How to take out your 1.8inch harddrive from VAIO TX series & How to solve Fn key problem

Keyword: sony vaio tx harddrive rip off trouble with Fn key problem

Since there are many foreigners having Fn key problem after buy VAIO from Japan or somewhere else which come with non-english operation system and Fn key wasn't work after you guys were trying to put your own windows xp without its own recovery, I tried some other harder way and it works quite well.

I own a VAIO TX36SP (oversea model). Briefly, it comes with Intel core solo U1300 and 512MB RAM on board with 60GB harddrive. I don't have anyproblem with it since it is already oversea model.

I decided to buy another VAIO TX series for my little sister in Japan because they have the custom made option which I can choose the colour and some optional stuff like the capacity of harddrive, I chose 40GB to save about 200bucks instead of 60GB. It took 1 week to make by order and it was arrived lastweek.

After I tried to put Windows XP instead of Vista starter edition that come with the manufature and installed all drivers that I riped off from my computer, I found out that Fn key doesn't work properly with brightness control and most other functions that use together with Fn key and wireless with bluetooth manager didn't work properly also.

I thought that my recovery dvd that I made from my tx36 should work on the new one too... but it's not. The error message came up and told that was wrong model! (damn checking program).

The idea was since it is pretty much the same model, then maybe I should just switch the harddrive and try to install the recovery dvd from my original made on the 40GB of my new TX.

After done some research about how to crack into the vaio tx, I found some manual service of various models of vaio from http://home.comcast.net/~dan2804/nws/sonysupport.html

Following the instrucations, I got this

And this it my tools to operate

This is the brief steps to torn apart your TX
First of all, disconnect everything and take out your battery from the laptop
1. remove all screws on the bottom. especially the one in the middle top, it hold the keyboard with the body.
2. disengage detents on the top of keyboard platform, remove the keyboard out (take a look in the service manual for more details of location of detents).
3. take off the inner cover
4. remove some screws
Then you can take the tiny 1.8" harddrive out of your laptop

Once you can come to this point, you can out it all together by reverse it. (Just make sure that you put all screws back to where it was)

This is the result after I switched 40GB into my laptop with my recovery dvd

Now it works fine, I wait until all process are done and boot up to the windows and install some more drivers (very important, you must install everything before you remove it back to your new computer because of you won't be able to use the recovery dvd on different model.

Results : just like brand new oversea model computer with all function keys working and wireless/bluetooth manager is working too!

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Yea right, how the hell you can find the same model as you with windows xp or windows in your regional. Even you found one, it might be your friend's laptop and they won't so happy if you want to torn apart their precious TX laptop just for you.

I will try to make an image file or ghost file from the new harddrive I installed windows xp and drivers, etc and upload somewhere. Please check the post again after next week. I will be able to do it after when I go back to Thailand where I have enough materials to rip it.

For those who can find a laptop to torn apart, good luck.

special dedicate to http://www.leog.net/fujp_forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=27