Originally Posted by -tr

...... Now my question is if I get a new hard drive (assuming there's nothing that can be done to the old HDD), what is the best way to get an OS back? I can't afford a new hard drive and a brand new Vista license so

A: is there any way to transfer the license to the new HDD -- the license is for that that laptop so no need to transfer. If you are referring to the Vista installed in the old/defective HDD, you will need a backup CD or a recovery CD or a Vista installation DVD. You can buy a recovery disc from Sony (I think for $30), but I am not so sure. I suggest you call them and inquire about Recovery Discs for your model. Also if your dying HDD can still make it just one more time, you can create your own recovery disc (see this link Creating the RECOVERY DISCS)

or

B: what kind of alternatives should I be looking at? I had thought about Ubuntu/Linux but I need Visual Studio for my college classes. -- The choices available for you, depends on how and what you use it for. So if you NEED Visual Studio and it only runs in Windows, that pretty much cuts down the list of alternatives.

Thanks for any help.