Vista fails to install, fails to identify volume on 2 x disk system.

[tallguy999]

I bit the bullet, downloaded the drivers and attempted an install of Vista on my Vaio VGN-AR21S. The install see's the two 100gb disks, but continually tells me there is no valid partition on which to install. I've deleted partitions, created partitions, formatted partitions but to no avail. Has anyone else seen this? It's a big pain.

[Blencogo]

Hi tallguy999 and welcome to Club Vaio.

I think you are the first Vista installer we have had with the two hard drives configured in RAID 0. This means the system is set up to see your 2 X 100GB discs as one big 200GB Volume.

Vista does not have driver support for RAID so you need to manually install the RAID drivers from a CD, floppy drive or a USB Flash Drive. You need to download the RAID Driver from AR21S Vista Downloads (it is under the "OTHER" heading) and load this manually during installation of Vista.

1. I will start at the screen where you Insert your Windows Product Code number and press Enter

2. Next you need to accept the EULA (End User Licence Agreement). Place a Tick in the Accept box and then Click the Next button

3. At the next screen you will need to Select your Installation type.

4. The next screen asks 'Where do you want to install Windows' if you are doing a clean install. If you choose Upgrade you do not get this screen and go straight to 5.

5. On tthe next screen, bottom left hand corner, you will see an option marked Load Drivers. Click on this option

6. To install the device driver(s) you will need to insert the media which contains the downloaded driver. This media can be floppy disk, CD/DVD or USB flash drive. Once you have inserted the media into the relevant drive, Click the OK button

7. The system will now search the media for the relevant driver

8. After the search has been completed the driver(s) will appear in the 'Select the driver to be installed' Window

9. Select the relevant driver and then click Next

10 The driver will now be installed

11. Click NEXT to continue with the Vista Install.

As you appear to be the first Guinea-Pig, can you let us know how you get on?

[admin]

I too have this problem 😞 tried loading the raid drivers, doesn't make any difference.. Windows does not recognise the volume 😞 argghhh stuch with a formatted computer now !

[admin]

I resolved the problem by setting my raid configuration from hid to shown in the BIOS and changing the boot order to optical disk, HDD, USB

Vista is running sweet and the express upgrade went great once I got over the inital hurdle. The bundled drivers disk and software went without a hitch.

I just can't find WINDVD BD for vista, the upgrade manual says It should d/l through Vaio Update but it isn't..

[tallguy999]

Blencogo / thorpemark,
Thanks for your very useful replies..

Blencogo,
I don't actually have my disks setup as RAID0 - they are just configured as two seperate drives (C: & D:) - well at least they were within Windows XP before I started the rebuild. I did try the "driver install during the vista install" thing, but the drivers appeared to download in an EXE file (I was expecting an .INF at least). I tried to extract the files from this, but running the EXE on another machine just tried to install the drivers on that box. Following your steps, would Vista pick up and run the EXE file during the initial stage of the install? (if on a USB stick perhaps) - I didn't think to try that.

thorpemark,
Again, great feedback. I think in this instance this could well solve my problem.

I just need to summon up the courage (and find the time) to backup/trash and rebuild again. When I do, I'll let you all know how I get on!

Regards,

Steve

[tallguy999]

thorpemark,

You mentioned an 'express upgrade and a bundled drivers disc' - did they come from Sony? I'm working with a standard Vista Ultimate install CD and drivers downloaded from the net.

[Blencogo]

I don't actually have my disks setup as RAID0 - they are just configured as two seperate drives (C: & D:) 

Unless you changed the configuration by reinstalling the operating system, then your discs are configured in the default RAID 0. If your drive D:\ was bigger than 100GB they cannot have been set up as individual discs. Vista sees them as individual discs because the RAID driver is not loaded but cannot write to them as they are a RAID volume.

I think you just have to run the .EXE file to install the RAID Drivers. You will have to do it this way as you are doing a clean install - not an upgrade like thorpemark.

[admin]

The official Sony upgrade to Vista is a "Clean" install. There is no option to perform an upgrade, and the documentation that comes with the Sony Vista upgrade states they will not support upgrades.

When you get the express upgrade you get a Sony branded Vista disk, a Drivers disk and a Software disk, and a small documentation manual, plus a new product code to stick on the laptop.

You boot from the CD not XP, and in the case of the AR21S and probably other SATA/Dual disk machines it states the volumes arn't recognised when you pick which partition you would like to install on.. Mine are configured C and D 100gig to each (seperate drives).
There is an option to load Drivers and I tried this from a USB stick, both the .exe from the download site, and the inf files I had backed up. This does not work..

I then tried to start the install from XP thinking the raid drivers would already be loaded by then, but the Sony disk does not support this, you get a message stating you must perform a clean install.

After trying lots of things including a call to Vaio support (not greatly impressed with them btw) I figured
By changing the setting in the BIOS from Raid config hidden to shown, it worked straight away without any drivers loaded up.. This was not stated in the manual.
I also changed my boot order back to default (Optical disk, HDD, USB) I had changed it to Optical disk, USB, HDD) as I have been running a Linux operating system from a USB PEN (cool btw) not sure if this helped or not. I should have just changed one thing at a time.

Sorry for the long explanation.. Just wanted to be clear(ish) what I had to do to get it working.

And I say, it seems to be running sweet. The Only issue I have is no WINDVD BD supplied on the disk, WINDVD is there but not the bluray version, documentation states it is obtainable through Vaio update well not that I can find..(I have logged a support call but no update as yet)

Oh and I discovered the remote control for Media centre doesn't seem to be working (havn't had time to explore this yet)

I love the new sleep function in Vista as well !

Yep I got the Disks from Sony/Modus Link as part of the free upgrade offer, I would suspect that you disk will install though once you have done the above with your Bios

[Blencogo]

After trying lots of things including a call to Vaio support (not greatly impressed with them btw) I figured

Hi thorpemark,

You appear to have lost the RAID facility altogether and are now configured simply as two individual drives.

I would have expected the Sony upgrade disc to contain SATA and RAID drivers that would install automatically and set up a RAID Volume (as they would with the XP Recovery Discs).

I wonder if the fully working AR31S has actually been released for sale yet - has anyone got one?

The SONY USA DOWNLOAD SITE - has as you say, only updates for WinDVD6 and WinDVD BD but I see it also has the Intel Matrix Storage Manager (which I think is needed for RAID).

Quote from the Sony US Site:
"Note: The Clean install option is only available when installing with a retail version of the Windows Vista operating system. The Sony supplied Windows™ Vista Express Upgrade DVD Kit does not provide this option"

Is this totally different from the European Sony upgrade? Can you have a look at the USA UPGRADE INSTRUCTIONS - are they different from the ones you followed? The USA Upgrade DVDs appear to be exactly that - AN UPGRADE - which uninstalls all incompatible software before upgrading. Surely Sony are not using two different systems.

If you update me on this thorpemark, I will go to Sony and ask what the ***k is going on. I will ask them about the RAID issues and the Blu-Ray problems.

[admin]

Hi, Totally different instructions..

Mine came with a booklet entitled Sony Windows Vista Express Upgrade User Guide.. Vaio

page 5 titled "Before upgrading your computer system"
Quote "Sony only supports a clean installation of Windows Vista. Initiatingthe installation of Vista from the pre-installed OS is possible but is not supported by Sony"

while your asking can you ask how I obtain hotfix 929734 as a can't get it from microsoft been OEM and i need it as the infrared receiver fails to function after Sleep Mode..

I will take some photos of the booklet and discs if thats not copyright ??