Vaio Z2/Microsoft Signature recovery: help!

If you're like me, you may have inadvertently clobbered your Microsoft Signature installation (or are worried about doing so), and am curious on how it to back it up and/or restore it. Not too big a problem!

I'm only certain of how to do it from the hard drive, and not from DVD/USB drive, but I'm sure you can experiment yourself, right?

You'll need to have a working recovery partition. If you have a backup of the partition, if you can restore that backup in some way first (even if it involves re-installing the Vaio installation, then restoring the partition), this should work.

If "Reinstall Windows" isn't in your "System Recovery Options", or if you'd like to ensure that it stays there, what you need to do is back up this file: C:\Windows\System32\Recovery\ReAgent.xml.

That's it. If you've already deleted yours (like I did), I've attached the one for the VPC21BGX (others may be able to provide the contents for their specific systems). I'd prefer to do it inline, but the forum software doesn't appreciate in-line XML very much.

Miscellaneous technical details:

Microsoft is using a somewhat customized Windows Recovery Environment installation (which is based off of WinPE, if that matters to you). They have a custom .wim file in the \signature directory of the recovery (it's ~10 GB for the VPC21BGX). When it installs, it copies a few directories into \windows.old (including Program Files, Program Files (x86), Users, Windows, and a couple of other miscellaneous directories that get installed). It's also ridiculously faster than installing via the Sony recovery.

If you'd still like to clobber the directory, I'd suggest grabbing a copy of a piece of software like Paragon Backup & Recovery 2011 (Advanced) Free. You'll then need to do the following:

• Create the Vaio Recovery Media in Vaio Care.
• Use Paragon Backup & Recovery to at the least create a backup of the recovery partition. My preference is to just do a full disk backup, but it's up to you. I keep my backup on a NAS.
• In Paragon Backup & Recovery, verify your backup. You want to be sure that it's in good shape.
• If you didn't do a full disk backup, keep a copy of your ReAgent.xml somewhere.

At this point, you should be clear to clobber your recovery partition and recover the space (on the VPC21BGX, it's a whopping ~25 GB!).

If your installation goes to hell in a handbasket and you find yourself needing to reinstall, it's doable. But just so you know, getting Microsoft Signature installed again is going to be a bit of a pita, but here are the (rough untested) instructions (which should still be pretty close):

• Backup whatever you can. The Vaio recovery is pretty destructive.
• Use your Vaio Recovery Media (you did make it, right?) to reinstall to Sony factory defaults. Don't bother installing the extra software - the recovery takes long enough as it is, and you're just going to end up deleting it all anyways.
• Once that completes, install Paragon Backup & Recovery.
• I'm not certain if the Vaio Recovery Media re-creates the recovery partition. If it doesn't, then you'll need to create that partition in Paragon Backup & Recovery, then restore the recovery partition.
• Copy your saved ReAgent.xml to C:\Windows\System32\Recovery.
• Reboot and follow the Signature Recovery instructions:
  • Press F8 while booting to go into the "Advanced Boot Options".
  • Select "Repair Your Computer".
  • Pick your keyboard layout (presumably US).
  • Type in whatever throwaway username and password you used for the Vaio recovery.
  • You should now see "Reinstall Windows" at the bottom. Use that.

Congratulations! You've just recovered your Microsoft Signature recovery from the grave!

Was:

 

I also own a Z2 with Microsoft signature image. I found it's impossible to make the original disks, but you can still make the Sony recovery disks. I called Microsoft to get the recovery disks, but they said they don't have those disks. I have to send in my Z2 for them to put the original image back. Kind of a bummer! You can still use Microsoft backup to create a restore point or an image, but if you've already messed things up, it's too late for that.

My results from bcdedit /enum:

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume2
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
default {current}
resumeobject {8de3034f-d4e7-11e0-bdd2-0024bedcbe85}
displayorder {current}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 30

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {current}
device partition=C:
path \windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows 7
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
recoverysequence {8de30351-d4e7-11e0-bdd2-0024bedcbe85}
recoveryenabled Yes
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \windows
resumeobject {8de3034f-d4e7-11e0-bdd2-0024bedcbe85}
nx OptIn



My results from bcdedit /enum /v

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {9dea862c-5cdd-4e70-acc1-f32b344d4795}
device partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume2
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {7ea2e1ac-2e61-4728-aaa3-896d9d0a9f0e}
default {8de30350-d4e7-11e0-bdd2-0024bedcbe85}
resumeobject {8de3034f-d4e7-11e0-bdd2-0024bedcbe85}
displayorder {8de30350-d4e7-11e0-bdd2-0024bedcbe85}
toolsdisplayorder {b2721d73-1db4-4c62-bf78-c548a880142d}
timeout 30

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {8de30350-d4e7-11e0-bdd2-0024bedcbe85}
device partition=C:
path \windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows 7
locale en-US
inherit {6efb52bf-1766-41db-a6b3-0ee5eff72bd7}
recoverysequence {8de30351-d4e7-11e0-bdd2-0024bedcbe85}
recoveryenabled Yes
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \windows
resumeobject {8de3034f-d4e7-11e0-bdd2-0024bedcbe85}
nx OptIn

Hope this helps!

 

I'm guessing that you ended up wiping your OS partition as well? Their instructions talk about hitting F8 at boot, which would pull boot options from what this command prints out, and the fact that you don't have a Recovery option leads me to believe that you don't have your Signature boot option any longer either....

 

I haven't deleted anything, nor have I ever restored or recovered the OS. My partitions have never been deleted or modified. I'm using the computer as it came direct from Microsoft. I've never seen any "microsoft signature recovery procedure". I think those just point to a regular Sony recovery. Again, per my discussion with Microsoft, they don't put the recovery disks in the partition. They're just not available to the end user at all.

I did end up making the recovery disks, but using those will give me Sony's image for the Z2, not Microsofts.

 

Hmm... really? That's odd. There was a slip of paper in the box that I got that mentioned something about pressing F8 on boot and going to a recovery; I was thinking that was something other than the default MS backup/restore/checkpoint stuff, but I guess it might be the same thing.

Dangit.

Oh, well. I hate to abuse the MS Store, but time to go buy another one, make a backup of the HDD, then return it. I hate myself.

 

So, you just made me go find the box and all the paper work (ok, you didn't make me do it, but now I'm curious). I found that piece of paper too (who knew there would be anything worth reading in new computer paperwork!)

You are correct.... the paper states to press F8, go to Advanced Boot Options, and select "Repair Your Computer". Then we choose "Reinstall Windows". But it also says that our old files will be in the "windows.old" directory. So this really isn't a "put your computer to day one status", just a reinstall of Windows. So it can't be an image. Wondering if it will install all the drivers and utilities as well? Or is it just a generic Win7 install, where you have to download the drivers and utilities yourself?

Damn it...now I'm tempted to redo everything and mess around. But I have too much work already into installing all my programs and making everything right. And too scared to screw up royally.

 

I don't think that option exists on a default Windows installation. I can check when I get home. It does look like they're doing something different, though. Now that I have a system I can kick around, and a system that I can get an (almost) original image from, it'll give me a bit more room to play with.

I'll take care of futzing around, since I've already shot myself in the foot.

I figure a basic test I can do is to set my system back to nigh-factory, uninstall a Microsoft Signature application (maybe MSE?), then go through that process. If it magically reinstalls MSE, then it means they have something hidden somewhere.

The main reason that I'm suspecting there's some magic going on with the recovery partition is that based upon the Sony Vaio recovery, it thinks that the recovery partition should be ~10 GB. The Microsoft Signature recovery partition is ~25 GB. There's gotta be something going on with that....

Edit: Also, this is Microsoft. It wouldn't surprise me if they have a modified installer per-system. So it's possible that it does what might look like a "normal" Windows install, but with the Microsoft Signature tweaks slipstreamed in. Which would kind of be awesome, actually.

 

Initial comments: so "Repair Your Computer" is there after hitting F8 on boot, but "System Recovery Options" doesn't have "Reinstall Windows". So Microsoft definitely did some tweaking. Time to make a backup from the new system....

 

I'm a certified genius, y'know.

Instructions for backing up and recovering your Microsoft Signature installation added to the first post.

Edit: A shame that changing the subject of the first post doesn't seem to reflect itself back in the forum listing...

 

Wow! So it is possible to recover the Microsoft Image. Thanks for your research. I'm gonna keep this thread book-marked for future reference.