Keep Loosing NVIDIA Graphics in VISTA on on VGNZ11VN

[icarteruk]

I can only be described as extremely p*ss*d off
I have reinstalled this machine so many times now that I can do it in my sleep.

My problem is that the machine keeps reverting to 640x480 default graphics (Not even Intel drivers) and I can not work out how to get it to recognise the NVIDIA card again without uninstalling and reinstalling the NVIDIA drivers.

The stamina / speed switch is permanently left in the speed position.

But evey couple of days a reboot leaves me with no graphics driver again and the little warning sign against NVIDIA in the device manager list

Do I have a duff video card ?

Can I permanently disable the motherboard graphics ? Dynamic switching is so unreliable as to be a hindrence and not a benefit.

[Blencogo]

Hi icarteruk and welcome,

If you have reinstalled the system several times and your Vaio is fully patched with updates from Microsoft and Vaio Update, it is time to contact Sony to register the problem as a duff video card is an expensive repair.

All you can do is to install an updated video driver. What Version do you have installed? Probably 174.49

Try this one to see if it is a driver problem: -

nVidia 9300M GS - Version 185.20

Otherwise, contact Sony Support here: -

http://support.vaio.sony.co.uk/contacts/contacts.asp?site=voe_en_GB_cons

[icarteruk]

Thanks Blencogo but the Z11 has a hybrid driver to support the dual graphics cards and any standard NVIDIA driver refuses to load.

I have set this up for triple boot , VISTA / XP / UBUNTU

XP has been stable for a month , but that has now started to blue screen on graphics load , and VISTA is stuck in basic graphics so I am ignoring it for now....

This is the most frustrating machine I have ever had - and I have had many - the lack of support from SONY is simply mind boggling - let alone the inability to provide a simple search facility for 2 months....

I am afraid that SONY have lost me as a repeat customer after this experience.

[Blencogo]

You don't have a hybrid graphics driver - you have a normal nVidia one and a normal Intel one and switch from one to the other using the mode switch.

Although a standard nVidia driver will not install, the nVidia driver that I gave a link to should install on any Vaio with nVidia 9300M GS graphics and running Vista as the .INF file has been modified to allow the install on the Z11. You must be running Vista and have the hybrid graphics switch set to 'Speed' nVidia mode to install this driver.

You mention a lack of support from Sony - have you contacted Sony support? If so what did they say?