8 Upgrade - AMD Display driver out of date and incompatible

[bigolslabomeat]

Since upgrading to Windows 8, following the Sony guide and using the upgrade kit provided, the AMD display driver frequently crashes and the version shipped with Vaio Update for 8 Upgrade is not Windows 8 compatible anyway.

The version installed is 8.982.6, however other Sony regions have 9.1 available, and the latest from AMD is 12.10.

Any ideas when Sony Europe will package up the latest AMD drivers so that the 3D cards work, or let us install the AMD official drivers?

[Blencogo]

Hi bigolslabomeat.

It certainly looks like the Sony discs were shipped before the AMD Drivers were ready.

I believe Sony will add them as a Vaio Update when they can..

What model Vaio do you have?  Have you checked the download website for a new driver?

[bigolslabomeat]

Hi Blencogo,

It's a SVE1711C5E with a 7650M, I've got all the downloads from the download area as well as trying the later versions that other Sony regions provide (My second Vaio and Sony EU are always well behind the other regions, damned localisation!).  Shame we can't just install the AMD drivers and turn off the underclock on the cards.

It's annoying because the implication was that it would work with Win8, as it is not even Steam Big Pcture can stay open for more than a minute without crashing the display driver!

Looks like I'll just have to recover back to factory and set all my stuff up again then wait for word from Sony, how frustrating!

[Blencogo]

Looks like Sony have badged Ver 8.982 as a Windows 8 x64 Upgrade.

This version is the one preinstalled on the new Windows 8 version of your model - SVE1712C5E - and also the latest AMD driver version on the Sony USA website.

http://esupport.sony.com/US/p/swu-download.pl?mdl=SVE1712BCXB&upd_id=7994&os_group_id=24

With this driver so widely used, I'm surprised to hear it is not working properly.

[bigolslabomeat]

CCC is reporting it has known compatibility problems with windows 8, and to ensure it wasn't anything in my install I did the following:

• Restore back to factory
• Install Windows Updates
• Run Vaio Care updates
• Follow instructions here

I installed nothing else and ran nothing except these functions, still the error with CCC on every start up.

Oh well, with this and the Media Gallery problem I'm having, looks like back to Win7 for me.

[bigolslabomeat]

Just to confirm this is a problem with the Sony provided drivers and not AMD, I installed the latest official AMD via a few tweaks and the error with CCC went away and now using the most up to date AMD drivers.

If bedroom coders can make AMD drivers work a few days after their release, how come Sony take months, if not longer, to update?