SectorCluster

Ok, I decided to try Linux as an operation system. When i installed it my computer went mental. So decided to give up on the Linux and go back to WIndows Xp. Ran the CD installer, It then says there are no hardrives found.....
Check BIOS it says there are 2 100GB Hardrives, however the BIOS does look different. So i decide then to use fdisk to repartion them. I manage to make a active partitioned drive. When formating i notice it was extremely quick and the free space didn't seem too much.
So i decided to run chkdsk and it spat out:

195,310,688 Kilobytes disk space
195,310,656 Kilobytes Free

32,768 bytes in each allocation unit
6,103,459 total allocation units on disk
6,103,458 avaible allocation units on disk

655,360 total bytes memory
544,784 bytes free

To me for 2 100GB Hardrives that seems to me incorrect

Please i have been trying to fix this for some time. I don't consider myself a computer tard but this is sending me into depresion!

Houndog777

BIOS looks different? Thats worrying.
Clear the CMOS by jumper and then adjust BIOS to boot from CD. Let the windows install proceed to the stage where it details your hard drive and see if it looks correct.

SectorCluster

Not too sure what you mean by Clear the CMOS by jumper. But i have booted by CD it only gets one step. Press Enter to install windows....ERROR. No HDD!

A quick update I am lucky enough to have another Vaio Laptop Handy and decided to go to the extreme of placing one of my hardrives from the Kaput one into the working one. It detected it fine and allowed me to install Windows on it, it ran all fine. So i decided to put it back in the Kaput one thinging possibly it will force it back to reconizing it if the windows was requesting a boot. No luck. When it came to loading an underscore just sits there blinking at you as if to laugh at your vain attempts.

This all pionts at the probelm isn't the hardrives them selfs but the laptop. However. When i placed the hardrive from the none Kaput one into the Kaput one it started to load it up. However during the load it would flash a blue screen with some writing on and reboot, it then trys to fix its self to no evale.

So.....It doesn't reconize HDD at all, but it sort of does as it at least tried to load the other HDD????

I'm leaning towards it being a BIOS problem which scares me as i've never dealt with flashing BIOS before as its dangerous. But thats all i can see is left.......

So any tips on getting BIOS updates for a VAIO VGN AR21S Latop? and how to install them.

I remember reading up on this a little. What would happen if i unplugged the Laptop's battery...I.e. The battery on the Mother board. I am going to keep trying none extreme ways but they are all seeming futile.

By the Way thanks for the Reply :)

Houndog777

Hi, unplugged from mains, remove the main battery first, then remove the battery on the motherboard for about 5mins. This will clear the CMOS and return your BIOS to it's default settings.
Replace the motherboard battery and your main battery, boot, enter Setup or Boot Options, adjust to boot from cd and try to install windows.
(when i advised Clearing the CMOS by Jumper I was presuming you had a desktop pc)

SectorCluster

Yeah that didn't work Everything is exactly the same. I am going to retry fdisk etc see if that works now

Houndog777

http://support.vaio.sony.co.uk/downl...=VGN-AR&m=2418
No BIOS there! Firmware for hard disks, but this seems a bios problem.

SectorCluster

---------------Update----------------
Nothign worked again

Yeah I know i went on there forum weeks ago too and no reply what so ever Sony have the worst customer support. If i can find out what type of mother board i have in there is there i way i can refrence it to bios types?

Houndog777

No
BIOS for laptops are customised by the OEM

Houndog777

am concerned your BIOS looked "different"

dai

try here
http://esupport.sony.com/perl/select-system.pl

SectorCluster

Forget what i Just said I found them.

THe Bios Version i have is R0160J6

I quick google search and up comes a Vaio page with the download.

So now what how to i get these files to flash?

SectorCluster

From what i've read. You need to piont to the files from command promt.?

I can get a file on to the hardrive by putting it in the working laptop but i was thinking can i not just put it on the Boot disk its self. I have WinImage so i could just add the files to the disk and the i prosume that if i just typed in A:\Setup.exe it would run?

When i downloaded the file its instruction were to open the file, in theory that what i would be doing?

Houndog777

Found a BIOS.........
http://www.vaio-link.com/downloads/b...=VGN-AR&m=2418

SectorCluster

Yeah me too. But how do i install it?

Houndog777

Download the file and run it.
It will extract a ROM file and winPhlash, put the ROM file on a floppy or usb drive.
You'll need the DOS startup files on the floppy and bios flash installer.

But which one?

Houndog777

Hi,
Did you notice I edited my last post.....winPhlash is for use in Windows ..............sorry!

It's back to Sony to hunt for advice.

SectorCluster

Are you sure that the File won't run on this Computer and try and install the Bios on here as the installtion instruction on the Website seem to indicated that all you do is run the file and it will auto-maticly do the update?
"Use this roll-back BIOS if you wish to return to originally preinstalled BIOS after installing an updated BIOS version.

1. Make sure the computer is connected to the mains and exit all running programs.
2. Download this update and save it to your hard drive.
3. When the download is completed, locate the downloaded file in the location you specified.
4. Double-click the downloaded file to start the installation.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to perform the installation (DO NOT INTERRUPT THIS PROCESS!) 6. The computer will automatically shuts down when the installation is complete.
7. Wait a few minutes before you restart your computer. "

I don't want to end up with 2 messed up laptops

TriggerFinger

Usually the WinPhlash kit/zip file together with the new BIOS update, has a DOS version. The DOS version is phlash.exe. The kit also comes with a README or instructions on how to run this. I hope this helps.

Houndog777

Thank you Trigger!
I've been pulling at what little hair I have left, trying to get info for a DOS install of a Vaio BIOS from the Sony website.

SectorCluster

Ok I am sort of feeling stupid;

What do i need to do.

I have a single .exe file

How do i get this onto a bootable CD? and make it run

I am sorry for requesting a spoon feed but my Head is really hurting now and i have taken my laptop apart now too many times lol

Also i fell out of my atic today because the ladders broke and i really hurt my self but not enough for people not to laugh at me