Failed Reinstall Visa Vaio Fz (from C:)...Windows does'nt boot, can't resume reinstall

Hello,


I have a vaio fz18M. I tried yesterday to do a reinstall "factory settings" from the hard disk partition (from "start> All programmes> reinstall vaio"), but the problem is that the portable suddently shut down (ac adaptator pugged out) during the final phase of install (message "please wait while windows finalize the installation of ...") and thus impossible to resume the reinstall:
I have a screen Vaio phoenix then a gray screen active 10 seconds and after a black screen active 5 minutes (etc) but I can not do nothing, no windows no resume process.

So I 'll have questions, if you can help me:
- If I use the vista reinstall DVD vaio from my friend (who has a vaio fz21z), and I boot my laptop with it, should i be able to reinstall my windows ?
Otherwise - what can i do?

Thanks for your help.
PS: i'm french

 

Have you burned recovery dvd's from vaio recovery center. If so insert the first dvd , power down the laptop, and then power it on back.

 

unfortunately not...ididn't burn the dvd recovery friom vista.

Do you think it will work with the dvd of my friend who owns a fz21z ?
Is there a tool to resume install from C: (i cant access windows)

 

I think it might not work.You can try. What happens after you power on ur notebook (after removing the battery, powering down)?

 

Like i say the vaio phoenix screen first appears, then i got a dark gray screen fixed during 10 seconds then a black screen with microsoft bar loading down, then a black screen with nothing during 5 minutes...then it repeats the same.

 

Try pressing f-10 as soon as you see the vaio splash screen.

 

YES! I was abut to suggest the same thing. The Sony BIOS has a "built in" tool for restoring from the hidden partition. Hitting the F10 during the initial startup of the machine will present a menu with an option to do the restore from the hidden restore partition.

Gary

 

I love you two guys ! especially if this solution work !!! i will try it as soon as i come back home (tomorow) and i will tell you if it works or not...

So if i can enter in the bios (pressing F10 on start up after the vaio phoenix screen)) i will be able to restore from the bios ! it's great. What are the options i got to choose in the bios screen ? only restore from partition ?

 

It's not the BIOS screen per se. It is a small app built into the BIOS. Small difference I know, but just want to make the point clear. To enter the real BIOS screen, you use F2.

But back to your question. I don't recall the other options, I believe one is to allow you to backup the machine or create the recovery DVD's but now that I think about that both of those would require a lot more code than you typically find in a BIOS.

Do ALL of us a favor. When you hit the F10 and get the app screen up make note of the options and report them back to this thread! This question has been asked before, but I don't know if anyone ever actual made note of the option(s).

Gary

 

i don't really understand.

So the f10 will show me a tool that will allow me to back up the vista fz, but what do you mean by: "equire a lot more code than you typically find in a BIOS." ?
Will it ask me questions, or numbers to put into ?

PS: i will note everything on the f10 app screen.

 

No, I am so sorry for the confusion. I was just saying that I don't really know for SURE what all the options were. I thought I remembered someone saying that in addition to it allowing you to restore from the hidden partition that there was ALSO an option to allow you to backup your drive. But that sort of option would require a lot of software code. I was thinking (big mistake there) that such software was typically too large to be part of the BIOS code.

If you make note of what you see on the F10, the mystery will be solved!

Gary

 

ok i will keep you advised when i try it on saturday

 

Last question, if the recovery console doesn't appear (i saw it in a forum) pressing f10, do you think i w ill be able to insert and reinstall from an original dvd oem (without vaio settings) and then instal drivers alone ?

 

Absolutely! Look at my signature below there are instructions there for doing a clean install. HOWEVER there are some things you need from the Recovery DVD's and as I understand it you did not make those. Right? The problem you face is that on the Sony website they post all of the drivers you need, but they do NOT post all of the axillary apps for things like function keys and power management. You need to get those from the recovery dvds.

I just noticed you have an FZ18M which I believe is a European version. (Duh! Of course it is, you already said you were French. Pardon my stupidity!!!!)

In that case go to the thread in my signature line and page through it. There are a LOT of pages but as I remember it someone in that thread posted a note about using my document to clean install a European FZ and that person found ALL of the auxiliary apps and drivers on the Sony Europe support site and even posted a link.

My advice is this. Go to the Sony Europe support site, find the downloads page for your model and see there are drivers AND applications. Use my document attached to the first message in the clean install thread as a guideline as to what you need to look for. Things like the Sony Shared Library, Sony Utilities DLL, Blue Tooth utility etc are the auxiliary apps that the Sony USA support site does not have and consequently we US users have to get them from the recovery DVD.

Gary

 

Just found the page where folks were talking about the European FZ clean install it is page 13 of the thread. http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=145748&page=13

Gary

 

THX A LOT MAN....hope it will boot from my vista oem dvd...plus your tuto

 

so i just install vista with my original dvd then the drivers pack for fz18m (eur) and the utilities. its that ?

 

My tutorial, talks about copying the SATA disk drivers from your existing system before you start, so that you can use them during the install. There have been reports of folks NOT doing this, since Vista has its own set of SATA drivers built in to the installer. These folks then applied the Sony/Intel SATA drivers AFTER the install just like all the other drivers. So, don't panic when you see my instructions abut getting those drivers from your existing system.

Gary

 

In a three second explanation, yes. In reality there is a bit more too it. The SEQUENCE in which you install things is VERY important. I can't stress that highly enough. Do things in the correct order!!! It does make a difference.

Read through my tutorial, any reference you see to using the Recovery DVD for installing things, you can replace with utility files you download from the Sony Europe support site.

If you have further questions on this, please post them in the clean install thread. That way other folks will gain knowledge from our discussions too!

Gary

 

OK...because "getting those drivers from your existing system." i can't do this since i can't enter in my OS no more.

 

Exactly! That's why I mentioned that. I knew you would PANIC the moment you hit that line in my tutorial.

Good luck!

See you in the Clean Install thread!!!

Gary

 

thanks
Honestly do you think the recovery tool console from "f10" will work ?

 

Yes.

Gary

 

Hitting F10 won't create a back up, but will recover the computer to the factory installed state. I guess that's is the only way to restore your laptop at this moment unless you wish to do a clean install.

If you had formatted your laptop (including deleting the hidden partition) this method doesn't work. F10 has nothing to do with bios.

Post your results here.

 

Then what code is running when you hit the F10 key? It is bios/rom code. Nothing else has been loaded by the time you hit the F10 key. The only place that executable for the F10 functionality can be stored is in the bios/rom.

Gary

 

Greaaaaaat ! it had worked...it's nothing to do with the bios.
Only a little msdos screen, that ask you to "ENTER" then it can acces to the hidden partition from C:

 

So you were able to get it to reinstall using the F10 key?

Gary

 

Yes ! pressing the F10 key, let me reinstall the factory settings from a black msdos screen...just by pressing ENTER, then the classic install wizard had launched.

 

Great news!!!

Just to clarify this and my earlier message to you... the black screen you saw, while it looks like one, is technically not an MSDOS screen. MSDOS is not running then. When you first boot the machine and are hitting the F10 key the ONLY software running at that moment is the code burned into the ROM/BIOS. I realize you don't see the traditional BIOS screens after hitting the F10 key, but nonetheless the code that is running after you press F10 is code contained in the same ROM that produces the BIOS screens. Sorry if I was confusing the issue when I said BIOS.

Gary

 

hi lastboss

is there any change that you can upload your mates vaio fz21z recovery dvd ?

much appreciated .

please let me know
[email protected]
thanks

 

I take it you wiped out the recovery partition on your hard drive???

No one can upload this for you leagally, unfortunately. BUT you can buy a copy directly from Sony.

Gary

 

i completely formated the whole hdd ... i tried a few different os`s out

now i have xp running on my fz21z everything seems to be fine ... but i thinks there is a little problem while when i start to play games my laptop is getting hot as hell ... so i think that it just because i could not find drivers for nvidia made to run on xp ...
i played games when i bought the laptop with vista running and i dont remember to had this issue ... so now i`m after the recovery dvd .

i will give sony a call tomorrow


thanks all