Sony BIOS Update Instructions

A firmware update is required to unlock your Sony laptop for accepting any third party battery. An update CD will be included with battery to perform this procedure. However, a few Sony BIOS revisions can't be unlocked, so we recommend you first download and install the update program even before purchasing this battery. The program will inform you if your BIOS is not supported.

Instructions:

1. Download and save the Sony Update Program on your computer.

2. The AC adapter must be plugged in and the battery charged to at least 5% before continuing. We recommend you use the original

battery for the update process if it will charge to at least 5%! If the original battery will not charge above 5% or is not available, then use

the new battery instead.

3. You must be logged into Windows as the Administrator or a user with administrator privileges.

4. To eliminate the possibility of other programs interfering with the update, shut down all applications including any antivirus or security

software prior to running the BIOS update program. Also, right click and choose exit or disable on all program icons on the bottom right

of your taskbar (near the clock).

5. Locate the folder to where the sonyupdate file was downloaded or copied to, and Administrators can double click the sonyupdate file to

begin installation. Users with Administrator privileges, should right click the sonyupdate file, then choose "Run as administrator". If you

are presented with a Windows Program warning, then please choose Allow.

1) The following window should appear.

A : If you don’t have the AC adapter and battery plugged in, or if the capacity of the battery is below 5%, it will prompt you with the

related error message and you cannot update the BIOS. This is to prevent you from damaging your computer in case of a power

failure.

B : If all conditions are satisfied, then it will display an Accept Agreement option as shown.

 

You will be presented with two modes: File Mode and Patch Mode

-File mode is the safest method to use, since the update files have been verified with the specific notebook model. The update program will

first backup the current BIOS, then replace it with an updated BIOS file. This is the recommended mode if available.

-Patch mode will update (or patch) the current BIOS. The update files have not been verified with the specific BIOS version. The update

program will first make a backup of the current BIOS, then attempt to patch or rebuild the BIOS.

C : The End User Licensing Agreement is displayed. As with any type of BIOS update, there is a potential risk of damage to the

system if the update program encounters a problem. Although the software has been tested with default system configurations, there

is no way that one can predict the exact software environment of the current system in use.

2) Read the licensing agreement option and click the Accept agreement option, then click the Update command, it will begin the update

process and restart your computer! Once the laptop has restarted, you should be able to use the new battery properly.

NOTES:

If you succeed with the installation but the battery light is still blinking rapidly after restart, simply power off the laptop. Remove the

battery and reinsert it again, then power up the laptop. The rapid blinking light should go away.

NOTES:

If you are presented with the following error message, then a previous update attempt has already been performed on this computer. Please

choose No and then reinstall the original Sony BIOS back on the laptop before continuing or you could possibly damage the current BIOS.

You can obtain the original Sony BIOS at Sony’s support site http://esupport.sony.com and then choosing Software Drivers.

Problems that you may encounter during installation:

Installing the update under Windows 7 may require you to enable Administrator access. Users of Windows 7 should follow these steps to enable

Administrator access before performing update.

A. Click "Start"，right click on "My Computer",

B. Click "Manage", Double click "Local users groups",

C. Double click "Users",

D. Double click "Administrator", then uncheck "Account is disabled"

E. After confirming it, please restart the laptop and log in as the "Administrator". Then follow the instructions above.

After the BIOS update installation, and you're still getting a pop-up error message within Windows stating that "battery is not compatible", then

you will also need to disable Sony's battery check utility (Sony ISB Utility) manually. To remove the Sony ISB utility follow these directions:

First remove the battery from the laptop and power on the system with just the ac adapter.

From either the Start menu or command prompt run MSCONFIG.exe

On Vista machines, Windows will prompt you for permission to continue

In the System Configuration window, click the "Startup" tab and find the item containing "ISBMgr.exe"

Uncheck the box for the "ISBMgr.exe"

Click "Ok" to save and accept the changes and restart the laptop

You may be prompted on restart that Windows is running in selective mode. Just uncheck the notification option on bottom right.

This will remove the software check that Sony has placed on laptops to prevent third-party laptop batteries from being used and allow you to use

a non-Sony laptop battery. If you perform a Sony software update, you may need to repeat this procedure.

You may receive an error message stating the update will not install or is not compatible with your model. Unfortunately, you will not be able to

use a third party battery until a newer update version is released to address the newer Sony BIOS revisions.