typically laptops have custom, integrated components
Vendors tend to tinker with the manufacturer's reference designs
because of this, unlike off the shelf components for desktops / servers, laptops tend to need vendor specific drivers
I've installed drivers from other distributors on laptops with integrated audio cards lots of time, and I haven't had a problem yet. At any rate, it is worth a shot if there are no official Vista drivers. Worst case is that it won't work and needs to be removed again.
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