Solved where should I go from here? (recovery & reformatting)

[richc46]

Wish you luck

 

[Luconia]

just a quick one before i'm off for the day...

I have discovered a method of showing the Recovery partition in windows safe mode while trying to figure things up just now :D
perhaps useful for future Sony VAIO users since it's a hidden partition..

during the launch of VAIO Recovery Centre from the start menu there is several options including creating a recovery disk.
without closing the recovery Centre window open My Computer, the hidden partition will show up as Recovery (G) drive, size about 12GB

and now a million dollar question, if we can backup this so called Recovery (G) drive to external HDD....is there any way to fully utilise it back after we get a new HD? if can, then how?

i'm still burning recovery DVDs too just in case...

 

[richc46]

That is one that I never heard of. The recovery partition is always used to restore to the same hard drive that it is on.
The computer manufacturers would not allow it as then you can install on other computers. Some manufacturers include or allow you to create on set of recovery cd's however.

 

[Luconia]

well, i managed to copy the Recovery drive to my external HD as we speak...
i dont know about how beefed up the latest security manufacturers have nowadays since i believe my laptop is made in year 2008 - 2009.

i find this by accident..maybe they have overlooked this matter last time?


EDIT: yes, you're right...at the last stage of copying i have access denied message when i try to copy System Information Folder from the Recovery partition...well worth trying i guess :P
otherwise we never know..

 

[Luconia]

after a lot of thoughts & careful reading i managed to reinstall Vista (1st reformat since i bought this laptop) from the recovery partition, unfortunately with all the bloatware

Now my laptop is like new LOL.
Next i'll try this method on how to reinstall windows from recovery partition & avoid all the bloatware since i dont have a Vista Anytime Upgrade disks
Install Vista from recovery partition without the bloat [Archive] - Micro PC Talk Forums
or doing it one by one since it's was pretty empty atm..


Thank you Rich for personally coaching me on how to handle this situation!

 

[richc46]

TY for the kind words and rep. The good feeling that you have right now with a working computer equals the good feeling that I have from your appreciation.