Asked By
RobertGart
10 points
N/A
Posted on - 07/21/2011
Hi everybody,
I am having a problem with my new VAIO laptop Y series with 130 GB Hard Drive, 2 GB RAM. It was accompanied with Windows 7 starter kit OS with limited features. The plan was to change from Windows 7 starter to Windows 7 Professional.
During the process of installation with Windows 7 professional, I change/edit the partition and formatted it. I notice that the default drive C is only 10 GB and not 130 GB and the Windows installation setup and display a message that it needs a driver for the SATA drive. To my surprise, I opted with the recovery but it was already corrupted. I started again from step 1 until it reached again in a windows display that I needs a SATA driver for my Hard disk.
I look for the support of the VAIO laptop on the Internet and provided with the driver but still the problem exist, it needs a SATA driver. I plan to consult the VAIO center for this problem as suggested with another technician.
Now my questions are:
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Is SATA driving in VAIO laptop needs a driver to work?
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How to recover my 130 GB drive C: capacity?
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Why VAIO laptop cannot be installed with Windows XP Operating System?
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Do all VAIO laptops with Y series has the same recovery regardless of different versions?
Please help.
Thanks.
Installing Windows 7 professional (32bit) in VAIO y series laptop failed.
Before we begin I must point out that due to Microsoft's licensing model, you cannot use another OEM disk and expect the drivers to be included in the CD.
(1) I assume you are using a brand new retail copy of Windows, which would not include the SATA driver which is necessary for your computer to find the hard drive.
(2) After the driver is provided via USB drive, Windows will automatically detect your 130 GB hard drive.
(3) Most newer laptops have hardware designs that only have Windows 7 drivers that run them, that is in fact the reason it is difficult (but not impossible) to install an XP operating system.
(4) Even though the laptops may be in the same series, the specifications are not exact and licensing must be taken into account. Therefore the steps for recovery will be the same, but the CDs / Images will not be interchangeable.
Step 1 — Obtain the driver.
You will need to know your make a model of your laptop. Go to your manufacturers website and search for the SATA driver for your model.
(Above is an example only, your make and model will be different. Try and locate SATA drivers as some computers have an issue with RAID drivers)
Locate the driver files and place onto a USB flash drive. Make sure it is not compressed or packaged in any way (Setup.exe, file.zip)
Step 2 – Installation.
Begin your normal Windows installation. You will need to provide your new Windows license key, then continue until you reach the screen where it asks you where you want to install windows. Insert your USB drive with your SATA driver into your computer and click the “Load Driver” button. It will search for your driver and continue the installation as normal. After this you should be provided with partitioning and format options where you can customize your drive.
I strongly suspect the 10 GB hard drive it is finding could be a card reader or something of the likes, this is only a speculation.
