Windows 7 on SONY VAIO-FE890 (N)

[muffin]

Hello People.

After some searches and test's with the windows 7 beta & RC on my vgn-fe890n, i finally installed all the features on it (including the FN functions and S1,S2).

Here are the step's I've taken (obviously after you installed the windows7):

1.Install NVidia driver (ver 195.39) from here.
2.Install Sony Shared Libraries from here.
3.Install Sony Utilities DLL from here.
4.Uninstall Vaio LAN Settings & another one similar with this (can't remember perfectly).
5.Install Firmware Extension Parser from here.
6.Install Memory Card / Touchpad / Camera with drivers from here.

And that's all. It's working perfect for me.

PS: before you install a driver, go to Properties and under COMPATIBILITY hit Vista SP2 and under PRIVILEGE activate As an Administrator
PS2: RESTART after each update!!!

Cheers,
Andrei

 

[muffin]

I've forgotten to add, that I've installed WINDOWS 7 PROFESSIONAL.

Andrei

 

[miche]

Hello People.

After some searches and test's with the windows 7 beta & RC on my vgn-fe890n, i finally installed all the features on it (including the FN functions and S1,S2).

Here are the step's I've taken (obviously after you installed the windows7):

1.Install NVidia driver (ver 195.39) from here.
2.Install Sony Shared Libraries from here.
3.Install Sony Utilities DLL from here.
4.Uninstall Vaio LAN Settings & another one similar with this (can't remember perfectly).
5.Install Firmware Extension Parser from here.
6.Install Memory Card / Touchpad / Camera with drivers from here.

And that's all. It's working perfect for me.

PS: before you install a driver, go to Properties and under COMPATIBILITY hit Vista SP2 and under PRIVILEGE activate As an Administrator
PS2: RESTART after each update!!!

Cheers,
Andrei

hey muffin, i know that you flagged this thread as solved but i have a question if i may:

i have a vaio vgn-fe890 NOT "N" that i think (and correct me if im wrong) it's pretty much the same of your model.
i didn't have to do what you did because after upgrading my sys worked OOTB apart from the video drivers.

I did what you did:

the first link you provided doesn't send you to the NVIDIA drivers page but to the shared library...i googled the version you indicated (195.39) but i found only drivers for XP.
Could you provide the correct link?

i did points 2 and 3 (i didn't need the rest... apart from the built-in camera. I gave up on that many moons ago, never worked with vista either) but for the nvidia driver i had to install the vista one for my model provided here Sony eSupport - VGN-FE890 - Software Updates & Drivers (i installed all the video drivers apart from the shared library)
i could get it to work but aero it's still soooooooooo slow!!

did you notice a reduce performance in your video capabilities too? I mean, i dont think it's a matter of pc but a matter of drivers (i worked fine with vista) .

checking the sony web site, they say that this model is not supposed to be upgraded Sony eSupport - VGN-FE890 but running upgrade advisor i got a positive response.

the nvidia web site provide this driver NVIDIA DRIVERS 179.48 BETA for GeoForce Go 7400 although they say that sony pcs are not supported.

is this the one you installed?

my sys doesn't run smoothly and if i dont solve the problem i think im going to have to revert to vista business

cheers,
m

 

[muffin]

Hey there.

Well, i don't know your specifications for you 890, but mine are:
Motherboard(i945PM), Memory (4GB Corsair DDR2 (PC2-5300)), Video (GeForceGO 7600), HDD (Seagate Momentus 7200rpm (250GB)); also my PC was designed for Vista.
As far for the video card, yes, it's not one from SONY, so they don't support it. In the end of this message I'll explain where/how you can get it.
The camera is working fine with the Vista drivers and applications.

As far as the performance, well it is running like hell(in the good way ). I've tried XP (and i was dissapointed how it run), Vista worked better..but lots of performance was reduced by the system. As far as Windows 7, it is running very very good. The Aero is running perfect and the memory, after start-up (whitch takes around 30 seconds from power button) the memory taken is around 450-600 with 35 processes.

Now, the NVidia Driver:
1.download this in a new folder.
2.download this inf in the created folder.
3.run setup.exe from the created folder.

PS: i know your video it's Go7400, but from the inf, it's supposed to work.

Cheers,

Andrei

 

[muffin]

Hey, i suggest to try to install the drivers from your sony supported device, but don't forget to change the compatibility!

PS: before you install a driver, go to Properties and under COMPATIBILITY hit Vista SP2 and under PRIVILEGE activate As an Administrator

 

[miche]

Hey there.

Well, i don't know your specifications for you 890, but mine are:
Motherboard(i945PM), Memory (4GB Corsair DDR2 (PC2-5300)), Video (GeForceGO 7600), HDD (Seagate Momentus 7200rpm (250GB)); also my PC was designed for Vista.
As far for the video card, yes, it's not one from SONY, so they don't support it. In the end of this message I'll explain where/how you can get it.
The camera is working fine with the Vista drivers and applications.

As far as the performance, well it is running like hell(in the good way ). I've tried XP (and i was dissapointed how it run), Vista worked better..but lots of performance was reduced by the system. As far as Windows 7, it is running very very good. The Aero is running perfect and the memory, after start-up (whitch takes around 30 seconds from power button) the memory taken is around 450-600 with 35 processes.

Now, the NVidia Driver:
1.download this in a new folder.
2.download this inf in the created folder.
3.run setup.exe from the created folder.

PS: i know your video it's Go7400, but from the inf, it's supposed to work.

Cheers,

Andrei

Well, at least now I know what that "N" stands for: "NOT-TO-BE-CONFUSED-WITH-THAT-CRAP-OF-VGNFE890-WITHOUT N"!!!!
I have half of the memory (and I cannot upgrade..at least it's what they say), the graphic card is different and I have 50 Gigs HD less that you do!

I managed it turning all the animations and fade-in/out in the windows manager off (I know, eye-candy stuff is great...but extremely annoying when slows down the system...I kept the transparency though).

I already installed the sony drivers (that's how I got it to work) but I guess is that 2Gigs RAM and Go7400 the problem...it just cannot get better but I'll stick with this until it dies (or I've got money for a new one).

The links you provived are broken...I don't know if I'll do the NVIDIA hack but just in case, could you give the right ones?

Thanks again for your answer,
m

 

[muffin]

Hello,

Well yes, but about the memory and the hdd, these aren't the original one's. I've upgraded last year (bought it in '07 from USA), from 2GB to 4GB (sony say's that they've tested my PC with 3GD but this don't offer support if I updated it with 4GB...well I understand now(last year actually) why is that: the main board with the video camera and 4GB they don't run perfectly in non-windows mode, like windows start-up, and a had a problem when i tried to install linux...the only one that works 100% is OpenSuse10.x) and from a HDD 4200rpm with 200GB to that one.

Here, I've uploaded the driver for the NVidia to a page: 195.39_win7x32.rar

Hope you get it work.

PS: on this website (I've provided in my last post's you can find updated driver for XP,Vista,7) : NVIDIA & Laptop News | Latest NVIDIA drivers and related news | laptopvideo2go.com

 

[miche]

Hello,

Well yes, but about the memory and the hdd, these aren't the original one's. I've upgraded last year (bought it in '07 from USA), from 2GB to 4GB (sony say's that they've tested my PC with 3GD but this don't offer support if I updated it with 4GB...well I understand now(last year actually) why is that: the main board with the video camera and 4GB they don't run perfectly in non-windows mode, like windows start-up, and a had a problem when i tried to install linux...the only one that works 100% is OpenSuse10.x) and from a HDD 4200rpm with 200GB to that one.

Here, I've uploaded the driver for the NVidia to a page: 195.39_win7x32.rar

Hope you get it work.

PS: on this website (I've provided in my last post's you can find updated driver for XP,Vista,7) : NVIDIA & Laptop News | Latest NVIDIA drivers and related news | laptopvideo2go.com

thanks muffin for your inputs...at least now i know that my laptop is just a bit old and not so crappy
i think i'll keep the sony drivers (i checked that nvidia link but i didn't really find support for Go7400.

you know what's funny though? i always thought about upgrading my pc (at least the RAM) but always found it couldnt be done.
i ran this utility Memory upgrades from Crucial.com - About Crucial:Media Toolbox from crucial web site to see if i could and basically it said that my laptop was a vgn-fe890N/H (and i'm pretty sure is not) and i could not upgrade the RAM cause it was already running the maximum amount.

my questions now are:
- does your bios recognize the 4 gb RAM?
- how much of it is it really using (apart from the fact that is a 32-bits so roughly around 3.2)?
- how much can you mother board support?
- what does it say that tool when you run it on your machine?

(these are my specs when running the tool)

According to our scan, your system already has the maximum amount of memory installed.

Your Sony VAIO VGN-FE890N/H Specifications

Currently installed memory:

1GB
DDR PC2-5300
1GB


Each memory slot can hold DDR2 PC2-5300 with a maximum of 1GB per slot.*

*Not to exceed manufacturer supported memory.

• Maximum Memory Capacity: 2048MB
• Currently Installed Memory: 2GB
• Available Memory Slots: 0
• Total Memory Slots: 2
• Dual Channel Support: No
• CPU Manufacturer: GenuineIntel
• CPU Family: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU T5500 @ 1.66GHz Model 15, Stepping 6
• CPU Speed: 1667 MHz
• System is at maximum memory, no upgrades are possible. These parts should be used as replacements once the system is outside of its warranty period.

Q: Will my system recognize the maximum upgrade?

A: Possibly How much memory your Windows OS will recognize depends on which version of Windows you are running. 32-bit versions of Windows will see (and utilize) only 3GB or 3.5GB. To utilize more memory, install a 64-bit version of your OS. More information about OS memory maximums can be found at http://www.crucial.com/kb/answer.aspx?qid=4251.


Q: What memory goes into my computer, and can I mix speeds?

A: DDR2 memory with support for DDR2 PC2-5300 speeds.


Q: How much memory can my computer handle?

A: 2048MB.
Adding the maximum amount of memory will improve performance and help extend the useful life of your system as you run increasingly demanding software applications in the future.

Q: Do I have to install matching pairs?

A: No. No, you can install modules one at a time, and you can mix different densities of modules in your computer. But if your computer supports dual-channel memory configurations, you should install in identical pairs (preferably in kits) for optimal performance.

Q: Does my computer support dual-channel memory?

A: No. Your system does not support dual channel.



Q: Does my computer support ECC memory?

A: No. Your system does not support ECC. Because ECC and non-ECC modules should not be mixed within a system, install the same type of modules that are already in your system.

thanks again,
m

 

[muffin]

my answers are:
- does your bios recognize the 4 gb RAM? => YES
- how much of it is it really using (apart from the fact that is a 32-bits so roughly around 3.2)? => 3.2 windows and 0.8 goes virtually to the video
- how much can you mother board support? => 4GB
- what does it say that tool when you run it on your machine? =>

Here are the results of the test:
Currently installed memory:

2GB
DDR PC2-5300
2GB


Each memory slot can hold DDR2 PC2-5300 with a maximum of 1GB per slot.*

*Not to exceed manufacturer supported memory.

• Maximum Memory Capacity: 2048MB
• Currently Installed Memory: 4GB
• Available Memory Slots: 0
• Total Memory Slots: 2
• Dual Channel Support: No
• CPU Manufacturer: GenuineIntel
• CPU Family: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU T7200 @ 2.00GHz Model 15, Stepping 6
• CPU Speed: 2000 MHz
• System is at maximum memory, no upgrades are possible. These parts should be used as replacements once the system is outside of its warranty period.

Q: Will my system recognize the maximum upgrade?
A: Possibly => it does recognize all my 4GB (in Vista and Win7)
How much memory your Windows OS will recognize depends on which version of Windows you are running. 32-bit versions of Windows will see (and utilize) only 3GB or 3.5GB. To utilize more memory, install a 64-bit version of your OS. More information about OS memory maximums can be found at Crucial FAQ - Answer.

Q: What memory goes into my computer, and can I mix speeds?
A: DDR2 memory with support for DDR2 PC2-5300 speeds. => true

Q: How much memory can my computer handle?
A: 2048MB. => 4GB
Adding the maximum amount of memory will improve performance and help extend the useful life of your system as you run increasingly demanding software applications in the future.

Q: Do I have to install matching pairs?
A: No.=>YES
No, you can install modules one at a time, and you can mix different densities of modules in your computer. But if your computer supports dual-channel memory configurations, you should install in identical pairs (preferably in kits) for optimal performance.

Q: Does my computer support dual-channel memory?
A: No.=> YES it supports
Your system does not support dual channel.

Q: Does my computer support ECC memory?
A: No.=>true
Your system does not support ECC. Because ECC and non-ECC modules should not be mixed within a system, install the same type of modules that are already in your system.

 

[muffin]

Dude watch here,

First, you download CPU-Z from this link (you unrar and run the .exe). This program will give you information's about your cpu, motherboard, video and memory. Your main interest in MAINBOARD and note what you get under CHIPSET (mine is Intel i945PM).
Next step, you go to www.intel.com and from that list you search your chipset and after that, at OVERVIEW you can if your motherboard support's 4GB and also more information about it.

So now you can find out if your motherboard supports 4GB (but if sony say's that they recommend only 2 GB then it(your PC) might not run even if the motherboard support's more amount of memory). As I told you before, in my case sony sayd that they recommend only 3GB.

Hope that i helped you ... at least a little bit.

Have fun.

 

[burright]

4GB Memory upgrade

I am looking to upgrade my Sony VGN-FE890 to windows7, so thank you for the post.

I have looked up the specs for the 890 and it used the i945GM chipset from Intel, which should support 4GB of memory according to Intel. I ordered 2 2GB SODIMMs (DDR2 PC2-5300) and installed under Vista (Home Premium, not Business) 32 Bit. The operating system sees all 4GB (uses 3GB) so obviously boots and runs fine (a little faster, in fact). However, it will not wake from sleep with the 4GB installed...hmmm. The BIOS sees 3 GB of memory (was poking around to see if I needed to change something in the BIOS to make it work right).

Any suggestions for why it will not wake from sleep with 4GB?

Thank you in advance for you help.

 

[burright]

I am looking to upgrade my Sony VGN-FE890 to windows7, so thank you for the post.

I have looked up the specs for the 890 and it used the i945GM chipset from Intel, which should support 4GB of memory according to Intel. I ordered 2 2GB SODIMMs (DDR2 PC2-5300) and installed under Vista (Home Premium, not Business) 32 Bit. The operating system sees all 4GB (uses 3GB) so obviously boots and runs fine (a little faster, in fact). However, it will not wake from sleep with the 4GB installed...hmmm. The BIOS sees 3 GB of memory (was poking around to see if I needed to change something in the BIOS to make it work right).

Any suggestions for why it will not wake from sleep with 4GB?

Thank you in advance for you help.

muffin: Did you have any trouble with the 890N using 4GB of memory on sleep and wake with Vista? Do you have any trouble with windows7? I could not account for much difference in the 890N vs my 890 (which the Sony 'Detect my model' called an 890E) which would cause any difference in memory usage.

 

[muffin]

Hello burright,

Regarding the version 890N/890E/890 and the amounth of memory, it isn't any difference.

The sleep problem I don't have it, but the hibernate problem yes (ex: if it goes to hibernate it isn't starting up; gives a error). From my research i think the problem is between the video board and the memory; but i'm using 4gb from 2 years and everything works good.

In BIOS also i have only 3GB (Vista/7 recognisez 4GB but they work only with 3.4 the rest goes shared to the video board). If you want to use all 4GB install a 64bit windows.

 

[burright]

Hello burright,

Regarding the version 890N/890E/890 and the amounth of memory, it isn't any difference.

The sleep problem I don't have it, but the hibernate problem yes (ex: if it goes to hibernate it isn't starting up; gives a error). From my research i think the problem is between the video board and the memory; but i'm using 4gb from 2 years and everything works good.

In BIOS also i have only 3GB (Vista/7 recognisez 4GB but they work only with 3.4 the rest goes shared to the video board). If you want to use all 4GB install a 64bit windows.

Thanks for the info. Makes sense why I have a different sleep issue...the difference in laptops is for the most part the graphics board. Mine uses the Intel 945 chipset family for graphics, no NVIDIA graphics for me

Everything works great with the exception of sleep and hibernate. So as long as I dis-able both I am good.

If you find any work around for the hibernate issue, let me know anyhow...might be helpful.

 

[burright]

Hello People.

After some searches and test's with the windows 7 beta & RC on my vgn-fe890n, i finally installed all the features on it (including the FN functions and S1,S2).

Here are the step's I've taken (obviously after you installed the windows7):

1.Install NVidia driver (ver 195.39) from here.
2.Install Sony Shared Libraries from here.
3.Install Sony Utilities DLL from here.
4.Uninstall Vaio LAN Settings & another one similar with this (can't remember perfectly).
5.Install Firmware Extension Parser from here.
6.Install Memory Card / Touchpad / Camera with drivers from here.

And that's all. It's working perfect for me.

PS: before you install a driver, go to Properties and under COMPATIBILITY hit Vista SP2 and under PRIVILEGE activate As an Administrator
PS2: RESTART after each update!!!

Cheers,
Andrei

Hey Andrei,

Did you install 32 or 64 bit Windows7 Professional?

I have installed 64 bit Windows7 Ultimate and things are mostly working (sans the memory stick duo pro slot, the web cam, and the S1, S2 buttons...this buttons don't bug me too much, the the others would be nice to have working). I also have a hibernate issue, but sleep works, so I just disabled hibernate for now.

I am in search of 64 bit drivers. In my attempt to install the drivers for the camera, I went to properties and checked vista SP2 and run as administrator, but I got a dialog saying I needed to run the 64-bit version of DPInst.exe on this machine...thus a search for 64 bit drivers....