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I've got a really weird issue. I have two laptops, both Sony Vaio.

The first is a VGN-SZ1HP with the following specs:

  • Intel Core Duo T2300
  • 2GB RAM
  • GeForce Go 7400 (128MB)

The second is a VGN-SZ3XP with the following specs:

  • Intel Core Duo 2 T7200
  • 2GB RAM
  • GeForce Go 7400 (128MB)

Both have 13" screens and run at the same resolution: 1280 x 800, and they are both running a clean installation of Windows 7 x86.

The second machine is clearly the more modern one, but for some reason it is noticeably slower with graphics (e.g. Aero) than the first one. Why could this be?

More Details

There is noticeable stuttering on the second machine when you're opening and closing windows. I can't understand why. Aero is completely smooth on the first machine, so it makes me think there's something quite wrong, given their specs. The only difference between the two machines is the driver versions.

The first machine is running 8.17.11.9621, which (I believe) it got automatically from Windows Update, whereas the second machine was impossible to find drivers for. Windows installed Generic drivers, which were terrible. I tried NVidia's official drivers, but they refused to install.

I tried Sony's official drivers, but they were for Vista and they were just as slow as the current ones (below), with the added bonus that they kept crashing.

So I eventually resorted to using NVidia MobilityModder to get the machine to install NVidia's 7.15.10.9813 drivers.

The hardware IDs for the two graphics cards are identical:

PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_01D8&SUBSYS_81E6104D&REV_A1

Anyone got any ideas?

Perhaps there is there a way I can manually grab the drivers from the first machine and install it on the second?

Django Reinhardt
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  • Have you just tried installing the latest Nvidia drivers from [their website](http://nvidia.com)? – Tamara Wijsman Dec 11 '11 at 21:35
  • What programs are running on each machine? How much CPU and RAM is being used while idling? – Simon Sheehan Dec 11 '11 at 21:38
  • Yes, I've tried installing the latest drivers. It says it cannot find compatible hardware, and the note on their site says they don't support Sony Vaio. All very odd and annoying. – Django Reinhardt Dec 12 '11 at 01:12
  • @Simon, RAM and CPU usage when idle is the same, and just about as you'd expect (i.e. not very high). – Django Reinhardt Dec 12 '11 at 01:13
  • Question: If I take the driver files from the slower laptop, could I try and manually install them? – Django Reinhardt Dec 13 '11 at 04:04
  • Yes. If you go to the device manager, you can location the .ini and .sys files required. You could then install those files by selecting to install from a file, and selecting those files. – soandos Dec 14 '11 at 06:36
  • @Johnny W Did you actually try newest drivers for **your** video card? They are version 179.48. [Here](http://www.geforce.com/Drivers/Results/8971) are 32bit ones and [here](http://www.geforce.com/Drivers/Results/8972) are 64bit ones. – AndrejaKo Dec 14 '11 at 09:49
  • How did you find windows 7 drivers for the same card on the first machine but were unable to on the second machine? It makes no sense, they are just graphics drivers you don't have optimus so chipset shouldn't matter... – Supercereal Dec 14 '11 at 14:54

2 Answers2

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You could use a tool such as Driver Magician Lite to backup the video driver from your first computer.

This will create a directory with all the required files and including the inf file, which you can transfer to the second computer.

In the second computer, go into the Device Manager, locate your display adapter, right-click and Properties, Driver tab, Update Driver button, click Browse my computer, then point it at this directory.

harrymc
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  • This sounds very hopeful indeed. I backedup the driver and move it over to the new machine. I then pointed Windows at the driver in that directory. It seemed to think the current one was best, so I manually told it to install the software. Unfortunately after a while Windows 7 stopped the driver installation and reported: "The system cannot find the file specified." – Django Reinhardt Dec 14 '11 at 18:58
  • You can have a look at the inf file - if it contains a list of files then you can check if they were not omitted in the generated directory. I must say that in view of so many anomalies, I am starting to lean in the direction of a hardware problem. – harrymc Dec 14 '11 at 20:13
  • Damn. That would be a shame, I hope it doesn't turn out to be that. The .inf file is gigantic... I hope I don't have to manually go through it all! Maybe I'll post a question on the Driver Magician forums (if they have one). Thanks. – Django Reinhardt Dec 15 '11 at 00:30
  • Just search the inf file for the word "file". This usually finds it. – harrymc Dec 15 '11 at 08:09
  • Ok, it seems Driver Magician did a pretty poor job. I went through the file manually and it apparently missed about four files. I manually moved those files over and lo! If the 8.17.11.9621 driver didn't finally install. No more stuttering, no more jerkiness, same WEI score as the older machine. I just hope there aren't any gremlins lurking, waiting to be discovered, but so far, so good. Thanks for your help! – Django Reinhardt Dec 15 '11 at 16:14
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Strange, but your Geforce Go drivers are clearly on the Nvidia Website. I'd try the official drivers, since it is quite likely that the modded drivers are causing the stuttering.

surfasb
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  • Yes, I tried them, unfortunately it claims it can't find any compatible hardware. And then there's the note at the bottom of that page: Note: The following notebooks are not supported in this release: Sony VAIO notebooks (please contact the notebook OEM for driver support for these notebooks) – Django Reinhardt Dec 12 '11 at 01:11