How do I set up my system for best performance with Windows 7

Hi,

I have a Sony Vaio VGC-LT15E, which is an all-in-one computer with monitor, webcam, microphone, speakers, and TV tuner all built in. It came with Vista, Windows Media Center, and a lot of Sony drivers and software on it.

Yesterday I installed a new larger/faster hard disk and installed Windows 7 (64-bit) clean on the new HDD. The computer is working, but I notice the following issues.

1. The built in webcam doesn't work. In Device Manager -> Imaging devices, I see "USB Video Device" [edit: found and installed a driver using a link found here and it works!]

2. The high-definition monitor in this computer is showing up simply as "generic non-PnP Monitor" and the graphics card as "Standard VGA Graphics Adapter." In Control Panel->Performance Information and Tools, it gives a windows experience index of 1.0 for Graphics and for Gaming graphics. I recall the score being much higher in Vista... this makes me think there must be a driver that I need to install. But when I try "Update Driver Software" in Device Manager it says "The best driver software for your device is already installed."

3. When I start Windows Media center to watch TV, I get the error "TV and video may not work as expected because the video card does not meet the minimum memory requirement of 64 MB of video RAM." I know the video card has enough ram though, since I was able to watch over-the-air HDTV using the included TV tuner when I was using Vista.

4. In device manager, I see two "in need of attention" icons under "Other devices." these are called
- Mass Storage Controller
- Multimedia Controller
In both cases when I choose "Update driver software" and automatically search for drivers, it says "Windows could not find driver software for your device."

5. I went to Sony's web site and found this long list of drivers:
Sony eSupport - VGC-LT15E - Software Updates & Drivers
I don't know much about Windows 7 but I have the impression that it is unlike XP and Vista in that it might not necessary to install a driver for every single component of the computer after installing the OS. I am willing to install all these things but I don't want to clutter up (or slow down) my system with anything unnecessary. Could someone with knowledge about these things give me some guidance as to whether I should install none, some, or all of the drivers shown on this page?

thank you!

You need to update ALL drivers. You will have to download the drivers for your hardware from Sony.

Once you have the correct drivers installed you can "tweak" the performance a bit if you want, but everything has to be functioning properly first, and that will only work with the correct drivers.


Regards....Mike Connor

In you device manager and in "Program & Features" of windows 7, make a comparison of the drivers versions already installed on your machine, then what they're saying on Sony "Support & Drivers" Site...

If you feel the need to update to the latest drivers, go on if they're Sony Stock drivers & softwares. For the other drivers make sure they're fully compatible and upgradable for you.

4. In device manager, I see two "in need of attention" icons under "Other devices." these are called
- Mass Storage Controller
- Multimedia Controller
In both cases when I choose "Update driver software" and automatically search for drivers, it says "Windows could not find driver software for your device."

Click to expand...

The Mass Storage Controler...sony have yours (screenshot). They're a bit old but should fix it.

The only other thing I would add is in the Sony page of drivers you have listed it says originally installed with Vista. Now I didn't go back and check if you selected Win7 64bit or if Vista 64 bit was the only option for the drivers. If this is the case you'll need to install them in compatibility mode Vista.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/316-compatibility-mode.html
If they are 7 drivers then just install them normally.
Fabe

I'd say from looking here,

Sony eSupport - VGC-LT15E

that Sony isn't providing Windows 7 drivers for that model,

Don't I need drivers from Sony for Microsoft® Windows® 7? Not necessarily. Basic system functionality should be automatically enabled with the drivers included within the Windows® 7 operating system.

However, if one of the drivers that came with the operating system does not work with your system, you can try installing the Windows Vista® version of the driver provided by Sony for your model. Many of the Windows Vista® drivers are compatible with Windows® 7 based on current testing. Make sure you choose the bit version (32-bit or 64-bit) that matches your version of Windows® 7.

Click to expand...

and the Vista drivers they have are all you're going to get. If this computer actually was a desktop (despite its form it is still nothing more than a laptop integrated into a monitor) you could probably get the necessary drivers from the component manfacturers, but Sony doesn't like to play nice with that sort of thing with regards to laptop drivers and as a result in a lot of cases manufacturer reference drivers will not install (without modding DevID's into various INF's).

I installed all the drivers from the Sony page about this model, but for the most part they don't work.

I tried installing each of them using compatibility mode. That did not work either.

I was able to find a link on another site to a driver that made the webcam start working... so that's taken care of. but the issues I am still stuck on are

1. mass storage controller - yellow triangle with exclamation point in device manager
2. multimedia controller - yellow triangle with exclamation point in device manager
3. the built-in TI flash card reader is not working (perhaps that is one of the above two)
4. NVIDIA display driver (shows as "standard VGA graphics adapter)
5. monitor (shows as Generic Non-PnP Monitor)
6. does not recognize built-in TV tuner (a problem, since this was our only TV! we now have none...)
7. BIOS update (doesn't work; not sure if that matters)

Any leads on where I can get the necessary drivers or what to try next?

Thanks!

SaxTeacher,

Were you ever able to find the answer to these missing drivers? I am currently stuck and lost with the same situation.