first of all: it’s absolutely HORRIBLE!

how unecessarily complicated it is to install windows 7 on sony’s latest notebooks.

if you are looking for the downgrade drivers: here we go: http://download.sony-europe.com/PUB/VAIO/Win7Downgrade/SVE/Ethernet_Driver_(Realtek).zip

but you will need a lot of more steps to be able to install windows 7 on your sony vaio.

like this one: SVE171G11Msony-vaio-sv-e1712h1ew

why? because i guess microsoft WANTS YOU TO BUY THEIR LATEST LICENSES! (they do not do this FOR YOU AND YOUR NEEDS, but FOR THEMSELVES… )

Maybe it would be easier to go Ubuntu + VirtualBox and have your Win7/WinXP there in a VirtualMachine … (you will probably have to do some custom package stuff… not tested! the community will shurely help you!)

or you want to go through the pain of this process:

let me show you how.

0. start -> run -> compmgmt.msc -> disk-management -> shrink the C: volume (so you have a volume to backup to)

0.1. format the new volume you just created

1. go to bios… now here is where the fun starts… in any other laptop you would hit something like “DEL / ENTF” “F2” or something… no…. power it off and hit the “ASSIST” button (many times until it comes up)

now choose “BIOS SETTINGS” and disable the “secure boot” feature

2. while still in bios, go to BOOT and change  UEFI to LEGACY (or it will not detect your win 7 usb boot stick)

3. create a backup of your system/data (i used acronis 2012 boot iso to do this and worked fine)

3.1. transfer the backup to another PC/External-USB drive/NAS

3.2. boot with GPARTED http://www.chip.de/downloads/GParted-Live-ISO-Image_26460627.html

choose Device -> new partition Table (choose msdos = MBR)

say YES I WANT TO DELETE ALL PARTITIONS (your windows 8 recovery partition will be lost)

4. create a bootable win 7 usb stick

you can do this with a Win7 iso (you got from i don’t know where) or your favourite Win7-DVD in your drive.

and http://www.chip.de/downloads/Windows-7-USB_DVD-Download-Tool_38589636.html

5. also download sisoft sandra which is a hardware detection tool

http://www.chip.de/downloads/SiSoft-Sandra-Lite-2013_12998086.html

6. in sisoft sandra (skip all the directx + .net stuff… you don’t need it :-D) go to hardware-informations -> mainboard

and note down what you have under system  model:

mine is: SVE1712H1EW

(which is != UNEQUAL to the label on the back of the laptop that reads: SVE171G11M)

googlin SVE171G11M DOES NOT HELP!

while googlin SVE1712H1EW brings you to http://www.sony.de/support/de/product/SVE1712H1EW/updates

which says http://download.sony-europe.com/PUB/VAIO/Win7Downgrade/SVE/Ethernet_Driver_(Realtek).zip in it’s name

 

Wish you good luck!

 

and slap sony over the head from me…

liked this article?

  • only together we can create a truly free world
  • plz support dwaves to keep it up & running!
  • (yes the info on the internet is (mostly) free but beer is still not free (still have to work on that))
  • really really hate advertisement
  • contribute: whenever a solution was found, blog about it for others to find!
  • talk about, recommend & link to this blog and articles
  • thanks to all who contribute!
admin