I would guess you want to restore the complete system. Put the disk in the drive, close it. Turn off the computer. Wait a few moments, turn it on and press F10 as it reboots.
Is this how you did it?
jholland1964 650 Posting Expert Team Colleague Featured Poster
jholland1964 650 Posting Expert Team Colleague Featured Poster
There doesn't appear to be a Driver disk so you would have to download those first and save them to a disk.
found this on the Sony web site:
>>>>Before performing a recovery, go to the Sony® eSupport Web site at http://esupport.sony.com and check your model-specific support page. Look for software and driver updates
You also have to unplug everything attached to the computer except the power cord.. no internet cord, no printer, scanner, external drives, nothing should be attached to the computer
khwhitaker 0 Junior Poster
I didn't press F10, it says to put the disk in, turn it off, wait 30 seconds turn it on and then go to the recovery wizard and follow the directions, it then gives you the list I posted a few minutes ago. I tried the C recovery, it says you should do diagnostics and system restore first. I've tried system restore and the diagnostics said there was nothing wrong. It's frustrating because I've reinstalled windows on several other computers so I thought I wouldn't have a problem with it.
jholland1964 650 Posting Expert Team Colleague Featured Poster
The press F10 I found here:
http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=C295487&sliceId=1&mdl=
Are you certain, I can't recall if you said so before, are you certain there isn't a recovery partition on the computer?
jholland1964 650 Posting Expert Team Colleague Featured Poster
IF you have the recovery partiton, then when you hit F10 it should take you to a hidden partion on the C: drive that has two restore options. Restore to last working configuration and secondly the option to format entire hard drive to "out of box" config.
khwhitaker 0 Junior Poster
The press F10 I found here:
http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=C295487&sliceId=1&mdl=Are you certain, I can't recall if you said so before, are you certain there isn't a recovery partition on the computer?
no,not certain, just pretty sure, there is supposed to be, but I have no idea where it would be or how to get to it if there is. The system recovery wizard does not come up in my programs column like it is supposed to.
jholland1964 650 Posting Expert Team Colleague Featured Poster
F10 should take you to the Recovery Partition, like I said above.
khwhitaker 0 Junior Poster
with or without the recovery disk in?
khwhitaker 0 Junior Poster
ok, finally got it. It says: Edit Window Boot options for Vista
Path: \windows\system32\winload.exe
Partition: 1
Hard Disk: bef3e2ef
[ /NOEXECUTE=OPTIN
jholland1964 650 Posting Expert Team Colleague Featured Poster
with or without the recovery disk in?
With the Recovery Disk in.
Hang on, try it first WITHOUT the disk and see what happens. F10 is needed regardless though I believe.
What you DO want though, however you do it, is RESTORE COMPLETE SYSTEM.
khwhitaker 0 Junior Poster
the last post was without the disk, I tried with the disk and got a black screen. I'll try it with the disk again, it took a few times to get it to work without maybe it's the same with...
jholland1964 650 Posting Expert Team Colleague Featured Poster
Did you continue to tap F10?
Another suggestion I found said Alt + F10 to get factory default set up menu
khwhitaker 0 Junior Poster
hmmmm, I'll try that
ok, I think it is working now.... fingers crossed
jholland1964 650 Posting Expert Team Colleague Featured Poster
You have all ready downloaded all your drivers...right? You WILL need those in order to even to be able to get online with the computer, plus have the display look right and to hear audio.
khwhitaker 0 Junior Poster
You have all ready downloaded all your drivers...right? You WILL need those in order to even to be able to get online with the computer, plus have the display look right and to hear audio.
it said download drivers and I clicked it, it then went to next and I clicked that, so I do hope so or I will have messed up I guess. It says it is restoring it to factory condition.
jholland1964 650 Posting Expert Team Colleague Featured Poster
Well then let it run until it is finished. Don't stop it or anything. Wait until it tells you that it is done.
Of course IF the drivers aren't there or aren't current you certainly can use another computer to download them to a disk and put them on that way so that really shouldn't be a problem. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Hopefully all will go well. Once it is finished and you can get online you need to do the following in this order:
1. Update the operating system.
2 AFTER the system is fully updated to today then would be when you add your antivirus program and other security programs. NOT before updating the system. That way you can be 100% certain that nothing is going to interfere with the System Update.
khwhitaker 0 Junior Poster
Well then let it run until it is finished. Don't stop it or anything. Wait until it tells you that it is done.
Of course IF the drivers aren't there or aren't current you certainly can use another computer to download them to a disk and put them on that way so that really shouldn't be a problem. Keeping my fingers crossed.Hopefully all will go well. Once it is finished and you can get online you need to do the following in this order:
1. Update the operating system.
2 AFTER the system is fully updated to today then would be when you add your antivirus program and other security programs. NOT before updating the system. That way you can be 100% certain that nothing is going to interfere with the System Update.
Thanks Judy :)
khwhitaker 0 Junior Poster
ok, I'm about 1/4 of the way through with updating the system. Should I try to see about Java before installing security or after?
jholland1964 650 Posting Expert Team Colleague Featured Poster
After. You are going to have to have the computer set up normally. When Java is installed or updates in normal circumstances the security programs do NOT have to be turned off. About the only time security programs MIGHT have to be turned off is for an operating system update, that is rare but occasionally that should be done, like a Service Pack. When that is necessary then that would be in the install instructions.
For the moment at least, I would install whatever anti-virus program you choose and use the built in Windows Firewall. After you get "whatever else" you want or need on there THEN you can change Firewalls. One thing you had on there, was Office, that should probably go on also before the security programs.
khwhitaker 0 Junior Poster
thank you!
jholland1964 650 Posting Expert Team Colleague Featured Poster
Something else I would recommend, for the time being anyway, until you get everything on there exactly as it should be, is to leave that UAC that comes turned on by Default with Vista, leave it turned on. Let the computer act and work just as it was originally set up to do the day you took it out of the box. Get all your programs on there, all the updates on there, everything you need and as you would like to use it. When the UAC asks, "do you?" just click yes and go forward. AFTER you know that everything works 100% the way you know it should work, then, "maybe" you can try to turn that off. It can be a pain, I know, I am now using a Windows 7 computer after 7 years with XP, and it also has those UAC prompts that I found a royal pain to begin with and I almost "toyed" with turning it off but since it is brand new I didn't want to attempt a lot of "tweaking" so I have thus far left it alone. Now it has become 2nd nature, it asks and I say yes. I barely notice it now I am so used to it.
khwhitaker 0 Junior Poster
Something else I would recommend, for the time being anyway, until you get everything on there exactly as it should be, is to leave that UAC that comes turned on by Default with Vista, leave it turned on. Let the computer act and work just as it was originally set up to do the day you took it out of the box. Get all your programs on there, all the updates on there, everything you need and as you would like to use it. When the UAC asks, "do you?" just click yes and go forward. AFTER you know that everything works 100% the way you know it should work, then, "maybe" you can try to turn that off. It can be a pain, I know, I am now using a Windows 7 computer after 7 years with XP, and it also has those UAC prompts that I found a royal pain to begin with and I almost "toyed" with turning it off but since it is brand new I didn't want to attempt a lot of "tweaking" so I have thus far left it alone. Now it has become 2nd nature, it asks and I say yes. I barely notice it now I am so used to it.
I was keeping it turned off because it messes with Adobe and would not let me save my own files or rename files in Adobe. Otherwise it really doesn't bother me.
jholland1964 650 Posting Expert Team Colleague Featured Poster
I was keeping it turned off because it messes with Adobe and would not let me save my own files or rename files in Adobe. Otherwise it really doesn't bother me.
That in itself is rather odd. I have Adobe and can save files without difficulty and the UAC is on. It just asks if I want to allow, I say yes and files are saved.
khwhitaker 0 Junior Poster
That in itself is rather odd. I have Adobe and can save files without difficulty and the UAC is on. It just asks if I want to allow, I say yes and files are saved.
well, hopefully that will not happen any more then... I'm still working on installing things so we'll see.
jholland1964 650 Posting Expert Team Colleague Featured Poster
Just remember, when the UAC prompt comes up it says "Unknown Program" etc amd names the program, if you are doing something and KNOW the program like the Adobe program click Yes to allow it. It is called an Unknown because it isn't a Microsoft program, not because it is necessarily bad. Obviously if you aren't doing anything with some other program you need to find out what the program is that is suddenly triggering this warning or permission prompt, if you know what it is and know whatever it is doing is 100% safe, then allow it.
gerbil 216 Industrious Poster
I only know of the UAC from playing with other's vista installations... it just doesn't LEARN. A decent firewall like that of Comodo has that capability if you use its settings and popups correctly, and then the UAC is not required. I note that the latest Avast AV has one [but it can learn]; the Comodo firewall is more comprehensive in its detections/actions - I like it.
khwhitaker 0 Junior Poster
Ok, so far so good. Everything seems to be in working order. I have the latest Java and I can rename files with the UAC on... thanks for all your help!!!
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