Restore - will it *really* fix it?

[dwaine]

I'm experiencing some problems with my Vaio VGN A417M, and I've only got a few weeks left in my warranty.

In order of seriousness they are:

1. The CD / DVD re-writer very rarely recognises any CDs or DVDs that I insert. When eventually it does, it judders and plays very slowly. This has only happened in the last few weeks.

2. The laptop is generally really slow, and the CPU usage sticks at 100%. However, this appears intermittent - particularly when the laptop isn't hooked up to the mains for some reason.

3. The speakers sound like they have a loose connection - the sound comes in and out in spurts. Can't explain why.

I've been in touch with the helpdesk who have restored me back to sometime in February, but that didn't help solve the CD issues, so I've restored myself back again. However, I now get error messages popping up when I boot up - I'll make a note of them next time, and post them just in case they have any relevance.

The helpdesk suggested I check for any updates, which I have, and they've been installed, but they've not solved any of the problems. They've now suggested a full recovery, which I'm really reluctant to do, as I know a lot of 3rd party software CDs will take weeks to find (my broadband installation for a start, wireless connection for another) and so my laptop will be next to useless until they're installed again, by which time the warranty will have run out.

Besides, I'm not sure that, as the restore back a few weeks didn't solve the issue, that the recovery will either.

Anyone any ideas?

Thanks, in advance, for your help.

[kee-lo_]

I would send it back in for the DVD and the speaker issues, though the problems with your 3rd party software is a bit of a pickle

Oh BTW you should really have posted in Notebooks

[rich912]

Hi dwaine and welcome to the forum.

Firstly the optical drive problem, which is very probably a separate issue. Your model usually has the DW-D56A drive fitted (you can confirm this by right clicking the drive in My Computer > Properties > Hardware), if so no amount of system restores or recoveries are likely to make any difference. This drive is inherently faulty as a search of the forum will reveal.

The other problems are more difficult to pinpoint. You could possibly have a virus/malware problem or corrupt system files. In this instance a full recovery should sort both of these problems and unless you are prepared to spend many hours in narrowing down the cause it is probably the best solution.

As long as you prepare by backing up all your data files and ensuring that all software and configuration utilities are on hand, before making the plunge, all will be ok – albeit time consuming!

[kee-lo_]

My mum's Acer was restored from HDDR within 5mins, I was gobsmacked

[dwaine]

Thanks guys. and apologies for posting in the wrong forum - don'tchya just love newbies!!

Will get back on the blower and get the laptop sent back for the DVD writer - it is the same model as you described. Is there an alternative that I should ask them to replace it with? *wishes*

Now that I've spent most of the evening without the power cable connected (apart obviously from brief periods to recharge), I think the slow performance of the laptop and being connected to the mains are directly related. Seriously, no issues with the CPU at all now - it goes up to 25% at most, compared to resting at 100% when connected.

Makes the case for not going through the restore process even stronger I think. But, if push comes to shove, I guess I'll have to.

Is there a newbie-friendly guide to backing up data before the restore (not that I'm tempted to do that just yet!) - I did search the Vaio website but couldn't find one.

Thanks again, and thanks for the warm welcome.

[kee-lo_]

There's the files and settings transfer wizard in Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools