[CS-FSLUG] Putting Linux on a Sony Viao

[Nathan T.]

On 6/16/06, 'Mash <mashdot at gmail.com> wrote:
> Most new PC hardware usually has a restore image and drivers specifically for
> windows, pre-installed in a hidden partition. This allows you to boot
> off a restore CD and rebuild your system quickly.  I know DELL does
> this a lot.

I hate those restore images, they're only as reliable as the hard
drives. I won't buy a computer that doesn't come with everything on a
rescue media or with the actual OS media and a driver disk. I suppose
the idea behind having the OS as a hard drive image stored on the very
same drive is so they can make a little on the side when you have to
send the whole computer back for them to replace the drive and restore
the OS.

> You can remove this when you are installing LINUX. I don't think there is
> anything in the partition that you could not download off the SONY website if
> you wanted to do a clean install of XP again oneday.

If I were to get a computer cheaply with a windows image on it I'd
just erase it in the first place before knowing what I might be
missing. I've found that with my Toshiba laptop after using Windows I
missed many of the personal touches Toshiba put into the OS. Frankly
I've never seen Windows run anywhere near as stable on any other
system as on that little laptop. I wouldn't want to know what kind of
personal touches Sony puts on their laptops [rootkits & spyware].

> Obviously check on this if you feel you will struggle with a re
> installation later.
>
>
> 'Mash
>
>
>
> On 17/06/06, Jim Isbell, W5JAI <jim.isbell at gmail.com> wrote:
> > I have an older SOny Vaio and find that after XP in installed the
> > whole 5.5Gig HD is full with nothing else on it.  It took me several
> > months to figure out how to get XP on the thing because of all the
> > proprietary software that Sony filled it up with so I am sure alot of
> > that space is Sonys software that I cannot see.
> >
> > So I would like to clean the disk to bare and install linux but I am
> > afraid the Vaio my not run without all the Sony software on it.
> >
> > Or in the alternative. get all the Sony software off it so that I have
> > only XP on it.
> >
> > Any suggestions??
>
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