PCG-V505DP ¿ Factory Settings Against Fresh Windows XP Install

[BransbyIT]

PCG-V505DP ¿ Factory Settings Against Fresh Windows XP Install

I didn¿t know if this was Hardware or Software or both? I have just bought a new PCG-V505DP and it has arrived safely and weighted down with the free software installed.
Being an IT Engineer, I don¿t want Works or Adobe so want to start again, but when you put the disk in and do another install it insists on putting in the second disk and installing the whole lot again.
I had a Sony laptop stolen a few weeks back and I know the nightmare I had putting anything other than the default settings on this. And then it would blue screen every now and then.

Has anyone had a good successful clean install using a Windows XP Pro disk and then installing the essential Sony software from the disks?

My ultimate aim:- To have a perfect working Windows XP laptop with all hardware drivers and soft-keys working without the free, and time trial software that the notebook wants me to have.
I don¿t really have the time to do it only to find out something like the screen brightness doesn¿t work after and then have to install the disk yet again.

I know Sony don¿t like us removing anything but on this occasion I need to.

[kee-lo_]

Yes, it's a tough assignment doing this. The only thing you could do is work out how to extract bits from the Recovery CD which are worth having.

It's not easy, and it'll take time.

[BransbyIT]

Thanks for your reply. I did have an hour to kill last night so I reinstalled the 1st disk, which puts the O/S and Anti-Virus, drivers and a few of Sony¿s applications, after the reboot up popped the message to advise that I really really needed to put the blotted CD and install the rest of the software that I didn¿t want and would never use. So I searched the registry for the RUN & RUNONCE and there it was a key which was in the run once and it pointed to a start-up file that would bring up this message. I removed the Key rebooted and bingo. So now I am left with a Windows XP Pro installation, the Anti-Virus which comes with a free 30 day trial of Password Keeper, which has not been installed so its easy to remove.

What I got from this is a 99% satisfactory O/S install which I am now happy with and can install my own applications.

Once again thank you very much for your reply.

Mathew Jones
Bransby IT.

[kee-lo_]

Matthew,

I'm so glad it all went well.
Good luck and all the best:smileyhappy:

[Sony]

You found the answer before I was able to answer.
What you could've also done after the first reboot, when the message pops up:

- press "Cancel"
- click START then "Run"
- type "msconfig -6"
- uncheck the box that read "VARU.exe"

Reading you're an IT-guy you of course found it in the registry, but maybe somebody else has the same question.

David