GUIDE : Clean Vista install using Extracted Recovery Image ( On a Vaio CS or Others)

Yes .. I search google how to go to the recovery console of vista and found this site. http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial148.html#advancedtools

I got little confused on the command "imagex\imagex.exe /apply sony.wim 1 c:\ ". The imagex.exe should be at the root directory of the DVD together with the SONY.WIM file however, when I burned the DVD I copied the entire folder of "mod2wim" (excluding the wim directory) while the sony.wim is only in the root directory. The command line above does not work since the two files (imagex.exe and sony.wim) are not in the same directory. So what I did was instead of burning again another DVD, I use an external HD and copy the content of the imagex32 folder (imagex32 folder is inside the mod2wim directory) to an external HDD, together with the SONY.WIM file. Now, ALL files are in the same root directory.

At the system recovery command prompt, I change the location of the drive to my external HD which DRIVE E: and type in the command prompt ;

E:\IMAGEX /APPLY SONY.WIM 1 C:\

I works!.. The imagex started to extract the sony.wim file to C drive. After extraction. I reboot the laptop and follow succeeding instructions in installing vista. Afterwards, I copied back the VAIO RECOVERY folder from my external HD to C:\Program Files\Sony. From their, I execute the VAIORecv.exe to install other applications I want.

 

on my vaio bz11mn recovery partition has no letter and i cant change it with programs like partition magic so i can't use the mod2wim program, i'm stuck with xp with no drivers and no recovery cd because i don't read manuals until something goes wrong and now it's too late, any ideas? can installing some random vista help in solving the problem?




edit: i installed vista home premium and after some clicking recovery partition became visible as v: but there's nothing iteresting there, looks exactly like xp downgrade dvd, no .mod files, still can do nothing with mod2wim...

 

What is your operation system? Vista or XP?
Did you follow the instructions on the first page of this thread?

 

it was vista business, i downgraded to xp but it doesn't work and i want to get vista back, now i have vista home premium(some generic) from my friend

 

You can do the following options to recover your old operating system;

Option #1 : Recover your old operating system via VAIO Recovery Center.
Click start menu --> All Programs --> Vaio Recovery Center.

Option #2 : Reboot your laptop. Before booting , Press F10 or F11 function key to activate the hidden recovery partition. It will start to recover your system. Just follow the instructions.

Option #3 : If you made a recovery disk dvd, you can boot from it to recover your operating system.

You will have hard time installing your friends's home premium vista since you do not have the drivers needed by your system

 

1 - no vaio recovery centre inb start
2 - works but restores only to xp
3 - no recovery discs

looks like i don't have my vista anywhere :/ i'll try to contact someone at sony tomorrow. maybe i can install some other vista(but which will work with my key?) and downloading drivers?


edit: that's how the recovery partition looks:

 

just called to sony and they told me that while downgrading recovery partition is also changed to xp so i have no way to install vista unless i buy it :/

 

You mean if you order the computer with XP already on it? If you mean you get the computer with Vista already on it, you can create backup discs which apparently let you reinstall.

Personally I want Vista at this point. Unless you've got something that specifically wont' run on Vista (and most stuff does...actually my main problem is having to switch to 64-bit, not Vista per se. I've got a handful of programs that won't run on 64-bit unfortunately).

 

i can buy recovery discs from sony for like 50$ or find someone with the same model to get doscs from him, or install stock vista and drivers.

 

hello there can somebody help me with my vaio vgn ar71m i made all wim files including the sony.wim and the other wim files(the application that come with sony vaio) and i want to extract all drivers from the sony.wim cause i want to make a clean install with vista ultimte and i need the original drivers (i went to sony website to download drivers but mony of them was'nt there specially the function keys[Fn] and botton for the dvd drive and s1 and s2)please help

 

I believe the drivers for the function keys are already included in the SONY.WIM. Just follow the instructions posted on the beginning page of this thread..

 

can i just copy the sony.wim+imagex32 only without the recovery data

because i dont know what is the recovery data

my[sony.wim=5.4 giga
other wim files extracted 3.6 giga
this means=8.7 giga all

 

and i have 4 partitions on my vaio c,d,e,f does this method delete everything including 4 partitions or just the c drive

 

Just copy the sony.wim file and the imagex32 file in the DVD. You need a high capacity DVD (dual layer) since the total file size is roughly at around 5.~ GB. You can also use an external hard disk if you have.. The recovery data is inside the sony.wim file..

No, only the C drive will be deleted.. just follow the command below..

E:\IMAGEX /APPLY SONY.WIM 1 C:\

Drive E is my external disk where I place the sony.wim and imagex32 files.
You need to boot from any vista installation disk to access the recovery console. Follow this link to guide you how to go the command prompt where you will execute the imagex command above.

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial148.html#advancedtools

 

it worked but without burning on dvd

i coied the sony.wim and imagex to d[drive] then i restart c and went to repair windows i interded the promot command and applyed from d[drive]it took 15 min to apply then windows make a restart and after 15 minutes everything worked extremley fine so thans a lot for this thread it realy helped me

 

I have a new FW290C that I want to do a clean install of vista on.

Can someone please help me understand the reasoning for this process vs a clean install from a vista cd?

I have read the entire thread and am a little confused on why someone would choose this process, versus a clean install of vista.

With xp, I can use my license string using any original XP disk. Why can't i borrow someones Vista disk, enter the license string that came with my laptop and do a clean install?

Also, if I choose this method why doesn't all of the original sony bloatware get loaded when the sony.wim image is loaded? Aren't the sony programs slipstreamed into the image?

Please give me a detailed response, I am ready to do the reinstall and want to make the appropriate choice regarding method.

thanks!!!!

 

I just want to say THANKS! It was truly a life saver. I have a Dell XPS M1730. I had wiped out the hard disk because I wanted Ultimate installed. I didn't think it was going to be a problem since I had two different Dell OEM install discs but they actually failed. Luckily I backed up the dell Factory.wim and imagex files that were on a partion before formatting. I followed your instructions pertaining to the imagex.exe /apply factory.wim 1 C:\ command line and presto it worked! I really hope this helps others as well as this google key word 'factory.wim' took me on a wild goose chase but eventually lead me here.

 

Can someone please help me understand the reasoning for this process vs a clean install from a vista cd?

I have read the entire thread and am a little confused on why someone would choose this process, versus a clean install of vista.
The reasoning for this is some people like the custom factory install and goodies that it comes with. For example mine is a Dell XPS M1730. It comes with a cool wallpaper, google sidebar, free mcafee for 1 year, a cool custom dell Dock utilty and not mention all the time it saves from installing drivers plus dell utilities. Think of it as an un-attended auto install, you can walk away from it and it gets completely installed. No hassles of anykind. So it comes down to personal preferences and choice. If you are a control freak type person, are very picky and you like to decide what proggies and drivers get installed then you might go for the regular install method.

With xp, I can use my license string using any original XP disk. Why can't i borrow someones Vista disk, enter the license string that came with my laptop and do a clean install?
It's bit different with Vista, at least in my experiences. The install disc, when OEM, can be picky based on the certificate that's on the install disc. It has to match with your computer (and there are ways around that by creating a custom install disc). If you are using a Retail version as opposed to OEM, then entering a serial # manually may or may not work, not sure.

 

I followed the guide for this for my little VGN-P. Now I encountered several problems or bumps.

Firstly, the P series have no CD/DVD drives so I needed to connect my own USB DVD drive to it. On top of this, I had to enable booting from external devices and also modify the boot priority in BIOS.

With that done, I loaded a Vista DVD, got into command prompt and did a quick format on the C: drive using

Code:

format C: /fs:NTFS /q

Afterwards, I used imagex to 'apply' Sony.wim to the C: drive and the process was successful.
[NOTE: Sony.wim and imagex.exe were both on an external USB hard drive.]

I restarted the system and restored the original boot order so that it would boot from the hard drive.
[NOTE: I don't get the option "Press any button to boot from DVD" with the timer. So I have to use boot ordering to get boot the hard disk.]

I have left the DVD in and such but I get an error. Something along the lines "cannot find Winload.exe"

I did 'Startup Repair' next and got "bootmgr not found"

I then tried using 'bootrec' but I always get "element not found" when I try to do anything. Even after setting the partition active as one website told me.

I have no idea what is happening but my attempt to get a clean Vista on my Vaio has been quite a disaster.

Anyone got any ideas?

 

Still need to get around to doing this on my P.

Something occured to me when I was reading up on WIM files. It turns out you can mount the WIM files and modify them like any normal directory.

In the following step

You can probably remove step c and integrate the recovery console into Sony.wim

 

Thanks for the guide. It worked on my FW390C. But the FN keys don't work. Anyone have a solution for this? Thanks.

 

I am new to the forum and I have a few questions and I need some advice

Last week a friend of mine dropped my 6 month old vaio sr laptop and the HDD crashed. I managed to change the HDD on my own but I do not have a recovery disk. I managed to obtain the vaio recovery disk for NR 110e. When I tried recovering my files with the same, it would not allow me to do so.

When my laptop was new, I went ahead and purchased an update to Vista ultimate. I tried to get Sony support to send me me a recovery disk with vista ultimate, they refused to do so.

I wanted advice on which of the following options are feasible.

1. Modify the contents of the recovery disk so that it works on the SR 140e laptop

2. Use the contents of the recovery disk and a vanilla version of Vista Ultimate to create a new recovery disk

3. Purchase a recovery disk for SR 290y and hope that it works with my vaio

4. Purchase the SR 140e recovery disk set and utilize the upgrade CD to update it to vista ultimate in an unoptimized manner

Your help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Phiroze

 

i recently bought a sony viao cs with vista home
i made the 3 backup dvds while my OS was vista and then i upgraded to Windows 7 RC.

If i have to use the recovery discs,will they work ( cos i made then while on vista and now my os is windows7) or should i make new recovery disks for win7 RC ??

Also if i have to reinstall vista ( after the license period for RC is over), can i do it with the 3 recovery disks i had created? and how??

Thanks in advance..

 

As long as you do not touch the recovery partition, you should able to restore it to the original state.

And I do not believe you can make recovery disks for W7 as there is no official support from Sony.

 

Once complete LEAVE THE DVD IN THE DRIVE. Close the console window and select restart.

i have created a partition and placed all the neccesary files in that partition... my question is what do i leave in the DRIVE the WINDOWS VISTA INSTALLER or in your case the WIM and IMAGEX?

ive done all the steps but when windows loads it tells me that it cannot be installed in my machine

PS: im using a sony vaio vgb-z46gd... im installer vista business 64 bit. thanks in advance

 

Thanks a lot for this guide, it will come in handy...

 

My previous file structure
d:/VAIORECOVERYBACKUP/imagex64/image.exe
d:/VAIORECOVERYBACKUP/SONY.wim

I manage to do everything the guide instructs me to do, ive successfully rebooted after i restored the image but when Vista is booted it returns an error that i couldnot continue with the installation so i changed the file structure to this
d:/imagex/image.exe
d:/SONY.wim

viola...
surprisingly it worked!!

 

Does anyone have a new link to the mod2wim file? I have a VGN-FZ430E that I upgraded to a 64 bit version of Windows 7 on it, and I wanted to recover some of my software for it.

 

So after you have completed all those daunting tasks, can you actually install vista on another computer, or is the modified installation still tied to those laptops - VAIO etc.

 

The link is broken

http://rapidshare.com/files/147096173/mod2wim.zip


Please post an alternative link

 

Hello, THX to 1st post, very very usefful!

I just have one question.

After i did everything now i can't hide recovery partition anymore.

Where can be a problem?

I tried option 6 several times, but nothing happens. It's only write unnmouting... and finished, but the z partition is still visible.

Run it from c:\mod2wim\Mod2Wim.bat with right click->run as admin

 

This issue can occur if the script fails to hide the partition because it's in use by some random Windows process but the partition ID tag is nevertheless changed back to the old one. What you get then is a situation where you can't remove the drive letter because Windows doesn't "see" the partition any longer since the partition ID tag now is not that of a regular NTFS/FAT partition but the partition is still accessible inside Explorer as a hardcoded "shortcut" since it wasn't successfully hidden/unmounted.

So, what you can do to fix this, i.e. hide it again, is to open a command console window with administrator privileges and write the following:

Code:

diskpart
select disk 0
select partition 1
set id=07 override
exit

Now it will be recognized by Vista Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) again, and you will be able to remove any drive letters used by it inside the Vista Disk Management console (might require a reboot).

After you've successfully removed any Vista drive letters from the recovery partition (with or without a reboot), you might need to again open up a command console window and write the following:

Code:

diskpart
select disk 0
select partition 1
set id=27 override
exit

This is because the recovery partition is supposed to have partition ID 27 when it's hidden, i.e. not in use (as opposed to having the partition ID 07 when accessed as a regular NTFS partition). However, I'm not sure if this step is necessary at all. What might happen if the recovery partition keeps ID 07, is that the recovery center is invoked at the next bootup, however when you exit the recovery center it automatically deactivates/hides the recovery partition by itself (i.e. sets it to ID 27)...

 

Thx for the answer.
I have found upper solution on the internet earlier, but i didn't realized, that i have to add empty letter to recovery disk in disk management.
Now is ok.
THX!

 

I have ordered new notebook and I am planing clen install with this tool, so I just have one question:

After the Windows install hoW can I run Recovery console ? will it be in start menu, or have to reinstall it?

thanks

 

Problem seems to be a syntax error in Mod2Wim.bat:
Line 149 reads:
echo select disk 0 >%temp%~diskpart.tmp &echo select partition 1 >>%temp%~diskpart.tmp &echo removeall dismount >>%temp%~diskpart.tmp &echo set id=27 >>%temp%~diskpart.tmp &echo exit >>%temp%~diskpart.tmp

There must be a space between remove and all.
Just edit the file with a text editor and save it.
Done
You should also remove the dismount option. Since this makes it impossible to work with the partition for next diskpart command.
At least in Windows 7 the partition will get status Offline and become unmountable.

 

i cant find command prompt in the installation process...
after selecting the repair windows option it says that searxhing for other windows versions and then it have only two options one is to load drivers for ur disk and the other iz to repair....
what to do now

 

Has anyone tried this with Windows 7? I'm trying this and when I get to option 5 of mod2wim, the created folders are empty. I AM running this as administrator. I'm running Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit on an FW550F. Any thought?

 

I'm trying right now with a Win7 Pro wim file, and I'm stuck with a BSOD after applying the wim to c:. It's on a vaio z with a raid 0 of SSD disk.

I'll keep reading stuff and hopefully get to fix it. Any experience on the process with a Win7/raid0 will be appreciated

 

See my edited post above.
Change line 149 to:
echo select disk 0 >%temp%~diskpart.tmp &echo select partition 1 >>%temp%~diskpart.tmp &echo remove all>>%temp%~diskpart.tmp &echo set id=27 >>%temp%~diskpart.tmp &echo exit >>%temp%~diskpart.tmp

Edit:
My comment is correct, but it does'nt help.
Created folders are still empty.
I wonder if it has anything to do with http://support.vaio.sony.eu/computing/vaio/downloads/info/en/EP0000226147.htm
Rescue Data Update Program - 1.0.00.18080_EU
Did you install that? I did and I have the same symptoms as you.

Edit 2:
Finally solved it. It's actually kinda documented in the Mod2Wim.txt file. We need to use the imagex64 driver.
Fourth note line 48: Likewise, in the case that you're working exclusively with 64-bit Vista environments (including a 64-bit "Sony.wim" image),
you could delete the "imagex32\" folder provided that all instances of "imagex32\" in "mod2wim.bat" are changed into
"imagex64\" (can be done in Notepad with the Replace option).
Ahaaa!
Since I'm running Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit, I need to switch to the imagex64 driver.
1. Rename imagex32 directory imagex32notused (just to be sure the script can't find it)
2. Edit Mod2Wim.bat and replace all occurances of imagex32 with imagex64
3. Delete the old driver to let Mod2Wim.bat install new 64bit version. %windir%\system32\drivers\wimfltr.sys (Typically C:\Windows\system32\drivers\wimfltr.sys
4. Run the Mod2Wim.bat script as Administrator. Option 5: [Un]Mount Patched Files now produces directories with content!

 

thanks for the changes! it works perfectly!