Recovery using non Sony PCMCIA CD drive

[handyandyuk]

OK chaps and chapesses, doubtless this will be stunningly easy given the wealth of knowledge available in here, but I have to ask.

Machine : GRX416SP
Task : Wish to reinstall some missing controls -jogdial, Fn keys, etc
Problem : Internal cd/dvd drive dead

Advice from Sony : Your machine will boot your recovery cd set only using an external cd drive using a PCMCIA interface as the USB sockets don't start until the machine has already booted.

So given this info I went out and spent around £130 on a nice, new PCMCIA external cd/dvd drive. Plugged it into the 416, it saw it. Put in recovery cd 1, rebooted..... XP Pro boots as per normal.
Got into BIOS setup and set the boot order to floppy, optical, network, hard drive. Rebooted..... XP Pro boots up.
Where am I going wrong here..... apart from the obvious... it's a Sony

(I should add, a GRX416SP recently ram slot repaired by AQS at a damn good price (around £200 including all postage there and back to UK) and otherwise working fine)

[carthorian]

why don't you simply download the drivers? Or is Windows not accessible?

[handyandyuk]

Well Sony being Sony, when I searched for the relevent drivers for these features, all I found was 'these will be found on the recovery cd's supplied with your machine'.
Otherwise, you might have expected there to be a section listing the downloadable elements, drivers, etc for this and other machines. If there is one, Sony isn't too helpful is saying where it is.

[William]

Try here.

VAIO LINK

You can download all the original drivers and utilities for your model, as well as any updates.

I could be wrong but I don't believe you will ever be able to boot from a PCMCIA drive.

[handyandyuk]

Thanks William ... but one minor problem .... that's exactly where it tells you that all the original software and drivers can be found on the recovery CD set.

[kee-lo_]

Is this PCMCIA drive a Sony? If not then sadly it won't work

[William]

Thanks William ... but one minor problem .... that's exactly where it tells you that all the original software and drivers can be found on the recovery CD set.

Sorry you are right, the Original Utilities and software downloads are not there

Don't know why

[William]

Just a thought, have you looked on C:\ you may still have folders containing the drivers and utilities from the original installation.

[handyandyuk]

Yep... looked right through all files... there appears to be a few bits still there, but I can't get anything to work, hence the need to reinstall.

Nope, the PCMCIA drive isn't a Sony..... typical bloody Sony.... and they wonder why I'll never buy Sony again!

[kee-lo_]

Does your laptop have a floppy drive?