# Recovery Partition into USB



## paddlebash (Jan 24, 2011)

Hello to fellow mates at TSF,

I'm hoping i could pick on some of your brains ^^

I have a Sony Vaio Z series which does not have a optical drive.

I would like to copy the "recovery partition" into a bootable usb flash drive and eventually use it to do a system recovery.

I managed to get the recovery partition into a usb flash and it booted into the recovery console. Everything seems to be going well from the "Recovery console (where it lets u choose to do a system recovery, or restore" to the "Your computer will restart a few times while the recovery is in process"

When it restarts, usually (if i press F10 and do a normal recovery from my hdd instead of USB stick) it goes on to the next phase of installing the bloatware from sony. 
But what happens here (when i use my USB stick) is that it goes into the entire recovery console selection screen again. And never goes on to the second phase of installing bloatware.

I understand that i could use an external dvd writer to write the files, but i would really love to be able to restore from a usb stick.

I would like to thank everyone in advance!!!

Paddle!


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## jcgriff2 (Sep 30, 2007)

You can install full retail version Windows 7 from USB; I've never had success with the few OEM versions I've tried.

See if this helps - Is this possible? OEM disk to make USB install drive - Windows 7 Forums

Contact Sony - http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/microsites/&...?cmd=display.....384

Regards. . .

jcgriff2

`


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## paddlebash (Jan 24, 2011)

Thanks JC for the prompt reply, still trying to figure a way out. When i view the snyhdrcv.ini file it shows 

[Media:RDLDVD]
Title=Recovery DVD
Medium=DLDVD
BOOTDISC=RDLDVD1
RDLDVD1=........list of files and directory structure of drive

And in this ini file, there is a section which says Medium=UFD which i assume is USB flash disk. 

Hopefully things work out soon =D 

Again, thanks for your prompt reply!


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## jcgriff2 (Sep 30, 2007)

The big difference between full retail versions and Sony OEM versions - Sony OEMs are images (or contain image files).


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## paddlebash (Jan 24, 2011)

Hi again!

I was thinking last night, is there a simpler GUI version of linux i can use to boot up from usb to copy the recovery partition to an external hdd.

And when needed, copy the partition from the external hdd back to the laptop's hdd?

If things go well, i should be able to call upon the recovery console as usual?

Cracking my head real bad...


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## jcgriff2 (Sep 30, 2007)

That is the purpose of having Sony Recovery DVDs.

http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=C61643&sliceId=2&docTypeID=DT_KNOWLEDGEARTICLES_1_1&dialogID=218464679&stateId=1 0 218476384


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## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

Just a thought, but probably your best way to test everything out would be to get a 2nd hard drive and see if you can do what you're attempting. Pull the old one and put it aside. Even a cheap used drive would be fine. That way you can be sure you're not relying on anything installed on the good drive to perform a successful restore..


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