January 05, 2004
This is the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page for the Sony Vaio AMD based laptops. Most of the information contained in this FAQ is specific to the PCG-FX210/FX215 North American laptops and the FX201/FX301 European laptops. However, some of this information may also be applicable to the newer North American FXA and European FX40X laptops.
1. Do the FX210/FX215 laptops support PowerNow!?
No. The 800 Mhz Duron processor in the FX210 and FX215 laptops does not support AMD's PowerNow! feature. The 800 Mhz Duron processor is based on the older "Spitfire" core. The "Spitfire" core does not support PowerNow!.
PowerNow! is AMD's advanced power management technology that automatically adjusts the speed of the CPU based on demand to improve battery life. The technology is similar to Intel's SpeedStep technology. PowerNow! technology is available in AMD's mobile processors based on the "Morgan" and "Palamino" cores. More info is available at AMD's web site, www.amd.com.
PowerNow! Whitepaper pdf (49kB)
AMD Mobile Processor Athlon/Duron CPUID specs (pdf 341KB)
AMD Model 7 (Morgan) Mobile Duron Specs (pdf 901KB)
AMD Model 6 (Palamino) Mobile Athlon Specs (pdf 884KB)
9/27/03: PowerNow! Activity Monitor
3. Is it possible to replace the processor?
Yes. It is possible to replace the original processor with newer, faster, more advanced processors. People have successfully replaced the 800 Mhz Duron processor with a 900 Mhz Mobile Duron, 1.0 Ghz and 1.2Ghz Mobile Athlon processors.
- Must be a 25W mobile processors. The 35W and higher processors generate too much heat to be reliable.
- Must be a 100/200Mhz FSB (Front Side Bus) processor. The FX laptop are 100/200Mhz FSB laptops. If you attempt to use a 133/266Mhz FSB processor it will run at slower speed.
If you are purchasing a replacement processor off of Ebay be very careful about what you buy. There is a table available here and here that cross references all of the AMD processor model numbers with their specs.
I have replaced my 800 Mhz processor with a 900 Mhz Mobile Duron Processor and also with a 1.2Ghz Mobile Athlon processor.
There is additional information here on where to purchase a replacement processor as well as how to physically perform the processor replacement.
Processor purchase information
Laptop Disassembly and processor replacement
4. Does PowerNow! work with a processor replacement?
The verdict is still out on this issue. Some people have reported that PowerNow! does extend battery life. Personally, I have not seen a big difference in battery life with the new processor and PowerNow!. The PowerNow! utility does change processor speed as it is supposed to. With PowerNow! enabled my processor speed will fluctuate from 550 Mhz to 900 Mhz as it is supposed too.
More information on this topic is available here.
and here
There is also a problem with PowerNow! support under WinXP. It seems the M$ goofed when they shipped WinXP and forgot to include support for PowerNow! and SpeedStep technology. The M$ update site now includes the necessary drivers to support PowerNow!. However, the process of installing the drivers and getting PowerNow! to function correctly is not straight forward. There is a page here that details how to get PowerNow working under WinXP. WinXP PowerNow! enabling.
Also read FAQ 22 for more information on PowerNow! under WinXP.
5. Is it possible to install other Operating Systems on these laptops?
Yes. People have successfully installed Win2K, WinXP Home and Pro, Linux, and BSD.
Win2K. The big problem with installing Win2K is that Sony is unwilling to support Win2K on these laptops. However, I have scrounged up all the drivers necessary to run Win2K on these laptops. Furthermore, Win2K is the primary OS that I use on my FX210. Win2K drivers page.
WinXP. Sony is supporting WinXP on these laptops however people have run into some driver issues with Sony's support of WinXP. I have a WinXP drivers page to help out those people who have problems with Sony's drivers. WinXP drivers page.
UNIX. It is possible to install versions of Linux and BSD on these laptops. More info is available on the Vaio Unix Guide page. Vaio Unix Guide.
Multiple Bios choices are available for these laptops. A full description of the various Bios versions and compatibilities are available on my Bios page. Bios page link.
7. Can I upgrade the Harddrive?
Yes. Any 2.5 inch by 9.5 mm high laptop hard drive will work in these laptops. People have reported using IBM Travelstar 20 and 30 GB hard drives with great success.
Check out the hard drive replacement page for directions on how to get to and replace the hard drive.
See FAQ 19 for additional information.
8. How do I enable AGP support under WinXP?
Enable AGP support under WinXP is a problem that multiple people have reported under WinXP. How AGP support is enabled varies depending on the Bios version used.
If using the WXP01K5 Bios AGP support has to be enabled by a manual installation of the Via CPU to AGP driver.
If using the R0107K5 Bios, AGP support will be enabled by installation of Via 4 in 1 drivers.
9. What chipset is used in these laptops?
The FX210/FX215 laptops use the Via KT133A chipset.
The FXA laptops also use the Via KT133A chipset but have an updated Southbridge that supports ATA100.
Detailed Chipset information is available at Via's Web Site. Via web site chipset info
10. Can I use the Via 4in1 drivers?
Yes. In fact to get optimum performance out of these laptops I strongly recommend using the Via 4in1 drivers. Periodic checking of the Via homepage for updated Via 4in1 drivers is also strongly recommended.
11. What is expected Battery Life for FX210/FX215 with original PCGA-BP1N (1700mAh) battery?
You can forget about the numbers Sony published of 1 to 2 hours. The best that you will probably get with the BP1N battery is 45-50 minutes maximum.
Owners of the FXA series of AMD based laptops have reported run times of 80 to 90 minutes with the BP1N battery.
12. What other batteries are available?
There are 4 batteries that I know of for the FX210/FX215 laptops. Three of these are from Sony, the fourth battery is from APC. These batteries will also work with the FXA and European AMD based machines. I believe that they will also work with any FX series Sony Vaio.
- PCGA-BP1N -- 1700mAh, Original battery, about 45 minutes of life without PowerNow! and original bios. 70-80 minutes with PowerNow! and updated bios.
- PCGA-BP71 -- 2600mAh, Extra Battery, about 90 minutes of life without PowerNow! and original bios. 120-140 minutes with PowerNow! and updated bios.
PCGA-BP71A -- 3000mAh, Extra Battery, unknown haven't tested.
- LBCSY1 -- 3200mAh (was listed as 5000mAh), Battery from APC.
Make sure the display backlight is set to minimum level. Hold down the Fn-Shift-F5 key until the display is as dim as possible.
Make sure you get at least one free additional higher capacity battery BP71 or BP71A from Sony. (Thanks to Jay for this one.)
At one point Sony offered a rebate for an extra battery with the purchase of an FX210/FX215. Here is a link to the original rebate offer pdf file. Rebate offer.
For info on how to get extra batteries from Sony read this. Battery issues.
14. Is it possible to OverClock the FX210/FX215?
Yes. Using the CPUFSB (Developed but no longer supported by H.Oda)utility you can step the front side bus up from 100mhz. Multiple people have had success OverClocking these machines.
15. How do I OverClock the FX210/FX215?
Josh has a description on his site on how to OverClock the FX210/FX215. Link to Josh's site.
Tony (toneman) also provides a quick description on how to OverClock the FX210/FX215.
Using CPUFSB "In the PLL manufacturer box, enter "ICS". In the PLL type box enter
9248-168, then set the frequency to whatever you wish. I've been
able to clock the FSB at 115Mhz (x2= 230Mhz), which gives a max
speed of 1150Mhz on my A4 1.0. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!"I will reiterate what Tony and Josh say, Use at your own risk. OverClocking a laptop may definitely lead to a dead machine if you are not careful.
16. How do I install the Apps on the Application Recovery CD?
If you update the OS on the FX210/FX215 laptop to Win2K or WinXP you may loose the ability to install the applications on the Application Recovery CD. It seems that Sony does some sort of qualification or version checking to make sure the applications belong on your PC and without the correct information the Application Recovery CD install routine will fail.
There is a solution to this problem. It is possible to extract the applications from the Application Recovery CD without using the install routine. A description on how to do this is available here. Link to solution.
You will need the "kcap.exe" application to unpack the the applications from the Application recovery CD. This utility should be in a directory labeled "ucd" on your "c:\" drive. However, if you don't want to look for it or can't find it here is the "kcap" application.
17. Can WPCREDIT from H.Oda be helpful?
The WPCREDIT and WPCRSET utilities developed by H.Oda can be used with the Vaio FX210/FX215 and FXA laptops. For a good description of what these utilities can do check out this article at ViaHardware. (Thanks for finding this article Tony.)
http://www.viahardware.com/download/viatweak.shtm
Please be very careful if you decide to experiment with this utility.
18. What utilities/apps can be used to analyze and benchmark?
I have been using a number of different utilities/applications to benchmark and analyze my FX210 laptop. The main criteria for the applications I have been using is that they be free. I know there are a lot of great system analysis utilities out there. Here are the ones I have been using.
Let me know if you have any great utilities that should be added to this list.
19. Can the Hard Disk be replaced/upgraded?
Yes. Any 2.5inch wide by 9.5mm or 12mm high IDE Laptop hard drive will work.
For information and directions on how to take upgrade your hard drive click here.
20. A driver update from Sony won't install. Now what?
Don't panic. Sony packages all of their software updates in Install Shield Wizard applications. I believe Sony does this to protect us dumb end users from installing the wrong driver or update on the wrong machine.
If you have made sure that the driver or application is the correct one for your system then read the i6comp How-To to break the driver or application out of the Install Shield Wizard.
21 My screen blanked and now won't come back on.
Occasionally when the LCD screen on my laptop blanks, turns off, and it won't turn back on. I believe that it is the backlight that is not coming back on. I don't know why the backlight fails to turn back on. However, I do have a workaround for the problem.
The solution that works for me is to 'Suspend' the laptop by holding down the 'Fn' key and the 'Esc' key. The laptop will then enter 'Suspend' mode. Tap a key on the keyboard and the laptop will wake up from 'Suspend' mode and the backlight on the LCD screen will turn back on like it is supposed too.
Garrett has come up with an even better solution.
1. In Win2k's Power Options Dialog box, go to the Advanced tab and set the "When I close the lid of my portable computer" option to "None".
2. Find the hole that the LCD's latch goes into when the lcd is closed. The hole is just below the right button of the touchpad. In the hole is the switch that shuts the backlight off when the lcd screen is closed.
3. When the backlight fails to go on, simply bob a pen or thin object into the hole repeatedly until the backlight goes on. Because of step 1, you don't have to wait for the computer to come in and out of suspension. It takes less than 10 seconds now for me to get my backlight back on.
22. PowerNow! control and support under WinXP.
Microsoft has a great article on PowerNow! and Power Management under WinXP. This article describes in detail how to control PowerNow! features under WinXP.
23. Where can I get a copy of the User Manual?
For those people who are buying used AMD based Vaio's I am collecting the User manuals for the various models and posting them here on the web site. For those of you with user manuals that I do not have I would appreciate it if you could forward them to me.
Here are links to the user manuals;
FX201, FX210, FX215, FX301, FX401, FX405, FX501, FX505, FXA32, FXA33, FXA35/D, FXA36, FXA47, FXA48, FXA49
Intel based Vaio;
24. How do I adjust the Volume and Brightness?
I get quite a few e-mails from people asking how to adjust the Volume and LCD Brightness using the (Fn) key.
Increase Volume -- Hold down the (Fn) key and tap the (F4) key. Each tap will raise the volume by a little bit.
Decrease Volume -- Hold down the (Fn) key and the (Shift) key and tape the (F4) key. Each tap will decrease the volume a little bit.
Increase LCD Brightness -- Hold down the (Fn) key and tap the (F5) key. Each tap will increase the brightness by a little bit.
- Decrease LCD Brightness -- Hold down the (Fn) key and the (Shift) key and tape the (F5) key. Each tap will decrease the brightness a little bit.
25. Fix for noisy Hitachi Hard Drive.
This FAQ was presented initially by Tansu and then by Steve.
I have found the solution to the hard disk clicking problem in my FXA-48. The hard disk is a Hitachi DK23CA-30, so it may apply to other laptops shipped with this hard drive. This solution is also applicable to the following Hitachi DK23CA Family of 10/20/30GB Notebook Hard Drives (DK23CA-10) (DK23CA-20) (DK23CA-30).
There is a firmware update in support pages of Dell (their reputation seems not in vein). Here is the link. You will find instructions and details regarding the update:
" support.dell.com/us/en/fi...id=r37262"Dell has pulled the ability to download the Hitachi DK23CA drive firmware upgrade that solves this problem. Thankfully Tansu has the file and forwarded it to me. Here is a local copy of the Hitachi DK23CA firmware upgrade utility (930KB).
The downloaded file contains a compressed (or zipped) set of files. Download the file to a folder on your hard drive, and then run (double-click) it to unzip the set of files. Follow the instructions to create a set of floppy diskettes, and then use the diskettes to complete the installation.
Check the WARNINGS below and on those pages!!!
There are related discussions in some other forums too:
" bizforums.itrc.hp.com/cm/...9,00.html"
" bizforums.itrc.hp.com/cm/...9,00.html"
I have successfully updated the firmware. I can't say this `power saving harddrive head parking' behavior is totally eliminated (I guess I should not expect this), but at least that clicking sound which was driving me crazy is almost gone!!! In addition, I guess that clicking has not healthy effects for the lifespan of the drive.
26. My Bios update was not successful now what?
Some Vaio laptops seem to have a problem with Bios flash updates. The flash update process does not complete successfully rendering the laptop useless.
There are three options available for repairing the laptop.
Contact Sony support and have them repair the bios.
- Contact BadFlash.com and have them provide a new bios.
Thank you Zac for providing the link to Badflash.
27. Fix for DIVX movies not playing with DIVX 5 Codec.
It seems that the DIVX 5 codec breaks the playing of DIVX movies on our laptops. A discussion of the problem appears on the DIVX Forum.
The fix for the problem is to install the latest Via 4in1 drivers from ViaHardware or ViaArena. The Via 4in1 version that fixes the problem is version 4.38 or later.
Thank you Colette and others for bringing the problem and solution to my attention.
28. Sound distortion when playing DirectX games.
Jörg requested the FAQ addition
I encountered sound problems (distortions) when playing DirectX based games after waking up from Hibernate or Stand by. This can be solved by turning off the hardware acceleration for the sound. The latest sound driver for the 686 Southbridge from VIA also has an entry in the readme file which refers to a problem with the Stand by Mode.
29. Service manual for the AMD FX Laptops
Thanks to the generosity and sharp downloading/scrounging skills of a couple of individuals I know have service manual for 3 different models of these laptops. All of the service manuals are basically the same because all of the laptops are basically the same.
FX210/215 Service Manual (pdf 679KB)
30. What is on each of the Recovery Disks
Included with the laptop that ship with WinXP are a bunch of recovery CDs. These Recovery CDs include
For a list of what is included on each of these CDs click here.
A big thanks goes out to Robert H. Haener IV for providing this information.
31. Possible solution for a password locked bios.
The following describes a procedure for recovering a lost bios password in one of these FX laptops. I have not verified whether this procedure will actually work but it may be useful for if you find yourself in this situation.
Procedure to clear a lost bios password.
32. Recover procedure for corrupted TCP/IP stack.
Mike F. provided this info regarding correcting a corrupted TCP/IP stack under WinXP.
has a utility for repairing the Winsock service stacks. Also found info that relates to uninstall of NAV, when you uninstall NAV it fails to break the dependancy of DHCP on NAV SYMTDI. This prevents connection via network. See link belowlink details the problem & solution.
I have not had a need to verify the above procedure or information.
Please feel free to send me any additions to this list that you feel might be appropriate.
Later,
Brad
