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    Did not delete recovery partition, but

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by philetus, Nov 12, 2011.

  1. philetus

    philetus Newbie

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    Vaio VGN-NW125J Windows 7 premium
    Recovery Center can't find recovery partition.
    In Ubuntu live I an see partition is there and there is a file in it.
    Is there any way to remap the recovery partition back to recovery center?
    The laptop belongs to my daughter and came with Vista and she had someone install 7.It's messed up.
    Basically I want to do a full install and then be able to recover the Vaio program software that came with the laptop.
     
    philetus, Nov 12, 2011
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  2. Fishon

    Fishon I Will Close You

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    Fishon, Nov 12, 2011
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  3. philetus

    philetus Newbie

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    philetus, Nov 12, 2011
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  4. gerryf19

    gerryf19 I am the walrus

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    That is a little unfair--he misread the question, but he was trying to help.

    Whoever installed Windows 7 screwed up the MBR of your sony, making the recovery partition inaccessibl even though it is still there taking place.

    There is no way that I have every found to restore the structure so that BIOS can once again access the drive. I've read about a utility to restore it that sony made available at one time, but it seems they no longer do that.

    How to troubleshoot VAIO Recovery Center problems? : FAQ : Sony Middle East & Africa

    The sony site says contact them, but I believe they will simple sell you some recovery DVDs. I believe that also recreates the recovery partition.

    Personally, I'd completely wipe the drive and recover the space wasted with the recovery partition and reinstall windows using the product key on the sticker on the bottom--at least that way, you avoid the sony bloatware.

    The drawback is finding all the drivers. On more than one occassion, I've found that all the drivers needed are not on the sony website.
     
    gerryf19, Nov 12, 2011
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  5. philetus

    philetus Newbie

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    My apologies to Fishon. I misread your intentions.
    I figured as much for the partition.The sticker is Vista(ugh). I'm doing a full install of W7 and the heck with the recovery partition.Thank you.
     
    philetus, Nov 12, 2011
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  6. Fishon

    Fishon I Will Close You

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    And I shouldn't have just thrown that out there without explanation. Seeing it was your first post ever, and no one had yet replied, without fully understanding I attempted to give you something quick and fast. My apologies as well.
     
    Fishon, Nov 13, 2011
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  7. gerryf19

    gerryf19 I am the walrus

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    If you have access to a second Vaio VGN-NW125J I've often wondered if you could simply copy the MBR from one laptop to another to recover access to the partition.

    As I understand the vaio recovery partiton, it accesses the MBR to locate the hidden partition. Copying a working MBR (which was altered by the Windows 7 install) from another machine might work.

    Never been able to test that theory though....
     
    gerryf19, Nov 13, 2011
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