Sony Vaio VPCEA1S1E Windows installation error

saggingvenus

My daughter has the above laptop which came loaded with windows 7 home premium. It stopped working properly and a friend tried to reinstall windows using another disk (and I am not sure which version of windows they tried to install). The disk they used to try and install windows with is no longer available and now windows does not start up and an installation error occurs. It then automatically restarts and the same happens over and over again...

I've downloaded x15-65733.iso to a dvd and put that in the laptop but still nothing changes. My daughter does not have recovery disks (grrrrr she didn't make any when she bought laptop) and I have tried the assist button and gone through the recovery options for whole pc and c drive but when it restarts, the windows installation error comes again and so on and so forth lol

Any help would be much appreciated. I have the windows licence number and have just downloaded hiren's boot disk but not sure what to do with it all.

TIA

Figment

What is the exact wording of the error?

fwor

It depends on why it stopped working in the first place. If it has developed a hardware fault then reinstalling won't fix it.

If it were mine, I'd try booting it from a linux LiveCD (e.g. Linux Mint) and see if it runs properly and the hard disk and memory check out Ok. If it does then you can be ~fairly~ sure it's not a major hardware fault.

When you say you put the DVD in and nothing happens, have you checked the BIOS setting so that it boots from CD/DVD drive before the hard disk?

Incidentally, the x15 version downloads are quite out of date now - I believe they are up to x17 or possibly later than that now.

saggingvenus

Figment wrote: »

What is the exact wording of the error?

it says:

The computer restarted unexpectedly or encountered an unexpected error. Windows installation cannot proceed. To install Windows, click "OK" to restart the computer, and then restart the installation.

Thanks

saggingvenus

fwor wrote: »

It depends on why it stopped working in the first place. If it has developed a hardware fault then reinstalling won't fix it.

We don't know why it stopped working, a friend went on it and that was the last of it, dd thinks might have been software. I think the issue is an unfinished windows installation which we can't seem to escape from. After the error message comes up and it restarts it says 'window will continue installing after restart' but then it ends up on the error message again :eek:

If it were mine, I'd try booting it from a linux LiveCD (e.g. Linux Mint) and see if it runs properly and the hard disk and memory check out Ok. If it does then you can be ~fairly~ sure it's not a major hardware fault.

Would you mind explaining how to boot from a linux LiveCD (I don't even know what it is!)

When you say you put the DVD in and nothing happens, have you checked the BIOS setting so that it boots from CD/DVD drive before the hard disk?

I put the disk in but it just restarts and then windows starts setting up then the error message arrives. I went into BIOS and changed 1st boot priority to internal optical disk drive and enabled exernal device boot in the boot configuration. I have downloaded Hirens but dont know how to create a boot disk from the zipped folder that downloaded to my pc to a dvd. Not even sure I downloaded the iso disk correctly - I downloaded it to my pc then copied and pasted it to a dvd?

Incidentally, the x15 version downloads are quite out of date now - I believe they are up to x17 or possibly later than that now.

Thanks. I only downloaded the one I have because I was searching for a cure and found a link in a forum on here I think it was. I don't think I've done that correctly to the dvd though either

thanks again

fwor

Ah Ok - that would explain why the Windows install disk wouldn't boot. Copy and paste to a DVD won't work - it won't be a bootable DVD.

Use one of the free tools such as Imgburn to create a proper bootable DVD and your troubles will (probably) be over.

If not, come back and someone will talk you through testing the hardware out with a Linux LiveCD.

Figment

imgburn here

saggingvenus

fwor wrote: »

Ah Ok - that would explain why the Windows install disk wouldn't boot. Copy and paste to a DVD won't work - it won't be a bootable DVD.

Use one of the free tools such as Imgburn to create a proper bootable DVD and your troubles will (probably) be over.

If not, come back and someone will talk you through testing the hardware out with a Linux LiveCD.

well, i clicked download and seem to now have '7-zip file manager' and it installed optimal installer or something but think I have gone wrong somewhere. Sorry I really am not sure what I am doing

think i may have found it now on filehippo

saggingvenus

ive downloaded imgburn and installed on my pc. could someone please explain how to 'burn' the boot dvd :eek:

thanks

TakeThis

Windows 7 Home Premium SP1-U ISO (English x64)

Download and save to a working PC.

Next;

Download and install ImgBurn(No need to install the Google Toolbar. Remove the relevant tick). Burn the Image to Disc. Use this guide(skip step 2b) to burning the image to disc.

saggingvenus

Thanks for your help. The laptop is now up and running.
Really appreciate your assistance.

Happy Easter :j