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This computer DID NOT come with an XP disc. It only came with the Sony Recovery Discs.There is no way to do a repair with the recovery discs. You can ONLY do a clean install. What options do I have in trying to repair, without an xp disc?
The computer will not boot to anything except a CD. Otherwise I am in a perpetual boot loop.
Make sure that you do the repair from the blue screen after the disc boots up there will be a series of screens choose the one that says repair do not do the full install. JohnMake sure that you do the repair from the blue screen after the disc boots up there will be a series of screens choose the one that says repair do not do the full install. John
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Well, good and bad news. First the good news. The Sony site says to contact Best Buy for OS systems older than Windows 7.
Now the bad news about the alternatives.
Sony's recovery disks check for model numbers, so they are not interchangeable. If you use a generic XP installation, it will wipe personal data files and definitely not install or recover any Sony software. And Windows own XP Recovery Console demands you put in the recovery CD/DVD. As you finding the recovery disk at Sony, that's a no go. No do I find it at 3rd party sites, not even internet archive for your model. As you are looking for restoration to factory defaults, there is no use pointing to data recovery options. Nor do I find the recovery discs on Ebay. And Microsoft does not offer an ISO of XP and says sites that do may contain malware.
The needle in the haystack approach would be to seek the discs on an XP Forum site. There is a site that alleges it is working on a workaround to defeat Sony's check of model numbers but I see no result. Just why Best Buy might could help, I don't know. My stops at Best Buy suggests they ship the computer off to parts unknown and I suppose one such outfit would either have the recovery discs or wipe the computer and put on a generic XP setup minus Sony software and personal data. So, maybe this information will help you in your decisions.
Starting a Recovery
Turn on the computer and immediately begin pressing the F10
key repeatedly until a Recovery Screen appears.
You can also start a recovery from recovery discs, or from Windows. For more information refer to
Performing a Full System Recovery in Windows XP
.
Back to topRecovery is taking too long
If your computer stops responding after using the recovery program, do the following:
NOTE:
If
the computer appears to have stopped responding after restarting from a
recovery, please wait, it may take several hours or longer to complete
the initial Windows XP setup process, especially if a recovery was run
from a recovery disc set sent by HP. A Standard recovery may also take
longer, depending on how many files are stored in user accounts (like in
My Documents
).
Exit the stalled recovery process by pressing the POWER
button on the PC until the power turns off, this takes approximately five seconds.
Before
recovering, disconnect personal media drives, printers, scanners,
cameras, camera-type memory cards, and other devices that did not
originally come with the PC.
If you are using recovery discs, be aware of the following items:
If
you created the recovery discs using Recovery CD Creator, be sure to
run the recovery from the same drive that you used to create the
discs.
Clean
the discs with a soft, clean, lint-free cloth wetted with distilled
water. Wipe from the center of the disc to the outside edge. You may
also use disc cleaning kits or disc restoration kits from your local
computer store. These kits produce better results than using cloth and
water.
You may also use available CD/DVD Drive cleaning kits to clean the laser reading lens of the CD or DVD drive.
Try running a full system recovery again from the hard drive by turning the on the computer and pressing the F10
key until a Recovery Screen appears. This performs the recovery from the hard drive.
If the recovery stops when recovering from the hard drive, use the section Disc errors occur during the recovery process
to eliminate errors on the drive. Try recovering again after the disk errors are removed.
The computer is shipped with Recovery Center. There are no system recovery discs included with the computer. The
recovery data required to return the computer to the original,
factory-installed condition is included on a special partition of the
hard drive. You can use the same to create Recovery discs, please follow the steps mentioned below to create the recovery discs for your computer model.
You can create the Recovery Discs for the Computer.
Ensure all open programs are closed.
Ensure all network
connections are disconnected.
Ensure all peripheral devices are
disconnected. NOTE: If the computer uses an external CD/DVD drive, ensure
the drive is plugged in according to the instructions in the VAIO User
Guide.
From within the VAIO
Recovery Center application, under Choose a
program , click Create Recovery Discs .
NOTE: The VAIO
Recovery Center can be accessed from within Windows
Help and Support . Click Troubleshoot my VAIO [FIG. 1], and then
click Launch VAIO Recovery Center .
In
the Create Recovery Discs window, click
the Start button.
In the When recovery discs are needed window, click the
Next button.
In the Choose your media window, click the Next button. NOTE: Although an option is provided for creating Dual Layer (DL) discs, that option will not
produce usable discs on this model. Ensure the Create
recovery disc(s) using... DVD(s) option remains selected before
clicking Next .
Insert
a blank, recordable DVD into the DVD drive.
In the Insert a blank disc window, click the OK button.
Insert a new disc when
necessary as instructed.
When all the disks have been created,
click the Finish button.
You can call Direct Accessories and Parts Center at: 1-800-488-SONY (7669) to order Recovery Discs also.
If you are running Vista and you cant boot your computer , insert the vista installation disc into the drive , start the computer off the install disc , click repair my computer when you get the "Install Now" option to access vistas recovery tools from the disc
call sony and tell them to send you *their* disks. they have them, and may charge you a small fee for the cd's and shipping. HP had a similar problem, but cd-s through snail mail should fix the problem.
NOTE: Most HP and Compaq desktop PCs that ship with Windows Vista and XP do not come with recovery discs. Instead, they use a hidden space (partition) on the hard drive to store the recovery information. Using a hidden partition provides a convenient, more stable recovery solution. Step 1: Create a set of recovery discs or a recovery DVD To create the recovery disc set, Click Start , All Programs , PC Help & Tools (or similar), open the HP or Compaq Recovery CD-DVD Creation software, and follow the on-screen directions. If you cannot create recovery discs or your discs have become damaged, continue to the next step. Step 2: Order recovery CDs on the Web If you are not able to create a set of recovery discs, you may be able to order a set of replacement discs from HP. HP maintains a stock of replacement recovery discs for several years after the product has been released. However, because of licensing restrictions, HP is only able to provide these recovery discs for a limited time. If your computer is several years past its warranty period, HP may not be able to supply replacement discs for your computer. If this is the case, you can install a new operating system that meets the minimum system requirements of your computer, or, alternatively, upgrade your computer hardware. To find out if HP has recovery discs that you can order and to order them from HP, use the following steps: NOTE: The steps in this section apply to United States and Canada. For Europe, Middle East, and Africa please refer to the HP support document Europe, Middle East, and Africa - Statement on the Availability of the Recovery Software on CD . For other countries/regions, contact your local HP support center for information about obtaining recovery CDs. Go to the Software & Driver Downloads page . Enter the product number or model name for your computer into the field provided. Figure 1: Product name/number field Click the operating system link (the version of Windows that came with your computer). Figure 2: Example of operating system link Find the Recovery Disc ordering section and click the link to start the ordering process. NOTE: Before trying to order, make sure that you have read the important "Read this..." information listed in this Recover Disc ordering section. Note: - If the link to order a recovery disc set is not available, there may not be any more sets available for purchase. HP cannot create recovery discs that contain a version of Windows that has been obsoleted by Microsoft, such as Windows 95, 98, and Me. Some recovery disc sets may have run out of stock and may not be available to order. Figure 3: Recovery disc ordering links Follow the directions from the "Read this...” article and from the ordering pages to complete the ordering process. NOTE: The ordering pages use a secure connection to protect your privacy. If you cannot create a recovery disc set and you cannot order a recovery disc set from HP, go to the next step. Step 3: Contact Support If you have tried the steps 1 and 2 and could not create or obtain a recovery disc set, contact HP Customer Care . HP Customer Care may be able to send out new discs or replace defective versions depending on your situation and availability.
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