How can I create a copy of the rescue drive?

[omar-m]

I have a Vpceb3f4e - the hard drive has gone

(I asked in my other thread about getting rescue media - I don't fancy paying £50 + calling 0906 number)

The drive that stores the rescue part is still OK - I can boot up and run it

When looked at using Explorer, no files can be seen - assuming it's not accessible this way

I've got a new hard disc

How can I copy the rescue drive and copy onto the new hard disc?

Thanks

Omar

[rich912]

Hi Omar,

I have no experience of transferring the recovery partition to a new drive. Acronis may be an option but placing it in the correct location at the start of the new drive may be problematical.

If you are sure that the original recovery partition is intact have you tried pressing F10 at boot with the HDD in the original machine to attempt to access recovery options? If the C drive is damaged this may not work but worth a try...

Rich

[omar-m]

i've tried f8, and f12 - no response (or at least not the correct response)

then i read up that u keep the 'assist' button down

this takes me to the recovery options

it goes away and says it's recovering - but 6 hours later, just gives up

there *must* be a way of grabbing the image??

does it have to be at the begining? if so, is there no way of putting it there??

thanks

[rich912]

Hi Omar,

It may very well be possible to copy the recovery partition to the new hard drive and in the correct position but I don’t know how.

Have you tried any of the tools available in Vaio Care Rescue, in particular Hardware Diagnostics > Hard Disk Verify and Repair?

Another possible option would be to try cloning the entire disk and attempt to transfer the image to the new drive and then run Vaio Rescue. If the existing drive is damaged I’m not sure that this will succeed but worth a try.

Rich

[omar-m]

@rich: i hadn't reid th diag tools. great idea. i'll have a go

but... GUESS WHAT... YOU WILL not BELIEVE!

the system discs have been found! i created a copy when the laptop was new. (the owner has only just found - after i'd spent sooo much time fiddling with it!)

yeeeee ha!!!

except... no

i booted up

it's looking for an image that has been backed up to restore??

what am i missing? what's the point of these discs?

damn!!!!!!!!!!!

Message was edited by: omar-m

[rich912]

Hi Omar,

Not sure what is going on but have you done the following?

Boot with disk one of the recovery set in the optical drive.

Select ‘Start Recovery Wizard’.

Skip Rescue.

On the next window check ‘Yes, I’m sure.

With a new hard drive you must select a complete recovery.

One caveat – the new hard drive must use the same sector size as the original. i.e. if the old dive was 512bit per sector and the new drive is 4k per sector (Advanced Format) the recovery disks will not work.

Rich

[omar-m]

@rich, thanks for the replies

i'm still not anywhere near solving this one : (

the disc i had made i labelled 'recovery disc'

i boot up and this is the first screen:

the next screen is this:

i have to select a pre-backed up image?

i don't have this! i didn't think i'd ever need with the option to reset the laptop always available!

i click next. it complains it can't find. the next option is to cancel

upon which the next screen i see is:

none of those options are any good for me : (

i have asked on another forum. i have been told i can download a windows 7 image and install (i have to give the license number on the sticker on the bottom of the laptop - else not allowed to install - which is ok... since i am not using an illegal download or anything)

problem : it stops and says it needs a cd/dvd driver and asks me to insert into the drive

i have looked at the available downloads and there isn't a cd/dvd driver available to download from sony

i tried google but even that didn't give anything

stuck : (

[rich912]

Hi Omar,

What you have there is a Windows 7 rescue disk not the Sony Vaio recovery media which would be 4 or maybe 5 DVDs. The rescue disk can be used to repair the system software or recover from an image if it has been created but, unlike the recovery media, cannot be used on its own to install the OS.

Rich