BIOS Upgrade (R0113T0)
From: Chris Pearce
It looks like the issues the BIOS fixes are a mouse pointer lockup using PostPet
and it corrects some incorrect behavior in Power Panel and PPK when the lid
closes. Plus it would include all the previous fixes from the last BIOS update
( I think they were USB floppy fixes ).
I installed the BIOS update today, here's a rough translation for the
instructions out of the readme.txt and the web page. btw, the bios update also
includes new video drivers.
--
BIOS Update
( Before you update make sure you're plugged into the AC adapter )
1. Format a new floppy disc, with the copy system files option checked.
2. Run the bios update download, select the floppy disc as the destination.
not all the display drivers would fit on the disc, but that's not a big deal as
you can install them from the HDD later )
3. Reboot with the floppy drive plugged in and the disc in the drive, the
machine will boot off of the floppy.
4. At the A prompt type "upd0113", the rest of the update is in english.
5. You'll reboot, at the Sony screen hit the "esc" key.
6. Select the BIOS setup menu from the list, go to the last page of options in
the BIOS thing and select "Load Default Configuration", save changes and exit.
7. Sony Notebook Setup will now reflect your BIOS version as R0113T0 if you
updated correctly.
From: Paul C. Brodek
I did the 0113 BIOS update last night, and everything went smoothly.
The update includes a video driver update (same NeoMagic MagicMedia
256AV designation, but updated drivers), and it has fixed the most
annoying of the problems I've experienced.
I was previously unable to run WinAmp for more than a minute or two
before the system froze. After updating, I can now run WinAmp. I can
run WinAmp while other programs are running. I've also got my task
bar set to hide again, and I'm able to update PointCast without
crashing. Doing this before the update was risky.
All is not perfect, though. I tried WinAmp once with a plug-in
display running, and though it looked cool and played fine, when I
closed the program the plug-in display did not close properly. Also,
when I ran my most severe Vaio-crashing smoke test (WinAmp playing,
task bar hidden, PointCast updating, e-mail program [Forte Agent]
open), the system did freeze. Still, being able to run WinAmp at all
is a big improvement.
Haven't seen any ill effects from the update yet, but it's only been a
few hours.....
I don't have the energy to do complete translations of this stuff, but
hopefully you'll find some of the following useful. Standard
disclaimers apply----I am not a professional translator, and your
mileage may vary----I am not responsible if you try this and muck up
your Vaio! By the way, anybody try to dump this into AltaVista's
translator? Do they have Japanese set up yet?
[Translation on]
Sony is providing BIOS update "R0113T0" and display driver update to
remedy the following two problems.
NOTE: Be sure to update the display drivers after updating the BIOS!
1. System hangs when running PostPet if mouse pointer has been changed
from standard setting
2. When PowerPanel is set to "Turn off LCD when lid is closed" (the
standard setting for AC operation), the PPK key does not function when
the lid is closed even if PPK Setup is set for "Use programmable power
key when lid is closed."
[Translation off]
So these are the only two problems Sony is mentioning in regards to
this BIOS update. If what we're hearing about Sony not being
receptive to any issues outside of their default software/hardware
setup is true, it's not surprising they're not talking about WinAmp or
whatever else we're using that is tripping up our Vaio.
The rest of the document is download/flashing instructions. I'll
paraphrase the flashing instructions. I've been flashing BIOS updates
on notebooks for quite a few years now, and they always carry dire
warnings, and I've never trashed a notebook updating the BIOS. So I
don't sweat these too much, despite not being much of a hacker. But
I've also never had a machine stop running in the middle of flashing,
which would be distressing. Standard operatiing procedure is to make
sure you're plugged into AC, make sure your AC line is live, make sure
your battery is 100% charged in case the AC dies, and don't touch
anything while the BIOS is flashing.
If this is new to you, you might want to do a dry run first. Reboot
your machine and make sure you can access the BIOS setup screen. Then
make sure you can reload the default BIOS configuration, save the
changes, exit the BIOS setup screen and reboot. Make sure you can
figure out how to update your display drivers. If you don't know to
do this or can't figure it out, don't proceed with the BIOS update.
I apologize if any of this is way basic for y'all. This is
cyberspace, and all of you are just e-mail addresses to me. I don't
know who's a newbie and who's a multi-degreed systems analyst. Blah,
blah, blah......
OK. Instructions for non-newbies.......
1. Download the .exe and execute it to unpack the files
2. Copy the BIOS files to a bootable floppy, and either copy the
"Driver" directory to a floppy or remember where you unpacked it on
your HDD.
3. Boot from the disk with the BIOS files, then run upd0113.exe to
flash the BIOS. After flashing the Vaio will automatically power
down.
4. Restart the Vaio, enter BIOS setup and reload the default
configuration, then save changes and exit.
5. BIOS is now updated. Update your display drivers from the"Driver"
directory, selecting NeoMagic MagicMedia 256AV, then reboot. =20
6. Try WinAmp at full volume, wiggling your mouse profusely, and see
if it crashes or not! You may want to select something upbeat and,
well, triumphant, in case it works for you. If you don't handle
rejection well, pick at tune that's less risky.
Instructions for relative newbies:
1. Download the update .exe file.
2. Execute the .exe file. This will give you the BIOS flashing files
plus a directory named "Driver" which contains the updated display
drivers.
3. Copy the BIOS flashing files to a bootable floppy disk.
4. Copy the Driver directory to a floppy disk, or remember where the
directory is located on your hard disk.=20
5. Shut down Windows.
6. Put bootable floppy with BIOS update files into floppy disk drive.
7. Turn on Vaio with power switch.
8. After bootup, at the A:\> prompt, type Upd0113 and press enter.
9. If you want to update the BIOS, then and there, enter "y" when
prompted by "A:\>Do you want to upgrade the BIOS to R0113T0 (y/n)?"
GULP!
10. You will see a progress screen as the BIOS updates. It should
take about 5 minutes if you're updating from v.R0104T0 (original
BIOS), or about 1 minute if you're updating from v.R0108T0.
11. When the BIOS update program is complete the Vaio will
automatically power down.
12. Remove the BIOS update floppy disk and turn on the machine.
13. Hit the F2 key when the Sony logo is displayed to access the BIOS
setup screen.
14. When the BIOS setup screen is displayed, hit the Esc key.
15. Using the cursor keys, select "Get default values" from the popup
menu.
16. Select "Yes" and hit Enter when prompted by "load default
configuration now?"
17. Select "Exit (Save Changes)" and hit the Enter key.
18. Select "Yes" and hit the Enter key when prompted by "Save
configuration changes and exit now?" =20
19. At this point Windows should load normally and your BIOS update is
complete. You now need to update your display drivers using the
"Driver" directory (either on a floppy disk or your hard disk; see #4
above).
20. Left-click on any empty desktop space, then right-click and select
"Properties" from the pop-up menu.
21. Select the "Settings" tab (I think it's "Settings," but I'm
running Japanese----it's the last tab on the right). At the bottom
right is a box that says "Detailed" or something like that---click on
this box.
22. This will bring up a Display Driver Change Wizard, which should
walk you through the update. You need to select the non-default
option saying something like "Use a driver I provide," then browse
for the "Driver" directory. The Wizard will ask you to confirm that
you want to update to "NeoMagic MagicMedia 256AV; " say yes. Click on
"OK" or "Next" a few more times and Windows will update the drivers.
23. After updating the drivers, close the Wizard. Windows will ask if
you want to reboot, and you should.
24. You're done! After rebooting, run WinAmp (or whatever program
was crashing your Vaio quickest) and see if there's any improvement.
For those who asked earlier, the R0108T0 BIOS update was to fix the
follwing problems:
1. Bootup from the USB FDD is slow.
2. The USB FDD is not useable in Windows Safe Mode.
Similar flashing/update procedure as outlined above, but no display
driver update was involved. I did this update but noticed no
performance improvement regarding display/crashing. I think it's safe
to assume that the R0113T0 update included the R0104T0>R0108T0
updates.
One last item is the Pointing Stick Driver Update. This updates the
stick driver from v.1.00 to v.1.02 and addresses the following
problems:
1. After Windows is running a while, and/or after resuming from
Suspend, keyboard input is lost. (Note that this does not say whether
system locks up entirely, requires reboot, etc).
2. Some spreadsheet programs crash when the stick's scroll function is
used after freezing a window.
I did the update a while back, didn't find any improvement, and
eventually deleted the Sony driver. I'm using ToggleMouse (very
handy, highly recommended, I even paid for it, and I have no
connection to the company).
The other coupla updates were for Picture Gear and something else.
Neither, as far as I can remember, were related to display/crashing
problems.
Phew! Sorry this got so long----hope it's helpful. I'm listening to
some MP3 tunes with WinAmp while I clack this message, so I'm a happy
camper!
Cheers,
PB
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