I had to replace a bad hard drive for a Sony Vaio and first installed Ubuntu, now trying to install Windows 7 instead, but won't work...one error message says hard drive needs to be formatted with NTSF...how can I do that?

Try this:http://www.sony-asia.com/support/download/60137/product/vgn-sz18gp

You may have either a faulty memory module or a faulty hard drive. Remove one memory module see if the problem goes away. If not, remove that module and reinstall the other memory module and try again. It's unlikely that you would have 2 bad memory modules, but if one module is bad i recommend replacing both modules.
If the problem remains regardless of which memory module is installed then your hard drive may be wearing out. The suggestion here would be to replace the hard drive with an SSD which will add some real speed to your computer.

This model Sony came installed with a 80Gb hard disk and a 40 Gb
Do a clean Windows install on this old hard drive -
Boot up with the Windows installation CD
install Windows on the hard drive
Delete the existing Windows partition
Create a new partition
Format the new partition (full format not Quick format)
Continue installing Windows.

The reason why you cannot install Windows on your hard drive is this model Sony has a SATA disk controller.
The problem is that XPinstallation CD does not have a SATA driver, unless you have a SATA drive on adisk etc. and can install the driver when XP asks for a hard drive driver then,XP cannot detect the hard disk and therefore won't install XP.The FIX.Go into the BIOS anddisable the SATA drive (enable IDE emulation), this will make XP think it is aIDE/PATA hard disk. Then you can install XP normally. When Windows hasbeen installed then install all the device drivers (including the SATA driver),then shut down and boot up and got into the BIOS and enable the SATA drive.

probably the hard drive in your laptop is gone.
try booting ubuntu in live mode, so without installing it.
when the boot is completed, launch the tool gparted and see if it detects the hard drive: if it doesn't, you need to change the hard disk..

Download ubuntu iso from www.ubuntu.com and burn to a cd or usb. You can choose either a 32-bit or 64-bit iso from the website and before choosing, check if your windows is 32 or 64-bit in "System" under "Control panel".
When you boot from the cd/ usb you will get to the install interface where you can choose to install ubuntu along windows. Then you can choose how big you want your ubuntu partition to be and that's it - the installer does the rest of the work. You can now choose between windows or ubuntu at every start up.

I have seen hard drives where people had screwed around the partitions so bad that their computer would recognize it. I would recommend since Ubuntu can see it. Boot into a Ubuntu Live CD and delete any partition info so that it's a completely empty disc. Then try to use the Windows 7 DVD to install Windows. Comment back with your results.

The problem is that XPinstallation CD does not have a SATA driver, unless you have a SATA drive on adisk etc. and can install the driver when XP asks for a hard drive driver then,XP cannot detect the hard disk and therefore won't install XP. The FIX. Go into the BIOS anddisable the SATA drive (enable IDE emulation), this will make XP think it is aIDE/PATA hard disk. Then you can install XP normally. When Windows hasbeen installed then install all the device drivers (including the SATA driver),then shut down and boot up and got into the BIOS and enable the SATA drive.

Hi,

You're getting what's known as the 'blue screen of death' as some may call it.
This happens for various reasons, but usually occurs when Windows encounters a conflict with a hardware component in your laptop. When you try to install XP, are you doing so as a secondary operating system (dual OS boot) or are you trying to install it over Windows 7?
If you are installing XP over Windows 7, try doing a full format during setup instead of the usual quick setup. This may take some time, possibly requiring you to format the hard drive overnight but it may well solve any 'blue screen' issues you're experiencing.

Let me know if I can assist any further.

Best wishes,
Graemevm

as far as your webcam goes, try updating drivers. and as far as ubuntu goes, try replacing it with linux mint, it comes with flash pre-installed.