topic Re: How to: Clean Install in PCs & Accessories

How to: Clean Install

skykit84 — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 23:14:18 GMT

Hi all, as promised, after scores of wasted cds... I finally got my retail XP Pro toaccept the sticker s/n under the laptop:-

Note: I do not believe to be doing anything against the rules. I will assume that everyone here has a legit copy of the licence sticker under their laptop.
On top of this, I will assume that the XP CD is legit but as far as I know, this is not needed as you have a legit licence.
We are editing the CD to ensure it accepts the legit licence.

When I bought my Sony SZ2XP/C, I could not believe how much junk there was pre-installed by Sony. 8 GBs of trial software and unstable Windows files made the laptop useless on Day 1. I’m very specific on how things are setup, from where things install, to what is installed and so on.
Having said all this, I was not surprised to see anything because of previous users complaining about this.

So I thought, what I will do is use my legit copy of Windows XP Pro and install it on the laptop. There was an initial issue with drivers because many on the forums mentioned how difficult it was to get drivers for Sony Laptops. This was not an issue for me because the drivers were all available including the camera and shortcut keys on the website. Failing the website, the drivers were available on the c:\ along with the applications (such as Sony Vaio power management and so on).
I would strongly advise copying this although most will be on the website.

So after installing… I noticed that the serial number under my laptop was invalid. Now, I had just bought this laptop, got it with XP Pro which I assume I paid for during the buying of the laptop. When this did not work, I was rather annoyed. I phoned Sony up and they were not interested. When I used a serial that worked, and then changed to the sticker, it failed. Microsoft too did not want to know.

So that’s my story on how things got started.

After 20-30 copies of XP Pro, I found the way to have a clean install and make it work.

Note:
Microsoft XP Pro Retail, OEM, Corp, and restore CDs will not accept the sticker serial number

1.Find a copy of Windows XP Pro, or OEM
2.Copy the entire contents making sure hidden files or folders are copied to hard-disk. To do this, make a folder called XP in your C:\
3.Once copied, you need several files in your I386 folder from the Sony install. Now these are almost impossible to get if the hard-disk is corrupt, formatted or not accessible. The files are as follows:-

•OEMBIOS.BI_
•OEMBIOS.CA_
•OEMBIOS.DA_
•OEMBIOS.SI_
•OEMCOA.JP_
•OEMIG50.EX_
•OEMIGLIB.DL_
•OEMLOGO.GI_
•PIDGEN.DLL
•SETUPP.INI

4.Copy the above files into your i386 folder in the XP you copied to your HD
5.Now you are ready to burn the files to CD but first, you need to ensure the CD is bootable
6.To make the CD bootable…. Create a new Bootable ISO in Nero
7.Copy all the files and folders in your XP folder into your ISO image in Nero
8.The folders you should have in your image are:-

CMPNENTS
DOCS
I386
SUPPORT
VALUEADD
Autorun.inf
readme.htm
setup.exe
setupxp.htm
win51
win51ip
win51ip.sp2
9.Click on Burn.
10.On the Boot tab, ensure Kind of Emulation is set to None, and number of Loaded Sectors is 4 (or cd will notboot!!)
11.Now we just need a bootable image. This is attached in the files. You can extract the bootable image from your original XP CD using ISOBuster
12.Select Image File and use the Microsoft Windows.IMG in there
13.That’s it… hit burn

Boot of the new CD you just created and once asked for serial, use the serial number from under the laptop. This should successfully accept your serial number and activate.

That’s it from me…. Have fun in your CLEAN windows installed laptop/PC.

I accept no responsibility in this however can say that in several installations, this has worked fine. This will work on other laptops with similar issues such as HP and Dell.

Thats it... I just need to find a place to host these files.. any advice? Its about 13mb for anyone who wants them.

Re: How to: Clean Install

skykit84 — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 23:26:08 GMT

I forgot to say
You can then use the drivers and so on that you backed up or downloaded.
Also the applications directory has all the Sony stuff that I count as Utilities.
These are not the trial crap but the utils such as Power management, Vaio update (which does not work after the clean install because I'm guessing it looks for a dll to identify the machine?)You then have the HD protection system, hardware diagnostics... vaio control centre etc
all works...just the vaio update does not... I'm not bothered, If i want to look for updated drivers, I normally look individually anyway.

Enjoy.

Re: How to: Clean Install

Blencogo — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 00:27:03 GMT

Thanks Akash,

It looks like the secret is including the OEMxxx files.

I'm sure this will help lots of members. I suppose this just beggs the question - Why don't Sony provide an option in the Vaio Recovery Wizard to make such a disc?

I'm not sure of the legal side, but I think I agree with you - you have a legit license for this OS.

Let us know what happens when the Windows Genuine Advantage Tool has a look at it!!!!

I should point out for the benefit of other readers that this would definitely be illegal (and probably would not work) if you tried to replace XP Home with XP Pro.

Re: How to: Clean Install

skykit84 — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 00:51:54 GMT

Blencogo you are correct.
WinXP Pro and Home crossover with the files will not work and it is highly illegal todo this

I should have also mentioned that Windows Genuine Advantage works perfectly, you can activate and do all your Windows Updates in my instructions.
You can also download Microsoft stuff that uses WGA and it authenticates without any issues.

It is in a nutshell, a fully working Windows installation

Re: How to: Clean Install

Blencogo — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 01:08:00 GMT

Another advantage is that you can presumably boot to the Recovery Console in an emergency?

Re: How to: Clean Install

kee-lo_ — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 13:56:19 GMT

Nice guide Akash, wonder if Vista will be this simple?

Re: How to: Clean Install

skykit84 — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 17:09:23 GMT

Just tried recovery console... works nicely

Vista.... I dread to think... i guess I better get those blank DVDs ready!
What annoys me is that shortly after I got my laptop, Sony decided to have some sort of Vista incentive to upgrade? Its like vouchers or something?
Ah well...

stil after a place to upload these files

Re: How to: Clean Install

berndkorteling — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 17:26:55 GMT

Hi,
Nice job Akash. But do you think it will also work with Windows XP MCE? I think it should work, but I don't know that much about computers...
thx,
Bernd

Re: How to: Clean Install

kee-lo_ — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 16:26:24 GMT

The vouchers - the last I heard PC World were issuing them and you got Vista free if you spent more than a grand, but you'd have to ask them about it.

Re: How to: Clean Install

Thalamus. — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 17:41:59 GMT

Hi Akash84

I think Sony are participating in Microsoft's Express Upgrade to Windows Vista program. Basically if you buy a PC from a participating supplier between October 26 2006 and March 15, 2007 the supplier will give you a coupon that will allow either free or discounted copies to upgrade a Windows XP PC to Windows Vista when it becomes available next year.

I didn't think you had to spend that much Kee-Lo..:smileyshocked:

Re: How to: Clean Install

Sebby — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 23:00:04 GMT

Out of interest, why did you particularly want to use your Sony serial number? I formatted my VAIO on the day I got it and performed a clean install from my Windows XP Professional retail CD, using that serial number.

Re: How to: Clean Install

skykit84 — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 00:16:33 GMT

Well I thought that would be obvious enough 😆
If I had a retail XP CD/licence, it would be for my PC or another laptop/desktop machine
Ive already bought a laptop in which it comes with a licence.. as far as I am concerned, the licence was also paid for when I bought the laptop
why waste it.

Re: How to: Clean Install

Sebby — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 07:30:21 GMT

Good point. [:">]

Re: How to: Clean Install

kee-lo_ — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 13:37:54 GMT

I didn't think you had to spend that much Kee-Lo..:smileyshocked:

I bet you have to to get it free, you know MS, they give nada away.

Re: How to: Clean Install

Notebook64 — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 11:04:30 GMT

I had the same problem with the trial ware..
I add and removed everything to find that when i placed a cd in my drive, up would pop the list of open with, with half of the options greyed out or some text with words missing....
contacted sony as i wanted to do a fresh install without all the rubbish.
In the end i used another cd to load windows, had problems loading the drivers though... especially to get the sound to work.
I would rather pay an extra few quid and get athe option of a clean install.

can someone help me with installing the drivers in a better fashion. i loaded all the drivers i could by downloding them off the website and also i had backed them up from my c\drivers directory, and put them on a cd.
After the windows install I then went through device manager and looked for any exclamation marks and said specific location seach cd.

however i havent got everything working such as the function keys eg brightness etc.

also I do miss click to dvd
is there any way of reinstalling this off my recovery cds?
I cannot find the correct files to do this

hope someone can help

Re: How to: Clean Install

robpaxton — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 13:19:56 GMT

There is a published procedure for Vaio clean os installations at the American support website
Although the model names are different it it fairly easy to match the models with the appropriate European model.
Navigate to the driver download section and there will be a link to explain the procedures

Re: How to: Clean Install

skykit84 — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 16:40:34 GMT

Are you trying to be annoying with a page and a thread of repeated information or was it issues on your computer??

This thread is not only for clean install but more for the fact that it does NOT need SONY discs. Installing via your own XP CDs ENSURES a clean install.
Most clean procedures I've seen is either uninstll the rubbish, or, install but unchecking parts during installation via the recovery

Well sorry but that is not enough to make it a clean install for me. The only way a clean install is enough for me is when I have a retail CD in my hand as opposed to generic recovery cds.

Re: How to: Clean Install

skykit84 — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 16:42:05 GMT

I had the same problem with the trial ware..
I add and removed everything to find that when i placed a cd in my drive, up would pop the list of open with, with half of the options greyed out or some text with words missing....
contacted sony as i wanted to do a fresh install without all the rubbish.
In the end i used another cd to load windows, had problems loading the drivers though... especially to get the sound to work.
I would rather pay an extra few quid and get athe option of a clean install.

can someone help me with installing the drivers in a better fashion.  i loaded all the drivers i could by downloding them off the website and also i had backed them up from my c\drivers directory, and put them on a cd.
After the windows install I then went through device manager and looked for any exclamation marks and said specific location seach cd.

however i havent got everything working such as the function keys eg brightness etc.

also I do miss click to dvd
is there any way of reinstalling this off my recovery cds?
I cannot find the correct files to do this

hope someone can help

What laptop do you have? For the sz series, the application folder had all the utilities such as those for your Fn keys
If you let us know your model number, I'll try and hunt it down for you

Re: How to: Clean Install

Thalamus. — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 17:28:17 GMT

I see Robs also been hit with the multiple post problem as well as me today...

Re: How to: Clean Install

robpaxton — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 20:56:33 GMT

Are you trying to be annoying with a page and a thread of repeated information or was it issues on your computer??

This thread is not only for clean install but more for the fact that it does NOT need SONY discs.

I wasn't attempting to annoy anyone - there was a posting problem on the forum at the time I attempted to make the post.

Also, If you had bothered to check the link I posted you would've noticed that it explains how to do a clean install from retail xp disks.

A more direct route - clean install

It also gives information on how to correctly install drivers, Sony utilities, and Sony applications detailing the order of installation, and the dependancies of each program or utility.

My post was relevant and in keeping with the thread title . . . .

I've also deleted the duplicates