topic Re: FN keys on WinXP don't work in PCs & Accessories

FN keys on WinXP don't work

funkmenera — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 19:19:35 GMT

Hi there !

Well, this is not my first visit but my first post.
So be patient

As the titel says, I formated my primary partition and installed Win.XP.prof. Just because I wanna try to reduce the programs which are runnin on the machine. And i didnt like the MediaCenterEdition ...
Up to now i got the special keys workin. The volume-keys work fine. The only keys making problem are the FNs.
My Laptop is a vgn-fe31m.
the utilitys and drivers (which are necessary ??) are installed, as i can assume on the point that the FN keys work.
When i want to reduce the brightness the symbol appears but it doesn't change ...
by the way, its the grey/black/white symbol and not the green one. Is that maybe a hint for the correctness of the dricers Or is that just the difference between MediaCenterEdition and Prof. ?

Hope somebody can help me out, cause the lightest display might be the most beautiful but it's also thirsty for energy
greetings, funki

Re: FN keys on WinXP don't work

rich912 — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 20:05:08 GMT

Hi funkmenera and welcome to Club Vaio.

Generally speaking you should install all Sony drivers and utilities after a non OEM install of XP to ensure the full functionality of your notebook. In practice, for the problem you describe, it may only necessary to install the following.

1)Sony Utilities.
2)Sony Shared Library
3)Vaio Event Service.

These can be downloaded as part of the pre-installed utilities package from Vaio-Link,

You will need to re-start your computer after the install and may possibly have to repeat the process more than once before the Fn keys work.

Re: FN keys on WinXP don't work

funkmenera — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 20:15:48 GMT

Hi !

Thanks for the quick replay .. . was unable to find my own post in this forum... i have to say that it's not that kind of handy as others out there. at least the search engine.. or sth.
But it works and thats what it has to do.
So don't mind what i wrote .

well, i had installed the 3 utilitys already .. but nothing...
Is there just a propability that it may work ? Or may i did something wrong ?

-> first i installed the sony utilitys dll
-> second the sony shared library
-> restart
-> the sony event service
-> restart

the volume knobs work and the event manager or what ever is reacting on the brightness keys, cause the symbol therefore appears. But the bar doesnt't change when i hit the button several times ...

and it cant be realy true that i have to install the drivers several times ... or ? do i have to install the drivers 10 times ? 100 times ?
at all i did that now up to .. 5 times. The propability for a workin Fn key grows ?

greetings, funki

Re: FN keys on WinXP don't work

robpaxton — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 20:23:23 GMT

You should install all of the applicable applications/drivers as below (Some apps may not be applicable to your model but if it is supplied then install it)

1. Sony Shared Library
2. Sony Notebook Control
3. Sony Programmable I/O Control Device
4. Sony Utilities Library
5. Sony UI Library
6. Sony Extended BIOS Dynamic Link Library
7. VAIO® Central
8. VAIO® Support Central
9. VAIO® Event Service
10. Setting Utility

Re: FN keys on WinXP don't work

funkmenera — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 07:16:18 GMT

Thanks for your reply.

Well, i think the "Sony Notebook Control drivers" aren't installed on my laptop. But how do i install them ?
I mean, for which device i have to apply them ? (there's no *.exe delivered with it)

And is there a possibilty to find all the other software ? cause in the software/driver packages i got for my VGN-FE31M some of them seem to be not included. But as i understood u, i dont even have to install them all, right ? Only the ones i got ... ?

greetings, funki

Re: FN keys on WinXP don't work

robpaxton — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 07:23:44 GMT

You are correct, you should just have to install the ones that you have got.

Re: FN keys on WinXP don't work

funkmenera — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 07:59:57 GMT

:smileygrin: OK

But how do i install the "Sony Notebook Control" ?
There's no setup.exe or so ...
to which device do i have to apply this driver in the device manager (in german its "Geräte Manager" ... dont know if "device manager" is the correct word for it .. but i think so) ???

Re: FN keys on WinXP don't work

naivri — Sat, 23 Dec 2006 20:02:45 GMT

awrite chaps

first, i have to thank you for helping me solve the exact same problem (even though you haven't solved it yourself yet)

second, for shame sony! It is difficult to do this even with a supposed recovery cd/ Incidentally, i installed every single thing on the cd in an attempt to sort it, but it still didnt

i had same problem, heres how to sort it.

go to your recovery cd. There should be a drivers directory on it. For the benefit of someone (like me half an hour ago) who gets nothing at all using the fn key combos, you need to install 2 drivers from this directory: sonypi and SonyNoteCtrl.

If you go into device manager in control panel, you may have a nice yellow question mark next to Unknown Device (i had 2 of them, i suspect you will have just the one). Click on it and click on update driver. Select choose where to install driver from manually option and browse to the drivers dir on the recovery cd. point it to the SonyNoteCtrl directory and it will pull the .inf file from there and install it

One reboot later, now the brightness and contrast should work for you.

If like me (for the benfit of anyone else who the fn keys do nothing for) you had 2 unknown devices showing, one needs the Sonypi driver and the other needs the SonyNoteCtrl driver

Hope this helps you cause it sorted it for me

I think if sonypi is installed and the notebook control isnt, then sony pi can only alter the windows components(ie volume/mute/hibernate etc) but it needs sony notebook control to change the other stuff like brightness/contrast etc

Re: FN keys on WinXP don't work

funkmenera — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 14:24:29 GMT

hi there !
and merry christmas to u all !

So, for me it still doens't work.
One reason maybe is the point that i can't find the sonypi driver.
I only find the sonyNC.
Furthermore i have no yellow signs anymore in my device manager. Propably because i installed the sonyNC already. But i dont rember it

So what would u recommend me for doing next ?
Re-install WinXP ... oh, no plz not ^^

And whats about that sonypi ??
Where could i find it ? It's not on my recovery CD or in the driver package from the internet ...

Or is there maybe a HOTFIX required ? I found lots of them on the recovery CD ...
for what are they supposed to be ???
The one for the audio-drivers is installed. But for what reason are there so many more ?

And by the way ... has anybody experinced a Linux (maybe SUSE10.2) on his VAIO ?? And could tell me if its possible to get it running with all functionalties ?

regards

Re: FN keys on WinXP don't work

rich912 — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 15:14:12 GMT

The drivers and utilities for Vaio’s are model dependant and although the solution posted by naivri worked for him it may have no relevance to your model. As far as I am aware Sonypi is not relevant to the vgn-fe31m and certainly not part of the pre-installed drivers.

Now that SonyNC seems to be installed try re-installing the following utilities:

1) SonyUtils DLL.
2) Sony Shared Library
3) Vaio Event Service.

As stated previously, you may find that you will need to do this more than once, followed by a restart, before the function keys will work.