Windows 7 on Vaio Z - Procedure

LOL, that sounds comforting...

btw, I just did a clean install of Windows 7 RC. IMO it works a little better than the beta version, they've fixed all the tiny bugs that I was experiencing with Beta.

The fn shortcuts work better than before. Now, it always shows the volume and brightness bar with the keyboard shortcut.

 

By the way, does the brightness work again in STAMINA mode after you switch it back from SPEED mode, or do you have to restart the computer to get it to work again?

 

Anyone have the response to my above question? What's the result using the default or the Windows 7 drivers?

 

Yes, the brightness shortcut does work in STAMINA mode after you switch it back from SPEED mode

It is ONLY in SPEED mode that it does not work.

 

Hey all,

I just got a new Vaio Z (Japanese version that just came out very recently).

Was trying to get Windows 7 on it last night, but missing a bunch of drivers.
The link to the Intel X4500 drivers on the below site:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=293880&highlight=utility.zip
is broken, so I think I need those drivers.

I was trying to follow the steps on both this site and also looking at a Japanese site. I burned recovery disks and then used a tool to extract all of the drivers off of the disk. Then I took all of those folders, combined them with the utility.zip and apps.rar into one huge folder of drivers on the desktop. I was going through the device manager and installing the drivers but I had to go to work Still a few that can't be found after I right click and say update driver, and then scan the huge directory of drivers.

The first time I tried, I didn't follow the driver install order, so even with everything installed, the SDcard reader/Memory Stick reader didn't work, the speed/stamina switch didn't work, and Windows 7 came up with a prompt telling me that my battery wasn't set right, so it will force my computer to hibernate! So I imagine that the order in which you install the drivers is really important, is that correct?

Has anyone had any luck clean installing Windows 7 on a newer Vaio Z, with all of the switches and buttons (SD card, etc) working?
Any updates to the drivers at the link above? (I got the Nvidia driver!).

Thanks for your help.

 

Thanks for the answer. After switching to SPEED mode, does it automatically revert to full brightness or use the last brightness setting from STAMINA mode?

 

It goes to full brightness automatically, which makes sense IMO.

It's the same as installing Vista on the SZ, everything works, except the brightness switch in speed.

I don't think it would make a difference weather or not you have the new Z.
The only noticeable difference I can see is that your Z "officially" support 8gb ram, and the older ones don't.

The installation process on the Z5xx and Z6xx are exactly the same. Just follow the instruction carefully and you should be fine.

Which drivers are you missing? Have you tried finding them on Sony's support website?

Good luck!

 

Hey, late reply.

So after a bunch of tweaking, I THINK I have everything working on my computer except:

- FN Brightness (whatever), but it's strange if I adjust the brightness in Win 7 power settings it also doesn't seem to change at all. Has anyone else had this problem? I have the switch on Speed, maybe it won't work at all in this mode? (also there is no speed/stamina switch on the fly, requires a restart in Win 7, yes?).

- Ricoh SD Card slot driver - I have drivers for this, but I don't know which part it is in the device manager, so I can't get it to work properly! I am at work so I can't show you the files I have, but there is no executable, they are driver files. Unfortunately, in the device manager, there are no more hardware that has problems (according to Windows), so I don't know what to do. One of the driver downloads I found before also had compatibility problems when I tried to run it...

Can someone point me to the 64x version of the SD card slot drivers? What's funny is, the Sony memory card slot drivers work fine!

But this computer and Windows 7 is amazing. I'm so happy I bought a Vaio Z. And it's super snappy without all of the bloatware! Just hope that I don't find stuff not working in the future... so far it seems OK.
Thank you for your reply!

 

Have you got HSDPA modem working in Win7? I installed WWAN Connection Manager 2.3.0.630 and WWAN Driver 4.0.2.32 from links mentioned before without any luck. Connection manager program works but it complains about not finding the modem. My VAIO is Z21WN

Oh I forgot to mention that these programs are 32bit versions so maybe the problem is in that. Where can I get 64bit connection manager and driver?

 

Quick update, here is a screenshot of the directory.



What do I do with this?
Zero reaction if I doubleclick DPInst64...

 

Go to Device Manager --> select update driver --> Browse to the location of files

Windows will automatically finds the driver and installs it

 

I feel really dumb, because a few days ago when I was looking at the device manager there was no driver that needed attention, but now I looked at it again and it found it!!!

Thanks for the help guys

Edit:

Quick question, the S1 and S2 keys seem to be working, because when I press them the system responds and asks me to configure them to apps, function, etc. However even after I configure them in the Sony Control Center, it doesn't do what I asked it to, but instead refers me back to the Sony Control Center to reconfigure them! Anyone have a similar problem?

 

Sorry for jumping into such an old thread but i will be purchasing a Z soon(this august) and will immediately install windows 7. Was wondering if all i needed to do, was simply launch the drivers .exe files after installing windows? unless there are some drivers that are simply the .inf files alone without any executables that can only be installed through the system manager.... thanks

 

Most of the process is explained on page1 of this thread. If any portion is not clear, Please point to that portion.

 

So ive got Win 7 and everything installed after following the steps. Sometimes after the computer has been on for a while it will not switch the graphics. When I flip the switch a window pops up with nothing in it and nothing else happens. Has anyone else had this issue or know how to fix it?

 

I am going to take it that this same procedure would work on any Vaio(with their respective drives that is) and not just the Z?

 

hum.. Does logging out and logging back in solve the problem? I've had small probables like that (I flip the switch, no notification, but it still switched with the beta version), but everything works fine in my RC version.

Maybe reinstalling the nVidia driver?

 

I think it seems to happen more after coming out from hibernating, then I try to switch it and it doesnt work. I should be switched to the 9300GS when reinstalling the nVidia drivers right? I could be wrong, but isnt it the sony control panel software that controls the switching? The switching did not work until it was installed.

 

Is it possible to just upgrade form VistaUltimate 64bit to the 7 RC 64 bit?

 

I know this is for the Z, but this is windows 7 related. For some reason when, I open the devices and printer it never opens up. The bar at the top that shows it is loading moves, but just stops at the end even after an hour nothing loads. In office I can see that my printer is installed, so yeah. The same applies for the bluetooth section of the printer if I try to load that(via bluetooth icon on the task bar) same thing occurs. Any ideas?

 

Yes, you can do this.

 

Hi, seeing as u can update from vista to the 7RC. is it a full reformat? or does it simply update the OS?

 

running build 7229 now, with all the sony utils loaded and doxs nvidia 190.x drivers running smoothly. Only thing I can complain about is battery life doesn't seem to be as good as what it was under vista? I noticed the intel gfx settings were all on performance rather than power so it may be related. Any comments on other users experience?

Perhaps it may be the gobi card not shutting off since there are no drivers for it.

 

You can update just OS and everything works fine with your current drivers (except SPEED mode brightness. Ofcourse, You can use customized drivers for this)

 

Sorry for packing this up once more:
So when my Vista-64bit OSed Vaio Z arrives, I can just throw the junk over board and "pave" 7RC over it and I will not have any issues with drivers and VAIO software suits?
What exactly is the brightness issue in speed mode (and why)?

 

That's right everything works perfectly including VAIO software suites. Window 7 has new graphics subsytem WDDM 1.1 as opposed to WDDM 1.0 in Vista, so Win7 requires latest graphics driver to work 100%.

However brightness function does work after restarting each time. Who wants to restart every time brightness is adjusted?

STAMINA does work perfectly

 

A small correction

You can set the required brighness in STAMINA mode and then switch to SPEED mode. This is kind of work around till SONY releases oficial drivers

 

I have the TT so my gpu situation is a little different I know. But I currently have the drivers installed from the Sony site. Is that an issue or should be downloaded the newest one from Intel's site?

 

I guess you should NOT have any problem eitherway. The only problem many people are complaining is about hybrid graphics driver (nVidia), but Intel should be fine.

 

Hi,
I am thinking about installing 7 on a new partition on my Z26 (2nd gen Australasian model). However, before I start, I just want to confirm a few things.

1-Sony Programmable IO Control
2-Sony Firmware Extension Parser
3-Sony Shared Library
4-Sony Setting Utility
5-Sony VAIO Event Service
6-VAIO Control Center
7-VAIO Power Management
8-Sony ISB Utility
9-Sony HDD Protection Filter Driver
10-VAIO CAMERA CAPTURE UTILITY
11-VAIO SMART NETWORK 2.1_ 2.1.00.07300
12-PROTECTOR_SUITE_QL_5.6.2.4286
13-WWAN_CONNECTION_MANAGER_2.3.0.630

These are the drivers that you said that must be installed (in this order) - I understand that some drivers will be different since I have a Z26 and you used a Z21.
Going into Sony's support site for Z26, I see a list of 26 drivers / apps, all of them exe files. It seems that Sony even put them in order for fresh-install users.

http://www.sony-asia.com/support/download/281643/product/vgn-z26gn/sectionfirst?subpage=detail

I was wondering if you could confirm that the order of installation at this support site is correct and logical to use when install Windows 7?
I assume that the rest of the guide is pretty much the same as the guide here?

Also, since I will be installing Windows 7 on a new partition, if by any chance I decided that I wish to get rid of it, would simply be easy as going into Vista at boot, and deleting the partition on which 7 is on and extending that volume so that Vista can use it again? Will I have to change any ini. files to get the boot working correctly with one OS again?

Quite keen on trying 7 out on this lappie; have heard great things about it...

Look forward to a prompt reply...

Cheers.

 

Well for my Sony device on windows 7 I also installed the Sony WiFi, and broadcom BT drivers that are on their site at the end.

 

I can't seem to find VAIO Smart Network. As a result, I cannot install and use Bluetooth (a mouse in my case). Can anyone lead me to a Sony support site where I will be able to get the VaioSmartNetwork installer? Would love enabling Bluetooth on 7. Cheers

BTW, I went about a completely different method that was mentioned in this guide. I ended up with everything working but again, no brightness control in SPEED.

 

I would think this is the BT drivers that you need installed? At least that is the only files relating to BT I see on Sony's US support site. I notice you don't have the North American model or what not, so I would think the support site for your respective country should have a similar file. http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-download.pl?mdl=VGNZ650N&upd_id=4204&os_id=29

I dunno if anyone else has the same issue as I do under Windows 7. For me it shows that BT is on and fully detected, but I can not open BT settings(even after uninstalling, then reinstalling drivers & everything), nor can I open up the devices and printer page where I can see my BT device and settings, unless I turn off(disable) it, but then what is the point.

 

Hi, thanks for the help.

Unfortunately, my 7 installation got horrendously buggy after a few restarts (I think I caught the conficker virus, though can't confirm) and all my driver installations deleted themselves (including AVG and some windows updates). I spent a few decent hours and was so disappointed that I just deleted 7 altogether. I guess I will wait for the full release and install the Sony certified windows 7 drivers and give it another try then.

I would love to see a Sony released disc that has all the drivers for the Z that are not eligible for the windows 7 upgrade program. I would happily pay for it (as long as it is not something that I have to pay with my arm and leg that is), and something that will install them in the correct order without user interuption - I found the driver installation rather annoying (having restarted the Z at least a dozen or so times).

Anyway, I saw that the BT is always on and detected. No idea why, but of course, it turned off when I moved the wireless switch over to off.

Feedback wise, after installing all the drivers on the 7 (before they went haywire), I had 64 process running and system was using 1Gb of paging memory. Boot-time wise, there was not much difference compared to Vista, but then, once in windows, 7 did finish loading quicker (though take into account that 7 was a clean install whereas my Vista is the factory OEM). I actually didn't notice any speed-downs, despite the fact that 7 had quite a lot more fancier looking visual effects than Vista.

 

My fingerprint reader was working fine, but all of a sudden it "disappeared". It is present in Device Manager, but the UPEK software keeps telling me to plug it in and the Win7 feature says it can't find any. I have the latest Vista x64 UPEK drivers and software from Sony's site.

Anyone else have this problem?

 

Had the same problem on Win7 32bit. Updating the driver through device manager with the one provided by Upek solved it:
http://www.upek.com/support/downloads/windows7/learnmorew7.asp

 

Hello

I don't know if it s gonna work with Vaio Z Serie but I have a FW and this is what I did in order to install Seven and Sony drivers :

Vista was pre-installed.

- I just burned the recovery dvds by using sony software on Vista.
- Then, I erased all my hdd with gparted live cd.
- I installed Windows Seven.
- I executed autorun.exe, located in the first recovery dvd. That installed all the drivers but unfortunately all the pre-installed softwares too.

I Hope it will work ;-)

 

Hey guys, can anybody post the link (or upload) to the camera capture utility and camera drivers please?

 

And also an updated Sony Shared Video Library...I think I may have gotten Windows 7 x64 to work 99% on my SZ6, including the camera...only thing that isn't working are the S1/S2 buttons and brightness.

 

Does anyone know how to make WWAN work with the Qualcomm chipset on Win7 64?

It just does not work

 

Hi,

I'm totally intersted for what you have done, may I know more details?

Many many thanks.

Rgs.,
NC

 

Anyone who got the QDloader.exe Service to work in Win7 64bit?

 

Mine works. I use 3G Connection Manager

 

On Win7 64 bit?
Which drivers are you using? How did you install it?
Mine does not work...
I am also using the 3G manager.

Does your Z have the GOBI Qualcomm chipset?
The thing is that the QDloader.exe service does not work properly... it should load the working firmware profile to the chip once you turn on WWAN. But it does not... at least not on my Z.

BTW: How do you use GPS on your Z? (In that case, I am pretty sure you have the Qualcomm GOBI chip)

 

Yes

The same as Vista 64bit

You need to modify the driver installer. In your Gobi UNDP package, go to:
\Source\Module Retargetable Folder\QCUSB-Sony\DriverPackage\Microsoft\DIFxAPI
you need to replace DIFxAPI.dll in amd64 (maybe ia64 as well, I replaced it) with the one in your C:\Windows\system32.
Now you can install the driver.

Yes

With SmartWi, you can turn the GPS on. After that, you can use some GPS software like Garmin PC.

 

I already did all this...
Certainly I can install the drivers etc. - but once I turn on WWAN via SmartWi, nothing actually happens...

Is the QDloader service running? Where are you living? Do you use a GMS or CDMA network?

 

It seems I'm wrong.
I can active the WWAN and GPS. GPS worked. The 3G connection manager can receive the signal, but when I click on "connect", it returns an error 31.

QDloader : If you mean Qualcomm Gobi Download Service, it was running.
I'm living in France. I'm using HSDPA.
I think I will try th GobiLoader. But it means I have to reinstall Vista to have the right firmware number.

 

As far as I know, it should be 6. But gobiloader only uploads cdma firmware on my Z. It hangs when trying to upload any other firmware package.

When you turn on WWAN, does the proper network device and others apear in the device manager?

 

It does, not in Network device, but in Modem device.
I tried GPS and it found my location.
I think my problem is not like yours. In my case, my WWAN is on, but it can not connect because of the firmware. In your case, it seems like you can not turn your device on.

 

Well, I can turn it on, but QDloader hangs and does not upload the frimware.
Can you send me a copy of your Qualcomm folder (c:\qualcomm)? Thanks in advance!