Sony VGX-XL3 - Page 121

YES Rob.

xx

COOL! Thanks,Sid. I'll buy one on Ebay tonight.

 

Cheers!

Robert.

Hi, need some great advice please if poss. I have a sony xl301, 3g ram, asus 5450 card.
I have just installed windows 7 64bit which i think is running okay. Ive downloaded some suggested files off the sony us site. e.g shared library etc. My pc is a uk model though. Does it matter?? Can you advise me which sony files are neccessary? i have a few question marks in device manager (multimedia controller and the dvd drive)
The other day my pc crashed completely and would only boot up with a black screen. A friend looked at it and advised me it was the graphics card. he had an asus 5450 at the ready and installed it for me. I could have waited and brought a better card but i was desperate to get it going again. Luckily the graphics card did the job.
you mention installing 8g ram. What would you suggest for my pc? anything else i need to do, to make it more stable? What do you think caused my graphics card to fail? my friend suggested changing the power supply.
Look forward to your reply. cheers Rai

 

Welcome, Rai.

 

In order to assist us with offering you some useful answers/advice, can you provide us some additional detail (and listing your system specifics info in your account's signature box will help as well)

 

Before proceeding with your Windows 7 64-bit installation did you run the "Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor", and review the 64-bit report for your system for the new OS installation)?

 

1). Did you install Windows 7 64-bit on your original system drives volume (deleting your hidden Recovery Partition with the backup of Vista Home Premium, Sony applications and utilities, drivers, etc.), or did you keep your old system drive volume intact and install Windows 7 on a fresh drive?

     a). If your Recovery Partition is already gone, do you have a set of Recovery DVD's (either from Sony or that you made yourself from the Recovery Utility?)

     b). Is there a specific reason for choosing 64-bit?

 

2)  Can you clarify why you didn't download the needed Sony Support updates (Windows Vista and 7) for you VGX-XL301 model from the Sony Support page for your own system, rather than updates for a different model?   

http://www.sony.co.uk/support/en/product/VGX-XL301/updates

 

3). Going back into device manager, can you list for us exactly what the verbage states for each problem (yellow question mark); this can offer clues about which hardware conflicts and driver incompatibilites are involved. (Not all of these will have resolutions in 64-bit).

 

4). Did the black screen issue occur before, or after your Windows 7 64-bit installation? (the chronology of that isn't clear in your post)

     a). This sequence question matters because drivers can conflict. 32-bit drivers are not necessarily compatible with a 64-bit OS

     b). It's always a good idea when upgrading a new OS to first uninstall the video card in 'Device Manager' before proceeding. The video card will run on the generic Windows support drivers until the video card is identified during the new OS installation and correct drivers are loaded.

     c). If possible old video/graphics cards (drivers) should be uninstalled in Device Manager before installation of a new card in order to avoid conflicts

 

5). Yes, you can install 8GB of usable/addressible RAM in your XL301 with 64-bit OS, if you purchase the correct dual-channel pairs of DIMMS, and correct MHz speed rating. 

     a). Was the additional RAM addressibility the reason for your 64-bit OS choice? 

     b). How do you use your XL301 (e.g., gaming, intensive video editing/formats conversion, etc.) which suggests the need for 8GB?

 

 6). If your power supply has not failed, or is not failing, there's no reason to replace it. It's proprietary, and not a standard form factor and is expensive to replace. If in doubt, have it tested. You won't find a replacement in any local computer parts store; it has to be ordered from Sony's supplier if you want a new one (sometimes, not often new boxed units can be found on Ebay).

 

Cheers!

Robert.

Edited by REnninga - 2/26/13 at 6:21pm

HI, thanks for the quick reply.
Ill do my best to answer your questions so you can help me further.

1. i installed windows 7, not as an upgrade, but as a custom fresh install.
I did run the advisor and i understood it to be okay to upgrade.
I have the recovery disks with the original vista etc
i used it recently due to a boot manager problem, which it resolved eventually!
I chose windows 7 as my son has it upstairs on his pc and it seems to boot much quicker
and run more smoothly.

2. i didnt download the sony support updates as i was confused by another thread which recommended certain other downloads such as shared library, etc.
http://esupport.sony.com/US/p/model-home.pl?mdl=VGXXL3&LOC=3#/downloadTab
I instaled some of these files even though they are us and not uk.
Which files do i need to install from your link? all the windows 7 files?

3. other devices: multimedia devices
4.after the 7 installation. I was changing some settings in mphc madvr renderer and it just went blank and crashed. The pc was running but no display.
i was having problems with the display for a while to be honest.

5. i have 3gb ram using the corsair original ram in 1gb. do i need to use exactly the same ram memory if i add more?
is it worth going over 4gb if im only using the pc for watching hd 1080p mkv files? and browsing?

regards
Rai

 

Hello Rai,

 

Thanks for providing the additional info, and clarifications.  Having Recovery DVD's is terrific, and gives you options, and makes fixes easier. 

I have a handful of additional questions having read your clarifications. Let me write them up, and I'll send them to you by 'PM'. That message should be in your mailbox later today.

 

Cheers!

Robert.

Hi Renninga, done a system restore so no sony drivers installed. Windows installed some drivers to the audio etc, including a sony firmware extension parser device. Question marks next to multimedia controller x2.
What do i do now?

 

Hello Rai.  Earlier today I sent you a lengthy 'PM'.

 

To the Forum:  Can someone help Rai with the 64-bit Windows 7 hardware, drivers and funtionality issues? I don't spend time with 64-bit issues anymore (too frustrating, too few fixes for the effort involved. )

 

Cheers!

Robert.

My XL3 was running Windows 7 - 64 bit before it met with its recent PSU issues.

I recall having to load some drivers from Sony. I have this bookmarked:
http://esupport.sony.com/US/p/model-home.pl?mdl=VGXXL3&template_id=1&region_id=1&tab=download#/downloadTab

As you can see looking at the entries, Sony has actually updated some of this content over the years.

I wouldn't recommend going wild downloading and installing stuff blindly. Do a web search and try to understand what the device(s) is/are that have the warnings and question marks to understand what Sony downloads to install to address the issue. As Robert suggests, there was some frustration and iteration here, but I don't recall specific details now and unfortunately didn't document what I did.

Esjbh, those were the drivers that I actually installed on the recommendation of another member on this thread.
Renninga advised me to delete those from a system restore as it would cause conflictions and possible future problems. since doing that, it seems to running okay.
Are you still running 64 or have you changed to 32 bit?
Why do I need those drivers? the only issue I have at the moment is the dvd drive. It doesn't eject using the button and its much noisier now in operation
Have you upgraded any other parts?
I only use the pc for hd movies and browsing.
Cheers Rai

Glad to hear you got things working.

You don't need those drivers unless you have warning signs or question marks in Device Manager. What I wrote suggested SELECTIVELY installing ONLY the driver(s) which might help with those issues. If you've gotten past those warnings and question marks, then there is no need to load any of them, i.e. "if it's not broke, don't fix it".

FYI, my system has run W7-64 bit for a couple years just fine. I had replaced the graphics card, tuner card, bigger hard-drives, and upgraded memory.. However it died recently with what appears to be a PSU issue.

I have (I should say 'had') the same eject button issue, but was able to do ejects with playback software so I didn't really pursue the issue. This eject button issue has been discussed here and someone found a direct wiring solution that I never attempted. If you search this thread, you should see some information about this eject issue. This was the only "issue" I had with the XL3 running W7-64, and like I said, it really wasn't much of an issue to me.
Edited by esjbh2 - 2/28/13 at 7:48pm

 

Hello Rai and Jack,

 

 

For Clarification:

 

* Rai has a UK XL301 model running  Windows 7 64-bit

* Rai downloaded and attempted to install Windows Vista 32-bit updates for the US XL3 model

* I advised Rai to do a System Restore to a point preceding the attempt to install those 32-bit Vista updates on the 64-bit Windows 7 operating system,

* I advised Rai to then go to the Sony UK Support page for his own XL301 model and install the suite of Windows 7 64-bit updates Sony has provided for the XL301 model.

 

NOTE: 

Sony UK supports, and provides updates for Windows 7 64-bit for the UK/EUR spec. XL301 model on the Sony UK support page for that model.

There is no reason to download and attempt to install Windows Vista 32-bit updates from the Sony US support page for a different model.

 

 

Installing the wrong VAIO XL* model updates,

for the wrong Windows Operating System, 

written in the wrong 32-bit bit integer architecture,

does not fix functionality problems in 64-bit Windows.

 

As the philosopher said: 

 

"Three wrongs won't make it right." 

~Mediocrities (327 BCE) 

 

 

Cheers!

Robert.

 

PS. There is presently no known software patch or fix for restoring VAIO VGX-XL* front panel Optical Drive eject button functionality in 64-bit Windows. This has been a well-known and often discussed issue on this discussion thread for four years. Functionality can be restored by hard-wiring ( But this is not a novice experience-level procedure - if you do this you should seek experienced help, ...to avoid grief ).

Edited by REnninga - 2/28/13 at 10:48pm

Thanks for the replies once again.
The only question marks I have, are next to other: multimedia device. 2 of them. If I try to update these through the browser, it doesn't find anything. Any ideas?
I looked under the uk drivers section for windows 7, and it lists a few updates. But surely these will be for 32 bit??

Hello Rai,

 

Check in device manager, expand the directory "Sound, video & game controllers." Check to see if "SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC" is present. If so does Device Manager report "This device is working properly"?

If SigmaTel is not present and working properly in the Sound, Video & game controllers, this is the problem noted in device manager. Windows 7 64-bit did not install compatible drivers.

 

Download and install the suite of Windows 7 32/64--bit updates from the Sony Support page for your XL301 (listed below). After installation of these updates, run the newly installed "VAIO Update - 5.1.1.04090" from your taskbar tray. It will identify any available update for your SigmaTel device.

 

Windows 7

 

 

If this does not resolve your issue, open "System Properties" > "Remote" and enable "Remote Assistance." Then contact Sony Support from the support webpage for your XL301 or from  http://www.sony.co.uk/support/en/contacts

 

Open an on-line chat window and explain that you have performed a "Custom" (clean) installation of Windows 7 64-bit.

 

Grant the Sony support technician access to your computer and permission to make changes to your computer. Ask him/her to "push" the correct 64-bit drivers onto your computer for your SigmaTel device. 

 

Be sure to enable Remote Assistance. You are granted just 15-minutes without charge, and you don't want to waste time having the tech assist you in system setups you can do in advance of your chat.

 

This is all I can offer to you, unless you wish to follow my previous 'PM' recommendation, and restore full functionality of your system with a 32-bit "Upgrade" installation.  Good luck.

 

Cheers!

Robert.

 

PS. You may wish to contact Microsoft to confirm that you can use your 64-bit Windows 7 product activation key to instead activate 32-bit Windows 7?  ( Most retail packaged editions come with both 64-bit & 32-bit installation DVD's, but just one activation key).  You don't need the retail DVD; you can download the .ISO image from Microsoft, and burn your own installation DVD.

Edited by REnninga - 3/1/13 at 2:57am

Hi, thanks again for your assistance.
Im tempted to change to 32bit windows 7 but to be honest its taken ages to get to this point.
If I decide to change, can you give me instructions on the best way to do it.
Ive got a copy of 32 bit now. Do I need to do it by upgrade or can I do a custom install? you mentioned upgrading being better as it will keep the original set up.
If I install using custom 32 bit, will it not do the same?

My pc is not showing SigmaTel High Definition Audio in the device manager. This was a problem for me until I downloaded the audio drivers for my graphics card. I now have 5.1 running again.
I couldn't get the original hd audio to work at all. Is the SigmaTel High Definition Audio better quality than my amd high definition option?
I still have the 2 multimedia controller ? in device manager showing. When ive got more time, ill contact sony for the driver update.

lastly, I missed out on a bargain duo core e6850 yesterday. went for £28! on ebay. forgot to bid. Is the E6850 the same as the extreme 6850. Or are there 2 similar models?
Would the E6700 be a good upgrade and help my hd viewing? my graphics card is the HD 5450 silent, 512mb, ddr3. thought it was the 1gb but its not.
Would an upgrade make any difference to hd movies?
can I use the existing heatsink etc? or would I need a specific one?
cheers Rai

 

Rai, let me know by 'PM' if you decide to pursue the Recovery and 32-bit Windows 7 "Upgrade" installation. I'll be around some of this weekend, and I can also provide you alternative contact options to get around the limitations of communicating by 'PM', if you wish.

 

Cheers!

Robert.

Edited by REnninga - 3/2/13 at 2:28pm

Hi Robert,
with all the recording I was doing it was hard to find a time when I could power down the box but a slot eventually came up & I am now running 3 GB of ram ( as per your instructions ) which is recognised by Windows. It seems faster although it could be in the mind but no problems caused by the upgrade. Just need to find another matched 2 GB to replace the 2 500mb & I will be up to 4 GB.

Thanks for your help

Simon

 

You're very welcome Simon.

 

The way you are incrementally upgrading makes perfect sense. You have bumped your RAM 50%, and that's significant. Your XL100 notices the difference, and that's what counts.

 

Cheers!

Robert.

Has anybody downgraded back to vista from windows 7 64? My recovery disk will not let me install.

Hi,

Help ! My dear old xl302 is no longer booting cleanly, could somebody give me a hand on how to track down the problem/fault. ?

It's a vista machine from Jan 2008 - VAIO XL302/C2D E6400 2GB VHP.

A few weeks ago the screen started freezing on the odd occasion, After restarting it , all was ok, or so I thought. Then, last week it started as normal - but failed to display anything - screen stayed blank. I tried a different monitor but the same problem. I opened it up and found nearly all the vents blocked but no dead animals or burnt components.

The machine seems to be going through the boot procedure - makes al the right noises and the disk read light comes on but absolutely nothing is displayed.

Any help appreciated

Steve

Hi Steve,

I would suspect the Nvidia graphics card. get yourself a sapphire or AMD 4550 low profile card from ebay, about £25.00. Or if you are in the UK I have just upgraded my 4550 for a 6670, you could have mine for 25 quid inc post etc.

Beware though that when you remove the Nvidia unit, you will find a small connector to the top rear of the card which will have a black and a white wire. DO NOT RECONNECT THIS CONNECTOR TO THE NEW CARD OR YOU WILL BLOW THE SOUND CARD UP! then you will only have HMDMI sound and your digital and line outs will be dead
Edited by Sid the cat - 3/4/13 at 5:40am

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sony-VGX-XL100-/281070821660?pt=UK_Computing_Laptops_EH&hash=item417120611c

You will probably need to reformat the os portion of your hard drive, Vista will not recognise an existing os from the future!

I would start your win7 install again do an advanced install then use disk manager to format the partition from there, then re boot into your restore disc.

That isn't the future though! Windows 7 32bit is! don't waste time and effort trying to get the best out just by shoving 64 bit on

Install an SSD a new processor and a good graphics card, you don't need anything else...
Edited by Sid the cat - 3/4/13 at 8:05am

Def the
Def the graphics card. Same thing happened to me last week! Spent ages trying to fix it.
I've replaced it with the radeon hd5450 silent.
Cheap but okay.

Many thanks for the replies, I hope it is just the graphics card.

I am in Galway, Ireland, I don't know how much it would be to post your card from UK,

I found the a radeon 5450 on dabs.ie - http://www.dabs.ie/products/asus-ati-radeon-5450-1gb-ddr3-pci-express-hdmi-silent-832T.html?refs=449110000&src=2. - is this the correct one ?

One more question. When I had the box open last week I could not remove the graphics card, are there more fixings apart from those on the the back plate ? I have swapped cards on other machines but this one seems stuck and I didn't want to force it.

thanks

steve

 

 

 

Hello Steve and Sid.  Good advice, Sid, and I definitely concur with your recommendation of the Sapphire HD6670 low profile 1GB GDDR5 card. 

Steve, if you look at my post #3571 you will see that that card is on sale at Newegg.com through March 15 and has a $15 (USD) rebate. Newegg will ship to the UK and Ireland.

Another good recomendation is the Sapphire HD7750 low profile 1GB GDDR5

Frankly, the HD5450 cards are pretty dated now and quite inferior (80 stream processors, DDR3 memory) to the new sapphire HD6670 and HD7750 low profile cards (480 & 512 stream processors and GDDR5 memory). the newer cards are definitely worth the difference in price. Both of these newer Sapphire cards have shared memory resources technology. When watching Blu-ray movies and other HD content, my XL2 and my HD6670 card are often allocating close to 3GB of combined on-card and shared system RAM  to the video processing and playback. The video quality shows the benefit of the resources allocated.  

http://www.ehow.com/facts_7406102_stream-processor_.html

By the way, both of these newer cards draw less power from the PSU than do the original OEM Sony / Nvidia cards, or even the HD4550 and HD5450 cards.

 

On the subject of the issue you are encountering:

One other idea comes to mind which is worth trying before making a purchase.  If you have a System Restore point which pre-dates the time when the problem first started to occur, try performing a System Restore operation to that earliest available date. It's entirely reversable if it doesn't solve the issue.  Also note that sometimes our Antivirus / Antimalware applications prevent Windows System Restore from completing successfully. If a System Restore is not successful, just Boot in "Safe Mode" and do the same System Restore Operation again in Safe Mode, and it will be successful.

 

My personal experience with my XL* system over the past 6+ years is that more than half of all issues which have arisen were resolved simply by doing a System Restore to a restore point which preceeded the issue.  I suspect that a fair number of our system issues arise from Windows Updates, or simple System32 or other system files or drivers being corrupted or buggered in the Windows directory.  Give this a try, and let us know if you have a usable, older System Restore point, and what result you get.  I'll be interested.

 

 

 

 Cheap indeed, Sid. And pretty tempting. But by the time I added the  £300.00 (+/-) to ship it to this side of the pond (and the West Coast, to boot) it looks a lot less a good buy, ... sigh! 

 

 

PCI-e slots have a retaining lock, which holds a tab on the printed circuit board of the video/graphics card to keep it from working loose (most video cards have fans, which of course induce vibrations).  You need to carefully push the retaining lock until it is out of the way of the tab on the bottom of the card as you lift the card out of the slot..  CAUTION: Be extremely careful handling all video/graphics cards. They are very sensitive to damage from static electricity discharge from your hands. Best to handle them with non-conductive rubber gloves, and don't touch the gold-colored contacts. 

 

Cheers!

Robert.

Edited by REnninga - 3/5/13 at 1:02am

Hi Robert,

Many thanks for your reply. Seems Newegg does not ship to Ireland so i will prob. go with the radeon to see if this fixes my problem, and upgrade when i see a similar deal over here - if that day ever comes :-) Thanks for the advice re fitting the card - i have my rubber gloves ready - will update you when the card arrives.

btw I have had a number of windows update issues over the years, and for a few weeks I was regularly reverting to safe restore points, cannot remember how i resolved it. I think i tracked down and blocked the vista update files that caused the grief and re-installed some drivers - no major software problems since then. I am hoping this is just a dead card issue.

Steve

Hello Steve,

 

Yes, when I look back over all of the issues I have helped others to resolve with various video/graphics cards and display issues, two (2) causes are hands-down the most frequent:

1. updates to video card drivers and support software delivered through Windows Update, and...
2. failure to set the resolution and refresh rate of LCD and LED/LCD monitors at the "native resolution" settings listed in the specs. for the monitor.

 

So it's always a good idea to see if one can resolve a video card disply issue by performing a system restore to a point preceding when the issue first appeared; just to rule out the possibility that an automatic Windows Update installation might have buggered a driver file or related System32 directory support file. And to double-check that the monitor's native resolution and refresh rate has not been buggered by an application or update.

 

I always recommend that video/card updates should never be installed from Windows Update (unless the PC owner just  has a "Blue Screen of Death-wish" - pun intended), but rather should always update by downloading the entire software suite update from the video card manufacturer's or the GPU manufacturer's website.

 

Good luck, and ....

 

 

Cheers!

Robert.

 

PS:  Just FYI: Liike the HD5450, the Sapphire HD6670 and HD7750 low-profile cards mentioned by Sid and myself are also  "Radeon" cards. "Radeon" pron.: / ˈ r eɪ d iː ɒ n / is just the brand name of the GPU (graphics processing units) and RAM (random access memory) produced by AMD - Advanced Micro Devices. Radeon GPU & RAM is used by numerous separate video card manufacturers. And probably a dozen separate video card manufacturers produce their own versions of the HD5450 cards; but all of those versions use the same Radeon 5450 GPU (processor) and RAM manufactured by AMD

Edited by REnninga - 3/6/13 at 3:32pm

Hello Jack,

I recently found this thread as I'm also seeing the "CMOS checksum" error on restarts with my VGX-XL3.

I'm a little worried that this may be the first signs that my PSU may be on it's way out.

Curious if you were able to fix yours and if the CMOS checksum error disappeared? I've come to the same conclusion that it's not possible to reflash the BIOS (at least not without someone from a Sony repair center charging me an arm and a leg)

thanks,
Garret

It's just a guess or gut feel on my part, but I'm not convinced the CMOS checksum error on restarts was related to the eventual PSU failure. That CMOS issue persisted for a quite while and really didn't seem to be anything but annoying.

My advice is to replace the button cell battery ASAP (#CR2032) and clear the CMOS (reset BIOS). It's easy enough to do, and the battery replacement is probably due regardless Research I did suggested that to be at least a good possibility to resolve that issue. I wish I would have done that while I could instead of being lazy.

I've not resolved the PSU issue, and my Sony XL3 is sitting dead on the back burner and has been replaced with another HTPC....currently out of sight and out of mind. I'm actually hoping someone comes up with a PSU alternative in the near future and/or comes up with a 24/20-pin to Sony 18-pin mapping....hint...hint.