topic Re: AAARRRGGH!! WILL THIS NEVER END! in PCs & Accessories

AAARRRGGH!! WILL THIS NEVER END!

mrgame_cat — Wed, 10 Nov 2004 20:23:12 GMT

OK,

I have reinstalled windows. Direct X works fine.

However, I have a couple of new VERY annoying problems.

1. My firewire port has literally this second stopped working. I use this for my external Hard Drive. I know it is nothing to do with the Hard Drive itself as I have just plugged it into USB and it works fine.

What has caused this and how can I fix it!!

2. I have downloaded the Utils pack from the download site. I have installed the Hotkeys thing and also the Sony Notebook Setup.

The Hotkeys still dont work and when I try to load th Sony Notebook Setup program from the start menu it tells me...

"You failed to load SnyUtlis.dll. Please make sure it is properly installed"

You guys have helped me loads recently and I feel like I am being a pain but please HELP!!!

Owen

Re: AAARRRGGH!! WILL THIS NEVER END!

jammold — Wed, 10 Nov 2004 21:21:38 GMT

Hi Owen,

You guys have helped me loads recently and I feel like I am being a pain but please HELP!!!

No your not - we are here to help YOU as best we can.

1. My firewire port has literally this second stopped working. I use this for my external Hard Drive. I know it is nothing to do with the Hard Drive itself as I have just plugged it into USB and it works fine.

Have you tried reinstalling the FireWire driver?

Here is a guide on how to do exactly that:-

1. Click START
2. Click RUN
3. Type in

CONTROL SYSDM.CPL

Or if that fails press ++

4. Click the HARDWARE TAB.
5. Click DEVICE MANAGER
6. Click the name of your FireWire manager. Yous will probably say "IEEE 1394 Bus Host Controllers".
7. Double click the next entry below that. Mine reads "Texas Instruments OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller".
8. Click the DRIVER tab.
9. Click ROLL BACK DRIVER

If Driver Rollback fails, click UPDATE DRIVER instead and continue below. Follow all on-screen instructions carefully and restart your PC when prompted to do so.

10. In the UPDATE DRIVER screen, Windows will try (only with Service Pack 2 installed) to persuade you to connect to Windows Update. Select "No not at this time" and then click next. If this does not appear skip this step and continue on to step 11.
11. Click "Install from a List or a Specific Location" and click next.
12 .Click "Dont search. I will choose the driver to install" and click next.
13. Click Next. Click Have Disk.
14. Click Browse and navigate to

C:\Windows\INF\1394.INF
This is for the Windows XP driver - my system uses the default drivers.

15. Click OK and follow the remainder of the on-screen instructions.
16. Reboot your PC and hope it works!

"You failed to load SnyUtlis.dll. Please make sure it is properly installed"

Now that is something that has left me stumped - especially as you said you have reinstalled it.

Good Luck.

If you have any further problems or queries remeber we are only a few clicks away - so don't hesitate to ask. And no we have no search facility.:smileydevil:

Re: AAARRRGGH!! WILL THIS NEVER END!

kee-lo_ — Wed, 10 Nov 2004 21:35:23 GMT

1. Click START
2. Click RUN
3. Type in 

CONTROL SYSDM.CPL

Or if that fails press ++

Cool I love new ways of getting to System Properties....

Re: AAARRRGGH!! WILL THIS NEVER END!

jammold — Wed, 10 Nov 2004 21:37:35 GMT

CONTROL SYSDM.CPL

LOL This is the way I used to do it in Windows 98SE as well - some things never change...

Re: AAARRRGGH!! WILL THIS NEVER END!

kee-lo_ — Wed, 10 Nov 2004 21:39:04 GMT

Well MS don't like huge changes which is handy for us...

Re: AAARRRGGH!! WILL THIS NEVER END!

mrgame_cat — Wed, 10 Nov 2004 22:05:57 GMT

Hey thanks once again guys..

UPDATE: Firewire has sorted itself out! I unplugged it then plugged the USB cable in (I have a caddy with both). I used that for a while, then removed the USB cable after ejecting it in wondows. When I shoved the Firewire back in it "fired" up straight away. Odd, but it works so I don't care...

The other problem is still there though. I cannot use any of the function keys.

I have to say that this was a problem when I first bought the laptop. I tried to install XP pro and they would not work then. To be honest I had not downloaded the utils.exe so that may have been something to do with it. lol.

Everything seems to work ok at the moment though, so I am not that bothered... well, the geek in me wants to know that everything is present and correct...

Anyway, as usual any help will be very welcome.

And you can still sleep with my sister, obviously

Re: AAARRRGGH!! WILL THIS NEVER END!

kee-lo_ — Wed, 10 Nov 2004 22:08:45 GMT

I think the dlls which control the fn keys might be within the original XP that Sony bundle.

Re: AAARRRGGH!! WILL THIS NEVER END!

mrgame_cat — Wed, 10 Nov 2004 22:33:52 GMT

Hmmm, maybe...

I have installed the Hotkeys utility and upon looking in the resultant directory i see this little lot..

HKres.dll
HKWnd.exe.manifest
HKWnd (application)
HKServ (application)

I may be way off base here, but should I stick those .dll 's in windows/system or windows/system32?

Punch me if i'm wrong

Re: AAARRRGGH!! WILL THIS NEVER END!

jammold — Wed, 10 Nov 2004 22:46:30 GMT

You are absolutely right Owen. Put those files here:

C:\Program Files\Sony\Hotkey Utility

I have additional files listed, these are:

HKSERV.EXE
SUEVENT.DLL
HKRES.DLL
PI.WAV
HKWND.EXE
VERSION.TXT

You may find that it is customised to your notebook so that is why I may have files you dont have and vice-versa.

It can't harm your system to install these to C:\Windows or C:\Windows\System32 - it just means a slight but negligible loss in disk space.

Re: AAARRRGGH!! WILL THIS NEVER END!

kee-lo_ — Wed, 10 Nov 2004 22:50:12 GMT

Delete PI.WAV if you don't want that pipping noise when you scroll with the wheel.

Re: AAARRRGGH!! WILL THIS NEVER END!

jammold — Wed, 10 Nov 2004 23:30:33 GMT

LOL - you remembered! I told Dazza to do this (but I confess I didn't try it first) so guilty on that one. My brother changed PI.WAV for me into this message:

"Please leave your message after the tone" - BEEP"

I don't know what was more annoying - the beep or his voice! So you can personalise it - experiment!

Re: AAARRRGGH!! WILL THIS NEVER END!

mrgame_cat — Thu, 11 Nov 2004 11:16:29 GMT

I have put all the files in windows/system and windows/system32.

It still doesn't work...

Re: AAARRRGGH!! WILL THIS NEVER END!

kee-lo_ — Thu, 11 Nov 2004 17:35:56 GMT

As Rob has said before you need to put a shortcut to hkeyserv.exe in the start menu in startup.

Re: AAARRRGGH!! WILL THIS NEVER END!

mrgame_cat — Thu, 11 Nov 2004 18:30:51 GMT

"As Rob has said before you need to put a shortcut to hkeyserv.exe in the start menu in startup"

I have located this file in c:program files/sony/hotkey utlity/

Thing is, when I double click on it, nothing happens. Does this mean that it is not functioning properly?

If it ok, can anyone tell me how I would make a shortcut to hkserv.exe in the start up section of the start menu?

Thanks!

Re: AAARRRGGH!! WILL THIS NEVER END!

jammold — Thu, 11 Nov 2004 18:39:19 GMT

No its fine - remember some programs do not have to show an interface to work properly - you may see the mouse flash to an eggtimer briefly as it starts up - that is the only clue it gives you.

START MENU (All Users)
1. Right-click the START button.
2. Click Explore all Users
3. Right click some blank space in here.
4. Click "New Shortcut"
5. Type in this

C:\Program Files\Sony\Hotkey Utility\HKEYSERV.EXE

6. Click Next
7. Give it a name
8. Click Finish
9. Job Done!

Re: AAARRRGGH!! WILL THIS NEVER END!

robpaxton — Thu, 11 Nov 2004 18:39:48 GMT

Go to Vaio-Link and download the Sony Shared Libraries and the Sony Utilities.

Install the Sony Shared Libraries first then install the Sony Utilities. Restart the computer and try the hotkeys again.

Re: AAARRRGGH!! WILL THIS NEVER END!

kee-lo_ — Thu, 11 Nov 2004 19:48:41 GMT

A LOT of people seem to have issues with these hotkeys.
Why didn't Sony make a package that did everything for you instead of releasing two packages?

Re: AAARRRGGH!! WILL THIS NEVER END!

robpaxton — Thu, 11 Nov 2004 20:02:38 GMT

I've got three Vaios and have never had any problems. The main reasons that people have had problems is because they either change the original OS, uninstall the applications, or run a clean-up/optimisation program.

The way I approach these things is:

I always make sure I have drivers and applications stored away BEFORE changing an OS. I make sure I know what I'm uninstalling BEFORE I uninstall it. I NEVER use registry cleaners. Works for me.

Re: AAARRRGGH!! WILL THIS NEVER END!

TygerTyger — Thu, 11 Nov 2004 20:08:40 GMT

I feel frankly very sorry for people who need XP Pro. It should say on the box "If you attempt to upgrade your computer we will hang you out to dry."

Re: AAARRRGGH!! WILL THIS NEVER END!

robpaxton — Thu, 11 Nov 2004 20:13:18 GMT

Upgrading from XP Home to XP Pro is normally not a problem provided that you make sure you have all the drivers for devices that aren't natively supported by XP.

The only moderately difficult bit is reinstalling the original Sony applications on a clean install and this can be accomplished with a little research.