Strange VAIO happenings...

I finally got around to clicking on the persistent message that pops up shortly after booting, offering me an unparalleled opportunity to create a recovery disk. I thought the idea of leaving that detail up to me was a bit chintzy, but it's becoming a chintzy world out there.

It turns out I am to prepare nine blank CDs for the operation.

Ye gods.

You'd figure Sony could buy an awful lot of customer good will simply by including a couple of DVD-ROMs in the box. Burning nine CDs is work (not to mention a long-term waste of time, if some stories are to be believed).

* * *Part of the reason for my frustration with the 505's network operation is the wireless feature. I am beginning to be impelled, by evidence, to the conclusion that something is wrong with the built-in wireless hardware.

More as things develop.

Cheers...

Enough games...

After spending another hour and a half with the VAIO, I am convinced that the reason for the squirrely behavior using wireless is because the receiver is not functioning properly. That would explain an inability (or sporadic ability) to be assigned an IP address by the DHCP server in my router as well as the general failure to communicate wirelessly.

The dot on the 'i', so to speak, is the superb performance I get with my old D-Link wireless card plugged into the PCMCIA slot.

Looks like I may be having a conversation with the Sony Customer Service folks on Monday (or Tuesday).

In the meantime, I had best get cracking on the next job, due Tuesday.

Cheers...

A glutton for punishment, that's me...

So I decide, what the heck? why not just bite the bullet and create the recovery disks.

What an idiot I am.

The process completes 7 of 9 disks and then - for no apparent reason - gives up the ghost, as if I'm finished. I'm looking at a program screen that's waiting for me to actually start the recovery process. Starting the process again takes me to - you guessed it - the beginning of the whole procedure, with no hope or hint of skipping the creation of 7 disks that (presumably) have already been made.

Sorry, Sony. Fool me once, that's your fault. Fool me twice, it's my fault. If you really expect me to feed yet another 7 disks into the maw of the monster before having the procedure abort again, you've got another thing coming.

I should probably have taken the hint about buying the disks direct from Sony.

Cheers...