Bad news for VAIO owners out there hoping to use
Windows 7's XP mode or run any other hardcore virtual machine applications -- Sony disables the required hardware virtualization features of its laptops for "security reasons." That means XP Mode won't work on any VAIOs, but there's hope yet: Sony's Xavier Lauwaert says that the company will re-enable VT on "select models." We'll see what that means going forward -- XP Mode is a niche feature, but it's still pretty lame for Sony to be intentionally disabling hardware features.
Read - The Register
Read - Xavier's post on the Windows Partner Blog (scroll down to his comment)
[Via
Sony Insider]
posted Aug 10th 2009 1:15AM
theres a guide on NotebookReview that tells you how to enable it, it's pretty simple...
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=189228
this one is for the newer Sony laptops
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=350209
Unfortunately, neither of those apply to my Vaio Z with the Insyde H2O BIOS.
Sony is so damn condescending to its users. They think they're all stupid.
Thanks for those links! These are new developments as a hack didn't exist for H2O INSYDE before. I just followed the link, booted custom grub and enabled VT on my Vaio Z. Virtual PC now says hadware virtualization is a go and I'm happy.
But Sony will get a piece of my mind on their blog. The exec guy had actually the audacity to say that they won't enable the feature on Z, period. "Reserved for new models only". It hasn't been even a year since this model was put on sale and the hardware is still the latest (cpu and chipset and memory at least). Should I even mention that most of the drivers haven't been updated since launch (Nvidia in particular - and due to custom drivers you can't just put generic ones)? I paid $2000 for this Z and it'll be the last Sony laptop I will own. Buying a top model laptop doesn't buy you much of a support with Sony - once they got your money they pretend you don't exist. As usual with Sony, an amazing piece of hardware with the most rotten customer support money can buy.
To think that my best experiences were with AsRock motherboards - 3 years later they were still releasing BIOS updates to support new video cards, including the one I sent them an email about. I would certainly not expect that so late in the game, especially given the rock bottom prices. But they are getting my business these days.
They BETTER DO SOMETHIN, I just ordered my fw
@uwaga dude
Unfortunately, that just normal business practice. Especially in technology industry to create market sections, like 4 cores to 3 cores in AMD platform, Sony/Toshiba Cell on PS3.
But I think they should unlock this kind of feature, because users with general knowledge can't tell what the differences....
Speaking of which, when is HP going to unlock it on all consumer notebooks.
A source inside Sony has confirmed that they disable VT to protect VAIO owners from a new Sony BMG CD rookit.
Way to be a dick, Sony.
Exactly. "We disable it for security reasons"
What, as in it makes it more secure so you can restrict that kind of feature to your >$2000 products?
Disabling features for arbitrary reasons? Reminds me of apple.
Sony IS the PC version of Apple.
@Fanman Name me one feature that is available on an Apple that has been disabled. Dont worry ill wait here.
Fnuky,
I had to hack my $2200 Vaio Z to enable VT. So apparently the price point is higher than that.
@Tsing Tao: How about purposely disallowing 3rd party hardware to connect to iTunes, like what Palm Pre and so many others have had to battle.
@Tsing Tao: tethering of iphone to laptop for use as a modem. Ability to use your own ringtones. Available but rejected apps (video, telephony, etc)
Theres a lot more too.
@Tsing Tao: How about the most obvious one of them of all: Apple not allowing OS X to run on PCs, even though they use the SAME PROCESSORS.
wow. a friend of mine just ran into this problem recently when trying to simulate 2 processors in virtualbox on his vaio. i dont think ill ever understand why a company would remove/disable a feature that a well respected company spent years developing....
Because some sites like slashdot run frequent scare articles about the dangers of virtualization.
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/03/11/0130221
Not that I believe them. But if you are the type to get scared easily, you might think that VT is a security problem.
And they did the right thing. Sony's customer research department recently found a large market of people who enjoy intentionally broken products. Clearly this is the start of their outreach.
Didn't Apple have a patent on that?
where theres a will, theres a way
Haha nice Sony.... really... nice.
Why are they going to just enable it on "select models"? Why not enable it on all Vaio computers that are equipped with the processors that have that feature? It's just a BIOS setting that is intentionally hidden.
intel is also to blame here, by making their product lineups inconsistent with each other (there are Core 2 processors with higher model numbers that don't have this feature, while a lower number ones do).
Many PC manufacturers chose Core2Duo models that don't even have hardware virtualization capability, never mind disabling it. A real reason those Apple and Sony machines sometimes cost a little more.
Well, Apple only charges after you already paid for the hardware for enabling 802.11n.
Intel should definitely be blamed for confusing product labeling, but not for disabling VT on some models. VT is not something that matters to a lot of consumers, so it can be used as a price differentiator for those who need it. But it should be clearer from the product lineup which ones have VT. AMD's version is easier: Semprons don't have VT. Turions, Opterons, Phenoms do.
Screw you all, 3 of my friends died from unprotected hardware virtualization. Sony is doing the right thing!
pfft, the first problem with that statement is that you have friends.
I used to be a normal human being. But when I used unprotected hardware virtualisation, I was transformed into the superhero that I am today. Some say its a fate worse than death.
Unprotected hardware virtualization was responsible for Skynet going self-aware.
...all we know is, he's called the Stig
Security issues like what? A rootkit slipping in at the hypervisor level and virtualizing your whole operating system?
Oh wait...what about rootkits?
oh snap
Looks like Lenovo ideadpad also does not allow it
http://forums.lenovo.com/lnv/board/message?board.id=ideaPad&thread.id=12948
better question, how to we re-enable it ourselves?
The first two threads explain how to do it on most Vaio and here's the link for the Vaio Z:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=345282
And follow the link in the first post on that notebookreview thread. I just did it and it worked for me.
If you read the first post you would see a link to the "fix."
You can always count on Sony to take 'Defective by Design' as their prime directive.
Well, they are still shipping with Windows installed...
Why not just do what Lenovo does with their Thinkpads? Off by default but easily enabled in the BIOS if needed.
What a rip-off! I just bought a new VAIO, like it a lot, and I am pissed. Of all the dumb things for Sony to do, this tops the list. To dumb down a computer without telling customers is fraud. They gave their computers a frontal lobotomy, which was considered to be barbaric at the end of the last century. I don't buy Sony's security reason for one second.
Why not? Apple did the same thing with the iPod Touch 2G's bluetooth.
I'm sorry, but you're a moron. You "just" bought a sony running vista and are pissed off you won't be able to upgrade it to 7 in order to run a virtualized xp. Like I said ... moron. Why aren't you pissed off now?
@schrutefan
Would you not say there's a difference between Apple's "We've not written the software to support this yet, but when we do, we'll let you know" and Sony's "We'll disable this to try to sell more expensive business-oriented products that we don't disable it on?"
Actually it is disabled even on their most expensive machines like Z. If you read the blog, it looks like they expect people who want it to buy their new laptops which will enable it.
According to sony's customer care, it is in their EULA from intel to disable it on consumer machines.
That would make sense considering Lenovo and HP are doing it too, according to comments here.
I hate added proprietary security crap!
I was just re-installing Vista on my brothers Acer desktop... I could not get ZoneAlarm to install because of some Acer Security app that was installed. After I uninstalled the app, ZoneAlarm installed just fine!
Screw security I can't control! I should have FULL CONTROL over ALL security measures on MY equipment.
Example, My Toshiba laptop has a BIOS switch that I can set for hardware virtualization to be on or off.
This isn't new. I've got one of the first Santa Rosa laptops Sony made and found this out as soon as I ran the virtualization test on it.
Join the club. My centrino 2 HP laptop which should have hardware virtualization doesn't have it enabled
You know, I love sony. I really do. But this pisses me off. Bad sony... bad. I was thinking about a Viao FW for my next laptop, but I may be making other arrangements unless this gets turned around.
While disabling virtualization is a point of contention, XP mode is hardly the most pressing aspect of this issue. You need a Professional or higher version of Windows 7 to use XP mode and the vast majority of machines will be running Home Premium.
Memo: could you please not cloud the issue with facts?
Thank you.
Uhm, these are $2000 laptops that ship with Vista Business. You don't even have the option of getting Home Premium from Sony.
I'd say owners (like me) who upgrade will upgrade to W7Pro. And I'd like the option since I can run a virtual XP to run VPN to the office if I need to.
i actually noticed this when i was going to test out the xp mode on my vaio... i don't think this works for a vgn-nr series tho... damn budget laptops lol...
My Acer Timeline also has VT enabled. So I followed a guide and now it's enabled, yet XP mode doesn't work, not that I need it.
Ah, that's a shame. After working with a stock FW from Best Buy for almost a year, and as of Friday, a nicer matte black model from Amazon, I've become a big fan of Sony notebooks. Vista hasn't been great on them, but they do work well enough and I am very anxious to upgrade to Windows 7 for all of its features. The RC build runs like a champ under Boot Camp for me. On another note, I'd love to get my hands on one of those 11-inch Blu-Ray packing VAIOs, but the premium on those far exceeds what a more powerful laptop goes for. And if I can't run some of my older legacy software, why bother? XP mode is something that I could really use right now, but because we've got a couple of Sony 'books, we don't get to use it. It's wrong for a manufacturer to ship a product disabled from utilizing upcoming features. If I paid for the machine, let me be the judge if I want "enhanced security measures". Thanks Sony.
-MD33
If it's like my old Dell laptop, all you have to do is flip a switch on in the BIOS to enable virtualization.
it isn't
Bought a vaio 2 years ago. Even at that time there was the VT problem.
Successfully enabled VT, runs smooth with KVM.
I like the "actually we didn't get so many requests for enabling VT" from Xavier on the microsoft blog.
Xavier, I don't think you'll read this but just in case I'll tell you why : it's because of the user-is-pissed-off-already phenomenon.
The usual pattern is:
1. buy a vaio 'cause they're cool and customizable (at least here in Japan)
2. try to use VT to actually work with it (you see, not all users are zombies who only google and facebook on their laptop)
3. shit, it doesn't work. google for it.
4. pissed off to discover that sony disabled it AND DIDN'T EVEN PROVIDE AN OPTION IN THE BIOS TO ENABLE IT.
5. google for a fix, find it, apply. it works now.
6. wasted far too much time on this because of the great engineers who decided what I can do on my laptop instead of me. like I'm going to spend even more time to educate you. screw you and your salary-man engineers (the same that make the crappy apps bundled with any sony product, like SonicStage?)
Eventually the result of all this is advising everyone around against buying sony products.
Great marketing to piss off the power users, you know, the very same ones that might spend the most on gadgets.
I've always wanted to unlock 64-bit OSes, but this feature is also disabled just by them disabling it in the BIOS. I doubt they would bother releasing a BIOS upgrade for my oldish VGN-FZ190 (first laptop to include a blu-ray burner, w00t, cost me a plum nickle it did), but if anyone comes across a good method of doing this for my model, PLEASE reply. I saw a method a while ago on a forum but it involved hexediting files and overwriting others and people were frying their systems so I didn't even attempt that.
@tony
What do you think of when you think of Autumn?
hahaha
i returned my lenovo y650 for this same reason.
I intentionally bought an e5200 Pentium Dual-Core instead of a Core2Duo last year due to the price difference, this processor does not have VT. However, VMware seems to be able to run XP and Linux x86 extremely well despite this - why does Microsoft's solution require hardware VT? Would you be able to run a game like Crysis in XP Mode without a major performance hit?
Do a lot of Sony users have this problem? Yes. Did I go to Sony's website to make sure the unit was Vista compatible? Yes. Did I see a sticker on the unit to see if it said that? Yes. Will I get a free upgrade to Windows 7? Yes. But like other users, I am missing a feature that is in the hardware I paid for. Are there other brands that pulled this rip off? Yes. Are there all ready fixes being developed, Yes, a BIOS patch. Has Sony done something like this before and relented and fixed it? Yes. Is there a class action lawsuit pending? Probably yes. Based on past history, it would most likely come from California's AG.
At this point the issue is an annoyance. Unlike Apple announcing that the iPhone displays web pages exactly as they as they appear on your home computer, with the same features, (without Flash), with some effort, it can be fixed. It is not a hardware problem, and will not cause the laptop to burn up or explode. Blu Ray player and memory card slots are included, so the hardware is up to date. I have been through much worse, and have had it all work out to my advantage. Perhaps a user group will come up with a comprehensive solution that is similar to "How to jailbreak the iPhone", including a complete step by step and video to follow along with.
The only moron in this saga is Sony, and possibly crescentdavid, who perhaps lives in a cocoon, because evidently nothing unexpected ever happens to him.
That's what you get for wasting money on a Sony ANYTHING.
I have and always will have a Sony free home, I can always find better quality at a lower price.
I have the exact same problem with my Gateway FX series laptop (a P-6860FX)- but Gateway was 'thoughtful' enough to remove the option from the BIOS to enable/disable hardware visualization, so I am screwed on using ANY sort of x64 visualization: VirtualPC, VMware, VirtualBox, etc (unless Gateway ever gets around to making a BIOS update...)
visualization = virtualization (if that is a real word?)
sony is the mac clone of the pc manufacturer world, only idiots buy them and you're paying mostly for the brand + shenanigans.
This is actually pretty common..
money well spent, that's why $NE is in the red
The last Sony product I bought was a Sony Cyber-shot digital camera (piece of junk) which I have since replaced by a nice Canon.
I dont get the logic of completly disabling a feature like this. If there is concern over security, make it a BIOS option that is off by default.
And its also not a feature that 99% of the market will pay extra for (certainly before Windows 7 and XP mode in any case) so enabling it only on high end laptops makes no sense.
What it means going forward is that I'm going to continue to not buy Sony computers, because this is the dozenth time I've seen some weird bug like this from them.
I don't know which is most pitiful, the need for an XP mode to begin with, Sony shutting it off, the usual losers somehow equating this with Apple, or the fact that 99 % of the people here will never use this but bitch about it anyway.
It's the same for the Lenovo ideapad series, it's a shame.
I used the easy fix: Sold my VGN-AW180Y to a sales drone here at work and for a couple hundred more bought an Alienware M17x...
It's a win-win; the sales guy gets to run around mocking the other sales guys lowly 16" machines and I got a quad-core SLI supercomputer in a snazzy 14 pound anodized aluminum luggable chasis. :)
I've found VT to be disabled by default in the BIOS of most computers. It's easy to turn on, but that's likely to confuse stupid people.
wwwwhhhhhyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
What the heck does "security" has to do with that! Intel VT is used by THOUSANDS of servers out there. Hey guys? You are running a server farm? Hurry and disable VT, Sony said it's not secure so you should spend 3x more in hardware because you won't be able to run as much VM's on your servers.
Bullshit.........
Disabling hardware features? Why, that sounds positively Apple!
I'm still pissed that HP doesn't let you unlock the multiplier for the the Core 2 Quad Extremes on their HDX18 laptops. Sony is not the only one afraid of users "messing things up".
Sony = FAIL
I have examined every EULA on my laptop, and there are many versions. I found that the virtual mode prohibition occurs in two VISTA versions, Windows VISTA Basic N and Windows VISTA Starter. Virtualization is not mentioned for Windows Home Basic, Home Premium or Ultimate. It is mentioned in the Windows VISTA Business EULA and it is allowed. So much for Sony saying it's in the EULA. THere are no VAIO laptops that Sony sells here that have Windows VISTA Basic N or Starter installed. I'd liken it to an intersection with no stop signs or traffic lights. Proceed as you wish, yield right of way and drive carefully. Thanks to y3k.nik for stimulating me to find this out.
Does anyone who lives in California want to contact their Att, General and get some action going. I say California, because they seem to have the best record for winning class actions.
@Tsing Tao: How about the most obvious one of them of all: Apple not
allowing OS X to run on PCs, even though they use the SAME
PROCESSORS.
Thats outrageous! I had no idea that ANY company was doing this! Just about every web developer, software developer, and general enthusiast is going to be running virtualization, and it is only going to grow in use. And most of them use "consumer" devices like Inspiron/Vaio/Macbook Pro, not true professional "mobile workstations".
WTF is going on? And don't get me started on Sony's horrible customer service and general treatment of customers...
@Apple comparisons - iTunes & tethering are a totally diff story. iTunes was originally an added app to OS 9. It was later used as a utility for iPods & a base for the content store. Now, WHY THE HELL SHOULD APPLE LET EVERYONE ELSE MOOCH OFF OF IT? They made the app for their equipment. So, now if they let everyone else in on iTunes & they want to make changes, are they paying apple to update / support iTunes??? NO! Tethering was killed by AT&T here in the US, beef it with them.
This would be like forcing Ford to write software for their cars & giving it to Chevy. If Pre users want a legit free utility, use Songbird & STFU about it.
Also, the iPod touch/iPhone was never advertised as having stereo BT. Neither was the 2007 macbooks that 802.11n support. The features were eventually turned on by Apple, albeit with the purchase of something!
maybe Sony was trying to pull an Apple - charge for something that would turn it on!
why should they run OS X on PCs? Has anyone offered to pay for it? Who's going to support it? Again, I ask, why should I be forced to put my OS on your machine?
I followed the notebook review guide, now my VGN-AR690U does VT just fine!