Docking station not working with Windows 8

[nick15]

Hi

I have a VGN-FE21H laptop with a VGP-PRFE1 docking station.  I've just upgraded from XP to Windows 8 & the docking station works only partly - ethernet & USB are working but the external monitor & sound aren't.  I'd be grateful for any ideas on how to get them working.

I installed Vaio Update but it doesn't show any updates available (because "VAIO Update/VAIO Care is only available for the preinstalled OS"? - very helpful) so I've been using this page http://www.sony.co.uk/support/en/product/VGN-FE21H/updates

as a guide to install some of the Sony drivers & utilities but with no success.

Thanks

Nick

[Blencogo]

Hi Nick and welcome.

Are you sure it is the docking station?  Does an external monitor and sound work when connected directly to the Vaio?

As I'm sure you are aware, there is no support from Sony for Windows 8 on your model and there are no Windows 8 drivers available.  The drivers on the download support website are unlikely to work. You will need to track down the drivers for yourself.

It sounds like you need a Windows 8 Sigmatel sound driver for the CXD9872 audio chipset and a Windows 8 compatible driver for the nVidia GeForce Go 7400 graphics chip.

Google is your best bet but try here for the graphics driver as non-Sony drivers will not install without modification of ther installer .INF file: -

http://forums.laptopvideo2go.com/topic/9243-forceware-updaters-quickstart-guide/

Good luck - and let us know how you get on.  I hope you made Recovery Discs to return to XP if everything goes pear-shaped.

[nick15]

Thanks for your reply, Blencogo & your pertinent questions.  I forgot to say that sound is working via the headphone socket at the front but not via the jack & optical sockets on the docking station.  I'd assumed it was the latter which was at fault on the shaky grounds that ethernet & USB would "go straight through" to the external ports. 

I fixed the docking station sound by downloading & installing EP0000162407.exe, the "SATALink Controller Driver version 1.0.19.0 for Windows Vista", from the Sony Vista updates.  It says in the small print "This driver is required if you are connecting a port replicator VGP-PRFE1 to your VAIO notebook."

My plan for the Sony drivers was to go through the list & try to install the most recent for any hardware which wasn't working properly. There were a couple of "Mass Storage Controller" devices w/o drivers in Device Manager which accepted (tolerated?) XP drivers.

I did as you suggested & tried w/o the docking station.  It's slightly different because the docking station has a DVI-D o/p whereas the laptop has SVGA but I was surprised to find that the external monitor still didn't work.  Now I'm assuming it's the video driver's fault, the "Microsoft Basic Display Adapter", installed I think because the panel won't cope with 1366 x 768 (native res is 1280x800).  I went to NVidia & its app said I had the most recent driver.  Just noticed that the driver won't go above 1024x768.

I tried a Debian Linux live CD & that found the docking station monitor OK.  I've been downloading all these updates over my phone at dial-up speeds because the broadband's been down for more than a week (VirginMedia since you ask) but when it returns I have several avenues to explore: the Sony/NVidia Vista driver, or an Nvidia or 3rd party Win 7 or 8 driver.

Regards

Nick

ps. I don't think I could go back to XP now.  Win 7 or Linux if this doesn't work.