hey!

i had the same problem and it took me really a long time to find out what is wrong (hotkeys!) and then how to get my hotkeys working again. now i solved this problem and if anyone has similar problems, here is the solution:

you need to go to http://esupport.sony.com click on drivers & software.

click on original drivers and software and put in your model number. my model of vaio (VGNA215M) was made exclusively for europe so i couldn't continue here but you will maybe be able to. i heard there are two files you need - one of them is sony shared library, the other is sony notebook utilities. The hotkeys should be working after installing the utilities, but you can't install them unless you already have the library on your computer.

however, if it doesn't work that way, go to http://support.vaio.sony.co.uk/flash/hub_cons.html, chose your country and click on Drivers and utilities. then chose Originally installed and identify your computer. what you have to do at last: click the Original Utilities Package and install it. it worked for me, it should work for you too

katie