Sony Vaio Pro 13 Cannot clean install windows 7. stuck with "Operating System Not Found"

Hi everybody

I have a Sony Vaio Pro 13 that runs on Windows 8. I have a copy of Windows 7 and am trying to wipe the windows and am running into all kinds of trouble!

First off, since this laptop does not have CD/DVD drive, I have put my ISO onto a USB drive using "Universal USB installer". I searched online and people have said to change in BIOS from UEFI boot to Legacy boot mode. I have also enabled "External Device Boot" and Disabled "Secure Boot". Also changed the boot sequence to external drive first.

I thought all is well after, so I plug in my USB, press "ASSIST" button found on Sony Vaio laptops and I am able to press boot from USB drive. Normal Windows 7 setup pops up and I proceed to press install and choose language and such. The next page, I get an error saying there are no drivers and I get to browse, but no matter which drive I pick, I am not able to continue with the install. I looked it up online and people said don't use USB 3.0 for the install, but the laptop only has 2 usb ports and they are both 3.0. I pulled out the USB and plugged it into another port, cancelled and install and tried to install again. This time I'm able to select the versions of windows 7 I want. I select the version I want, and proceed with the installs. As I have read online, people suggest that I should delete all the partitions, so I deleted all the partitions and I get the error from windows that say "Windows cannot be installed to Disk 0 Partition 1. (show details)" The details say "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure that the disk's controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu."

I am absolutely stumped. Since I deleted all the partitions, I cannot use the sony recovery and reload windows 8 because I get a message that says "Operating System Not Found_"

**EDIT**

now when I try to boot from USB, I get "Operating System Not Found". It doesn't even bring me to the windows 7 installer any more..

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

*edit*
I'm not sure if I should be posting this here or in the sony forums, so please excuse me if I have posted it in the wrong sections!

 

i know nothing about 8 at all but im sure ive read somewhere on here that its not backward compatable so if you buy a windoes 8 computer you cant put windows 7 on it.

hopefully experts can advise further.

 

This is not correct.

What the OP can try, is to get the USB 3.0 drivers for their laptop from Sony's website. Since their models are all cryptic, I have no idea which one you need.

 

I currently cannot access windows at all with the laptop. Before I could still get to the windows 7 install screen, but now it just says "operating system not found"

 

You have to integrate USB 3.0 drivers, look here. http://forum.notebookreview.com/win...indows-7-sp1-13-languages-21.html#post9494090

Another alternative is to remove the SSD from the Vaio, insert it in a computer with USB 2.0 ports, start the installation, SHUT DOWN at the first reboot, and put it back in the Vaio and proceed the installation.

If you can boot from the card reader, and if it's connected via USB 2.0 then it might be worth trying. It will probably not show up in the boot menu without a card.

 

You may have managed to destroy the USB stick filesystem. Make another USB stick.

 

You are correct. I remade the USB stick and was able to get back into Windows 7 Install screen.

I have spent the last 4 hours trying to do this. I downloaded RT Seven Lite and am trying to repack my windows 7 ISO with the Sony Chipset Drivers. The problem is, the driver is an .EXE file and I'm only able to attach .INF file. I downloaded universal extractor to try and extract the .EXE driver to find the .INF file, but with no success. There is another .exe file after the extract, and so on. After 3 extracts of digging deeper into the orginal .exe file, I have found 2 .inf files. I don't understand how I can only include these 2 .inf files and the drivers will be able to install without any of the other files??

This problem is absolutely driving me insane!

 

When you install, and you get the error that lets you browse, see if you can browse the USB stick. If you can, get the Intel Chipset F6 driver:

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?lang=eng&DwnldID=18668

And put it on the USB stick also. Then just point to this at that point. If it's a zillion INF files, just point to the first one in the root, it will figure out which one it needs.

 

It does not let me browse the USB drive at all. I have given up and downloaded a Windows 8.1. I no longer got the driver problem, but I still got the cannot install windows on this partition message. I went into BIOS, reverted everything to before but changed the boot sequence to external drive first. Finally got a working windows back onto the laptop.

Not sure if I want to tackle trying to install windows 7 on the laptop anymore..

 

If you download the Intel drivers from Station Drivers in my link you'll find the .inf drivers in
\Intel(R)_USB_3.0_eXtensible_Host_Controller_Driver\Drivers\xHCI\Win7\x64

Personally I prefer W8.1. I stopped using the start menu on a daily basis anyway when W7 came and made the taskbar useful. I'm not one of those who are obsessed with an empty taskbar.
With small icons I have room for more than 40 programs, there's no point in digging in menus unless you're running loads of programs.

My settings:

- Boot to desktop.

- Small taskbar icons, never combine. (Combine is so stupid, yet it's the default setting.)

- Remove the taskbar lables.

- Additionally, I like having the icons in the center.

Get used to pin all programs that you use to the taskbar after a fresh install, and then remove them later on if you realize you don't need them there. This was the best way for me to stop using the start menu in W7. The Control Panel is very useful to have there on a fresh install.

 

That's because you need to have the driver loaded in order to load the driver. Yeah, go figure.
The driver has to be stored on some other device that W7 got drivers for when you boot the USB or DVD, like the HDD or SSD, but I've never managed to load the driver anyway.

Pressing F6 for adding SATA drivers in XP worked, adding USB 3.0 drivers in W7 doesn't. (For me.)

Also, remember to add driver for both boot.wim and install.wim, otherwise you may run into more trouble when installation is finished if you don't have working network connections, because you can't just use a USB drive, you need drivers first...

 

Given that those drivers are three years older than the first Intel chipsets with USB 3.0 integrated, how are they supposed to help?

 

I had the same problem with my Sony Vaio Pro 13. When I tried to do a clean install of Windows 10, it had the following error. "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure the disk's controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu"

Here is outline of how I fixed it:
(1) Create a UEFI Bootable USB of Windows 10 using Rufus. (Note: UEFI only works with Windows 10 x64 bit)
Follow instructions from this website http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/15458-uefi-bootable-usb-flash-drive-create-windows.html

(2) Set boot mode to UEFI in BIOS
With the laptop turned off - Hold down the Assist Button
Click on 'Start Bios Setup' --> Boot --> Change Boot mode from 'Legacy' to 'UEFI'.
Hit F4 to 'Save & Exit'.

(3) Format HDD to GPT using DISKPART
Insert UEFI Bootable USB into computer
With the laptop turned off - Hold down the Assist Button
Click 'Start from Media (USB Device/optical disc)'
When windows installation starts type 'SHIFT + F10'. This will bring up CMD prompt.

1.Type Diskpart, press Enter
2.Type List Disk , press Enter
3.Type Select Disk # (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
4.Type Clean, press Enter
5.Type Convert GPT, press Enter
6.Type Exit, press Enter.
7.Close the Command Prompt window.

8.Click the "Next" button.
9.Click the "Install now" button.
10.Put in your product key and click the "Next" button.
11.Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
12.Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
13.Select the partition and click "Drive options (advanced)"
14.Click "New" and then click the "Apply" button. Four partitions should appear. Click the bottom partition.
15.Click the "OK" button and then click the "Next" button.
16.From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.

Hopefully that should work.