Can't install windows on new hdd

G

gthom

New Member
Greetings, all. Been following the forum for some time. Love it. Joined several months ago and just now have a reason to write.

I have a Compaq Presario desktop running windows vista, home basic, 32 bit. Several weeks ago, the hard drive died. I replaced it with a 500GB Seagate Barracuda hdd.
Here is my problem. Hopefully, I can get some ideas. I have tried unsuccessfully to re-install the os using the recovery disks. When I attempt it, one of two things will happen. It will boot as far as the green windows loading bar, then go to a dark screen with no curser, arrow, nothing. Or, it will get to the factory image restore screen, with two check boxes, one saying reformatting windows partition, the other saying re-installing original content. It does neither. Just freezes up.

I created the recovery disks when I bought the computer about 2 years ago. Could the disks be bad? Or is it possible I may have other issues?

I'm new at this so I apologize if I over killed on any info. And, of course, if I didn't include enough info. let me know and I will gladly provide more to anyone who can help me.

Thanks in advance. GT
 

My Computer

System One

hi and welcome to vistax64

when you created recovery disks they aren't true "vista" disks they can only be used to "recover" and OS that is installed. Its seldom that a comp. mfr gives a true "vista" dvd because they have to pay for each one.

If you want to re-isntall vista completely you are going to need a true vista dvd. do you have a vista license tag on the bottem of the computer?

let us know

ken
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron E 1405
    CPU
    [email protected]
    Memory
    4 gigs
    Graphics Card(s)
    integrated intel 945
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    300 gig internal
    Internet Speed
    10 down 1.5 up
Try contacting HP customer support regarding this. They may either be able to talk you through the re-installation process or send you new disks(possibly at a cost). I just contacted them last week to send me a new HDD and they sent me one with the recovery disks to manufacture settings. Either that or go from scratch with a Vista purchase.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion DV7-1129wm Entertainment PC
    CPU
    AMD Turion X2 RM-72 Dual Core @ 2.1GHz
    Memory
    2 x 2 GB Hyundai DDR2 400 MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3200 @ 256 MB
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition Audio/SRS Premium Sound/Altec Lansing
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" Laptop Screen
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 900 laptop, external 17 in LCD 1024 x 768
    Hard Drives
    WD Scorpio Blue 320 GB SATA 5400 RPM
    Toshiba 68 GB SATA 5400 RPM Second Drive (backup)
    PSU
    8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
    Case
    Laptop with "light up" HP Logo on outside
    Cooling
    Insane air coming out of Targus dual fan cooler
    Keyboard
    Full Keyboard with numpad
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000 / Touchpad
    Internet Speed
    Comcast Cable 20 MBps
    Other Info
    Used Primarily for CAD design using SolidWorks 2010.
    Also I love to watch HD movies using the HDMI output(Netflix).
    Linked to my Xbox 360 for Windows Media Center
    3 USB ports + USB/eSata
    HP Remote for Windows Media Center and Quickplay
    Internal Dual Layer DVD+/-RW
    External HP Lightscribe Dual Layer DVD+/-RW
    HP Webcam and Microphone
Standard support is 1 year. Hope you have extended support to avoid charge.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    AMD AM2 6000+
    Motherboard
    Nvidia M2N-E SLI
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 7600GT
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    WD
    Case
    Cooler Master
    Cooling
    Three fans
    Keyboard
    Dell Quietkey
    Mouse
    Dell Optical
    Internet Speed
    10 MBPS
Thanks for the feed back, everyone. I kinda figured it might have something to do with the recovery disks not being "true vista' dvd's. Unfortunately, I did only opt for the 1 year warranty. So I guess my next question would be, could I order re-install discs from the manufactrer or would I have actually purchase the os? If it comes to that, I may just cut my loss on this machine and get a new one. Ken, there is a Vista label on the machine that says "product key." Is this the same as the license?

Thanks again. Greg
 

My Computer

System One

gthom said:
Thanks for the feed back, everyone. I kinda figured it might have something to do with the recovery disks not being "true vista' dvd's. Unfortunately, I did only opt for the 1 year warranty. So I guess my next question would be, could I order re-install discs from the manufactrer or would I have actually purchase the os? If it comes to that, I may just cut my loss on this machine and get a new one. Ken, there is a Vista label on the machine that says "product key." Is this the same as the license?

Thanks again. Greg
Click to expand...


yes thats why I asked. if you comp came with vista installed you may be able to get an oem copy of vista cheaply

ken
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron E 1405
    CPU
    [email protected]
    Memory
    4 gigs
    Graphics Card(s)
    integrated intel 945
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    300 gig internal
    Internet Speed
    10 down 1.5 up
When you contact HP you will need your service tag and product id number. The disks that they send will only be able to be installed on that pc. I received a 3 Disk set so that is what you might receive. When I looked up that cost for my 64 bit, it was about 20 dollars, I got it for free since I had a warranty so the best you can do is find out. They have good tech support so I dont think you should have a problem. They also sent it next day FedEx so it shouldnt take that long to receive. Good luck.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion DV7-1129wm Entertainment PC
    CPU
    AMD Turion X2 RM-72 Dual Core @ 2.1GHz
    Memory
    2 x 2 GB Hyundai DDR2 400 MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3200 @ 256 MB
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition Audio/SRS Premium Sound/Altec Lansing
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" Laptop Screen
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 900 laptop, external 17 in LCD 1024 x 768
    Hard Drives
    WD Scorpio Blue 320 GB SATA 5400 RPM
    Toshiba 68 GB SATA 5400 RPM Second Drive (backup)
    PSU
    8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
    Case
    Laptop with "light up" HP Logo on outside
    Cooling
    Insane air coming out of Targus dual fan cooler
    Keyboard
    Full Keyboard with numpad
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000 / Touchpad
    Internet Speed
    Comcast Cable 20 MBps
    Other Info
    Used Primarily for CAD design using SolidWorks 2010.
    Also I love to watch HD movies using the HDMI output(Netflix).
    Linked to my Xbox 360 for Windows Media Center
    3 USB ports + USB/eSata
    HP Remote for Windows Media Center and Quickplay
    Internal Dual Layer DVD+/-RW
    External HP Lightscribe Dual Layer DVD+/-RW
    HP Webcam and Microphone
gthom said:
Thanks for the feed back, everyone. I kinda figured it might have something to do with the recovery disks not being "true vista' dvd's. Unfortunately, I did only opt for the 1 year warranty. So I guess my next question would be, could I order re-install discs from the manufactrer or would I have actually purchase the os? If it comes to that, I may just cut my loss on this machine and get a new one. Ken, there is a Vista label on the machine that says "product key." Is this the same as the license?

Thanks again. Greg
Click to expand...

Yes, that is the license you paid for. You have that already - no need to buy another.

You could probably get "recovery" discs from HP for a fee - if you like all the manufacturer bloatware.

Or you can avoid that.

You could visit the HP site and d/l the drivers for your specific model - copy them to cd.

Get hold of a real Vista install disc - borrow one ( or look around - they are not hard to find).

Any Vista install dvd will do - they all contain the files needed to install all editions.

Install Vista ( use the product you have on the sticker - or skip it during install, you have 30 days to put it in and activate).

Open Device Manager - any devices with yellow exclamation marks - install the drivers for those devices from the cd you made. Don't install the rest - or you will get all the HP junk.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Vista
    CPU
    Intel E8400
    Motherboard
    ASRock1333-GLAN R2.0
    Memory
    4gb DDR2 800
    Graphics Card(s)
    nvidia 9500GT 1gb
  • Operating System
    win7/vista
    CPU
    intel i5-8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    ballistix 2x8gb 3200
gthom

Let us know if you need help

ken
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron E 1405
    CPU
    [email protected]
    Memory
    4 gigs
    Graphics Card(s)
    integrated intel 945
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    300 gig internal
    Internet Speed
    10 down 1.5 up
zigzag3143 said:
gthom

Let us know if you need help

ken
Click to expand...
Hello, again. Ok, not sure if I did the right thing or not, but here is the latest. I contacted HP and they sent me a set of disks, which arrived a few days ago via fed-ex. I was excited initially, then quickly disappointed when I tried again to install vista. It pretty much did the same thing as before, where it gets as far as the recovery manager screen and then just freezes. Here's the thing. As before, it seems that these disks are "recovery" disks. But I was told , by what limited support I could get without buying a warranty extension, that these disks should work to get he os up and running on the new hard drive. When I called, they didn't ask for licensing info or anything, so I'm not sure if I communicated effectively. Any
thoughts? Should these disks have worked, or did I order the wrong thing? Admittedly, I'm pretty new and ignorant to this stuff. Thank you for your patience. Greg
 

My Computer

System One

They should have worked...if you gave your P/N and S/N to them thats all they need. I had a 3 disk set with the new HDD and it installed without a hitch. Check all of your connections and clean up the pc a little. You may have lose RAM or just everything being dirty. if that fails run the reinstall with technical support on the phone and they can troubleshoot with you on what needs to be done, at the time of the issue or what is wrong, and what would need to be fixed.

I hope I didnt point you in the wrong direction, you have tech support, might as well use it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion DV7-1129wm Entertainment PC
    CPU
    AMD Turion X2 RM-72 Dual Core @ 2.1GHz
    Memory
    2 x 2 GB Hyundai DDR2 400 MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3200 @ 256 MB
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition Audio/SRS Premium Sound/Altec Lansing
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" Laptop Screen
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 900 laptop, external 17 in LCD 1024 x 768
    Hard Drives
    WD Scorpio Blue 320 GB SATA 5400 RPM
    Toshiba 68 GB SATA 5400 RPM Second Drive (backup)
    PSU
    8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
    Case
    Laptop with "light up" HP Logo on outside
    Cooling
    Insane air coming out of Targus dual fan cooler
    Keyboard
    Full Keyboard with numpad
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000 / Touchpad
    Internet Speed
    Comcast Cable 20 MBps
    Other Info
    Used Primarily for CAD design using SolidWorks 2010.
    Also I love to watch HD movies using the HDMI output(Netflix).
    Linked to my Xbox 360 for Windows Media Center
    3 USB ports + USB/eSata
    HP Remote for Windows Media Center and Quickplay
    Internal Dual Layer DVD+/-RW
    External HP Lightscribe Dual Layer DVD+/-RW
    HP Webcam and Microphone
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