Recovery CDs - is there anyway to make it compatible with other models?

Well, I have a SZ1XP and an SZ3XP - basically I had 1 recovery CD which is for the SZ1XP. Of course, it works and installed windows etc. on the SZ1 but when I inserted it into the SZ3, it says that the recovery CD is not intended to be used with that. So what I did was I restored the harddrive on the SZ1XP then transfer the actual harddrive which I restored to the SZ3XP. These models are identical other than the prcessor. When I booted in the SZ3, I manage to actually create a recovery disc SPECIFIC to the SZ3XP - despite that the fact that the recovered partition is created using the disc from the SZ1 - this suggests that the discs are identical which I would have thought so too. So I was just wondering, is there anyway I can change some sort of coding within the actual recovery CD to make it compatible to other models within the series? I think it is really gay of Sony to lock the actual DVDs specific to the model as there really is no point of doing so other than making more money for themselves.

 

it might be looking at the bios string for validation... in which case they would not be identical (diff model #'s).

good luck

 

Does this involve changing stuff in the bios exe file on the CD ?

 

That I wouldn't be aware of, but I remember having a problem like this a couple of years ago on an HP and that is what it ended up being, same config, different BIOS ID though.