We know by now how to reconstruct a XP install disk (thanks Akash84) which accepts the original licence laptop number (see: http://www.club-vaio.com/clubvaio/mvnforum/viewthread?thread=36891 ,just make sure you copy DPCDLL.DL_ as well which was missing from the list).
We also know that drivers and utilities are available on the Sony site (but see below as it's not required to go there to get them) but what about pre-installed applications that one want to restore? Here come the recovery DVDs.
If you have not done it yet, create recovery DVDs using the VAIO recovery tool from the start menu. You will end up with one System restore and one Applications restore DVD.
TURN OFF AUTORUN on the DVD-Drive and insert System Restore DVD in Windows. You well see a VAIO Applications Folder on the DVD which contains all drivers, Sony Utilities and even Windows Hotfixes for your VAIO (no need to use SONY site at all to get them). Just copy the VAIO Applications folder to your PC after Clean Install and use it for installing drivers, utilities etc...
Now the Pre-installed applications:
Insert the second DVD (Applications Restore).
This one has all the pre-installed applications but you cannot select any of them because they are all packed with SONY proprietary packer and there's apparently no mean to selectively install any of them. right? wrong ;o)
Copy the entire Restore Applications DVD on your hard drive
Download this file (kcap.exe) at: http://www.math.utexas.edu/users/rogoyski/work/tr5ap_winxp/kcap.exe ,this file will expand any xxxx.pac file. You will then get the application setup for each and also get user name (generally Sony Customer if not for all of them) and serial number for each that requires one (read inst.wsf in Notepad (in the BAT folder of the expanded xxx.pac file)).
Do not drag drop on kcap as this will not do anything but use the command window (Start, Run, type CMD, enter) and type:
[path to kpac.exe] kpac.exe [path to the pac file] xxxx.pac [destination of the pac file].
example: d:\kcap.exe d:\VAIO_Save\APR\SP-010849-00.pac d:\VAIO_Extract
(In this example the DVD content was copied to d:\VAIO_Save, kpac.exe is on d:\, the pac file SP-010849-00.pac is located in VAIO_Save\APR folder and the expanded pac.file will be extracted in d:\VAIO_Extract (you may want to create this folder first).
The kcap utility will create a folder with the pac file name with all files in it. Use setup to install the application (read inst.wsf (or other available files) from the BAT folder of each extracted pac file in notepad to know what application it is if it's not obvious and to get username and serial number when one is required).
Once you have extracted all pac files, it would certainly be a good idea to burn all of them to DVD. At the end of the day you should end up with one OEM retail XP CD accepting you Windows Licence number (using instructions from previous post (thanks Akash84) )and several CDs or DVDs with all pre-installed sofware. Thanks SONY for not providing them in the first place (but at least we now know how to get around).
That's it, have fun ;o)
