Vaio & Windows 7

[RoyFC33]

Will my Vaio VGN FE21-B run Windows 7

[rich912 · Accepted solution]

Hi RoyFC33 and welcome.

This model was shipped with Windows XP Media Center Edition with the option of a free upgrade to Windows Vista. If it was capable of running Windows Vista then it should also run Windows 7.

To confirm this run the Windows 7 upgrade advisor ...

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/upgrade-advisor.aspx

Getting the function buttons to work will be a separate issue but installing the Sony utilities from a like model that was shipped with Vista will usually solve the problem. If you took advantage of the free Vista upgrade and use a Windows 7 upgrade disk (as opposed to the higher-price full version) then hopefully the process will be seamless.

[RoyFC33]

Hi Rich912,

Sorry for delay in replying.

I cannot find any documentation about a free upgrade to Vista. The Windows 7 upgrade advisor showed that there would be a problem with the Nvidia Go7400 graphics card, as well as the webcam. The Sony site tells me that this model is not supported for Windows 7 and that if I did upgrade they could neither offer assistance or take any responsibility for any problems that occur. The graphics card is not on the Microsoft Compatability Centre listing for Windows 7.

Have you any ideas on how I can check up on free upgrade to Vista, at least that would be a step in the right direction.

[Blencogo]

Hi RoyFC33,

The bad news is that applications for the free Vaio upgrade to Vista closed on 31 March 2007.

The good news is that your model works far better with XP than it ever would under the resource hungry Vista - why do you think it was replaced within two years?

Your FE-series Vaio should run Windows 7 as it is 'lighter' than Vista but you should consider the following before going for a clean installation of Windows 7.

1.  You will have to buy a copy of Windows 7 - £75 on Amazon for Home Premium.

2.  You will have to manually install the Vista Drivers and Utilities for the FE41S (as Win 7 is not supported) and hope most will work with Windows 7.

3.  You will have to find Windows 7 Drivers for the nVidia Graphics and probably the Touchpad from a Windows 7 Vaio.

4.  You will lose all the preinstalled Vaio Software and most of this cannot be downloaded.  This will be a clean install and your hard drive will be formatted.  You will lose all data, settings, programs, drivers and utilities and have to restore your data from backup.

Don't get me wrong, Windows 7 is great but it is a big decision for you as the benefits are not that great and your Vaio was designed for XP.

[EZXCVBN]

my product computer VPCL12M1R

I forgot the administrator password, how do I log into the computer? installed windows 7

I have bootflash, but windows no see on my hdd

Please, help me

[Blencogo]

Is it the BIOS Password or the Windows Login Password that you want?

If it is the BIOS password, you will need to contact Sony Support who will check your request is legitimate and will then provide a 'one-off' single use password.

If you have forgotten your Windows password, I suggest you Google for a solution.There are several ways - here is one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PILDBTObzLw