I cant get windows 7 to load up on fresh hard drive

I have a good laptop that came with Vista but I dont have the re-install disk so I got a ISO made of Windows 7 after paying for all the files and downloading them and burning them from a vendor.

I had run the hd test before and it said the hard drive needed replacing(old one)

so I got a new bigger hd.

I installed it and changed the boot sequence in the Bios.

no luck. all it does is tell me OS not found.

now when I put the old hd back in I was able to get the Windows 7 OS to start up and take me to the Windows 7 install screen.

but when I put the new hD back in I get same thing.

I ran the hd test for 2nd time on new HD and it passed. the test was in the Bios.


so now I dont know if there are something missing in the Windows 7 disk or if the hard drive is bad.

any help?

nobody?

machine was originally a vista machine. I tried to use XP on it but got tired of dealing with the drivers not being easy to find since hp didnt really do drivers for xp for this machine.

it will boot up with a little effort when I try the old HD with XP on it. when I try the completely clean new HD I get the "no OS found"

I need some answers fast or else I got to take the hard drive back. which I think I will do anyhow just to be certain. the only difference is the HD and the fact that old HD has OS on it...even though I am trying to do new OS

It sounds like it's not a physical error and it's not likely that the install failed. If there's an option in BIOS to set up hard drives to IDE or "compatability" mode, try that first. If not, find an ultra light linux live build like puppy linux or knoppix. Set the BIOS to boot from removable drive and boot into the linux build. If you can get navigate to the disk drive and see the windows files, the drive's good and mounted correctly. Then you know it's an errant BIOS setting somewhere

ok. after some digging I found this and tried it.

I had my boot order set cd/dvd drive and then hd.

according to this Windows 7 is backwards. I changed it from HD first and then cd-rom

and it booted into the installation. so it looks like I figured it out.

here was the info:

Problem is solved. I found the answer on another forum from a posting by WHEST:

http://www.sevenforums.com/hardware...annot-see-hard-drive-during-installation.html

Relevant answer is here:
Firstly, if you have it set in the bios to boot from the cd/dvdrom it can cause installation to loop after the first reboot, as it restarts installation and loops - to fix you remove the install dvd during reboot, or go into the bios and reset it to boot from the hard drive first - so you need to remove the dvd while its rebooting quickly - you have 15 secs to do so before it restarts if you don't hit a key, or go into the bios, and reset it to boot from the hard drive.

You have to be watching the last part of the install and be ready to pull the DVD out. I also hit the Del key so I could reset the BIOS Boot setting. For all other Win OS I have set CD/DVD to be the first boot device followed by the HD, but of course the Geniuses at Microsoft had to screw this up and create headaches for some of us. Logic and prior experience will not have helped you figure this one out. Keep in mind that it is helpful to assume that MS has done something really dumb. Then you will be on the right track.

I consider this a first class BUG. Will Microsoft pay me for the 8 hrs I wasted trying to solve this ridiculous stupidity? I doubt it.

So, it seems to me that when you install Win7 you must not have DVD as your first BOOT device, and simply hit F12 (on most hardware) in order to get an instant window asking for Boot Device Choice.

What a PITA.

I hope this helps others who have the same problem.


Cheers,

Hmm... never had that happen on many many MANY W7 installs. I wonder if its mobo specific...

EarthDog said:

Hmm... never had that happen on many many MANY W7 installs. I wonder if its mobo specific...

Click to expand...

Don't know.

This was a laptop and I checked the bios a million times for any issue. I am going to update the bios next.

When I left it was working on the w7 install and I had to get back to work.

Will see when I get home.

so I got a ISO made of Windows 7 after paying for all the files and downloading them and burning them from a vendor.

Click to expand...

what vendor, if it wasn't microsoft then you bought likely an illegal copy and license.


they are correct since after the first reboot the install goes to the harddrive but if your dvdrom is set to auto first boot it goes instead.

why i like using the boot menu option found on most computers, usually F11 or F12 on boot.

Mr.Guvernment said:

what vendor, if it wasn't microsoft then you bought likely an illegal copy and license.


they are correct since after the first reboot the install goes to the harddrive but if your dvdrom is set to auto first boot it goes instead.

why i like using the boot menu option found on most computers, usually F11 or F12 on boot.

Click to expand...

Good point on windows. The way it was posted seems like it was a shady seller or something.

Right, it goes to it, but then if you dont touch anything, it goes to the next device...

Actually I wondered if it was the disk so I took out my perfectly retail XP and tried it and had no luck with the cd-rom listed as first boot.

So it doesn't look like it really has anything to do with where the cd came from

I really won't know till I get home and see how it is

EarthDog said:

Good point on windows. The way it was posted seems like it was a shady seller or something.

Right, it goes to it, but then if you dont touch anything, it goes to the next device...

Click to expand...

Yes, so if you have the DVD drive as the first boot device it will boot into the install, i know i have had a system or 2 that didnt ask me "press any disk to boot from Disk" which we are all so acustom too.

do you have EFI boot enabled?

I dont recall a system that ever did that to me actually...If I installed windows and let the disk in, it gives that option, and then moves on.

Not sure. But these experiences started well before UEFI bios's.

whatever the issue was I got it installed now. thanks