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Sony Vaio SVS13 / SVS15 series - Overclocking BIOS


svl7

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So... Since I can't send private messages and have some findings that might as well be public:

Over at notebookreview, Amal has been trying to mod the new R0081C8 BIOS. All Windows 8 SVS lapops now come with R0080C8 which isn't compatible with the old BIOS mod since the hardware is now different. The R0081C8 BIOS that was released on Sony's Asia Pacific site flashed successfully on a US SVS151290X and Amal went forward with trying to do the same GPU clock mod on the R0081C8. However, the flash resulted in a "Update Firmware Failed." error. I then had Amal make a modded, saved, "unmodded," and saved version of the BIOS to try flashing. This didn't flash either resulting in the same error. I then tried flashing the stock R0081C8 bios using three versions of flash-it: 1.3u, 1.5t, and 2.0b all resulting in something similar to this:

13znasm.jpg

This seems to be because the versions of flash-it are all from 2011 or earlier (plus made for other BIOS files... all of which were under 800,000 bytes...). I also tried flashing the two modded BIOS files using various versions of InsydeFlash.exe but only the stock file wanted to flash.

Perhaps Sony implemented a way to check BIOS check-sums or somehow signs each BIOS file? svl7?

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Does anyone know how to enable 2nd SATA drive on the SVS15? I just installed a mSATA SSD in my SVS1511AGXB with InsydeH2O R0142C5 BIOS but it still reads "None" beside the 2nd SATA Disk Drive. Does this BIOS MOD unlock any options other than GPU?

Are you sure that it really is an mSata port and not just a normal mPcie?

Hi Svl7 :), I was wondering if you can bios mod the Vaio S13A Windows 8 version that just came out 2-3 weeks ago. Stock Bios is R0081C8

Bios link?

So... Since I can't send private messages and have some findings that might as well be public:

Over at notebookreview, Amal has been trying to mod the new R0081C8 BIOS. All Windows 8 SVS lapops now come with R0080C8 which isn't compatible with the old BIOS mod since the hardware is now different. The R0081C8 BIOS that was released on Sony's Asia Pacific site flashed successfully on a US SVS151290X and Amal went forward with trying to do the same GPU clock mod on the R0081C8. However, the flash resulted in a "Update Firmware Failed." error.

I prefer public in 99% to PMs. I'm usually not the only one who can help. Did you try flashing it with the application provided by Sony? Secure boot disabled?

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I prefer public in 99% to PMs. I'm usually not the only one who can help. Did you try flashing it with the application provided by Sony? Secure boot disabled?

InsydeFlash is the application provided by Sony, but modded BIOS files don't want to flash even with Secure Boot disabled.

Link to new BIOS: here <-can be flashed using various InsydeFlash versions but not flashit through DOS nor flashrom through linux

Link to modded, saved, unmodded, and saved BIOS: here <- cannot be flashed (This was made to see if a file that did the same thing but had a different checksum would flash)

Link to modded 900 Core 900 Memory Clocks BIOS: here <- cannot be flashed

All modded files were done by Amal of notebookreview.

edit: Also, my I ask what you use to edit the BIOS roms? Is it hex editing, a utility, or are you unpacking the roms somehow then using a utility?

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Blame Sony, secure firmware updating procedure are killing all the fun. And while you're at it, also blame Microsoft with their stupid secure boot requirement - else I doubt that so many vendors would implement secure firmware updating. There might be a way around this, actually two in this case, but I can't guarantee that any of it works.

The first of it and more risky one is to use the USB recovery method of Insyde Bios files. In this case it should still allow you to flash a modified file.

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Is that the one where you use a USB drive with only the BIOS in the root directory, turn on the computer and hold down a certain hot-key to force a bios flash (usually used in case of a bad flash)?

edit: if so, when tried one at a time: fn + B, windows + B, Ctrl + Alt + Home, End, fn + Esc, windows + Esc, fn + R, windows + R while pressing Assist (then I tried again with the normal power button) didn't work with a flashdrive formatted as FAT that had:

AA.ROM

BB.ROM

AAHW.ROM

BBHW.ROM

AA.FD

BB.FD

AAHW.FD

BBHW.FD

AA.BIN

BB.BIN

AAHW.BIN

BBHW.BIN

BIOS files in the root directory and nothing else on it (with each file being the same stock R0081C8 file from Sony Asia)

What's the second option? Unless you know the propper hot key for a Sony. When I looked through some threads everyone that had a Vaio ended up sending their bricked laptops in to get the motherboard replaced while Acer, HP and the other lucky people pressed a hot key and force-flashed their BIOS

edit 2:

Page 5 states that all BIOS updates must be signed, protected, and the protection cannot be bypassed.

Page 8 shows a certificate block in the header. I'm guessing whatever tool Amal used to mod the BIOS may have accidentally touched this Capsule Header which raised a flag stopping the modded BIOS from being flashed.

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It's possible that there's no recovery option implemented. I can't find any special recovery file names in the usual module either, so might not be possible for this machine. No idea, never had a Sony and never looked into what's possible with those.

Not sure whether the other option would work, depends on some firmware settings. Someone would need to read out some values for me, or let me do it per teamviewer.

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Does anyone know how to enable 2nd SATA drive on the SVS15? I just installed a mSATA SSD in my SVS1511AGXB with InsydeH2O R0142C5 BIOS but it still reads "None" beside the 2nd SATA Disk Drive. Does this BIOS MOD unlock any options other than GPU?

When I replaced the drive my SVS15 (win 7) stock HDD with a hybrid ssd/hdd, originally the BIOS could not find any hard drive. When I switched a hard drive or booting option from UEFI to Legacy, everything worked like a charm, the new drive was detected and everything. Hope that helps.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Like skookum1, I bought the SVS15 win8 model and didn't know about the BIOS differences. I'll be very thankful when the BIOS mod for win8 will be released.

svl7, Thank you for your support for this whole community, because of your mods everybody owns a GT 650, close to GTX 660 :friendly_wink:

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Hey guys,

First of all, thank you svl7 for posting this bios mod. Like gholtz said, it's a hell of a performance boost for anyone that owns a s13/s15.

So on to my question: is it possible to downgrade s13/s15 that comes preloaded with win8 to win7 and use these bios mods? or is there some hardware difference? If you can't simply just downgrade is it even possible to use the bios mod on the new win8 vaios?

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
So on to my question: is it possible to downgrade s13/s15 that comes preloaded with win8 to win7 and use these bios mods? or is there some hardware difference? If you can't simply just downgrade is it even possible to use the bios mod on the new win8 vaios?

As far as I know, this is not possible, because the hardware changed too. Sadly, there is currently no way of flashing models with the newer BIOS version...

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