Solved! Broken lcd laptop - Need to perform system restore to sell

[king98027]

I have a Sony Vaio VGN-Z540. LCD is broken. Trying to do a system restore so I can sell it. I have an external monitor, but it won't register until in Windows. Any idea of how to accomplish this?

Fn+F8 does not work. Nor does keeping laptop closed and powering on (cannot power on like this).

 

[WR2]

Hello king98027;

Did you try F10?

Check and see if you can run the Sony Recovery option on bootup. It uses a hidden partition on your hard drive.
How to Restore the Original Settings on a Computer Using the Hard Drive

I think you should be able to create a set of system CD/DVD restore disks while in Windows and then boot the laptop from the optical drive.
Otherwise I think this should help: How to Make a Windows Vista Repair Disk If You Don’t Have One

 

[nukemaster]

Is it not fn F7 to swap screens?