Member Avatar for geeksistah1

I installed a new hard drive on a Sony Vaio Laptop Model PCG K25 with plans on loading the original Windows XP software using Sony's recovery/reinstallation CD. (The disk is a DVD, not a CD)

After installing the hard drive and inserting the CD, I powered up and entered the bios to change the boot sequence CD/DVD. When I rebooted the CD did not start and a message appeared on black screen stating "No Operating System Found." Of course I expected there was no OPERATING SYSTEM, but I was immediately concerned that I may have a malfunction CD Drive.

I entered the BIOS ADVANCE menu and saw that there was NO PRIMARY OR SECONDARY IDE, neither drive was being recognized.

I checked under the other BIOS menus to see if there were any options available to change this situation. I saw none, except one: RESET DEFAULTS.

Then I think I made the worst mistake ever when I chose that options. Nothing changed. I then replaced the original Hard Drive, which was a 50g hard drive; the new hard drive is 120g.

(I really don't know why I thought anything would be different.) I am desperate since I am doing this upgrade for a friend.

Any thoughts,ideas, advice? I appreciate any and all responses. I will provide further information upon request.

Thanks, in advance.

  • 2 Contributors
  • 2 Replies
  • 123 Views
  • 1 Day Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by geeksistah1

Dani AI

Generated

Brief follow‑up for with some practical next steps and a note about ’s suggestion: trying the boot-menu keys is a good quick check, but because the BIOS reports no storage controllers or drives after you reset defaults, focus first on getting the BIOS to see any drive at all.

Try these diagnostics in order (safe, low‑risk checks first):

  • At power‑up, watch the POST screen for the key to enter BIOS/setup and the key for a one‑time boot menu (try F2/F1/Del for setup, F11/F12/Esc for a boot menu — use whatever the screen indicates). With the recovery DVD in the tray, use the boot menu to force the CD/DVD drive.
  • Reboot into BIOS setup and look for SATA/ATA controller options. If you see SATA, IDE, AHCI or Compatibility modes, try toggling between them, save and reboot — some resets change the controller mode and the drives stop being detected until the correct mode is reselected.
  • Power down, remove AC and battery, then reseat the hard drive and the optical drive (laptop connectors can become loose). Do a power‑hold (30 seconds) before restarting to clear any residual state.
  • Verify media and drives outside the Vaio: test the recovery DVD in another PC or try the HDDs via a USB‑SATA adapter on a desktop. Confirming whether the disc and disks are bootable/recognizable rules out the media vs. motherboard fault.
  • If BIOS still shows nothing, try clearing CMOS (remove internal coin cell briefly) or replace the CMOS battery — some older laptops behave oddly when that battery is weak.

If, after these checks, the BIOS refuses to detect any storage, the SATA/IDE controller or motherboard flex connector is likely failing. Recover any important data first by attaching the drive to another machine, then weigh repair vs. board replacement. If unsure about internal disassembly, a local repair shop can quickly test the drives and motherboard.

Recommended Answers

All 2 Replies

Member Avatar for caperjack

try hitting f11 or f12 on bootup to see if it gives the bootoption ,where you can choose dvd drive

Member Avatar for geeksistah1

Thanks for the advice. I will try this as soon as I get a chance. I hope it works....

I will let you know.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.