restore original software on Sony PCG-SR17 without the Sony CD drive

I have the Sony PCG-SR17, and have a USB Backpack CD drive, but want
to clean off everything and reload the original software. The Sony
manual states the need for the PCGA-CD51/A Sony CDrom. I don't feel
like paying $250 for one, and can't find it cheap on ebay or
elsewhere. Is there any other way to clean it up from my Backpack
drive or another way? Thanks. Please email me as I may not find my
way back here.

 

The usual fixes are to copy the recovery software to the hard drive
on a partition and run it from there, or use a boot-disk and network
card to copy the information. You can't use your USB drive for it, as
the BIOS won't recognize it on boot.
Emanuel

 

Dig around the recover CD itself to see if there's any manual
config.sys and autoexec.bat and other batch files you can figure out.
In the older 505 series, you can actually do a manually initiated
restore of the HD without regards to what the discs would normally want.

Also, see if you can get the backpack cd drive running under dos
(check yahoo.com for DOS USB drivers - search "Ghost USB Dos driver" and
you should find them.) If you can, you may be able to initiate the
manual restore from the CD drive without buying the Sony drive.

otherwise, check www.ebay.com for cheap drives or simply install
Windows from your own CD disc after wiping the HD (key here is to format
c: /u/s first, then copy the entire /win98 /winxp etc. install directory
from the CD to the drive, then run the windows setup from that HD
directory to install windows).

check out the sony groups in groups.yahoo.com (search sony) and ask
the members there if anyone's in your area.

 

I emailed Emanuel listed above, and here's what he told me: load the
cd's to drive D, use Rawrite.exe to expand the image file for the
batch files (it's the 1.42 meg image file on CD #1, and load all the
CD's into the root directory. The batch files will create the folders
and do the job. I did not do this as it is an ordeal, but keep in
mind, my laptop is working fine. I only wanted to clean it off, but
will not do so until I have to. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Thanks Emanuel!