Vaio VPC-Z1 LCD Brightness Always Stuck

This is the THIRD time I've tried to post this thread, lol. The forum software keeps glitching out for some reason.

My LCD brightness won't go up or down when I try to adjust it, even if it's set to automatic brightness. It's constantly stuck at either 100% or 0%, and restarting the laptop or changing from Speed to Stamina and vice versa rarely fixes it (changing Speed/Stamina usually only makes it change between 0% and 100%). I remember reading a few threads about this issue a while ago, but I don't think anyone ever came up with a solution.

 

Are you using any hardware monitoring software like AIDA/Everest or HWMonitor? These programs seem to break brightness control on my VPCZ1. Also, which drivers are you currently using?

 

Nope, not using those. I'm only using the drivers that came with the Z via its fresh start.

 

Is that ForceWare 188.49/188.80/190.24?

 

if it's set to auto brightness you can't manually adjust the brightness.

 

On mine, I still can and brightness still changes (screen darkens) if I put my finger over the ambient light sensor. Of course if the room is "dark," the screen won't get brighter though.

 

I put a tiny piece of dark gray electrical tape over the ambient light sensor, primarily so that the keyboard backlight will always be on if I want it on but it would also knockout the function of the auto screen lighting if that's the cause of your all/nothing screen lighting. Worth a try; no downside.

 

Wha?

I go back and forth between setting it to auto brightness and setting it to manual via the Vaio Control Center. Also, you CAN adjust the brightness if it's on auto - it picks a certain level based on the amount of light it detects in your environment and lets you go a little above or below that with the brightness controls.

When mine's working I can do that, but right now, nothing I do effects the brightness.

So basically I'm still at square one, lol!