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Author Topic: disk drive doesnt work  (Read 5361 times)

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shashgo

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    disk drive doesnt work
    « on: October 16, 2009, 05:29:02 AM »
    The disk drive on an HP laptop doesnt work, meaning whenever I put in a disk, it doesnt read properly, and the light just keeps flashing.  So can I temporarily use the disk drive from another laptop, its a dell?

    Allan

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    Re: disk drive doesnt work
    « Reply #1 on: October 16, 2009, 06:00:40 AM »
    Do you mean the cd drive? Try putting in a BOOTABLE cd and reboot. Does the system see the disc at boot?

    And yes, you can swap drives if you like.

    shashgo

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      Re: disk drive doesnt work
      « Reply #2 on: October 16, 2009, 08:38:50 AM »
      yes a CD drive.  no it doesnt read even a bootable disk at startup.  I put the xp cd in, but the drive just keeps flashing on and off and it sems like it wants to readbut it never does.  Im thinking the drive is defective, and if it really is, then can I get a drive from another laptop, plug it in to this laptop and get it to install xp. 

      Allan

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      Re: disk drive doesnt work
      « Reply #3 on: October 16, 2009, 08:46:49 AM »
      You should be able to, yes.

      shashgo

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        Re: disk drive doesnt work
        « Reply #4 on: October 16, 2009, 01:12:22 PM »
        the other disk drive doesnt fit, I guess its longer or something even though it is from an HP.  Crap.  What I did was clone my disk and save its content to an external hard drive.  Can I use that to boot up and install the OS?

        patio

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        Re: disk drive doesnt work
        « Reply #5 on: October 16, 2009, 03:27:52 PM »
        No,

        We've been thru this multiple times shasgo but at the risk of repeating myself i'll do so again...

        1) You cannot simply copy a drives contents to another drive and expect it to be bootable...

        2) You also cannot boot any Windows OS since XP from an external HDD without a sledgehammer and about 3 days time to set it up properly...even doing this is sometimes unsuccessful at best...this is by design.

        3) You cannot swap drives from 1 manuf. hardware to another and expect them to work...Acer to HP...Compaq to eMachines...HP to Toshiba etc. etc....this is also by design.

        Most of your issues are because you keep trying things that are destined to fail simply because things are designed this way...it's not what we want nor asked for but the fact remains that it is what it is and sometimes you can't always win...

        Just my thoughts...
        " Anyone who goes to a psychiatrist should have his head examined. "

        dahlarbear



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          Re: disk drive doesnt work
          « Reply #6 on: October 17, 2009, 03:03:07 AM »
          Im thinking the drive is defective, and if it really is, then can I get a drive from another laptop, plug it in to this laptop and get it to install xp

          Does the HP laptop currently boot an operating system from its internal hard drive?

          shashgo

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            Re: disk drive doesnt work
            « Reply #7 on: October 17, 2009, 05:30:31 PM »
            yes it does boot from its HD.  I just want to reinstall yhe OS

            dahlarbear



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              Re: disk drive doesnt work
              « Reply #8 on: October 17, 2009, 06:12:29 PM »
              1.  Backup Data.  Backup any data you need to preserve from the HP laptop.  Make sure you have the Windows XP "Product Key" that you want/need for the reinstallation.

              2.  Restore from Recovery Partition.  Does the HP laptop have a recovery/restore partition (perhaps hidden) on its hard drive to restore current operating system to its original state?

              2.  Install from Laptop Hard Drive.  Copy the Windows XP installation files to the laptop's hard drive and initiate the installation from the current bootable operating system.  First visit the HP website to download motherboard chipset and onboard device drivers to the laptop hard drive.  You'll need to install these after the operating system installation (chipset drivers first, reboot, install other onboard device drivers).

              The installation files are the "i386" directory from a Microsoft Retail Install CD.  How is the laptop hard drive currently partitioned?

              Since you've been unable to read from a CD drive, you may load the installation files from USB thumb or external hard drive; or from another computer using null-modem serial cable, bi-directional parallel cable (1384), or ethernet crossover cable.  Use Microsoft's "direct connection" function for a serial or parallel cable transfer.

              Where to place installation files depends upon how hard drive is currently partitioned.  If you have single partition, then I'd recommend:
                   o  c:\i386
                   o  c:\drivers

              Aynjel



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                Re: disk drive doesnt work
                « Reply #9 on: October 17, 2009, 06:32:48 PM »
                Thank you dahlarbear I was going to suggest the same thing most HP's and Compaq's (I can't speak for other brands) typically have a partition on the hard drive that will reset the entire laptop to factory settings. this is typically accessed at the HP screen when it first turns on by hitting F11.

                Be sure that any files you want to save you back up to an external source. If it has a partition once you hit F11 all you have to do is follow instructions from there.

                I hope this helps. If not then I'm not sure what to tell you about the drive, I'm currently working on a HP Pavilion with a broken CD Drive. Got it running now just have to fix the drive.

                shashgo

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                  Re: disk drive doesnt work
                  « Reply #10 on: October 18, 2009, 11:23:36 AM »
                  dahlar and aynjel,

                  I thought of doing that but how would that work if I want to do a total reinstall of the OS, which involves formatting the hard drive?  What you said would work only if I was reinstalling the os on top of the current os right?  With a reformatting of the hard drive, wouldnt all the data that was on the hard drive be lost? 

                  The other option, which is what I think you guys were talking about is to create a partition, store all the new os data on that, format the partition that had the existing os, and then install the new os from the new partition.  Is that what you were saying?  If so, how do I partition a hd that has an os on it already?  and how do I do the whole installing from the partition?

                  By the way, no the laptop doesnt have a restore partition currently.

                  dahlarbear



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                    Re: disk drive doesnt work
                    « Reply #11 on: October 18, 2009, 03:52:38 PM »
                    By the way, no the laptop doesnt have a restore partition currently.

                    1.  And you know this because...
                         a.  You personally removed it.
                         b.  You personally installed "new" hard drive earlier.
                         c.  You went to HP website with laptop model number and verified correct procedure to access the recovery/restore partition.
                         d.  You used Windows XP Disk Management program to view the disk structure (partitions, volumes, unallocated space).

                    2.  Disk Structure.  How is the hard drive currently partitioned (how many partitions) ?  What logical drives do you have; e.g. C: ?

                    3.  Let's check the "mathematics":
                         a.  What is the total capacity of the disk ?
                         b.  What is the total capacity of each known partition ?
                         c.  How much space is unaccounted for ?

                    dahlarbear



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                      Re: disk drive doesnt work
                      « Reply #12 on: October 18, 2009, 04:30:23 PM »
                      yes a CD drive.  no it doesnt read even a bootable disk at startup.  I put the xp cd in, but the drive just keeps flashing on and off and it sems like it wants to readbut it never does.  Im thinking the drive is defective, and if it really is, then can I get a drive from another laptop, plug it in to this laptop and get it to install xp. 

                      If you/they are going to keep the HP laptop, the best long term solution would be to resolve the CD drive issue (depending upon "cost", either in time or money).  Have you determined the potential "replacement" cost of the drive?

                      What have you done to troubleshoot the CD drive:
                           a.  Have you attempted to clean the drive with canned air and/or CD lens cleaner kit (CD with small brush attached to its surface) ?
                           b.  Is the CD drive properly identified within the BIOS ?
                           c.  Checked its cables and/or connections ?
                           d.  Any problems reported within Device Manager ?

                      Anyone know of any "free" diagnostic software that might be helpful ?  Nero InfoTool ?

                      dahlarbear



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                        Re: disk drive doesnt work
                        « Reply #13 on: October 18, 2009, 06:04:03 PM »
                        I thought of doing that but how would that work if I want to do a total reinstall of the OS, which involves formatting the hard drive?  What you said would work only if I was reinstalling the os on top of the current os right?  With a reformatting of the hard drive, wouldnt all the data that was on the hard drive be lost? 

                        The other option, which is what I think you guys were talking about is to create a partition, store all the new os data on that, format the partition that had the existing os, and then install the new os from the new partition.  Is that what you were saying?  If so, how do I partition a hd that has an os on it already?  and how do I do the whole installing from the partition?

                        1.  Format.  You are not necessarily required to reformat a partition to install an operating system.  You would format a partition to establish a file system, to change the type or level of an existing file system, or in the belief it will wipe out existing malware.  The normally accepted answer is if you format a partition you will lose all access to the data.

                        Not sure what you mean by a "total reinstall".  You are not required to reformat the partition if it already contains an acceptable file system, but you would normally reformat the partition for a "clean" install (to eliminate all the previous garbage).  Not sure what installation constraints an OEM install CD may impose.

                        You've never said why you wish to reinstall the operating system...

                        2.  There are several approaches you may take to install Windows XP onto the existing hard drive:
                             a.  Repair installation over existing operating system
                             b.  Parallel installation of the operating system
                             c.  Multiboot different operating systems

                        3.  Repair Installation.  You may "repair" install over an existing operating system.  It will restore the system files back to the versions within your source media.  If you just wish to replace missing or corrupt system files, a better option might be to run the "System File Checker" utility (sfc).  If you set your system up correctly, it should also check your service pack and other update locations in an attempt to maintain the current level of your operating system (doesn't throw you back to version of your install CD).

                        4.  Parallel Installation.  A parallel installation is when you install a second copy of the same operating system to the system.  It may be installed to:
                             a.  Separate directory within the existing Windows boot partition
                             b.  Another partition on the same hard drive
                             c.  Partition on another hard drive

                        There is "free" software you may use to adjust the partition sizes of your hard disk.  They always recommend you do a complete system backup before attempting it (and I've never used any of them).

                        When installing to a "separate directory" within the existing Windows boot partition, you must be alert for the opportunity to specify this.  Research this before attempting it, so you don't miss the prompt.

                        5.  Multiboot Installation.  If you want to wipe the drive and start over, then this is the option for you.  It would eliminate any malware and provide the opportunity to repartition the hard drive (into two or more partitions).

                        Windows XP should be built on the machine it is to run on, but the Windows 9x operating systems and MS-DOS aren't that picky.  So...  with the hard drive in whatever machine works for you; install one of the more primitive operating systems to the first partition.  Add the Windows XP installation directory along with whatever HP motherboard drivers you need to a safe place on the disk (somewhere they won't be wiped from).

                        Return the hard drive to the HP laptop, boot into the primitive operating system and attempt to use it to initiate the Windows XP installation (preferably to a second partition).  Not sure if you'll need any Windows 9x motherboard drivers to accomplish this.  I think it will stumble through successfully without them.

                        Aynjel



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                          Re: disk drive doesnt work
                          « Reply #14 on: October 18, 2009, 06:59:23 PM »
                          Ok dahlarbear gave you great advice. I can't explain it any better than that. Why you are trying to reinstall your OS is your busy. Although it would be nice to know so if it isn't necessary we can save you a lot of time and trouble.

                          Unless you deleted the partition you shouldn't have any access to it. So how you know it is gone I would like to know as well.

                          Now on to answering your question. No what it will do is completely roll back your system. Which is what it's sounding like you want anyways. If you reformat you are completely wiping your drive installing the new OS and having a squeaky clean computer. If you want that the recovery drive that should already be on your hard drive will do that for you with out all the hassle.

                          If you are having problems with viruses run Spybot and Malware Bytes to remove them all. If it's just you think it's time to clean up copy all of your important information to a disk or external drive. (That's the point of backing up, putting it some place it won't be lost when cleaning up.) Then run the partition.

                          When you first turn your computer on and you get the first black screen that says HP on it, hit F11. When you get the first set of options hit quit. Then come tell me what you saw. This will tell me whether or not there is a recovery partition. If not then you will need a disk.

                          This brings us back to the original problem your disk drive doesn't work. Have you tried uninstalling it? Once uninstalled restart your computer it will reinstall on it's own. If it doesn't work after that you will most likely need a new drive and that will be your main priority to accomplish your goals.