Installing Windows 7 on a Sony Vaio

jannewarman32

Honorable
Oct 16, 2013
5
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10,510
Hi everyone,
I just got this Sony Vaio Fit 15E from a theft reclaim, and it comes with windows 8
I want to install windows 7 on it, so I went to sony website, I downloaded all Win7 drivers for my model, and I created a USB flash drive formatted with FAT32 file system, and a gpt partition scheme for uefi computer, from a windows 7 x64 ISO.

But here's the thing, my computer comes with an assist button that allows me to change BIOS settings (such as booting from external device and configuring boot order), and I know that in order to install windows 7 I need to delete all partitions on my current drive.
So I'm wondering if that assist button will still work after all partitions all deleted, as some of them are titled SONYSYS, Recovery or Reserved partitions.
So I'm hesitating between three things. should I keep some of these partitions, or is there an alternate way to install windows 7, or is there another key I need to push at boot to edit BIOS settings ? (F2-F8-F10 and F12 doesn't seems to do anything)

I know that may seems complicated, i'm pretty lost as it is, so if you need any precisions just ask, any help appreciated.
Sorry for syntax or grammar errors, my native language is French.

Thanks.
 
Solution
you can keep that partition and still do a clean install. at the start of the win 7 install it gives you the option to delete partitions.just leave the sonysys.you will however also be able to access your bios on startup. try pressing f1 when the computer first starts up.
so are you dual booting win 7 and 8 or are you getting rid of win 8? if you are losing win 8 these partitions are, in my opinion, not necessary as they are win 8 related. one of them will be a recovery partition for windows 8. if you have all your drivers and are just going to do a clean install of win 7 i would delete the partitions.
 

jannewarman32

Honorable
Oct 16, 2013
5
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10,510
I'd rather get rid of windows 8 and yeah the recovery partition is windows 8 related, but what bothers me is the SONYSYS partition, which seems to contain the data from the Assist button, and I don't wanna delete that, as this is the only way I found to access the BIOS yet. And I don't know if keeping any partition would still allow a clean install, so that's why I'm either searching for a way to access the BIOS another way or a kind of confirmation that deleting all of them or keep some will not crash just about everything.
 
you can keep that partition and still do a clean install. at the start of the win 7 install it gives you the option to delete partitions.just leave the sonysys.you will however also be able to access your bios on startup. try pressing f1 when the computer first starts up.
 
Solution

jannewarman32

Honorable
Oct 16, 2013
5
0
10,510
F1 and F11 doesn't work either.. Well i'll search a little more to find a way to access BIOS but for what I've heard the boot cycle is too fast to input a key.. If I don't find anything I guess I'll try to keep the sonysys partition and see what happens, in the worst case, I can always try to get the files from these partitions from Sony and start all over again I guess.
Thanks a lot for your time, greatly appreciated.

.. Buuuut I guess I'll be asking some more of your time, as I've got another problem, at first I tried disabling UEFI to enable Legacy because my usb key wouldn't boot otherwise, it didn't work, saying it cannot install it because the partition is GPT, so I tried to format my USB to GPT and UEFI with Rufus, and now it says Secure Boot has Failed.

.. So I disabled Secure Boot (Stupid Me) and it says Windows is Loading Files, it shows Starting Windows aaaaaand... it freeze! man..

Forget it, it seems way easier to stay with windows 8, i'm getting used to it anyway, thanks for your help.
 

aaryan1997

Reputable
Jul 12, 2015
1
0
4,510
jannewarman32..
i have the similar problem.. also the same fear of losing the assist button..
so i finally decided to continue with a clean install of win 8.1..
if u have a solution for the problem, pls let me know..
ty! :)