Ok it's taken me hours and hours to find all this info but my machine is finally sorted and I thought I would share the technique with the world. Read though all the following first and then give it a go. It won't take you long with this info!
(1) Start by taking two blank DVDs and launching the recovery app to make them recovery DVDs. Alternatively just create DVD2 becuase we need it in this process.
(2) Now take DVD2 and recover the WinDVD program from it onto a CD/DVD/USB Key/External Hard Drive using kcap.exe. Follow the instructions at this link:
http://club.vaio.sony.co.uk/clubvaio/GB/en/forum/viewthread?thread=37599
I am going to save you lots of time by telling you that WinDVD is stored in:
\APR3\SP-013570-04.pac
Note kcap.exe is a pain. You can't run it with a *.pac command line parameter so it takes all day to get what you need unless you know what you are looking for. I suggest you unpack only WinDVD. You can always get anything else you want from Recovery Disc 2 another day.
(2) Now restart and press F10 when you see the Vaio logo. The recovery program will start.
(3) Select a complete recovery (third option on list) and carry on.
(4) Once Windows has installed you will be asked again if you want to install the applications. Click Cancel here. Yes it will tell you that your system will be unstable if you do this but dont worry that's rubbish - It will be unstable if you carry on!
(5) Now you have Windows without the apps... Well in fact you still have quite a few apps but at least it includes the ones you need to control special keys. Have a look in programs, uninstall.
(6) At this point I strongly reccomend removing the Wireless Lan Switching Utility. It stopped my computer from connecting properly to the Wireless network at reboot, and vista can manage your wireless networks and blue tooth on it's own.
(7) If you don't want Norton, and you shouldn't if you know about computers, then first uninstall Live Update, then uninstall the Security Center.
(8) Remove Microsoft Works of course.
(9) Install WinDVD from the unpacked copy you made of it in (2) above.
Note what have you missed from the rest of the Sony Setup? Nothing of use that I can see. No version of Nero for copying CDs. Just free trials and Sony media junk that you will get bundled with your camera, mp3 player, music server etc anyway.
(10) You can run Windows updates and reboot etc. Just be careful that everytime you reboot you click cancel on the message which popus up asking you if you want to finish the recovery process by installing the apps.
(11) To finish off disable the annoying finish recovery and my club viao login messages. Maybe also the viao update center - after all Windows handles driver updates and i wouldn't trust Sony with them. To do this click start, help, type task scheduler, click schedule a task, click on Click Here to open Task Scheduler, look for the Sony things in the Active Tasks down at the bottom. Now double click on the Application Recovery one, then in the next window that comes up highlight it at the top at click disable on the right. Do this for all the sony ones if you like except WSSU. That one activates you special keys.
(12) After a few months when you are comfortable with the setup and with not loosing your Recovery DVDs consider deleting partition one and getting an extra 30Gb out of your hard drive.
Good luck and be sure to fire up Casino Royal on the Blue Ray drive and watch it - this film really shows off the awesome video quality of HD. Note I would reccomend using Windows Media Player for normal DVDs but only this special copy of WinDVD can play blue ray on this machine (as of writing PowerDVD Ultra is buggy). You need to be plugged in to watch blue ray DVDs or the power settings will slow playback too much.
William www.willyhoops.com
