Nvidia GeForce 8400M GT GPU ... need bios file please ...

[explorer2612]

hello guys, i hope somebody here can help me out.

I have a notebook Sony Vaio VGN-AR61M with Nvidia GeForce 8400M GT GPU graphics card working well with Windows 7 Ultimate. My graphics card faulted recently just after I re-installed my OEM Vista Home Premium OS from the recovery disk because of my desire to gain functionality on the notebook front keys (multimedia, S1, S2, DVD drive eject) . The LCD screen always revert back to 4-bit colors at 640x680 resolution and won't accept any other settings even I reinstalled the latest specific drivers for Nvidia GeForce 8400M GT GPU from Sony esupport.sony.eu (v7.15.11.6760) and Nvidia.com (v186.81_whql & v179.28_ForceWare)

I am not a game aficionado, I don't play games on my notebook. I have read all issues and comments about the faulty Nvidia graphics card chipsets (about over-clocking, heat and thermal issues, etc.) but I am wondering whether these issues are relevant to my case because previously on Windows 7 clean install everything seems fine, my OEM Vista Home Premium has just been re-installed and I have not done any tweaking on my graphics hardware, I have not done any tweaking even before. Now, during every startup, the Vaio logo screen is garbled, followed by rumbling 8-bit color square pixels and vertical color stripped lines until Windows reach the desktop with 8-bit color and 640x480 screen resolution with large distorted dots filling the screen. This was the first time this has happened after restoring my notebook several times before. Ooh, I remember, the system was installing during the restoration process the software Photoshop Elements for Adobe Premiere when my system crashed and never recovered from the dilemma.

I tried nvflash and NiBiTor to read my graphics card but shows nothing but an unknown 0x426 device ID. That's why I assumed the bios file must have been erased, I thought re-flashing will somehow make it functional, at least. But unfortunately, I do not have a backup rom file of my Nvidia graphics card.

I would like to try re-flashing my Nvidia graphics card. Anyone out here who can share a backup rom copy of Nvidia GeForce 8400M GT GPU bios file? If none, I would like to know if I can use to flash my graphics card with another file of another model, is it possible? Anyone here who can guide me how to mod a Nvidia graphics card with another Nvidia card, what values to input in the bios editor, e.g. NiBitor, RivaTuner or similar? I think some modders are doing that, not quite sure.

Contacting Sony customer support is a whole lot blah-blah, totally useless. I am currently in Africa and to send my unit to Europe for service repair is quite impossible at this time. I realized there were lots of issues regarding faulty Nvdia graphics card, I am not a computer gizmo so I can't understand what technical manufacturing issues they were talking about. All I know is that my notebook is working perfectly fine before I did the recovery process last week.

My notebook is fully functional, but on 4-bit colours and 640x48 resolution only. I have succeeded restoring back my OS to the original OEM Vista Home Premium, installed SP1 update and then finally upgraded the OS to Windows 7 Ultimate, no problem at all. Everything is working except for the graphics cards display problem.

Please, I need your help guys. I hope there is a good samaritan out here somewhere who may be willing to share his/her backup copy of Nvidia GeForce 8400M GT GPU rom. I tried googling on the net, but can't seem to find the right file for my model. Are there online stores selling bios files? Any ideas how can I revive my dead graphics cards are most welcome.

Thanks.

[Segurito]

Hi, first of all, what I recommend you to do it's to install Windows 7 Ultimate and follow the instructions of this link: http://multidisciplinary.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/windows-7-x64-on-sony-vgn-ar51su-drivers/

I have a Sony Vaio FZ350 and following the "guide" I could install everything, from drivers, to multimedia, S1 AV Mode fronts keys

and even the brightness.

If not, the 0x426 device it's your graphic card, you should try installing some Dox driver or using UniExtrat, extract everything from the

Vaio Nvidia drivers and use a modified INF file from the same drivers, (if you have the 185.85... search in the forum the 185.85 INF).

I hope that works, if not I'll gadly help you...

PS: Don't flash the graphic card, Vaio doesn't "give away" the bios and if you mess it up... plus it doesn't appear on NVFLASH or any software

so don't worry about it.

Good luck

Edit: Considering that you already reinstalled Vista SP1 and all the stuff with Windows 7, you should try to format

the disk and do a clean install.

For sure there's some driver issues, another thing you may try to do it's to use the Driver Cleaner to erase any wrong configuration from some driver that was left away.

Edited November 5, 2009 by Segurito

[explorer2612]

Hi, first of all, what I recommend you to do it's to install Windows 7 Ultimate and follow the instructions of this link: http://multidisciplinary.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/windows-7-x64-on-sony-vgn-ar51su-drivers/

I have a Sony Vaio FZ350 and following the "guide" I could install everything, from drivers, to multimedia, S1 AV Mode fronts keys

and even the brightness.

If not, the 0x426 device it's your graphic card, you should try installing some Dox driver or using UniExtrat, extract everything from the

Vaio Nvidia drivers and use a modified INF file from the same drivers, (if you have the 185.85... search in the forum the 185.85 INF).

I hope that works, if not I'll gadly help you...

PS: Don't flash the graphic card, Vaio doesn't "give away" the bios and if you mess it up... plus it doesn't appear on NVFLASH or any software

so don't worry about it.

Good luck

Edit: Considering that you already reinstalled Vista SP1 and all the stuff with Windows 7, you should try to format

the disk and do a clean install.

For sure there's some driver issues, another thing you may try to do it's to use the Driver Cleaner to erase any wrong configuration from some driver that was left away.

hi, Segurito, thank you very much for your input.

You know, maybe you're right, it maybe a driver related issue. I remember when I first installed Windows 7 Ultimate I did a clean install and it worked just fine. After that I even installed the Vista graphics driver v.7.15.11.6760 I downloaded from esupport.sony.com.eu.,it worked as well.

I will follow the options you gave and I will inform you what will happen.

Thank you again, at least for now I have some thing to work on.

Gracias Amigo!