[Archived] Laptop not booting - help?

[snatchymcsnatch]

Hi guys

Not sure if anyone can help here but I'm having major headaches trying to recover a laptop - A HP Notebook G61.

I've already been through the recovery process and it hasn't worked. I didn't have a system restore point and no image to back up so I tried the recovery process. I managed to back up the data that was on there to a portable HD and then the system said it had to check the disk, a quick scan was fine but it would not complete the full scan it just kept freezing.

So, after that I created a boot disk from another laptop and although this booted up ok, all recovery options again failed. I felt I had no option but to format c: with the command prompt available through the boot disk. Mistake - probably - as again that failed and now I'm effectively stuck without c: now as I don't know how to assign it a letter (which I assume I will have to do with a command prompt).

The HP laptop came with windows prebuilt so of course I don't have a windows disk (although I do have a copy I could potentially use but it won't boot from it.

So to summarise, I have a laptop with no c:, a boot disk, a copy of windows ultimate (not the version that was on the laptop), a flash drive and a spare laptop with which to figure it out!

Any idea what I should do next?

Thanks for any help.

Stu

[rock steady]

Why won't it boot from your windows disc? Have you set the boot priority in the bios?

I'd say boot a windows disc and do a fresh install. Of course you'd have to get a copy of the version of windows you have a licence for. It's probably printed on a sticker under the laptop. Once you know what version you need it shouldn't be difficult to obtain. Then just burn it to a disc.

[thebigguy]

Firstly have you got another computer because you could connect the hard drive up to another pc and use a program like ZAR recovery to get any information of the hard drive

Then do a full reformat before you put it back into labtop.

Also do a hard drive test(hirens boot cd) to sort out any problems with the hard drive.

Then put the hard drive back into the labtop and install windows. This is best way i would go because if there is problems with hard drive and labtop is still under warranty you could just get a replacement hard drive from them before utilizing pc again