Modified LaptopVideo2Go nVidia 32-Bit XP INF with VAIO Brightness Controls

[bogart]

I added the VAIO brightness control info to the recent v169.13 XP LaptopVideo2Go inf and it should be compatible with some of the newer VAIO models.

Please test it out and let me know if it works.

; Sony VAIO nVidia XP driver v6.14.11.5666 INF modified with Pieter's INF version 3.254 for use with LaptopVideo2Go's v174.74 32-bit XP driver
; http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/forum/...howtopic=18050
;
; Brightness control supported for all Sony VAIO notebooks containing the following nVidia graphics devices:
; - NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400
; - NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600
; - NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 GT
; - NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
; - NVIDIA GeForce 8400M G
; - NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GT
;
; Notes:
; - If you already have an existing nVidia driver installed, uninstall it with its Uninstaller, then use Driver Sweeper to remove any remaining files/registry keys and reboot before you attempt to install this driver. http://tinyurl.com/2sq2ks
; - Overwrite the existing nv4_disp.inf in 17474.exe with this file.
; - The old control panel display is used in this inf by default; right click on the Desktop to access it. If you'd like to use the new control panel instead, comment out the "Old Control Panel" section in the inf (search for that string) and remove the semicolons from the "New Control Panel" section. If you'd like to switch to a different control panel after you've installed the driver, go to the registry where the control panel settings are located and modify the policy values. The changes will take into effect after Windows XP is restarted.
; - In order to enable Fn brightness control, you'll need to adjust the SmartDimmer slider in this picture: New: http://tinyurl.com/5tonpm , Old: http://tinyurl.com/yug2aq and apply the changes.
; - Use this driver in conjunction with VAIO Power Management.
;

v174.74 INF
v174.74 Driver

[unid3ntifi3d]

Thanks so much, Bogart; I've always wanted to use the optimized drivers from LaptopVideo2go. I can confirm it works with my SZ650N/C. Will this .INF work with future releases, or will it require editing according the new driver?

[bogart]

Thanks so much, Bogart; I've always wanted to use the optimized drivers from LaptopVideo2go. I can confirm it works with my SZ650N/C. Will this .INF work with future releases, or will it require editing according the new driver?

Yes, it will, but it has to be edited. The easiest way to do it would be to use a file comparison utility like ExamDiff and compare the v169.13 modified XP INF offered at LaptopVideo2Go (not this) and an updated LV2Go modified INF, and add any changes to the one that I made. You can skip changes related to the addition of extra video cards from the [NVIDIA.Mfg] and [Strings] sections.

[unid3ntifi3d]

It sounds somewhat confusing, so let me use the new 169.17 XP 32bit as an example. Using ExamDiff, I found 6 differences between the 169.13 INF at LV2G and the 169.17 at LV2G: Changing two lines and adding other 4 lines. Can I go back to your 169.13 INF and change the two lines and add the corresponding 4 lines?

[bogart]

It sounds somewhat confusing, so let me use the new 169.17 XP 32bit as an example. Using ExamDiff, I found 6 differences between the 169.13 INF at LV2G and the 169.17 at LV2G: Changing two lines and adding other 4 lines. Can I go back to your 169.13 INF and change the two lines and add the corresponding 4 lines?

Yes, that's basically what you do. As you do your comparisons you'll find that the header area will always change due to the version and date differences. To find out where to add the other changes in my inf, you'll have to examine the LV2G inf more carefully. The LV2G inf supports both mobile and desktop video cards, so if there happens to be a change outside the mobile section related to your device, in this case anything not associated with nv4_mobile, you can ignore it. My (and Sony's) inf uses a different name for each video device, which is the same as nv4_mobile, but you can find out which one is related to your device by checking the NVIDIA_XXXX.DEV_XXXX.X string in the [NVIDIA.Mfg] and [Strings] categories.

Using the 169.13 LV2G inf as an example, the following lines are related to the VAIO graphics devices:

[nv4_mobile]
CopyFiles    = nv4.Miniport, nv.Display, nv4.icd, nv.Panel, nv.Help, nv.nViewPanel, nv.nViewHelp
DelFiles     = nv.oldrm, nv.delete.systemfiles
RegisterDLLs = nv.RegisterCPL

[nv4_mobile.CoInstallers]
CopyFiles = nv.CoInstaller
AddReg    = nv_CoInstaller_AddReg
AddReg    = nv_CoInstaller_NVAppsXML_AddReg

[nv4_mobile.SoftwareSettings]
AddReg = nv_SoftwareDeviceSettings
AddReg = nv4_icdSoftwareSettings
AddReg = nv_ControlPanelSettings
AddReg = Mobile_Tweaks
AddReg = MapOSD3ToNV_3
AddReg = Default16BPP_AddReg
DelReg = nv_ClearRegistrySwitches

[nv4_mobile.Services]
AddService = nv,    0x00000002, nv4_Generic_Service_Inst, nv4_EventLog_Inst
AddService = NVSvc, 0x00000000, nv_NVSVC_Inst
DelService = nvarch
DelService = nvgfx

[nv4_mobile.GeneralConfigData]
MaximumDeviceMemoryConfiguration = 80
MaximumNumberOfDevices           = 4

So any changes that you find here or at any of the categories listed to the right of CopyFiles, DelFiles, AddReg, DelReg, and RegisterDLLs (such as [nv_SoftwareDeviceSettings], [nv.Help], [nv.RegisterCPL], etc. located at the bottom of the file) should also be applied to my inf.

[marian3k]

Hi There.

@bogart
I've got Sony VGN-AR41S with 4GB Ram. Tried Vista 64bit on it and only thing which I coudn't get going was brighness adjustment using FN key. Is there any chance this driver will work on Vista 64 bit?

Thanks
Marian

[bunbuns]

Strangely enough i haven`t had any problems with Powermimizer, smart dimmer, and Brightness Control after similar values were put into a laptopvideo2go inf driver i installed a few months ago.

Didn`t need to touch smart dimmer to get brightness to work with new drivers from laptopvideo2go. Althrough i am guessing this has to do with the registry values from the previous installation not being completly uninstalled during a driver clean.

Currently using 169.04 XP which works perfect (except for the new control panel in it which crashes) and allows overclocking. Do these newer drivers allowing overclocking on the SZ? i have heard good things of the latest 174.XX drivers.

[bogart]

Didn`t need to touch smart dimmer to get brightness to work with new drivers from laptopvideo2go. Althrough i am guessing this has to do with the registry values from the previous installation not being completly uninstalled during a driver clean.

Currently using 169.04 XP which works perfect (except for the new control panel in it which crashes) and allows overclocking. Do these newer drivers allowing overclocking on the SZ? i have heard good things of the latest 174.XX drivers.

You are right. If you're installing the drivers from a clean installation state, you'll have to adjust the slider in the SmartDimmer options to get the brightness hot keys working, but if you are upgrading from an existing driver and did not remove all the brightness registry entries with a program like Driver Sweeper or Driver Cleaner Pro, you don't have to adjust the slider.

You can overclock with the drivers I posted, and there's an option for it in the old control panel. I'm not sure if the new control panel has one, though.

[bunbuns]

Inf file worked perfectly bogart. I dunno why Nvida made a new control panel for. The old one is much faster and easier to use. In the new 174.XX drivers it looks like they updated the GUI pictures in it too.

Crud. Overclocking didn`t work on 174.40. RivaTuner values reset themselves on exit. Haven`t tried 169.13/28 yet. Beginning to think the 169.04 drivers were never meant to be released allowing it to bypass the locked bios GPU core/mem clocks that Sony seems to have put on the Geforce 8400M GS

[schwix]

Hey,

i've git a VGN-NR21 S/S and FN buttons still don't work. I can change brightnes via the nVidia control panel, but not with the FN buttons.

Using the v174.74 Driver with your INF: