I need help now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Toi]

I need to restore my windows xp media centre edition sony vaio back to the manufacturers settings. I never recieved the installation CD as it was already setup and the system restore points are useless,I tried 23 of them before i gave up. Can any one tell me where to get the software online or how to force a system reset???

[Decker]

I need to restore my windows xp media centre edition sony vaio back to the manufacturers settings. I never recieved the installation CD as it was already setup and the system restore points are useless,I tried 23 of them before i gave up. Can any one tell me where to get the software online or how to force a system reset???

Contact who it was bought from as they should have supplied 'all' the media. Next step is Sony, but you won't be able to download it, it would be sent out to you if you've registered the machine (possibly at a cost).

[Toi]

Contact who it was bought from as they should have supplied 'all' the media. Next step is Sony, but you won't be able to download it, it would be sent out to you if you've registered the machine (possibly at a cost).
I got it from the sony centre who gave me the unopened installation box,there was no install CD in it. Now i was able to restore the system before xmas using the system itself. It allow me to do it thru the boot options but its a wireless keyboard so now it wont left me press F8 and access those options. It supposedly has a built in recover system but the new updates wiped it i think

[Decker]

That would be from a restore partition, go back to the center and ask them for the disks. This is an age old problem with companies not giving media but charging for oem licenses. They do have to give you this.

[Toi]

That would be from a restore partition, go back to the center and ask them for the disks. This is an age old problem with companies not giving media but charging for oem licenses. They do have to give you this.
So technically it is my legal right to ask for my xp installation disk? What if they ask me to prove that i haven't had them before?

[Decker]

So technically it is my legal right to ask for my xp installation disk? What if they ask me to prove that i haven't had them before?

You still have a right to have faulty or broken media replaced, otherwise what is the point of asking for it - when you can just copy it if that was what you wanted. Get them to open another pack in front of you if they say it was included.

[Toi]

Cool,thank you for your help and advice........hopefully i'll be back on soon to say i got it fixed lol

[Richard]

No, they do not have to provide you with the disks by law, a lot of places charge for it. Seeing as you had a restore partition, I will see them charging you if you ask.

[Decker]

Grey area Richard, actually due to licensing there are requirements to provide 'media' this has to be permenant storage media (CD, DVD, Tape, printed listing of the code to compile), HDD's are not, so the old restore partition doesn't count.

They may want to charge for a second replacement set though, but since Placehold didn't get one it's still due on request.

[Richard]

Grey area Richard, actually due to licensing there are requirements to provide 'media' this has to be permenant storage media (CD, DVD, Tape, printed listing of the code to compile), HDD's are not, so the old restore partition doesn't count.

They may want to charge for a second replacement set though, but since Placehold didn't get one it's still due on request.

I have been instructed to sell hard copies, as a method was supplied, suppling a hard copy would mean the user could have 2 copies of the same software, which would then breach licensing laws.

It some makes a copy (rips) of a Music CD or Game and stores it on their hard drive, is that illegal - Yes, it's the same with the restore data.

PS: Or thats how I've been "brought up" to think.

[Wojtek]

ask a friend to lend you a disk, and use the serial on the bottom sticker of your laptop. there.

[krakjoe]

I bought two new computers in the last month, neither came with the software cd, a laptop with vista came with a recovery partition and a pc came with the same ( xp one though )....at the same time I bought a compaq laptop a few years ago which came with the xpcd and a recovery partition.

Evidently manufacturers are not required to provide installation media and if you deleted your backup partition then the only legal ways for you to fix it are sending the computer back to the manufacturer or purachase a copy of xp mce.

Borrowing a cd is a good idea ( illegal, but a good idea ) but I wouldn't hold out hope that it will have the drivers required for operation as most manufacturers customize the installation process for thier own equipment.

[Decker]

The second copy is allowed as you are allowed to backup/archive your media for any valid purchase, that's explicit in the MS license.
For years I've always been against only a recovery media being supplied, your paying for a license for an OS you should receive the origional media so you can install with your own parameters not the HW manufacturers.
Also most recovery media don't allowa simple recovery install, just reinstall the OS they wipe all your data - not handy if you can't start up the system to back it up first.

[Richard]

A second copy of the original media, made by yourself, not the supplier. If you did not make a backup, that is not the suppliers job, and they *can* charge you for it.

You put it in the correct terms, but miss understood it.


as you are allowed to backup/archive your media for any valid purchase

As in YOU, not the supplier, if you are asking the supplier for a copy, YOU did not make the backup ;)

[Decker]

As in YOU, not the supplier, if you are asking the supplier for a copy, YOU did not make the backup ;)

If the supplier does not supply YOU with media in the first place how are YOU meant to back it up :-)

[Richard]

You can backup partitions. It's not easy, but you can.

[krakjoe]

Thats how hard drive backups work, it's not a case of you can copy a partition, to preserve your data as is you have to copy the entire partition (the parts with data on anyway)

[Decker]

You can backup partitions. It's not easy, but you can.

Meaning the 'recovery' partition.

Yep only viable method now is to boot from CD then run the util for backing it up in a usable format to allow recovery and then burn to media after swapping it for a blank - oh but they didn't supply anything to boot from either :lol:

[Richard]

But then again, thats like someone saying: I lost my disk, and I could not make a backup because I do not have a CDRW drive.

A backup CAN be made, if you have the right equipment and knowledge.

[Decker]

Now your just nit picking - when you purchase a package (like the VIAO) it should have all the necessary items to recover it yourself (basically a CD/DVD) without having to return it to the manufacturer for a simple software reload, this is obviusly not the case here.

[krakjoe]

Now your just nit picking - when you purchase a package (like the VIAO) it should have all the necessary items to recover it yourself (basically a CD/DVD) without having to return it to the manufacturer for a simple software reload, this is obviusly not the case here.

And he could :S

Sony have done everything they are supposed to do here .......


Now i was able to restore the system before xmas using the system itself. It allow me to do it thru the boot options ....

[Decker]

And he could :S

And now he can't, sorry but I still think the OEM's are taking liberties by enforcing 'their' build no matter what or what means they choose, I mean what would it cost them to stick a flaming DVD in the box and save the customers so much hassle.

Indefensible sitauation.

[krakjoe]

I see where youre coming from, but at the same time what if he's forced to use a generic install and then his computer is stuck without all the drivers it needs to operate.....it's normally considerably faster to restore a backup than it is to install windows and configure all your favourite programs and required drivers, I actually prefer to ghost disks when I buy a new pc and am happy with it's state because it takes ten minutes once you made a backup to put your pc right back the way you need it .....

[Decker]

I agree Joe, what's to stop the OEM adding a drivers folder for the model to an OS disk, and myself prefer to custom build my machines then ghost them to disk after all the config's done :)

[krakjoe]

I agree Joe, what's to stop the OEM adding a drivers folder for the model to an OS disk, and myself prefer to custom build my machines then ghost them to disk after all the config's done :)

Well quite the $OEM$ folder is another way to go, but it's outdated now, as hard drives get far cheaper than they used to be it makes much more sense to have a backup partition......I suppose companies like sony and dell steered away from releasing OEM cd's partly to tackle piracy of them and partly because generally people dont know how to install windows, they can press F9 to restore a backup but doing the whole setup thing is beyond the average user .... you know the first pirated Vista Ultimate dvd's were Dell OEM disks .....

The OP should seriously consider returning this pc just once, and never ever change it again unless you have a backup or know what you're doing for sure .....

[Toi]

Hey guys,
I've read all your comments and i thank you for all your advice. I went in store and they weren't nice to me about this. The guy lost his temper when i asked for the disks and threaten to get me banned from the store. I then sat here for about 3 hours just thinking about the recovery partition,then i decided to break the computer even more by part recovering the restore point and ripping out the power cables lmao. On reboot it automatically opened up that hidden partition and restored the computer back to the manuf. settings without the disc,lmao when i read the error report after install it said that the rescovery point was lost and a critical restore was put in place. I wouldn't recommend trying this again just incase. lmao

[Toi]

I should also mention that the cause of this all...... Microsoft has issued 23 critical error and security updates. Because they are deemed critical you wont know they've been installed until it asks you to reboot. After rebooting you may find that your settings to the internet are either reset,disabled or deleted......if reset or disabled microsft will automatically send a patch for these files to rectify the registry. They delete the Reg files and replace them but an error occures and your left with 17 missing vital registry files. The need for a full system reset as if you reboot you wont get the computer back up without a boot disc. Microsoft pulled these updates after the first day but they're floating about still so be extra carefull