, whats the point?

 

It's a long article. But I believe it's not perfect. I have sz270p, you let me install a lot of 750 software, then the brightness not work, then at the troubleshooting, I need to reinstall 3 software?

 

Didn't understand your point truelies. Can you be more clear about it?

Other important point guys. In the last 4 months, the processor is being hotter than usual. The fan is working almost 100% of the time, with 100% capabilities. Is anyone facing a similar issue? Did anyone already tried to cleaning the heatsink, wd40 on the fan parts and re-pasting the processors? If yes, can you guys post the results?

 

I just took a look at that. I use my SZ71WN/C as a desktop laptop now. I have kept it for many years plugged in capped at 40%, but i charged it to full capacity to have a look at battery life. My battery now has 8% wear. In full power saving mode it is still showing me 6 plus hours available. I should be able to easily get 4hrs out of that over wifi.
Brightness about 30%, network adapter settings set to medium transmit and roaming aggressiveness set to medium. DVD is off and i've disabled a few other things i'm not using. I'm also using it in power saving mode and 40hz refresh rate and wifi settings set to max power saving. I'm also using the W7 intel graphic drivers and set that to max power saving while using battery. I'm using Windows 7 32bit because i've got a scanner which does not work with a 64bit OS.

 

Hi

The connection might be far-fetched, but I was wondering what's the biggest memory card capacity that the SZ7 can handle, running Vista/7 ?
Be it through MS pro duo or in the memory card adapter.

Many thanks

 

Hello,

I realise that this is a VERY LONG and OLD thread but I just wanted to give kudos to the OP and everyone else who worked at attempting to get the Sony Vaio SZ gear working...

I recently acquired a VGN-SZ79GN-C at a very attractive price. I followed the guide from the beginning and read ALL 43 pages of posts. As others experienced in the past, I had wins and loses. The following items just don't work but that's OK for what I use this system for:

Fn+F5/F6 doesn't work after closing the lid or from hibernation
Webcam light does not illuminate when cam is active
Fn+F10 (zoom) does not work

These are livable for the intended usage of the machine.

Never having owned a Sony computing device previously, I am very much taken with the build quality. Today's "Executive/Professional" laptops/notebooks don't hold a candle to the Sony. I think that I'll keep this machine around for a while - I like it. Too bad that Sony decided to exit from the personal computing arena as even though their software support was terrible, Sony knows how to build hardware.

Win 7 Ultimate-64 running like a champ..

Thanks again for all who have participated in this thread!

Kind regards,

Jan

 

Had to sign up just to thank the OP! This thread is legit!!

6 years later I just used this thread to install Windows 10 on my SZ330P. For the record that's a 10 year old machine running Windows 10 like a baws. Webcam works, I can speak with Cortana, fingerprint scanner allows me to log in, even the 3G WWAN works for crying out loud (though its faster to tether to my phone these days)!

I replaced the hard drive with a SSD, and got a new generic battery, about 2 years ago. The computer boots Windows 10 in 5 seconds!! Battery life is less impressive, about 2 hours. Completely disassembled the machine and replaced the fan about a a year ago. Zero noise now.

Still get the quirky brightness function key issue and the special keys just will not work. I can live with it. No hardware problems (except the fan) in 10 years. Best machine I've ever owned! Thanks again to the OP!

 

Try to uninstall and then reinstall the Vaio Event Service. Tell me if it works - solved it perfectly for me (on Vaio Z)

 

Well, the brightness key is now working suddenly. I changed the power plans to Windows defaults for plugged in (balanced) and on battery (power saver), and noticed the screen darkened quite a bit when on battery. I think the screen brightness was locked by the VAIO power plans somehow.

Hope this information helps anyone still doing this neo-retro computing thing. I honestly don't know what else you could ask out of a 10 year old machine. This is simply an incredible laptop. I wish Sony were still making these!