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If I read the bios string from Sony's site on the board, which shows it is a 1.00.xx.DD04 (xx is the rev number), then it is an Agate board, aka the AG430HX.

My first guess would have been a Ruby or Rhinestone, but the Agate is apparently just a slightly modded one of either of them. All three are very similar, riser card for ISA/PCI slots, HX chipset, etc. Intel has some info at their OEM Only motherboards page.

Suffice it to say, I've had to identify more Intel motherboards than most, so I have it down. Another good source for Intel board info is this Motherboard Manuals page.

If Sony does not have a newer bios for it, but Intel does, it is possible to cross flash between OEM code versions even though the flash utility does not appear to allow it. It can get pretty involved, and is probably not worth the trouble unless you know the newer bios would fix some problem you are seeing.

Thanks Neostar and Mega,
The Vaio I have right now is a PCV 100 with an old bios that can be updated,but I'm not sure I can help my buddy out much more than that for now, except for doubling the ram from 32 mg to 64 mg, which I did this evening. I also cleaned a bunch of junk off it and ran the utilities on it also.
You know Mega you're right about the younger and smarter people, that's why I ask you guys all the weird questions I do. I know that you know.
I tell people all the the time," I'm Slow, Not Stupid! "

Dear dday,

Almost all Name brand Sore boughts use proprietary bios. Most of the time this is addition by subtraction. System intergratior -like SONY--takes the mobo's Bios and diasables or down scales its capabalities to fit into its marketing strategy of where it "fits" into its price line(lo-mid-hi end).

So best hope to find Id of mobo (are you sure the mobo is an intel?), then try to work from the native Bios--it just might work--maybe. Most proprietary BIOs are just altered from original.

It is just too expensive to build a mobo from scratch for a company so same mobo can be used in many different machines with different complement of amount of mem, Cpu speed etc.

SONY would not even give reliable info on current computers , let alone old ones. I was told for many months that my SONY VAIO Desktop had an Intel 810 Chipset. Which is odd, considering it had a Duron CPU.They played dumb like this for over half a year.

They kept referring me to the SONY website for half a year for the Reference Manual while knowing all the while it wasn't posted there. I left my SONY postings at the Other Site. It was only when it got to their legal dept, that they posted the manual --more than six months late. SONY knowingly came out with the next VAIO with the same ommission and tried to hide behind a "disclaimer" clause like a Manual was a factor beyond their control!

My only advice is try to reliably ID the mobo (forget about fictitious names the reseller gives it) and proceed from there. Id the chipset ; this will also help you with the mobo. there are a variety of ways people told me about to ID mobo's which sorrowfully I left behind.

There is a # at the bottom of the the screen before or during POST up which you can freeze , usully by pressing shift or some key and go to some site to learn the BIOs. (Mobot.com?)

Post more info about the machine like model #, chipset (usually characterizes the mobo) and other specs etc. and maybe somebody can come up with something.There are people younger but wiser here.

I forget about a lot of this since then. Do a search on mobos and Bios here and --I hate to say this --go to search SONY at the other site. Bad memories for me dealing with them.

Best wishes and Good luck!

DOOOG

Try Here and click fo the vaio desktops for the support section, I am sure with a bit of browsing around this site you will find the manual for it. Hope this helps some.


NeoStar

Sony Vaio - intel 166

OK, Please help me with if you can people. I'm working on an old Sony Vaio for a friend and I'm looking for some info. on the board and bios. So do you know of any unofficial web sites that i can get info. from concerning this machine. I already know it's all intel, but it's also proprietary for Sony,cause I checked the bios at intel. Any info. would be greatly appreciated.