Clean Install on Media Center XL201 PC

[wwarby]

Hi all,

I've spent probably about 30 hours over the last couple of weeks establishing the best procedure for making a clean break from the factory image on my VGX-XL201 VAIO Media Center PC. After many CD-Rs, many hours of Googling and many hours of watching the "formatting C:\" progress bar roll slowly onwards, I finally seem to have my PC just how I like it - with all the software I want and none (or at least hardly any) of the software Sony wants me to have.

I extracted files from both the Application Recovery and System Recovery DVDs, customised an MCE 2005 installation CD with nLite and installed a couple of extra bits and pieces from the web to get to where I am now, and there was a lot of trial and error involved.

Anyway, the point of this post is that I want to guage interest in a thorough write up of the process I went through. To get a media center PC to clean install is not the same as with a laptop, and all the information I needed, whilst largely available on the Internet was all over the place. I'd like others to benefit from the time I've spent on this and so I'd like to write a detailed how-to. However, I don't want to spend my time doing this unless I know people are going to read it. If I write such a guide, will people find it useful?

[Beverleymd]

Yes please, sounds like a great idea if you are willing to spend the time doing it, I for one would appreciate it.
Bev.

[robolus]

first, respect for the work you have done with the document.

yesterday i tried to clean my system and stopped on two things
- no mce 2005 disc available
- the KB835221 (btw, on the right side of your document you talk about KB835211!!)

somewhere (i hope) i would get the mce cd's. but i dont found the possibility to download the KB8352221 patch. is it true, i have to call microsoft as it described in the issue??

on the other hand the explanation till this point are very well.
best regards from switzerland

[flash876]

I'm not happy with my install [XL100] - I no longer have sound! I have an uninstalled PCI card, which my hardwear wizzard finds, but cannot find any drivers! [including recovery disk]. If you've managed to do a decent install [does your video capture work???] I'd like to see how... Flash.

[Alvar65]

Thanks, it worked fine for me, an extra reason for the clean install was to change the operating system of the XL100 I had bought in France, to English. I live in France and whilst I can cope quite happily with day to day French, I find French computer speak very difficult (English is bad enough!). So I decided to do the clean install onto a new hard drive, keeping the original intact, I bought an OEM version of MCE in English which seemed to be the cheapest option. I obviously used the product key from the UK version and the install was completely trouble free. The original hard drive is now E and F and if necessary I can load the French version by cross plugging the drives. I didn't try to restore any of the original programmes, apart from vital Sony Utilities, I already had English versions of Norton Ghost 10, Nero 7, Office 2000 and antivirus protection is provided by my ISP, Orange. The Vaio now boots up much more quickly and the "All Programmes" page runs to a column and a half instead of the full screen!

Many thanks to all the forum contributers, particularly "wwarby" who made this possible.

Alvar65

[Rich666]

Thanks for the compliments guys  I often post asking for help on forums so it's good to give something back when you can. The instructions in the guide need some validation from other users so hopefully that will be forthcoming from owners of the same or similar models to mine. There is definitely an issue regarding the use of product keys provided with the VAIO which we need to get to the bottom of. I'll probably work more on this problem because I'd really rather be using my own product key rather than one which is provided through my MSDN subscription from work.

I'll probably do a new guide for Vista on this media center PC when the driver set is officially released.

To use your own product key you will need to change the PID on the disc to OEM.(yours is probably a retail version if it is not accepted) This obviously need to be done on a PC before burning a new disc disc.

[VIP2006]

Hi may I introduce myself, my name is Fred and I have just taken delivery of a VGC-LN2M all-in- one PC. I have been trying via the Windows Media Centre to set up the onboard TV Tuner(s). I seem to get some success, although next day when opening up the PC find that most of the channels are unnavailable.and I have to setup the system again. Can anyone oblige and point me towards a solution, as I dont know whether it me or the machine and its software causing the problem.

[Iusedtolovesony]

I was about to post a thread on clean instalaion, but think this may be my answer?
I have downloaded the guides to read later.

In the meantime.
I have a LV3S (with Spanish op-system)and after months of trying to solve the language issue I feel I need to do a clean install with Win-7 Ultimate (YET MORE MONEY).
Sony are not able to help for legal reasons.

It was in Vista HP (Spanish) and I bought Win-7 upgrade from the UK in English and had to take custom installation, but had nothing but problems since. My PC is quite sick.

I see no other option than buying a Win-7 full version and clean install .... unless anyone has a better idea.
Can I use this guide to help me through, as my expertise is quite limited, but I try.