How do i transfer OEM Sony Recovery Partition into new hard drive?

[aidura]

Hi Guys,

I bought a sony vaio laptop VPCYB15AG in 2011(only 1 year warranty). Few days ago everytime when i switch on or restart my machine a message will pop up saying "smart hard disk failure, please consider to backup your files", press ESC to continue". Then it will load to desktop as normal.

I have called sony service center in my area to change the new hard disk, but the price are too expensive.
I want to know if i can just buy the new internal hard disk brand Hitachi or others from computer hardware shops to replace the broken hard disk? if yes, do i need to get the same hard disk brand? (hitachi)? Can you guys give some brands/model that suit my laptop model?

I also want to know can i keep/transfer the OEM Win 7 starter,pre installed softwares and recovery partition into the new hard disk?
I just want to change the new hard disk but keep everything else that comes with OEM from sony including the recovery partition.
I have created the recovery disks.

Please help me guys, and pardon me for my bad english.

 

[whs]

1. Yes you can install any 2.5" HDD - any make and any size.

2. Best is to make an image of all partitions of your current HDD to an external disk. Then you can restore these partitions to the new HDD. You can try Windows 7 imaging but I would recommend free Macrium.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/73828-imaging-free-macrium.html?ltr=I

 

[aidura]

Ok, im planning to get Western Digital 2.5" HDD 500GB, is it ok?

Right now my current OEM HDD have 3 partitions:
1. Recovery partition 9.42gb
2. System Reserved 100mb
3. (C) 288.57bg

I have a external HDD 55.88gb (D) right now with me.

Do i need to make an image of all 3 partitions of my current HDD to an external disk using Macrium?

Then how do i restore restore these partitions into new HDD? Please show me how to do it

 

[whs]

1. The WD HDD is as good as any

2. Your external HDD is not big enough to image all 3 partitions. You should have a 320GB external disk - at least. Otherwise we'll first have to reduce the size of C. How much data is on C.

3. If you study the tutorial I have linked, you will see a link to another tutorial in the 'Information' block at the beginning that explains the recovery process. It has narratives but no sound.

4. To start the recovery, you will need the WinPE CD. You can download the .iso for that CD from my Skydrive site. That saves you 2 hours of work. Burn this .iso to a CD and boot the PC with that CD for the recovery.

I suggest you carefully study the tutorials. That may lead to new questions.

PS: I will be out for the next 6 hours but will be back then.

 

[aidura]

Can i just use the sony recovery discs that i created to recover the OEM win 7 and others sony pre installed softwares after i change the new HDD?

 

[theog]

Can i just use the sony recovery discs that i created to recover the OEM win 7 and others sony pre installed softwares after i change the new HDD?

Yes, you can use the Sony recovery DVD's.

 

[aidura]

Can i just use the sony recovery discs that i created to recover the OEM win 7 and others sony pre installed softwares after i change the new HDD?

Yes, you can use the Sony recovery DVD's.

That's good.
So after i install new internal HDD, what i need to do is just to boot from optical drive to use the sony recovery disc right? that's all yes?

 

[Mark Phelps]

If your goal is to "restore" the Sony image to the new internal drive, there is no need to "install" it first.

Simply connect up that drive, boot from the Sony recovery DVDs and run their restore. That will format the drive automatically and reinstall Windows.

But ... the Recovery Disks most likely will NOT have any of your apps, settings, or data on them. I've not use Sony recovery DVDs, but unless when you made them, you were given an option to back off ALL of your Win7 install, the only thing they will do is restore your drive to the shape it was in when you first used it -- meaning, all the apps, settings, and data you added since then will be gone.

My own preference would be to use MR to image off the entire drive -- but if you don't have a large enough external drive to hold a compressed image of your internal drive, that can't be done.

 

[aidura]

If your goal is to "restore" the Sony image to the new internal drive, there is no need to "install" it first.

Simply connect up that drive, boot from the Sony recovery DVDs and run their restore. That will format the drive automatically and reinstall Windows.

But ... the Recovery Disks most likely will NOT have any of your apps, settings, or data on them. I've not use Sony recovery DVDs, but unless when you made them, you were given an option to back off ALL of your Win7 install, the only thing they will do is restore your drive to the shape it was in when you first used it -- meaning, all the apps, settings, and data you added since then will be gone.

My own preference would be to use MR to image off the entire drive -- but if you don't have a large enough external drive to hold a compressed image of your internal drive, that can't be done.

Thanks for your info, but i only have 50gb external drive.

I want to know if this possible..

1. Can i transfer my current HDD partitions, Recovery partition 9.42gb
and System Reserved 100mb to my external HDD? if yes, how do i do this?

2. Once i install new internal HDD, i just boot from optical drive with recovery disc inside and complete the
recovery process into new HDD. Can i do this?

3. My current Sony Vaio VPCYB15AG HDD model is Hitachi HTS545032B9SA00 Sata Disk 320GB, 5400rpm.
I plan to buy this hitachi HDD model : Hitachi Travelstar 5K500.B 2.5 inch 500GB Hard Disk (HTS545050B9A300) : Buy Hitachi Travelstar 5K500.B 2.5 inch 500GB Hard Disk (HTS545050B9A300) shipping from Malaysia - ipmart.com

I want to know if this HDD model compatible with my laptop model? I heard if non compatible HDD install the recovery disc will not work.


For your info i don't need all the datas and programs in my current HDD now, already backups them all and format my laptop to factory setting, so my laptop its new like when i first buy it.

I just want to know how to transfer recovery and reserved partitions into new HDD so i can use it with the new HDD.

 

[AddRAM]

Better to make or order recovery dvd`s , that way you can use your entire new hard drive for windows 7 and your data.

Best to ask the manufacturer if it`s compatible.

 

[aidura]

Better to make or order recovery dvd`s , that way you can use your entire new hard drive for windows 7 and your data.

Best to ask the manufacturer if it`s compatible.

As i said i already have/created the recovery dics/dvd....

 

[hjoshi]

Hi,

My sony VAIO HDD also crashed....are you able to install the new HDD in VAIO through recovery disc... please guide.. so that i can try for replacment at home only. Sony service centre is too expensive for the same

 

[Mark Phelps]

are you able to install the new HDD in VAIO through recovery disc

That actually depends on what's contained on the "recovery" disk.

Unfortunately, there are two kinds and the OEMs tend to be somewhat vague on labeling each.

The first is a CD that is used to boot the PC into some kind of recovery mode, at which point it searches for a Recovery partition containing the compressed Windows image file, and if found and not damaged, starts the recovery process.

The second is a DVD (or set of disks) that contain the image files needed to do a full system restore. They generally reformat the entire drive, repartition it, and then proceed to reinstall the OEM Windows version from scratch.

If you have the first kind, and your drive crashed, you can't do a full system restore because the Recovery partition is probably damaged, as well.

If you have the second kind, you can restore the Windows image onto a new drive.

 

[hjoshi]

unfortunately not...i think my recovery disks pertains to first type what you had mentioned.....
what is the way forward now. Is it possible to clone a old hdd with the new one ? However my old hdd is working but it had lot of bad sectors in it.....i such a situation can i clone the same.


thanks

 

[hjoshi]

also I had recovery paririon easily accessible in my old drive as of now...but how can I use the same to replace old hdd with new one..please advise

 

[socaligirl333]

Any chances of being able to recover the "recovery partition" on my Sony Vaio VPCEH the recovery media I made when I bought it doesn't work, nothing works.. I can't even find the factory recovery media online from Sony windows Best Buy.. I need this laptop & really am out of ideas here...

 

[SIW2]

Looks like the recovery media is in Disk 0 partition1.

Alternatively, you could do a clean install using the product key from the sticker on your laptop, and the drivers you can get from Sony.

Drivers can be downloaded from here:
Sony eSupport - VPCEH35FM - Support

Media from here:
Microsoft Windows and Office ISO Download Tool - HeiDoc.net

 

[RolandJS]

An earlier poster indicated the total byte-space on the external hard-drive is less than the total byte-space used by your three partitions on your boot hard-drive, which many call "drive C".
As indicated earlier, full images, one full image of each partition can be easily made by Macrium Reflect, AOMEI Backupper, EaseUS ToDo, or any other quality free version backup/restore program. It might possibly maybe happen that the full image of your OS & data partition [done in a non-sector-by-sector way] will fit onto the external hard-drive, along with the two other partitions.