If i buy a Sony SZ

All,

If i buy a Sony SZ i will format the drive and start again. I can't handle all this bloatware!

So my question is......

When i make the recovery cd's i take it that cd 1 will be windows XP. As i dont want to install all the other stuff can i finish the installation adfter the windows xp disc?

Then boot the machine up and install the drivers one by one?

I have never owned a Sony so i'm not sure how it works.

Thanks

Darren

 

sorry to tell you .. but this is not how it works.
if you create the recovery cd's it stores an image wich mirrows your disk exaclty, meaning all of the programs there are. i never had a sony, but that is usually how it goes.
if you want to do a clean install you need a full licenced copy of windows extra, for the version supplied with the notebook is a special licence and has already been modified by sony in order to suit the notebook model. the licence for that windows is only valid for that particular notebook.

anyone with more sony experience - please correct me.
cheers
gernot

 

If you create a restore cd/dvd it will restore the drive exactly how it was when you took it out of the box. Trust me, I did it last night before returning mine.

 

Even if you plan on clean install with your own copy of WinXPPro, you need to make a set of recovery disks because they will contain drivers and utilities not available otherwise... You can load just some of the drivers and applications, not all if you don't want...

Don

 

Ok lads, thanks for your comments. I do own a copy of Win XP, but maybe i'll just make do for a while until i get a copy of Vista.

Thanks all.

 

Or you can just download the wants you want/need off of the Sony website.

 

That's a good point flashram... my only concern with that is how do you get those drivers off their website if you don't have your wireless/ethernet/modem drivers downloaded and installed and this is your only computer... I know this is an extreme example, but I believe better safe than sorry...

Don

 

What mega pixel is the camera on the SZ?

 

You definately need the restore CD's Not all drivers seem to be available on the website. For example, the battery utilities are not there.

 

Almost anytime you are going to want to get the drivers discs. If you say do a new install of windows and your NIC and wireless card and modem don't work, there is no way of downloading the drivers without another computer.

Just my $.02.

 

That's why you download the drivers before you format and burn them to a cd or flash drive. Problem solved. Worked for me when I did a clean install.