Sony iLink devices help

Post by **Kaylee** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 7:39 pm

Hi all,

I urgently need help with my Vaio. I damaged a windows file and can't boot the system. Because it has no built in Floppy or CD, I can't repair the fault.

Allegedly the system will boot to any USB floppy drive, but it won't.

My only alternative is booting it to a network, which I tried and can't make a useful boot image small enough, or to get an iLink CD-ROM.

Unfortunately the only things available are brand new iLink DVD-RW which cost about $200.

I only want to fix one file! Literally get into the system (which is NTFS, to complicate matters) rename a file and bang. It will be fixed.

Does anyone have any ideas how to get around this at all? Or would be willing to loan an iLink if they have one? I'll pay for postage and you'll get it back ASAP.

As it is I have no computer which is ******* awful, I have work to do.

Hound · Post by **Hound** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 10:52 pm

I find that hitting electrical things with my fists helps

Master_Fwiffo · Post by **Master_Fwiffo** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 11:54 pm

It doesnt have a built in CD Drive?????? WTF????

Darth Aux · Post by **Darth Aux** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 11:58 pm

Hound wrote:I find that hitting electrical things with my fists helps

Unfortunately, I'm with Hound on this and the only thing I can suggest is to bite it. Then tell it you will break it if it doesn't start working.

I usually end up buying new stuff.

Sorry dude but if anyone else had posted this thread, I probably would have told them to ask you.

Post by **Kaylee** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 12:10 am

Master_Fwiffo wrote:It doesnt have a built in CD Drive?????? WTF????

Its a Sony Vaio VGN-U70, smallest computer in the world (officially, apparently

) so it has no built in features like that, they're all external.

Thanks for trying hound and DA

Post by **Denyer** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 2:11 am

Can you boot to the command line? If you know what file is damaged, you may find there's a backup in, say, c:\winnt\servicepackfiles\i386\ that you could copy to the correct location. Depends on what you've installed.

Post by **Kaylee** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 10:29 am

I can't boot the system at all

Like the ******* moron I am I wanted to install a new boot screen, so I replaced ntoskrnl but obviously used the wrong image (perhaps not SP1 compatible) so now it only half-boots and then dies, claiming that the NTFS driver can't be found.

Post by **Denyer** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 1:44 pm

Copy of the file from XP SP1 and booting from an NT bookdisk copied to a USB flash drive?

Post by **Kaylee** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 2:03 pm

It won't boot to USB either

It will only allegedly boot to a USB floppy (which I tried, it wont) an iLink device or a network

I guess I'm just going to have to buy one from Ebay... ffs.

Post by **Denyer** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 3:19 pm

If it'll boot from a network, would a Cat5e crossover cable and another PC with a network card do the trick?

Only if it won't boot via USB there's no guarantee it'll boot from mini firewire...

You've played with the BIOS and USB support for DOS / boot priorities, etc?

Post by **Kaylee** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 4:24 pm

It has option in the BIOS for booting direct from iLink but there is no USB boot option. I've tried network booting.

Optimus Prime Rib · Post by **Optimus Prime Rib** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 4:37 pm

this is sad, that is the best bit of gadgetry I have ever seen karl.

Post by **Kaylee** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 5:59 pm

I've had to buy an iLink DVD-RAM from ebay, cost 140 pounds

I'll have to sell my existing external DVDR to make up. It's brand new, anybody want one? 16 speed dual layer, about 65 pounds?

The Vaio will be back up by Tuesday hopefully

Post by **Kaylee** » Sat Mar 19, 2005 3:11 pm

Yayy!! The world's smallest fully functional PC is BACK!!

Only cost me $300'ish to get the parts for it >_< FFS.

Hopefully this won't affect my plans to visit the states this summer.

Now to install Damn Small Linux (50MB) on it as well, to ensure this never happens again...

Post by **Denyer** » Sat Mar 19, 2005 3:24 pm

Ouch.

I love desktops. Or more to the point, knowing I can gut one and replace most of the internals for about that.

Post by **Kaylee** » Sat Mar 19, 2005 4:50 pm

It wouldn't have cost so much if the documentation were clear.

I needed an external device which was bootable. Unfortunately it took me three purchases before I got one!! FFS.

As it was the device only cost me 95 pounds. It was all the 'duds' I got besides which screwed me over