Need help with a gateway laptop...PLEASE!

ProjectSunfire

New Member
this may be a stupid question for the experts here but here it goes...

My girlfriends laptop is having issues. its a gateway m-1617. her hdd failed so I replaced it with a working spare I had from a hp vista laptop. specs were the same so I thought it may work. but I am unable to re-install vista on it. the hdd is recognized in bios but when I get into the vista install screen there is no hard drive located to format.

Do I need to order an EXACT replacement for the OEM hdd or can I make this one work somehow? Or is there possible other hardware failure??
 

My Computer

thank you so much for your response. that make pefect sense. i can't believe I didnt come across that solution after all my searching! Duh

ok...another stupid question though. I see the file to download but how do I get the driver installed on the dead computer? I don't have a floppy drive...is that the only way to install it? Can't I just burn it to a cd?
 

My Computer

thank you so much for your response. that make pefect sense. i can't believe I didnt come across that solution after all my searching! Duh

ok...another stupid question though. I see the file to download but how do I get the driver installed on the dead computer? I don't have a floppy drive...is that the only way to install it? Can't I just burn it to a cd?

sure, burn it to cd and walk it over to the other computer. go into device manager (type device manager in search) and go to the device that needs the driver. right click on the device and click update driver. click on have disk and point it to where the cd/file is


good luck and 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
ok that makes perfect sense as well....but I cant get into anything on the gateway...when I start it up I either get the black screen of death, a disk read error occurred or it just freezes up when trying to start it in safe mode, etc.

how can I get into the device manager and/or search since I am unable to access anything?
 

My Computer

Hi ProjectSunfire

You can a USB stick,then use load driver in setup.

This only works with the right drivers, download the right one for sata controller.

Ken

ProjectSunfire is clean installing Vista.
 

My Computer

but I how do I access search or device manager? when I start the computer up I either get the black screen of death or a disk read error or if I try to start in in any of the safe modes it just freezes up
 

My Computer

Hi ProjectSunfire

You state in your first post, you are installing vista.

Are you installing the OS or repairing the OS?
 

My Computer

Hi ProjectSunfire

Then you can use a USB stick,then use load driver in setup.

This only works with the right drivers, download the right one for sata controller.

do you know what sata controller you have?
 

My Computer

ok...I got a flash drive...downloaded the drivers...tried loading them and it says they are the wrong ones. all the ones listed appear to be for intel...but this laptop is amd.

I'm looking for other ones on gateways site...the fun continues:party:
 

My Computer

PSF

Im more than willing to find the drivers for ya but I need your computer make, and model.

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

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
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