Question about Sony Computers & Internet

FN keys don't work on Sony VAIO VGN-SZ18GP

Hi

I have installed Windows 7 (Release candidate version 7077) on my 3 year old Sony VAIO VGN-SZ18GP. Everything appears to work great, including the camera, the USB, video card, microphone, wireless, bluetooth, fingerprint scanner, power management, etc.

However one annoying thing remains, that being the FN keys that controll the sound volume and screen brightness, which no longer work as they did under Windows XP.

I realise that I can press Windows-X to bring up the mobility centre and change brightness and volume from there, but still, I wish to have the FN keys work again, if at all possible.

Thanks in advance if you can help me with this.

Paul

pbastowski Apr 18, 2009

Thanks for you suggestions.

YEs, Sony does indeed offers some new drivers for Vista, which are to some degree compatible with W7.

I am actually already downloading the Vista video driver from the site that you mentioned. I would not have thought that something like the FN kes would be connected somehow to the Video driver, other than the fact that some of the FN keys chage the brightness :)

Anyway, I never looked at the Vista video driver update as W7 already provides a working new driver. However, upon closer inspection it turns out that the Vista update driver from Sony does mention a fix for the brightness key not working.

So, I'll wait for the download to finish and then try again.

I'll post the results here too.

2 Answers

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The solution is as follows, which worked for me:

- Install Windows 7
- let it update all the drivers that it needs to
- Install additional Sony drivers that you need (XP drivers work just fine, but make sure to install them in Administrator mode, so, Run as Administrator), such as camera, fingerprint scanner, etc
- Install the Notebook Control Device Driver (without this the other software does nothing)
- Sony Utilities DLL
- Sony Shared Library

* restart computer *

- Sony Video Shared Library
- SUS (Setting Utility Series)

* restart computer *

- VES (VAIO Event Service)

After this one the Fn keys will start to work. The S1 and S2 keys don't work due to something to do with UAC (but I don't need them anyway)

- VAIO Control Centre (will allow you to change what the S1 and S2 keys do, even though you can't use them :) )

That's it and it worked for me.

Posted on Apr 27, 2009

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2,992 Answers

Since they have no intrinsic meaning to Windows, those function keys require drivers from the laptop manufacturer to work. Unless Sony offers drivers for W7 you may be out of luck. You can try installing the XP drivers and see if they will work with W7. The Sony download page is here. I think the "Notebook Control Device Driver" is probably the one you need.

Posted on Apr 18, 2009

Apr 19, 2009

Sounds like I might have been in the ballpark then, so to speak. At least in the neighborhood. Hope it works for you!

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