Sony Vaio laptop not starting; hard disk not responding

[ffrustrated]

I have a Sony Vaio VPCEA44FX (how stupid of me to buy a discontinued model >.<) and it won't start :banghead: It get's to that Windows screen with the colorful flag thing, stays for 5-7 minutes, then bam...BSOD and then it tries to restart, but then before it gets to the Windows start up screen, it says "Operating System not found."

I had a problem with this computer before, and I took it to the Sony place to fix it and it was fine. I remember some of the things the tech guy told me on the phone before I brought it in though.

I tried to start in Safe Mode With Networking, but it won't work. The last file is starts was CLASSPNP and it just freezes there, it won't start at all.

I turned on my laptop and held F2. I tried to restore my laptop with factory settings, but that did absolutely nothing. Now I think I lost all my pictures and stuff now.

When I restarted my computer I got an option 'Boot with Windows Repair' (I THINK that's what it said...I'll fix that later). I tried all those options (even opening the command prompt lol) and nothing. 'Startup Repair' failed. I went to the details and the most seemingly helpful line was on the bottom it said "Root cause found: A hard disk could not be found. If a hard disk is installed, it is not responding."

Right now it's sitting in 'Advanced Boot Options' cause idk what to do now...
Please help, I need my computer for homework.
*Forgive the language and faces by the way. I'm a 15 year old girl, lol*

Edit: Yes, I did see the BSOD Posting Instructions, but I can't start my computer at all to download anything.

 

[marsmimar]

Hello ffrustrated and welcome to Seven Forums. Sorry to hear you're having all these issues. Couple of questions for you. ( Well, actually, several questions. )

1. When you got your Vaio did you buy it new?
2. Did you create the Vaio recovery disks when you first got the computer?
3. How long ago was it that you went to Sony to get it fixed?
4. Did the repair facility give any warranty on the repairs?
5. What was wrong with it?
6. With the machine turned off, can you access the Vaio Care software by clicking the ASSIST button at the top of your keyboard?

Sorry for all the questions but it might help us figure out the best course of action to get your machine up and running again.

 

[ffrustrated]

Hello ffrustrated and welcome to Seven Forums. Sorry to hear you're having all these issues. Couple of questions for you. ( Well, actually, several questions. )

1. When you got your Vaio did you buy it new?
2. Did you create the Vaio recovery disks when you first got the computer?
3. How long ago was it that you went to Sony to get it fixed?
4. Did the repair facility give any warranty on the repairs?
5. What was wrong with it?
6. With the machine turned off, can you access the Vaio Care software by clicking the ASSIST button at the top of your keyboard?

Sorry for all the questions but it might help us figure out the best course of action to get your machine up and running again.

1. Not really, it was a floor model.
2. Uhhh...no. I guess I should've :/
3. I think it was about a month or two ago.
4. I don't think so.
5. It wouldn't turn on at all. I pressed the power button and nothing happened. I waited a few days and it still wouldn't start. When I called them I got it to start, but only in 'Advanced Boot Options' or holding F2.
6. It turns on and makes an attempt, but then a window pops up with "Error Code: 12"

 

[writhziden]

Have you tried the following steps?

Note: backup any files if you are using a RAID controller of any kind.
1. Go into your BIOS and load default settings to clear the CMOS memory (this will reset your RAID configuration resulting in loss of data, so if you have RAID and want to proceed from step 3, that is fine).
2. Save Settings and exit the BIOS.
3. Shut down and turn off the computer.
4. Unplug the computer from the wall or surge protector (then remove the battery if it is a laptop).
5. Hold down the power button for 30 seconds to clear the software connections between the BIOS and hardware and clear any corruption in the temporary memory.
6. (If it is a laptop, plug the battery back into the laptop and then) Plug the computer back into the wall.
7. Turn it on to reinitialize the software connections between the BIOS and hardware, and post back your results.

 

[torre]

Floor models most often come with a warranty. How long ago was purchase ?

Most Sony's will reload Windows thru the Vaio Care System by pressing F8.

 

[ffrustrated]

writhziden: I don't know what BIOS or CMOS settings are, but I did try steps #3-7 and nothing changed.

torre: I got this about 7 months ago in July. Yeah, I tried F8 but I get errors with all of those selections.

 

[writhziden]

writhziden: I don't know what BIOS or CMOS settings are, but I did try steps #3-7 and nothing changed.

torre: I got this about 7 months ago in July. Yeah, I tried F8 but I get errors with all of those selections.

Have you run the diagnostics that come with the VAIO? You can access them by pressing ALT + F10 on startup (this will start the factory recovery options, so make sure not to start the recovery and just use the diagnostic tools).

 

[ffrustrated]

writhziden: I don't know what BIOS or CMOS settings are, but I did try steps #3-7 and nothing changed.

torre: I got this about 7 months ago in July. Yeah, I tried F8 but I get errors with all of those selections.

Have you run the diagnostics that come with the VAIO? You can access them by pressing ALT + F10 on startup (this will start the factory recovery options, so make sure not to start the recovery and just use the diagnostic tools).

Yeah, that's the same as pressing the "Assist" button on this laptop. Every choice I pick comes with an error.

 

[writhziden]

Yeah, that's the same as pressing the "Assist" button on this laptop. Every choice I pick comes with an error.

You should probably look into using your warranty to get your system fixed. Call Sony and see what they can do for you.