Problems witha SONY VAIO Desktop

[truenorth]

First what needs to be known is what were my objectives in this post?
1.To be able to use a computer (Sony Vaio desktop) that was unuseable
2.To be able to use the existing O/S XP that was installed on the computer
3.To if unable #2 to install another version of XP Pro SP2 O/S
What has been achieved is #1.
I believed that the problem was either a software problem or a hardware problem or a combination of both.So as the bulk of the ideas suggested required an operating computer able to recognize and install software--this was not possible.I did try other suggestions like removing after mfgr. hardware--no improvement.So i said to myself--what would give me the best bang for the buck? It seemed to me if the problem were software it probably resided on my system drive (C)> Either as a corruption in my O/S or some other aspect of the computers startup process. So as we all know this software resides on the installed harddrive. So given that i have a lot of harddrives kicking about--remove the harddrive and install another. The one that was in is a Seagate 80gb.The one i replaced it with is a Samsung 80gb. The Samsung had been working in another computer i have.When i installed it i used a windows 98se upgrade cd-r i had to reformat and install an operating system. The end result of that  was to be able to boot the computer into win98se. Now i am in the process of reconfiguring all the associated hardware devices that were installed to run with this new hardrive -that is a work in progress.But at least now i have a computer that works. My eventual intention once i have created an internet connection will be to download the required drivers for the hardware and once i get to that stage i shall reintroduce the Seagate back into the computer as a slave drive and see what i can do with it from that position. Failing my ability to recover the Seagate i will eventually try to install xp pro on the Samsung harddrive. But for the moment i just want to rejoice in being able to finally use the Sony Vaio.truenorth

[GX1_Man]

Keep in mind that Win98 does NOT have to be installed to "upgrade" to XP. There are also a lot of reasons not to try this. A clean install is always the best way to go.

[truenorth]

GX1_Man, Yes i do know that but here is my rational for doing things the way i did.
1.I did KNOW that the o/s (xp-home) on the Seagate h/d (original) was NOT working.
2.I had not been able on the Seagate to overwrite or remove the XP-home o/s and replace it with the XP-pro (corporate) that i have. Thus i cannot be certain of the functionality of the Xp-pro o/s
3.I did know that the Samsung was a working h/d.
4. The Samsung had been a SLAVE in it's previous installation. Thus there was NO o/s on it of any kind.
5.So my decision was to install an o/s i KNEW worked on a h/d that i KNEW worked.
6. I may be able once i get the Samsung recognizing and able to use all the hardware (particularly the 56k modem) to massage and manipulate the Seagate (to be installed as a slave-at least initially) back to life as a h/d with a version of xp running on it. As you know the way things were i could not use the computer at all. So as stated earlier this is a work in progress (but at my age the progress needs to be relatively quick) if i want to be around long enough to enjoy the fruits of all my labour.However with all you guys/gals on the forum to assist me i am confident that progresss and indeed success is quite probable. truenorth

[truenorth]

  This will probably be my last post on this topic. However as there has been such a huge viewing of this post i feel duty bound to give you the final outcome of this event. This reply is also posted in the "windows forum" as it relates to an issue also involving this same computer which as is stated here is also resolved.


This is an advisory to those that have posted on this thread and as well to those that may have viewed it and are awaiting a status report.
1.While i have yet to overcome my wife's resistance to "fiddling " with her computer (the Cisnet) my natural couriosity obliged me to experiment with one of my own computers. A Sony Vaio model PCV-RXA 842.This computer and it's problems are related in CH "computer software" ""problem with Sony Vaio Desktop" .
2.Besides the generous help from the CH forum members i could not have achieved the success i have now without the additional help of 2 web sites http://www.geekgirls.com/windowsxp_install.htm &  http://www.le.ac.uk/cc/dsss/docs/w2kprob.shtml .
3. I now have a 3 partition 80gb H/D (Samsung) 2 C&D as FAT32 and a G as NTFS .
4.C contains the original O/S Win98se (upgrade) that finally got the computer running again and G contains the XP-pro (corporate edition).
5. I was initially getting a freeze at the "Windows Setup" again as i did in the other post i mentioned . This was the same problem that was occuring with the original Seagate H/D. This time i used a suggestion in the 'www.le.uk" site to press "F5" when the option to press "F6" comes up during the boot phase. This overcame the freeze and allowed me to complete the O/S (XP-pro) install to a successful result.
6.While i have NOT yet attemted an install to a removable H/D given this experience i do not envisage a problem as as long as the removeable is plugged in and recognized one should be able to direct the O/S install there.
7. In this instance i had to format and create a file sysyem on the 44gb of the Samsung H/D that was recognized but not formated (G). Once both were done it was there that i installed the XP-pro.
8. The only item remaining to declare "mission accompished" is to regain the use of the 80gb Seagate H/D originally installed in the Vaio. Thanks again to all of you that endeavored to assist me in these related issues. truenorth

[Computer Hope Admin]

Thanks for the follow up I'm sure any other members who may have a similar issue will appreciate it.

[truenorth]

This post is by way of a little bit of house cleaning. As a result of solving another problem (with regards to a difficulty using internal hdd's in external cases) i have a further (hopefully final) comment on this almost one year ago issue. I believe it may have been my very 1st on CH forums. The HD (a Seagate 80GB internal) which was one of 3 i was endeavoring to use in an external case and that i had never been able to get to work in the Sony Vaio (as per this post) is now totally functional in an external USB case. The material contained on the Seagate (now that i can access it) shows 2 partions. The larger of 58+ GB has absolutely nothing on it. The smaller 10+ GB has a very small amount of program data and a tiny bit of personal data (not mine). The most significant absence is that of an operating system. There is none ,which i believe goes a long way to solving why that computer initially did not function. I am so elated by this situation that i am going to install Linux ubuntu 7.10 on the now available Seagate hd and really get myself in over my head. This will be easily achievable as i have absolutely no experience with Linux and most certainly i am not a programmer.Thanks again to all that had tried to help me on this lengthy issue. :)truenorth