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Hi everyone. I have to start off by letting you know that I’m a computer dummy… I just about know how to do the basics, but anything beyond that is, err, beyond me :D So if anyone can give me some advice, I’d be very grateful.

I have a TR1MP. A few weeks ago, I turned it on and ‘operating system not found’ flashed up in front of me, and the hard drive was making a ticking sound.

It was still under warranty, so I had it repaired free of charge. I was told that the hard drive had blown, so it had been replaced. However, obviously all of the software hadnt been replaced. It was just a new but blank hard drive, and on the screen, it still said ‘operating system not found’.

I’ve just moved into a new house, and I’ve been hunting for the recovery discs. Yesterday, I found them, and I loaded the XP operating system disc, and Windows reloaded onto the TR1MP, although it looked ‘odd’. Each window was a very small size, for example. Then, the ‘Activate Windows’ window popped up, and I tried to activate it, but I couldnt. I called Microsoft, and after several minutes on the phone, I realised that I’d committed a cardinal sin. In error, I had used the recovery disc from a Hewlett Packard laptop, rather than the disc for the TR1MP. I didnt know it was for an HP when I did it, I thought the disc was for the TR1MP.

I’ve searched all day today for the correct disc(s), but I absolutely cant find them.

I’ve taken the laptop into a large computer store, to ask them if they can delete the version of Windows that I put on there by mistake, so that a brand new version of Windows (ie, brand new out of a box) can be loaded, and they’ve told me that they cant do it without the recovery discs for the TR1MP, and that I should speak to Sony, who will sell me a copy.

I’ve spoken to Sony (in the UK, which is where I am), and they dont stock the recovery discs, and they cant let me have a copy.

What I want to know is this:

Is it true that when you have a brand new hard drive put into a laptop, you cant just buy Windows and load it? If the laptop has a new hard drive, why would you need the recovery disc? From what I understand, the TR1MP doesnt have something called HDDR, so therefore with a new hard drive, there really isnt anything to recover.

I suppose my other question would be: have I totally screwed up the TR1MP by loading the wrong (HP) recovery disc onto it, or is it possible to completely remove windows from a hard drive?

At this point, I’m willing to pay for a brand new hard drive (the 2nd in 2 weeks…), just so that I can have the laptop working again, but if I really really really do have to have the TR1MP recovery disc in order to get it working, I have a feeling that I’m in trouble, because I cant get them from Sony and I cant find the originals.

If anyone can give me some tips I’d be grateful. Sorry if I havent explained this well, but I’m really not a technical whizz-kid by any stretch of the imagination!!!

Thanks!

What you have done is completely reversible and if you could find your recovery disks and start again all would be well.

Indeed there is nothing stopping you from buying an oem version of Windows but you would still need to download all the drivers and utilities from   VAIO LINK ( the UK Sony website).

Recovery disks from Sony are available but very expensive, that said a standalone copy of windows ain’t cheap either!.

Go the new Windows route and you will lose any preinstalled Sony programs too.

Hi William - to be honest, I only use the TR1MP when I travel, to access the internet. I’m not at all bothered about the other software that was on there. My main concern is to get the HP version of Windows off the hard drive, and load a brand new Windows disk (which I think is around £165 from Amazon). As long as I can get windows back on there ‘properly’ (so that I can activate it and use it) and access the internet while I’m on my travels, I’m not worried about any other programme that was on there. In fact, apart from the pre-installed stuff, I dont think there was anything else on there…

PC World said that without the recovery discs from Sony, I might as well throw the TR1MP in the bin. That didnt sound right to me…! You cant just throw away a £1500 computer, I knew that there must be something that could be done

Don’t worry!

Contact Sony thru Vaio Link (link above) and order & pay for a new set of recovery disks - They are only around £50!

When they arrive put the first one in (assuming there are two - mine is a TR5) and it will remove the HP Windows in the process of recovery.

At the end of the recovery your laptop will be as it was straight out of the box.

As easy as feeding in a couple of CD’s when prompted.

Although in the grey area of legal the cheap alternative is to “Borrow” a standalone copy of Windows XP Pro from a friend, and use your XP serial number from base of laptop when prompted.

Then install the preinstalled utilities and drivers for your TR1 which you can download FREE from Vaio link.

Downside none of the original bundled programs!

Well thats more or less when I realised that stupidly I’d used an HP disc rather than a Sony disc. When I tried to activate it, I used the serial number on the bottom of the laptop, as the paper envelope that the HP disc was in didnt have a product key. So I called Microsoft (in India I think) and she told me I was using an ‘illegal’ copy of Windows. Thats when I took the disc out and realised to my horror :shock: that I’d used an HP disc.

I signed up for Sony eSupport about an hour ago to find out how I could buy (or rather, if I could buy) the recovery discs, as I couldnt find any links to actually buy them (ie like a Sony online shop) so I’m hoping they’ll reply quickly.

If I do manage to get recovery discs, I’m hoping that it will also solve the problem I’ve had with the built in webcam, which stopped working about 3 minutes after I bought the laptop… but thats another story

My home computer is a VGC-M1 which I love, but I’ve had nothing but nightmare situations with the TR ever since the day I got it, although I love it for its weightlessness

Not sure why the “HP” XP didn’t like your serial number - Maybe its not XP Pro?

You may find it quicker to phone, but be very patient as they take a long time to answer!

Sony Support 0905 0310006 @ 35p per minute.

You could be waiting two or three days (perhaps longer) for an email reply.

Good luck, it will be painless once you get your recovery CD’s.

I might give the phone another try. I did call them yesterday on that number, but I was on hold for around an hour, and at 35p a minute I started dreaming about second mortgages…