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Recovery Disks - system and application disks

bubbalicious
Grafter
Posts: 174
Registered: ‎26-09-2007

Recovery Disks - system and application disks

After starting up my New Sony Vaio I was reading the booklet about recovery disks when I read that  I need to create both a set  of recovery disks for 'system recovery and a set of 'application recovery disks' and if I perform a system recovery without then running an application recovery my system may become unstable! Undecided
I have had laptops before inc a Sony vaio and never had to do this. I have created the system recovery disk using the VAIO program but have looked through whats included on my laptop and can't find how to create an application recovery disk set!
Does anyone have any ideas please of how and where  I can do this  -
Also I have the Vaio recovery centre that creates recovery disks ( which is the process  I have used)  but also see there is the windows 7 - 'system repair disk' and also 'create a system image disk'
Do I need to do them all and if so which would I use if I did need to run a recovery.
I remember with the Vista backup and restore there were problems  - when you backed up data to an external drive and then tried to reinstall it after a recovery it wouldn't recognise it  - is anyone aware if this has been rectified in windows 7?
Thanks peeps Cheesy
10 REPLIES 10
VileReynard
Hero
Posts: 12,616
Thanks: 582
Fixes: 20
Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: Recovery Disks - system and application disks

AFAIK your VAIO "recovery" disks will just reset your laptop back to the state it was in, when it was in the shop.
i.e. you get to lose all programs installed by you and all your data. Roll_eyes Roll_eyes

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

bubbalicious
Grafter
Posts: 174
Registered: ‎26-09-2007

Re: Recovery Disks - system and application disks

Thanks for clarifying this, so the Vaio disks are the important ones I would need to use if I was to have to recover my system to new, and then I would need to add software etc!  I'm presuming then as long as I have these I don't need to worry about creating the 'system repair disk' in the windows program?
Cheers Cheesy
VileReynard
Hero
Posts: 12,616
Thanks: 582
Fixes: 20
Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: Recovery Disks - system and application disks

Again (AFAIK), if you had a minor, repairable error the Windows disk might allow you to recover from a system error without having to reload all your software, recover your email etc etc Cheesy
Windows is not immune from crashing - the more recovery methods the better. Grin

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

Denzil
Grafter
Posts: 1,733
Registered: ‎31-07-2007

Re: Recovery Disks - system and application disks

I would imagine the "application recovery disks" are just the CDs or downloads that you installed your applications from in the first place.
bubbalicious
Grafter
Posts: 174
Registered: ‎26-09-2007

Re: Recovery Disks - system and application disks

Thanks Guys,  now i have an idea of what to use if a problem appears,
Oh why oh why did they stop including these disks with the laptops!
I have a pack of DVD's and an external Hard drive and am going to create every type of recovery disk that my laptop has available, copy all my downloaded win 7 versions / patches of my programs  - then I hope I will be covered if anything happens!!  I
One thing I have noticed is that Sony seem to include their own version of everything that Windows does, even their own version of the taskbar at the top of the screen that looks identical to the windows & one!  I'm never sure whether to use the windows versions or the vaio versions - Windows backup and restore or Vaio Recovery and Back up centre?! Undecided  I'm guessing it's personal choice but should I rely on the make of laptop installed 'stuff' or the make of operating system - at the moment I am going for both, but if anyone could give me a reason either way it would be appreciated.
Cheers peeps
HAPPY EASTER Cool
ReedRichards
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 4,927
Thanks: 145
Fixes: 25
Registered: ‎14-07-2009

Re: Recovery Disks - system and application disks

Quote from: bubbalicious
Oh why oh why did they stop including these disks with the laptops!

Because they could save about 20p at the cost of having you, the customer, spend a few hours creating these disks AND, knowing that most people wouldn't bother, they can charge the unlucky customer an arm and a leg to fix the machine or supply disks later if it goes wrong.
bubbalicious
Grafter
Posts: 174
Registered: ‎26-09-2007

Re: Recovery Disks - system and application disks

Typical,I always wondered why, and that sounds about right (thought there was some technical reason) not just that they are mean!!!!
  - makes me realise how VERY important it is to keep my recovery Disks safe,
Thanks.
juliasdream
Grafter
Posts: 260
Registered: ‎09-06-2007

Re: Recovery Disks - system and application disks

I always recommend to anyone I know to get a copy of programs like Paragon backup
They do free editions of most of their packages
http://www.paragon-software.com/home/db-express/index.html
It's best to have a second and external hard drive
I use their cloning program which I got as a magazine freebie
I run it every now and then
If ever my hard rive should crash I simply  remove the old drive and switch the slave disc to master
and it boots up without problems.
If the crashed disk is only due to corrupt files but unrepairable  I set it as slave and format it and make a new clone of it
I always back up important files to the external drive as well just to be sure
bubbalicious
Grafter
Posts: 174
Registered: ‎26-09-2007

Re: Recovery Disks - system and application disks

Thanks for the paragon tip, and the link.
I had a free norton online back up with the laptop but if i don't then renew it after the trial I loose everything, which I wll not be doing, so having just looked at the paragon, it  looks like an ideal alternative and phew isn't too technical for my 'non technical brain'!!
I have just been dealing with sony as some preinstalled software (ROXIO Media Creator) won't start up, who have just advised me to do a complete clean installation,Seems rather extreme for one little bit of software but I guess if the Sony  Gods tells me to I should, i better take their instruction!
THANK GOODNESS I followed the advice you lovely forum people gave me about backing up my data etc, after 2 weeks of sorting out how to get some relatives home,after getting stuck abroad because of the 'ash cloud' I would have a complete breakdown if I had to do it all last minute?

Cheers Guys,

ReedRichards
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 4,927
Thanks: 145
Fixes: 25
Registered: ‎14-07-2009

Re: Recovery Disks - system and application disks

Quote from: bubbalicious
I have just been dealing with Sony ........ who have just advised me to do a complete clean installation,Seems rather extreme for one little bit of software but I guess if the Sony  Gods tells me to I should, i better take their instruction!

You do realise they are telling you to do this because they are completely stumped?  It will work if the software in question had a file that became corrupt or if some other software you installed yourself was interfering but if it doesn't work then you've taken about 20 steps backwards!