Reformatting a Sony Vaio Laptop

[ArkiStan]

I'm supposed to reformat a friend's Sony Vaio laptop tomorrow. The original recovery disk that came with the computer may be missing so I have to do everything from scratch. I found all the latest drivers (ethernet, sound, video, etc.) on the Sony support website. I'm just curious if my Win XP OS (which I use for my desktop) will install on the Vaio laptop.

I ask because I vaguely remember somebody saying that sometimes you need to use Sony Vaio proprietary software in some cases. I'm just curious if this includes the OS. I've never used a Sony Vaio before.

[eSDee]

I am pretty sure that you can use a generic Windows disc to format the drive. I did a couple of years ago to my crappy vaio and I didn't have the proprietary installation disc.

[Jeffbx]

The one snag you may hit is that the XP serial number on the bottom of his machine may not match the type of install CD you have - it's an OEM license, and if you have a retail CD it'll probably tell you the license number is bad. May even happen between OEM cd's - I know for example that Dell install CDs check to make sure that you're installing on a Dell machine.