Sony VAIO FZ Windows 7 upgrade

I have a Sony VAIO VGN-FZ240E and found out on release day that Sony will not support me in upgrading my Windows Vista system to Windows 7. I had purchased a pre-release from Microsoft of the Home Premium version.

I have seen some replies in other treads that imply that some users have been partially successful and would like this tread to be the master for solutions. Do not use this tread to rant about Sony - even if you are mad as hell just like I am.

List your solution to the problem or a link to another reply that described a solution or a link where a solution is posted.

Thanks.
Jacques

 

I have a Sony Vaio VGN-FZ290 that i purchased two years ago.

Running on it is Vista Home Premium 32-bit, and I want to upgrade to Win7 Professional 32-bit. I already ordered it through the student discount and I am going to try to install it when I either recieve the disc, or try to create an iso from the download which seems to work fine.

My only option is to clean install, which is better anyway. I hope that someone who has my model (FZ290) or similar and is upgrading to 32-bit please post if you got it to work 100%. Please say whether you used the existing Vista 32-bit drivers, or other drivers.

In Win7 Upgrade advisor, it states that my NVIDIA GeForce 8400m GT is NOT compatible with Win7. NVIDIA wont provide their own drivers and refers you to get them from Sony, which of course is no help. Anybody know of a good driver that works for them? Any from laptopvideo2go.com? This is my biggest concern.

I will try myself, but if it doesn't run without hiccups then I guess i will "stick with vista"

 

I have a Sony Vaio FZ445.
I was as upset as most when last Thursday I found out that my 15 month old laptop could not be up graded to W7. After consulting with my local Future Shop, I was told that I should have no problem with Windows 7.

All has gone pretty smooth with the install with the exception that I am not getting access to Windows XP. I also found that the Intel processor will not allow it.

So, in keeping with not ranting about Sony, which I could, does anybody know of a way of working around this problem. I have tried to boot XP off a flash drive with no avail.

Thanks

Ron Harries

 

Ron Harrier, are you not able to boot into WinXP because you have a dual boot or multi boot computer or are you not able to use "XP Mode" or Virtual PC?

I'm asking because starting tomorrow, i am going to create a triple boot: XP, Vista, and 7. Do you know why you cant get into xp after installing Win7?

 

If the issue is not being able to goto XP Mode due to no VT you can always download virtual box which supports SOFTWARE MODE

 

Check my signature line below for a link to a thread here on how to turn on the VT bit in the bios. Read the entire first message in the thread (my link takes you directly to the master list of Models, BIOS versions and regirsters).

Gary

 

I have partitioned my hard drive but the BIOS will not let me boot from the second partition. The intell T5550 does not allow the use of a Virtual PC
Thanks for your reply

 

Vaio VGN-FZ31Z INStallation of Windows 7 Ultimate (x86)

I appreicate that this issue is being discussed in many threads, I am however following an install procedure that requires I install utilities (original Vista versions from Sony Website). I have found all the s/w except the Sony Utils DLL. Was this file used on the FZ31, or was it called something else?

If anyone has located it, you're a better man than me.

 

Sorry, but I'm completely new to this type of communication.
Would you please give me the link you are referring to.

Thanks

 

This is the link he was referring to. His signature is the list of links under the line in his post.

http://go.notebookreview.com/?id=525X832&url=http://"http//tinyurl.com/yfpz63x

 

spareone3 this is the link to your laptops origanal drivers look here and see what your exactly looking for so we can help you find what you need
http://support.vaio.sony.eu/computing/vaio/downloads/preinstalled/index.aspx?l=en_GB&m=VGN-FZ31Z

 

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

I'll explain what I meant, that way you'll know in the future, since this is a common thing here and you are bound to see this from other folks on this forum as well. Just below this message is a black line followed by six snippets of blue text. Each of those snippets of text is a link. In my case those six links are to pages here on NBR where I have posted info on different topics. I was suggesting that one of those links had the info you are looking for.

I see someone else already gave you a direct link. Check there. The first message in that thread has the detailed instructions. The last link below takes you further into that thread where I have posted the model specific info you might need.

If you have questions about the process post them in the other thread.

Gary

 

This link doesnt work for me

 

Thanks for the reply, I had actually found that and the ftp site with a whole miriad of other stuff. I was following a procedure, (not from this site), it requested I install Sony DLL Utils secondly in the list of 4 or 5. Maybe for my model this is not correct. Will follow the procedure from this forum and see how it goes. Does anyone know if Sony will provide a Win7 utilites update for the FZ series?

 

Nope, on the support site Sony said for weeks on the FZ specific page come back on the day of the Win7 for upgrade info. We did, only to be told sorry the machine does not meet minimum hardware specs for Win7. Which is a steaming load o' BS.

Look at my signature line below for a link on my results of an inplace upgrade of an FZ190 that went QUITE well.

Gary