VPCZ1 upgrade to Windows 10 10240

VPCZ1 upgrade to Windows 10 10240 from Windows 8.1 update 1

Trying the upgrade option first, just to get it out of the way. Will do a clean install in a few days.

This is after the BIOS HACK (thanks, ComputerCowboy). I had set up the system with Intel drivers obtained through Windows Update (device manager driver update failed), and with NVIDIA 341.44 patched using CC's patcher.

1. First upgrade attempt (in SPEED mode) failed and sent me back to Windows 8.1 (at least that part they got right). Googled a bit and found that dodgy drivers are often the cause.

2. Second attempt was made in STAMINA mode. All extra devices were removed (USB drives, wireless mouse USB dongle, USB connected external DVD drive, ExpressCard).
This went rather well, but when it was done, I was back to using the Microsoft Basic Adapter. Opened device manager, searched for an updated driver, and after about an hour I had my Intel HD Graphics driver back.

Everything seems to be working in STAMINA mode, even the SONY stuff like the function keys for volume and brightness. I will try the SPEED mode next, but the STAMINA mode seems to be fully functional.

Rebooted in SPEED mode and, sure enough, I was back to Microsoft Basic Adapter. Luckily I had the new driver, duly patched, sitting on C drive, so reinstalling the driver was no trouble at all.

Initial opinion of the upgrade process: well done, Microsoft. This went a lot better than I had expected. I will continue to test various apps and features, and will update this thread if any anomalies surface.

 

Unexpected bonus: the Fn keys for brightness, which were not working in Windows 8/8.1 using latest drivers and ComputerCowboy's patch, are working again in 10240.

 

Is it possible to upgrade without tinkering with the BIOS? And if so, what drivers would we need to source to get the video switching etc working?

 

One of the really bad 'features' of Windows 10 is that updates are automatic and mandatory - i.e. you cannot choose to avoid a particular update. Now this includes driver updates, which has already resulted in trouble with NVIDIA devices - it seems Windows Update is installing the drivers twice for people with two SLI connected cards. This does not bode well for us VPCZ1 guys - we have devices based on technology that has been abandoned by all parties - NVIDIA, INTEL and Microsoft. I shudder to think what abomination of a driver Windows Update will force-feed us with. I'll give it a shot after I've finished testing with static switching, and when Microsoft activation servers start working again.

 

giles confirms what I said above, but has also linked to a way to keep Windows from messing with a driver that you have painstakingly installed, so it seems there is hope for those who haven't used the BIOS hack.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...hybrid-graphics.342947/page-407#post-10046205

 

but all the other software from Sony is not yet compatible with Windows 10 as noted here:
http://esupport.sony.com/US/p/os10upgrade.pl?

 

They said much the same thing for Windows 8.

 

A lot of people are going to be coming to this thread after googling W10 and VPCZ1. It would be helpful if we could put together a step by step on the process once we have a foolproof method.

Anyone like to start?

 

I updated from Windows 8.1 using the ISO file created with Media Creation Tool and everything went perfectly fine. As anytimer advises in the first post, I did the update in Stamina mode and with all the USB devices removed.

I can confirm that the 341.44 Nvidia drivers works with the BIOS hack, as well as all the Sony software, from battery care, to the keyboard buttons of brightness and volume.

 

It also looks like it's possible to upgrade without the bios hack (and hybrid drivers), according to this thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/my-discoveries-on-vaio-z’s-hybrid-graphics.342947/page-408
Not sure whether I dare attempt it

 

Thanks!

Would you be able to provide a brief step by step of what we have to do to upgrade, and where to get all the drivers?

Thanks

 

This thread is about an upgrade in place. It is assumed that you already have drivers installed properly in whichever OS you are upgrading from, hence the lack of details, as such things have been well covered for quite a while now. If you have everything working in your current OS, you'll be fine after the upgrade - all the Sony stuff (battery care, speed/stamina switch, Fn keys (including brightness control which was broken in earlier OSs) works fine. Just the graphics drivers need to be reinstalled, which, IMHO, is probably a deliberate move on Microsoft's part so that the user is not left with a black screen after the upgrade.

I must reiterate that my laptop was set to test mode (permanently) before the upgrade (that was for another device, not the stuff in the laptop itself). So reinstalling the NVIDIA driver was painless - didn't even need to figure out how to enable test mode. However, other people are reporting no issues restarting in test mode, installing the drivers, and going back to normal mode.

You haven't mentioned whether or not you have applied the BIOS hack. The instructions posted above are with the BIOS hack applied and VGA mode set to static. NVIDIA drivers were patched using ComputerCowboy's excellent patcher.

 

What anytimer said.

For a clean install I would follow the same steps as for a Win7/8 install, for example these (there was a fabulous topic even with links but I cannot find it).

If you have the BIOS hack take a look at this topic.

 

I also can confirm this, I updated with ISO file and everythin went right.

 

No, I'm stock here. Will I need to install the BIOS hack before upgrading, and then find the graphics drivers and have them handy?

 

Installing the BIOS HACK is a big step - a mistake could brick your laptop, necessitating, in the worst case, a costly motherboard change. It is not for everyone. However, for us VPCZ1 guys it lets us use static mode for VGA switching. This means that to change the mode from SPEED to STAMINA or vice versa, we flip the switch to the desired position and reboot. This, too, is a bit of a pain - you have to save your open files, reboot, and then reopen the closed files to continue where you left off.

The BIG advantage is that it lets you use the latest graphics drivers (for now, at least), so it is less of a struggle getting these drivers to work. Without the BIOS HACK you are stuck with the last successful drivers modded by Andrew08 who carried on Nautis's pioneering work. These drivers are now nearly 5 years old, and Windows tries very hard to update them, breaking the drivers if allowed to do so.

It took me several years to get up the nerve to go for the BIOS HACK. I like it; I'm not going back. Whether you want to do so too is entirely up to you. I will do whatever I can to help out in either case. If you want to proceed, ComputerCowboy is the go to guy for this.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/latest-vpc-z1-330m-drivers-for-the-bios-hack-people.602497/

The clean install guide for installing Windows 10 64 bit on the VPCZ1 with the BIOS HACK is coming. This week, promise. After that, I'll go and do the Andrew08 driver guide as well (unless someone beats me to it). Finally, I'll re-install my original Windows 7, upgrade to Windows 10, claim my free upgrade, then do a final clean install of Windows 10. Whew!

 

You don't need to, as anytimer said it's a risky procedure, but it will make the update easier.

However, someone managed to have the hybrid drivers on Windows 10 http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...hybrid-graphics.342947/page-407#post-10046205

 

Vaio VPCZ1
Upgraded to W10 but had many issues using Solidworks 15
Reverted back to W7 but now no mouse or keyboard
Any advice?

 

Were you able to get the Vaio Smart Network to work? If so, which version? The original Win 7 ones won't install and the Win 8 ones don't show the icon in the taskbar.

 

I have never needed to use the VAIO smart network - I installed it long ago, enabled the wifi and bluetooth, and then uninstalled it. The settings stick until changed, so I haven't needed to install it again.

Try installing a driver from Intel for your wireless adapter. That has a number of additional settings which should serve your purpose.

I'm doing the clean install thing right now. I'll try to give you more details later.

 

Well, that went well. NOT! I tried doing the clean install from the ISO downloaded from Microsoft and it didn't activate (that was expected). Installed everything successfully but couldn't get the blasted fingerprint reader to work. After much head-scratching and Googling, I've arrived at the conclusion that some things are disabled when Windows is not activated, and fingerprint reader usage is one of them (personalisation is another, but that didn't bother me).

EDIT: No, activation didn't fix the fingerprint reader. Got new version of ProtectorSuite. That fixed it. Thanks, pimjoosten.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/where-can-i-download-protector-suite-12.745182/#post-9747218

So now I have installed my original Windows 7, upgraded to Windows 10, activated successfully and am now running Windows Update to get the driver for the Intel graphics adapter. And yes, the fingerprint reader now works - I can give Windows the finger while singing in.

EDIT: Windows update gave me a new driver that broke the fingerprint reader functionality. Had to get new software - see EDIT above.

 

@anytimer, could this be the reason my Bluetooth adapter can't be found by the system? I've tried installing the Broadcom drivers but it just can't detect the module. Perhaps I should install Smart Network and try to enable it via that first...


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Yes, very likely. If you can't find a version that works on Windows 10, IMHO it is worth going back to Windows 7, installing Smart Network, doing all this and then installing Windows 10. I shall have to do something like this when I get my new wifi router - I'm not sure I enabled the 5 GHz band when I last changed the settings.

Btw. can anyone post the direct link to the Intel graphics drivers that we currently get from Windows Update? Getting them through WU is a real PITA - WU is just crawling out here just now; been trickle downloading it for several hours now.

 

Smart Network original from Sony website works. Install in compatibility mode for Windows 7 and reboot.

 

Yes! That did it. Rather than revert to W7 (only to have to go through installation of W10 and all my apps again), I installed W7 onto a USB drive (using WinToUSB) and booted into that. Then I installed all of the software from my laptop's Sony support page. Managed to enable the bluetooth adapter and ensure the WiFi is on 2.4 & 5Ghz. I now have this working in W10! Thanks for the advice @anytimer

 

Right, I don't have the Smart Network installed, since Windows 8 there are bluetooth and wireless controllers directly from the taskbar so I find it useless. As anytimer said there is an updated version directly from Intel and if I recall correctly it used to work with Windows 8.

 

Actually, the old version of Smart Network downloaded from the Sony support page worked fine - installed on Windows 10 in compatibility mode for Windows 7. You don't get any confirmation that it has installed correctly, but it shows up when you reboot. It is still just as annoying as before, so I'll get rid of it pretty soon.

 

That worked. Thanks!

 

So, here's the million dollar question: I have a VPCZ136GG running Windows 7 with standard Sony drivers, no BIOS hack. Should I go ahead with the online update?

 

People have managed to get it up and running, but you can expect a struggle. You will have to install a graphics driver that is over five years old, and Windows Update will try very hard to give you a newer driver which will not work, so you have to disable the driver update part of Windows Update. I can confirm that the Sony utilities work on Windows 10, so all you have to worry about is the graphics driver.

I will not even try the stock driver that my laptop shipped with. Andrew08's driver is so much more stable. The next time I reinstall Windows 10, I'll try those drivers (those with the BIOS HACK can still do that if they set the VGA switching mode in the BIOS to DYNAMIC).

 

So it looks like Andrew08's drivers are the way to go. Specifically, the one that packs Intel 2266. The links are dead. Do you know where I could download it?

Should I install it before I install Windows 10, or just run the update and then try to force the graphics driver?

Also, should I upgrade in Speed or Stamina mode?

And do I need to go into Test Mode and leave it there?

 

Work backwards from the last page of that humongous thread; the drivers have been reposted several times - one of those links might still work.
You need to do everything in AUTO mode.
Even if you install the graphics drivers before upgrading, Windows 10 setup will return you to Microsoft Basic Adapter, probably as a fail-safe measure.
Do run DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) before trying to install Andrew08's driver. Check that Device Manager shows two entries for Microsoft Basic Adapter, then restart in test mode and install.
You don't need to stay in test mode. You just need it during installation of the (modded) driver.

 

Deleted

 

Successfully upgraded (the video drivers are a *****), but reverted to 7 mainly because it was somewhat more sluggish at opening programs and also the fan noise went up. The only thing I don't like about the Z13 is the incessant high pitched fan whine. Well under Windows 10 that got louder.

 

Great. Hope you at least locked in your free upgrade to Windows 10. Now you need to get up the nerve to do the BIOS HACK thing.

The whine is there because your fan and air passages need cleaning. There is an excellent thread for this.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/vpc-z-change-thermal-paste.594314/
You will need to change the thermal paste when you do this, so it is like killing two birds with one stone.

 

I wondered about this. The model seems to have a high-pitched whine even at idle by design. I'd love to get rid of that, but I'm not sure it's possible. But also, the fan does kick in more than previously so a clean and paste may indeed help. The thread you quoted is a little bit daunting. Heck of lot of people seemed to have done more harm than good!

Is it possible to repaste the CPU without separating the GPU from the heat sink? I can't really figure out from the thread whether I need to get some kind of copper shim or pad if I enter that territory.

 

Essentially, no. You may be able to reuse the pad that it came with it but I wasn't able to. I got myself some 0.4mm shims and pasted one to bridge the gap, and all is well again. Just take photos and notes of where each screw and wire goes, and how they're arranged for when you put it back together. I have a spare 0.4 that I'm happy to send if you're interested (had to buy a pack of 10). And yeah I agree, the fan noise is my least favourite aspect of my Z1 by far, always hated it!



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Before doing any BIOS hacks, I managed to upgrade from 7 to 10 on my VPCZ11X9E. The installation complained initially about some missing media driver, but somehow it managed to continue. After that I confirmed everyting was working and activated, then did the BIOS hack anyway and tried a format & clean install with the same USB stick (W10 Pro EN-UK).

However, that stalls (every time) at the 'missing media driver'. I tried pretty much every driver I could find, but I have no clue which one it is... any help? I'm clueless since the upgrade worked but not the clean install...

 

Hmm... never saw that error yet. Have you removed everything that can be removed? Any SD card in the slot? Any ExpressCard device in that slot? Any DVD or BluRay disc in the drive? On the first reboot, remove the Win 10 USB stick as well.

 

Kind of you to offer, thanks. I have some arctic paste and a couple of.5mm shims here. Just have to summon the courage to operate. Had a bad experience pulling a TZ apart to replace a screen. Never did get it going again. Never had any problems with others, though. Give or take the odd rattle.

 

For anyone else reading this, considering going down the thermal paste route, first try cleaning the fan from the top (without removing the entire motherboard. You mightn't get all the dust out - some will probably remain beneath the fan, but you'll clean it enough to get the air flowing. Try to lift the dust up and out rather than poke it through, and at times hold the fan very lightly to stop it spinning.

I simply removed the keyboard by removing all the screws on the bottom and unplugging the keyboard ribbon (gently now), then brushed out the fan gently with a soft toothbrush wet with isopropyl alcohol, vacuumed, blew on it, and put it all back together.

It's now as quiet as brand new.

 

I had to reinstall Win10 so I kept some notes.
I am dropping them here hoping that they will help someone...
This guide assumes that your Win10 copy is already activated. This means that you had done the upgrade from Win7/8 to Win10 so your hardware ID is already registered for a Win 10 activation (this is the reason I am skipping the activation key). If you have NOT done an upgrade your Win10 install will probably not be activated...

Keep in mind that most of the installs will have to be in Win7 compatibility mode.

Instructions for installing Win10 in a VAIO VPCZ1
Preparation

1. Open all networks in VAIO Smart Network (VSN)
   
2. Set graphics switch to AUTO
   
3. Restart and switch the boot device (F2) to USB (external should be on)

Win10 setup

1. Boot from a Win10 x64 USB (made with MS MediaCreationTool)
   
2. Go through the Win10 setup skipping the CD-Key
3. During the reboot change again the boot priorities and remove the USB media
4. Once again skip the CD-Key and configure the user
5. Turn off fast start in power management

Sony drivers section

1. Install Sony Firmware Extension Parser Device Driver 8.0.1.2
   
2. Install Sony Shared Library 5.7.0.06070
   
3. Install Sony Utilities 1.0 (this includes Battery Checker 4.3.0.05310, Setting Utility Series 5.3.0.07231, VAIO® Event Service 5.3.0.05310, VAIO Control Center 4.3.0.05310, VAIO Power Management 5.2.0.06210)
   
4. Install VAIO Smart Network 3.8.0.08120
   
5. Install VAIO Location Utility 1.1.00.06060

Intel driver section

1. Install Intel RAID (update from Win10 driver 13.2.0.1022 to 14.6.0.1029
   
2. Install Intel Management Engine Interface Driver 6.0.0.1179 (Win10 initial version?)
   
3. Install Intel TurboBoost Technology Driver 1.0.1.1002
   
4. Install Intel Wireless 17.14.0 (updates Win10 driver 15.4.1.1 to 15.15.0.1)
   
5. Install Intel LAN ? (updates Win10 driver 12.12.50.6 to ?)

Ricoh driver section

1. Install Ricoh MemoryStick Driver 6.13.3.3 (updates the unknown device in device manager)
   
2. Install Ricoh SD Driver 6.13.3.4 (updates the standard SD driver in device manager)

Other driver section

1. Win10 driver is newer than the latest R279 driver from Realtek, so no action here (for now)
   
2. Fingerprint driver can be done in two ways
   1. Either leave the default Win10 (Win Hello compatible) driver and have a way to sign-in Win
      
   2. Find the 2.21 package from Authentec and combine them with Protector Suite 2012 5.9.8.7279-64bit (this will give you fingerprint scanning in start up, sign-in, password management etc.)
3. For the Bluetooth module just force an update through Device Manager in order to get the 12.0.0.8047 driver and the device name will change from generic)
   
4. Install Qualcomm® Gobi™ 2000 Wireless HS-USB Modem 9225 Driver (version 2.0.7.3) and complete it with OneClickInternet 1.0.0.1. After the install you can update it to the later version.
5. You can also update the battery driver and Windows will update it. I do not know if this offers any advantage.

Graphics driver (the tricky part)

1. Close auto driver updates (System-> Advanced system settings-> Hardware-> Device Installations Settings)
   
2. Use the Device Manager to unistall Intel graphics driver (under Display Adapters) and tick the delete driver files
   
3. Restart without Driver Verification (Settings->Update->Recovery->Restart Now->Troubleshoot->Advanced->Options->Startup Settings.…)
   
4. Block Intel’s driver using MS utility (wushowhide)
   
5. Install Andrew08 driver (many thanks!!)
   
6. Restart
7. Open auto driver updates

And you are done...
Switchable graphics work as advertised...
Latest Intel LAN version does not contain a newer version. An older one should have it. I am still searching for it.

 

That's great. With those instructions, I might soon be brave enough to update my VPC-Z1 from Win 7. Still debating whether it's really worth it, as it's not a touch screen and Win7 is trundling along nicely.

 

Keep in mind that the free upgrade to Windows 10 is offered for a limited period only. If you don't upgrade by July 2016, you'll have to buy a license should you then wish to upgrade. Might be a good idea to upgrade now, lock in your free upgrade (your hardware ID is stored by Microsoft on their activation servers), and then go back to Windows 7.

 

Hi,

i have the VPCZ138GA with the RAID-0 SSD, with the BIOS Hack Done since win 8.1. i successfully upgraded from win 8.1 to windows 10 with everything perfectly working.

my upgrade path was always win7 original sony installation --> upgrade to win 8 (no direct upgrade to 8.1 while maintaining everything) --> Upgrade to win 8.1 --> upgrade to win 10

i am looking to format my laptop again now, has anyone tested the direct upgrade from win 7 stock to win 10? any issues there? will everything work?

let me know your thoughts.

 

Is your Windows 10 activated (free upgrade from older version)? If so, why don't you just do a clean install of Windows 10 and be done with it? Microsoft saves your hardware ID and activation status online, so every time you install Windows 10 on this device, you'll get activated automatically. Don't enter any key during setup.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/vpcz1-bios-hack-windows-10-clean-install.779677/

 

Hey PapaFX. Thanks for the detail post

Hey PapaFX. Thanks for the detail post!

I manage to get everything to work. The only minor issue that I have is, when graphics card is set to 'speed' I can't adjust my brightness. Did you have any issue with this?

 

Hi PapaFX, amazing detailed post on installing Windows 10 on a VPCZ1. Thanks!

One question, I'm having issues relating to the graphics driver. I followed the instructions precisely, but when I download and try to install the Andrew 08 driver, I get the following message from the NVidia installer which doesn't complete: Install fail. Not very helpful. I have the speed switch set to "Speed". I wonder if this is an issue relating to driver verification.

This is with the driver 263.14-Intel 2266.

Any suggestions?
EDIT - I've found that I misinterpreted your instructions in a few places and now I've got it working.

Where you wrote

1. Unistall Intel driver and tick the delete driver files

Don't delete the Intel Turbo Boost Technology driver from the uninstall programs window of the control panel. Rather, uninstall the Intel display driver from the display adapter area in device manager (obvious perhaps, but I did it wrong)

1. Restart without Driver Verification (Settings->Update->Recovery->Restart Now…)

I didn't realize that to properly execute restarting without driver verification, that you have to go a bit further in these menus, which is:
Settings->Update->Recovery->Restart Now->Troubleshoot->Advanced->Options->Startup Settings.

Now the Andrew08 drivers installed without error! (Whew).

Here is a question - How do I know that the integrated graphics is actually working 100%? Are there any tests that I can run? I can see in the device manager that the NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M is indeed installed, but I was curious how I know that it's actually working 100%?

Thanks,

JB

 

I am having the same issue. I've not found any solution yet.
I usually use STAMINA mode so I only noticed after your post. Nice find.

 

Arghh, I spoke too soon on my success. After installing the Andrew 08 drivers successfully, upon reboot I get a IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error, can't seem to boot unless I'm in safe mode now.

Any suggestions on how to address this issue? prior to this error I had slid my graphics slider switch to "auto" for some testing, the screen scrambled, and now the laptop won't reboot without that message.