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

Hi!

I'm still having the screen flashing problem after installing Win7 ultimate 64bit. If I go the 32bit route, will the screen flashing sympton go away?

Is upgrading from Vista Home Premium 32 bit to Win 7 Ultimate 32 bit less complicated (such as using sony drivers and utilities) than to a 64 bit? Will it give me less compatability problems?

Will I be able to use Vista 32 bit drivers for the Win 7 32 bit?

 

Yes, Vista 32 bit drivers are generally compatiable with Win7x32. I'm using a mixture of 32bit & 64bit drivers with Win7x64...

 

Thanks for your reply...I have one more quesiton.

If I install Win 7 32 bit...Will I be able to use the Sony drivers and utilities listed on Sony's support website for my model?

 

My experiance with an SZ791 and RC Build 7100 is "yes, for the most part", just be sure to change the installer to run in compatability mode for Vista.

 

Does running compatibility mode in Vista vs Vista Service Pack 2 matter?

 

I also have a sz750n. I have succesfully got windows 7 64 bit installed and have everything that I need working. (haven't checked the camera yet but all buttons and functions as well as the sprint wireless are working) don't ask me how, I'm sure that I could not duplicate it as I did not make notes. Lots of trial and error. Thanks for all of the help that I have recieved here, it has been invaluable. The only thing that I want to get working now is the hardware virtualization. That is one of the primary reasons that I upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate. I have run processor checks and everything should be fine. Am I doomed to wait for a BIOS update from Sony that will probably never come? Or does someone here have a mgic pill that I could feed to this machine to make it play nice?

 

Does yours still work after a cold boot?
Otherwise you have done nothing more than I was doing with a restart and loading the Ricoh then Sony witha restart thrown in.

If you have to do that after every cold boot, that isn't a fix, that's a workaround, and a poor one at that. I want one that runs like it should.

I will take a look.
The problem with mine is that Smartwan loads the firmware, just like the webcam driver, so I will somehow need to enable it to force that firmware in place.

 

There is a thread on enabling virtualization. I wouldn't count on Sony releasing anything more for the SZ series.

You missed a utility or driver.

 

Yes, in most cases. It is FAR simpler than 64bit.

It depends on what you are trying to load, but normally, no.
When I wrote the guide I thought it was needed, and may have been for the RC's.

 

I use the patched BIOS posted here.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3256184&postcount=69

USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!

It worked great for me (VT is enabled by default), but I don't want to be held responsible if it bricks your system

All the best!

 

Did you read what I said in my post on this subject? There is no 100% fix for this problem unless Sony releases x64 driver for the VCC7, and thats not likely. After every cold reboot, the firmware must be reloaded in the camera. Mind is just a workaround, but since XP mode is part of Win7Pro/Ultimate, it is an easy way to load the firmware without restarting in x86 mode and then switching to x64. Alternatively, one can use the semi-working Fujitsu driver. To summarize, there are 3 options:
1. Use the Fujitsu x64 driver.
2. Boot to x86 with 32 bit driver then reboot in x64.
2. Use XP mode and the default Win7 x64 native driver.

Do share if you have a better option!

 

We are going in circles and saying the same thing.

 

Just finish reading all 50 post, no mention of other SZ series. I really want to upgrade my SZ360 from XP to Window 7. Can anyone confirm it works on SZ3xx series?

 

It will work, it's only a matter of how well.

The only way to know exactly how well is to try it. There are a few in this thread using SZ3xx, there is also at least one thread on Vista64 for the SZ330 which will probably be of great help to you.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=242431

 

Thanks for that. I'll check that one later this evening.

Here's a partial list of some (of the better) benchmarks under a barebones install of Windows 7 64-bit with default 3DMark05 settings. Unless otherwise noted the drivers are from laptopvideo2go.

• 178.13 (3DMark: 2836) (Vista driver)
• 180.42 (3DMark: 2723)
• 185.85 (3DMark: 2636)
• 186.42 (3DMark: 2656)
• 186.81 (3DMark: 2631)
• 186.81 (3DMark: 2668) (from Windows update)
• 190.40 (3DMark: 2551) (leslieann's repack)
• 190.40 (3DMark: 2522)
• 191.00 (3DMark: 2557)
• 191.56 (3DMark: 2514)

These scores (to me, at least) are pretty disappointing. (especially for the XP user that decides to upgrade) I realize it's a 'modern' OS and we're trying to run it on a graphics card with middling performance. Still, I had hoped that 7's launch would benefit from the driver efforts during Vista's early years. It's ironic that the best performing driver is one designed solely for Vista a couple of years ago.

Although not posted, the XP (32-bit) scores illustrate an inverse pattern. They've gotten sequentially better since the stock 156.66 drivers. The 191.56 driver results in a score upwards of 3215. Some may think the comparison unfair but I think it's still applicable because it's a valid upgrade path and also in the context of performance expectations from those same users.

Sorry, I don't have any benchmarks for Vista.

Just for fun I'm currently comparing Windows 7 64-bit and XP 64-bit. If anyone is interested I'll post those benchmarks later.

Ah, I think I see where the confusion came from. This guide is probably based off Vista no? In XP (and you can see the unfortunate naming convention by Sony) the correct order was:

1. Notebook Control (more recently labeled as Firmware Parser)
2. Programmable I/O Control
3. Shared Library (not Shared Video Library)
4. Utilities DLL (sometimes labeled as just 'Sony Utilities', dll only)
5. Event Service
6. Setting Utility Series

This is all that is really needed for the FN and special keys. The Launcher, ISB, Power Management, and Camera Capture applications can all be safely ignored (unless the user really wants them). The installation order is important however; successful installation of the event service depends on those previous DLLs being in the right folders.

 

It would be rather silly to base it off XP.

Thanks for those stats.

Would you mind running one more?
Here is the 2 year old Vista64 driver I used in my tests. This one gave a higher base score but lower gaming score.
http://dls.update.sony.net/pub/oth/64/EP0000139786.zip

If that fails, try here and search for the name.
http://www.vaio-link.com/os/vista/64bit/

 

The guide has been updated, but I'm still updating the driver packs, this way it will work with 32 and 64bit Windows 7.

Also included is more information on a few things.


Update:
Driver packs are now current.
Includes 32 and 64bit.

 

Hi!

After installing the Win 7 64bit (thank you so much leslieann~)...I adjusted the User Account Setting to the default level and after reboot, it's giving me several errors and gadget, task bar and other programs are not loading or not showing...

Is it a way to fix this problem so I can use UAS controler at the defaulted level or is it ok to set the user account setting at lowest level?

 

I would try re-installing the programs, that might work.

 

Thanks...re-installing might mean redoing the whole think...

Anyway to fix it without re-installation?

Is it dangerous to keep the user account setting to minimum?

 

Talking of Jinxing.... something wierd just happened....
I've lost all my fn keys and my registy patch for my Nvidia driver seems to have stopped working.... and to top it all, I recieved a run time error......

I'm really beginning to dislike Win7x64!!!
May go back to Win7x32
Or even back to Vistax32 and then upgrade to Win7x32

 

No one said this would be easy.

 

Anybody else getting problems with their headphone jacks not working? Every time I plug in my headphones (3-4 different types already) they don't work. Also updated to the Sigmatel driver as opposed to the standard Windows 7 one but no luck on that either...

 

No problem on mine.




Woohoo, I may have a method of making the Camera work, well okay, it's another workaround, BUT... no need for Xp mode, VM or a restart. You do howver have to load a driver in device manager after each cold boot, but there is no restart needed. I still have some more drivers to try though.

 

I've just rebooted and everything is fine again... OMG, this makes no sense at all...

I think X64 is more trouble than it's worth, well for the moment that is...

Yesterday Installed Adobe Acrobat 8 and patched it up to 8.17 as 8.0 is not x64 compatiable...... maybe, just maybe all those patches (7 in total) just did something......

Oh, Office 2007 is running smooth and so is Norton Internet Security 2009 (yes i'm a Norton fan...... lol

 

Okay here is the camera "fix".
For 64bit I used Rachel's signed driver, and James007bond's unsigned driver. Both are the same, just signed and unsigned. Not perfect, but the best solution so far. And yes, I really did try every driver for the VCC7 on Google.

Single download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?04fj9ntpiyi

You (not so simply) switch one driver to the other in Device manager. There is no reboots needed. The unsigned is safe, they are the same driver just one is signed, one isn't. Once both are in, you go into device manager, right click on the camera, select "update driver", "browse my computer", "let me pick from a list". In here you will see 3 drivers, the "USB Video Device" with a certificate next to it, a "Sony Visual Communications Camera..." again with a certificate, and a third, identical to the last, except no certificate. All we do, is switch between the two Sony drivers. Each time a different one is loaded, it re-loads the firmware. No restart is necessary once these are in.

Before you change it, all you do is right click and hit properties, then go to the Driver tab. This will tell you which you are using, it will say digitally signed, or not digitally signed. Click "update driver", "browse my computer", "let me pick from a list" and select the opposite from what is there.

 

I'm confused with the all the talk about Sony 64-bit driver for the VCC7 camera. Am I correct in saying that there is no official Sony driver for the 64-bit OS? All the drivers talked about here are unofficial, or hacked drivers? Going into device manager to switch driver manually after each cold reboot does not seem all that simple to me and it is cumbersome at best, I would hardly call that a 'fix'. I've tried the workaround suggested by aralos1999 using Win7 XP mode, it does add a few more seconds to the boot time, but it can be fully automated in the startup. To each his/her own, but I much preferred that method than using hacked driver or rebooting to 32-bit and switch.

It is a great forum here with so many shared ideas.

 

Hmm, got one crash after a few days on an otherwise perfectly working system (SZ680) including the webcam (none of this cold booting needed). It was a blue screen and up came something to do with MEMORY_MANAGEMENT...any idea what this might be?

 

Oh and does anybody happen to know what the latest firmware for the SZ series is? And where to find it...

 

Correct, there is no good 64bit drivers, official or not. There is no hacked driver, just no driver that works in Win7 64bit.

My method only takes only a few seconds after you have done it before, and how often do you completely shutdown?

I guess it depends on how often you need the webcam.

 

Does your method work after resuming from hibernation?

 

Yes, it does.

 

Has anyone been able to:

1) Get the fingerprint sensor working when coming out of hibernation?
2) Ger it to quit nagging to scan a memory stick left in the slot when coming out of hibernation?

 

I noticed that last night, it's a bit frustrating and really removes A LOT of functionality of it.

That is my next pet project.



Also, I changed the Alps driver in the pack, and it's not as good, I am going to have to locate a better one.

 

"Circle" does work
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=430604

 

I've not tried your driver, but it looks like another version of the Fujitsu driver based on what I've seen in the install inf file. Can you confirm if the green light comes on and can you adjust the video settings in Live Messenger, for example, able to turn on anti-flicker, adjust contrast, colour etc etc.

To each his/her own, my method (workaround) uses all official driver (Microsoft in x64, and Sony in XP), no messing with device manager, no rebooting to x86. But I guess some do not like the idea of loading XP mode to initialize the camera.

 

I don't use Live Messenger, but I have tried using Webcam Companion and like you ask, I'm able to adjust constrast, color, brightness, and so on (using webcam setting of Webcam Companion). For green light, I don't think it'll turn on unless it's sony's driver. My personal opinion is that the light and the webcam work saparately, so that sony's driver will turn webcam and the light on at the same time while it's working. Otherwise (other's possible driver) it just turns on the webcam but not the light.

 

<param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4JfrKpbXnlA&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4JfrKpbXnlA&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width='560' height="340"></embed></object>

I have uploaded what I did on youtube ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JfrKpbXnlA)

 

As leslieann said earlier, we are going in circle or beating a dead horse on this issue. All the so called x64 drivers available are either Ricoh OEM, or hacked Fujitsu drivers. Sony in their infinite wisdom when they build the webcam for the SZ6/7 series, they change a few bits in the firmware so that custom drivers are needed to fully activate the webcam. Like I said before, I used Win 7 XP mode to download the official Sony firmware in x86 mode, the offical Microsoft UVC Video driver installed by default is able to get full functionality: the green light works, all the video adjustments work, virtualdub works, Live Messenager works, and Sony webcam utility works in XP mode.

 

Hi, Thanks for the guide. I have been trying to get my SZ75GN setup on Win7 32 and it has proved more troublesome than expected when it comes to the Vaio Software. Following this guide I installed the Shared Library, Control Center & Utilities. However 2 things are still not right:

1) no S1, S2 Keys nor in the control panel where the Vaio Launcher Settings is all Chinese
2) There is no Wireless/Bluetooth control box?

Any info on this would be cool

 

1> As far as I know, S1 - S2 belong to VAIO Launcher (You can extract Sony Vaio Utility using Uniextract then inside these folder, there will be a folder name: VL (stand for VAIO Launcher) (So you don't need to install fully Sony Vaio Utility - just extract them then install all subfolder except BC (Battery Care) VL (Vaio Launcher) - SUS folder will include these.
When you go to Sony Control Center, you will have feature to set what function fo4 S1 and S2 button.
2> To have Wireless/Bluetooh control box, you need to install SmartWi Utility which you can download it from other model and use it.

Hope it will help you out.

 

For me, I just need to get my webcam work (with the least steps to do), I don't really care about the green light. With the driver I'm using now, it allows me to start webcam after a cold boot without doing any thing.

Also, it's not really that we are going in circle, we have just got the webcam work after cold boot, we have improved. I think now we just need to do something to get the green light work but it's not a big deal to not have the light work though

 

It is the SUS utilities that sorted the S buttons for me in the end, which didn't run propperly when running them all together with Notebook utilities.

 

So i installed W7 64bit Pro again today. I think i will stick with it now. I want to download the latest wwan drivers from the Option website. Does anybody know what the wwan Option is that is used in the SZ7 series in the EU? There are variations of different cards listed there and i would like to get the correct latest driver.
http://www.option.com/en/support/software-download/modules/

Btw, things are going ok. Everything is working as it should be apart from the webcam. I will see how the power management goes over the next few days in regards to the fan noise. I found Vista a little more quiet than W7 last time round.

Edited to add:
I didn't use Windows update to update the PI and firmware. I'm using the 64bit Vista drivers that was designed for the SZ6-7 and i don't know if whether the ones you get from Windows update are as well. Everything is working, my hotkeys, S1 buttons etc and power management so i don't know if i will try those drivers. I see those drivers were issuesd in May as well so i am a little doubtful that they were written with W7 in mind.


Edited to add:
I tried updating my drivers through WU and my fan started becoming more active. I need to observe it more really but i think i will stick with the ones i was using previously.

 

Rachel,

The WANN module is the following Globetrotter gtm378e module in the EU version. Mine is a UK SZ71WN/C so must be the same as yours....

To double check, go to the Options website and stick in your IMEI number... it will direct you to the correct drivers etc...

Hope it helps...

This is the correct driver:

http://www.option.com/en/support/software-download/modules/gtm378e/

 

Thanks james007bond, i cannot actually find out my IMEI number right now. I did download those drivers though but it is good to know that everything is as it should be.

I need to sort this bluetooth out, my old drivers will not load. I was using Microsofts drivers earlier but it doesn't appear to give me any ports so i can add modems. I tried the TT drivers but it doesn't give me full functionality either. I will keep on trying.

 

I stil have problems with my brightness settings after a hibernation... sometimes the +/- keys will work, other times they won't.... OTher than that and the green light, the laptops working fine....

Fan makes a lot of noise though...... Rachel i'll wait for your fix regarding the fan and then replicate it...

Ta...

 

One more thing, in the drivers, there is a M3 CAB file in the X64 folder, i extracted that M3 CAB as a M£ folder into the X64 folder....

My BT driver recognised my iphone and paired up... other than that i don't really use bluetooth much.... so I can't help. I do have a HP printer which is BT enabled, so I can have a go at that and see what happens....

 

lol about the fan. I just edited what i wrote above. I just tried the Sony drivers that we can download through WU and my fan started making more noise also.
I just rolled back to what i was using before.
I got the drivers from the SZ6 64bit 100% working thread. I think these drivers though are the same drivers that you can get from the 64bit unofficial web page.

My keyboard feels a little different to me and it is not my settings. I found this before and i don't think it is my imagination.

My smart network is working ok. I think i may have got my wwan to work because i never did a cold reboot. Now i have done i do have problems with it.
I installed the 64bit driver that i got from the unofficial driver page but after installing i get 4 unknown devices come up and my module shows up as a usb module. I used to see this driver under my network tab but it doesn't probably make any difference. I tried the drivers from the Option website and i've obviously had no luck so far. The way those drivers are packaged as well is a bit odd.

What driver did you use for the WWAN james007bond?

I think the sz6-7 might possibly have different bluetooth modules. I tried the 64bit drivers listed for the SZ6 and i cannot get it to work. I have just reverted to the generic Microsoft drivers and that at least functions.

I don't have any problems hibernating or my brightness settings.

 

Hi Rachel,
OK, here's what I did... you'll find the way the globetrotter drivers are packaged is as you quite rightly put it a wee bit odd. From that website link in my earlier post:-

1. First install the 4.0.17.0 driver.... reboot (very important)
2. Download the GlobeTrotter® Connect 2.3.0.630 software. Extract it to a folder and open the folder. The open the folder x64. In that folder you will see another cab file called m3. Just extract that file out into the same folder called m3. Then go back one folder and you will see the setup.exe file. Execute it. Reboot.
3. Next open your smart wifi and click on the WAAN tab.. Give it a minute to acquire your SIM.... Open globetrotter and you will see it registering to your carrier... Hit connect... and fingers crossed...

Let me know what happens... else give me your email addy and i'll zip over the drivers that I used..

cheers

Shiv