I need to help with repairing a laptop. What’s the issue you’re facing?
I need to help with repairing a laptop. What’s the issue you’re facing?
I haven't done it before, but I was asked to repair a Sony VAIO. After trying the legacy boot, the screen shows no OS and then disappears. I'm planning to install Windows 10 on a USB drive so I can boot into the laptop with my USB and check the issue. Any advice would be appreciated. Perhaps I shouldn't use Windows 10, but Linux Mint or another option? Or should I run some commands in CMD to investigate further? Anything that helps would be great!
Start immediately! Avoid installing Windows 10—it’s not ready and you’ll face problems. First, verify the boot sequence and reset BIOS to defaults to rule out basic faults. Next, run a test on the hard drive to confirm functionality (if needed, replace it). Finally, locate the serial key at the bottom of the laptop for the current Windows version; if it’s Windows 8, the key is likely in its BIOS, so obtain a genuine Windows 8/8.1 ISO.
Setting up Windows 10 should eliminate the issue, but ensure you have backups in place. If they haven’t, the problem likely lies elsewhere. It’s still good to verify if the drive is functioning properly.
When dealing with situations like this, I typically remove the HDD, connect it to your PC, and extract the data directly. Once you've gathered all the necessary information, you can carry out a computer diagnostic in whatever manner suits you best.
@Analog shared this advice: If installing your laptop's HDD isn't possible, create a Linux pendrive and start the machine from there. Then transfer the necessary files to another USB drive or external HDD. Since graduation is crucial, this should be your initial action. Later, you can attempt to resolve boot issues, perform a full format, or replace the HDD if needed.
Thanks for sharing. The HDD appears to be functioning properly with no issues detected. Since you have an external HDD reader, removing the internal HDD and copying it might help confirm if the problem lies between the HDD and the motherboard. You can try this to narrow down the source of the issue.
The issue isn't displaying properly. Each time you try to access something from the storage device, an unknown error code appears. You're using Linux Mint. Can you track the request to identify where the problem starts? It seems like some errors keep happening.