I rebuilt my main desktop a few days ago and ever since I’ve not been able to connect to it with Remote Desktop. I click connect from the other machine and the buttons grey out for a moment before they reset. No error message is displayed. Checking the event log shows a number of Application Popup errors relating to RDPDD.DLL.
It turns out that this is caused by the latest NVidia drivers - which of course I downloaded and installed on rebuilding the machine, the only fix at the moment is to add this to the registry:
If you close the new Sony Vaio Z series laptop while it is running in Stamina Mode (using an Intel GMA 4500MHD chip) it WILL NOT wake the screen up when you resume from standby.
This video shows my new Sony Vaio Z (VGN-Z11VN) running the XP downgrade drivers version 6.14.10.4953 dated 21/05/2008 from Sony. The same happens when using the latest drivers (version 6.14.10.4980 dated 25/08/2008).
Note the “beep” noise when I press the volume function buttons; the machine is on and working (it’s visibl e on the network) except the LED screen isn’t on. The only way out is to reboot it - I’m getting very good at Windows-U-L-Down-Enter to Shutdown without being able to see the screen.
I’ve posted about this in the forums, but no one has an answer - and Intel don’t offer email support for this chipset. Does anyone know how to fix this? Using the Nvidia card is fine, it’s just the Intel chip that causes grief.
I love my Sony Vaio Z. It’s a wonderful bit of kit - exactly the power/portability ratio I wanted. It has enough grunt to play the odd game in “Speed” mode while giving 6 hours of battery life on wireless in stamina mode. Not to mention to gorgeous 1600×900 LED screen and the built in 3G wireless.
I have one problem with it and it’s a failing of Sony’s decision making rather than any particular problem with the kit. Sony disable the Intel Virtualization Technology in the Core 2 Duo on all their Vaio machines. I’ve seen no valid rationale for this other than “We don’t support VT on the Vaio range.“ This is absurd since all the Core 2 Duo chips feature Intel Virtualization Technology and I can’t imagine how having it switched on would adversely affect Vista or XP (the two Operating Systems Sony officially supports).
If this were a consumer laptop I could understand - but it’s specifically targeted at business users. In my business I make extensive use of both Microsoft and VMWare’s virtualisation systems - both of which run much faster on hardware that has the VT functionality enabled. There are a goodnumber of people on various forums spitting blood about this issue so I’m not the only one complaining.
There is light, of sorts, at the end of this tunnel. Since Sony have done this before on other machiens in the Vaio series, people have managed to re-enable VT by using BIOS editing tools to flip the right register. Unfortunately it requires intimate knowledge of the BIOS - knowledge that we won’t have until Sony release a BIOS update that can be reverse engineered. If we’re very lucky Sony will make amends by releasing a BIOS update that allows us to enable VT in the BIOS interface proper.
The worst part of this is that we (Vaio Z owners) didn’t know that VT was disabled until after we bought the machines. I know a number of people have returned their units and bought Toshiba or Dell machines that haven’t been crippled by the vendors. Sony advertised a Core 2 Duo Mobile processor, they didn’t mention in any literature that they’d be disabling bits of the processor for no reason.
Sony, if you’re reading this - please give us control over the entire processor and let us enable VT.
About
Howard is a geek, a gamer, a company director and sometime surfer. He watches a lot of American TV. He lives in Winchester with Lindsay and two cats, and currently contracts for the largest software company in the world.
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