HP OS recovery and complete re-install of all software

B

biru32

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 15, 2003
Messages
164
I need to completely rebuild the HD of an HP. The problem is this:

1. Upon boot I get a blue screen with some text and an error code and cannot go past this point.
2. When I change the boot order of the drives in the BIOS the computer ignores this and simply boots from the HD
3. If I turn off the HD, the computer gives me a "no OS found on HD"

How can I clean the HD and reinstall all the software? The HD is a Western Digital.

One more thing. I hear HP don't come with recovery software, I would have to contact HP for the software. However, I do have the original OS disk, Win XP that came with the computer of other various disks. Is this true. How about drivers?

Any suggestions? This isn't my PC so I have limited info. at my fingertips right now. Anyone have experience with HP computers?

Thanks!

jl.
 
HP's don't come with any software disks for the OS. Not unless its really old. You access the recovery partition by pressing F10 at the POST screen. It guides you through the rest. You need to choose the "advanced" tab in order to tell the system to format the drive. That way you get a clean install. The recovery is basically a disk image. So all your drivers are covered as well.

If you've replaced the hard drive with another aftermarket drive, you'd need to contact HP for the disks. The product key fixed to the outside of the unit will not work on normal retail copies of Windows XP.
 
HP does have recovery software. Problem is, you need to create the recovery CD's/DVD's with their utility in the OS, and it should be the FIRST thing you do once the machine is set up. Once you've done so (it burns the software to CD or DVD depending on the model) you can use these at any time in the future for full system recovery. If this is not done first, you may be screwed, unless the F10 recovery utility mentioned by a previous poster is part of your system. Even then though, if the hard disk is going bad, the software recovery won't save you and you'll need those recovery discs. The first one is bootable, and it helps you load it and the remaining discs back into the machine to restore it.
 
LoneWolf said:
HP does have recovery software. Problem is, you need to create the recovery CD's/DVD's with their utility in the OS, and it should be the FIRST thing you do once the machine is set up. Once you've done so (it burns the software to CD or DVD depending on the model) you can use these at any time in the future for full system recovery. If this is not done first, you may be screwed, unless the F10 recovery utility mentioned by a previous poster is part of your system. Even then though, if the hard disk is going bad, the software recovery won't save you and you'll need those recovery discs. The first one is bootable, and it helps you load it and the remaining discs back into the machine to restore it.
Click to expand...

Right, but HP can send those disks to you after the fact. Thought it will cost around $10-20 for them. Shipping is included in that.
 
LoneWolf said:
HP does have recovery software. Problem is, you need to create the recovery CD's/DVD's with their utility in the OS, and it should be the FIRST thing you do once the machine is set up. Once you've done so (it burns the software to CD or DVD depending on the model) you can use these at any time in the future for full system recovery. If this is not done first, you may be screwed, unless the F10 recovery utility mentioned by a previous poster is part of your system. Even then though, if the hard disk is going bad, the software recovery won't save you and you'll need those recovery discs. The first one is bootable, and it helps you load it and the remaining discs back into the machine to restore it.
Click to expand...

Hmm, tell me about how to create the disks.... There is a "Recovery" partition, but it has invisible files that takes a few gigs and there isn't a utility (preinstalled) that I can see that actually have anything to do with it.

I saw the "F10 for recovery" option, but it doesn't seem to do anything for me, no option/guide/wizard.. nothing. I even tried Ghost 2k3 to clone the MCE drive to a small HDD incase this one ever fails but the smaller one wouldn't boot compeltely into windows - it gets to the blue welcome screen with logo but stops. :confused:
 
I just had to try this on an HP Athlon 1300+ (xt938) . It had a failing hard drive. I tried MAXblast 4(It was a maxtor replacement drive), but it would not boot due to the hidden HP Recovery partition. I tried several cloning programs, but the failing disk kept erroring out. I finally just broke out my OEM copy of XP and installed it using the HP's Key(It even activated!), and I got lucky, it worked. If you have one, I'd try it on the new drive. Worst case scenerio, you wasted time, and you still have the old drive with the info.

Now, I get to learn if the Files and Settings transfer wizard actually works. Anyone ever use it?
 
skyeandangus said:
I just had to try this on an HP Athlon 1300+ (xt938) . It had a failing hard drive. I tried MAXblast 4(It was a maxtor replacement drive), but it would not boot due to the hidden HP Recovery partition. I tried several cloning programs, but the failing disk kept erroring out. I finally just broke out my OEM copy of XP and installed it using the HP's Key(It even activated!), and I got lucky, it worked. If you have one, I'd try it on the new drive. Worst case scenerio, you wasted time, and you still have the old drive with the info.

Now, I get to learn if the Files and Settings transfer wizard actually works. Anyone ever use it?
Click to expand...

Yeah it works. As long as its between two copies of XP its fine. As far as teh HP partition is, it can be cloned. But its not easy. About 14 switches on a copy of the latest version of Ghost will do the trick.
 
Your best bet is to get the disks from HP. Its pretty cheap, and I've had customers recieve them within days of calling.
 
Dyre said:
Your best bet is to get the disks from HP. Its pretty cheap, and I've had customers recieve them within days of calling.
Click to expand...

Agreed. They charge between $10 and $20 and if your still under warranty they usually do it for free.
 
Man, if this wasn't one of the worst repairs ever...

So, I did a clean install of XP, do all of the updates, and things are looking great.

Then I try the File and Setting Transfer wizard. It says that the files from the failing drive were created with a previous version of the F & S wiz, and I need to use the Wizard from the XP cd. I groan, plug in the old drive and run the wiz off the cd(I figured that this was an early HP XP installation, and that the wiz was updated before my CD was pressed). Ok.

I plug back in the new hard drive, and get the same error message in the F & S wiz. Now I'm ticked. I look on the XP site, and see that they updated the Wizard for 64 bit use, BUT it's an optional update, so it never got on the old drive. SO

I put back the drive, do that optional update, and try the wizard AGAIN! About ten minutes in, it reboots about 10% into the process. It does it again. Finally, the failing drive gives up the ghost, again 10% or so into the process. I pull it out and it's as hot as a pancake grill.

Oh well, like I expect a Windows tool to work right anyways.

So, take my advice and NEVER use the F & S Wizard, it's just not worth it, especially with the whole previous version not working thing.
 
skyeandangus said:
Man, if this wasn't one of the worst repairs ever...

So, I did a clean install of XP, do all of the updates, and things are looking great.

Then I try the File and Setting Transfer wizard. It says that the files from the failing drive were created with a previous version of the F & S wiz, and I need to use the Wizard from the XP cd. I groan, plug in the old drive and run the wiz off the cd(I figured that this was an early HP XP installation, and that the wiz was updated before my CD was pressed). Ok.

I plug back in the new hard drive, and get the same error message in the F & S wiz. Now I'm ticked. I look on the XP site, and see that they updated the Wizard for 64 bit use, BUT it's an optional update, so it never got on the old drive. SO

I put back the drive, do that optional update, and try the wizard AGAIN! About ten minutes in, it reboots about 10% into the process. It does it again. Finally, the failing drive gives up the ghost, again 10% or so into the process. I pull it out and it's as hot as a pancake grill.

Oh well, like I expect a Windows tool to work right anyways.

So, take my advice and NEVER use the F & S Wizard, it's just not worth it, especially with the whole previous version not working thing.
Click to expand...

That's rather harsh considering that the drive was failing. Once you got the wizard going it wasn't the F&S Wizard's fault. It was a screwed drive. When your messing with an old hard disk, there are NO gaurantees.

When you take a failing drive and try to put an OS on it, or you try and copy a ton of data off of it you are putting alot of stress on a component that can fail any second. Your lucky to get anything off of such a drive.
 
True, with any failing drive, getting anything is good news, and not to be expected. The problem was that was I got was incompatible with the new updated OS.

I may have misspoken. I was only trying to do a F & S transfer from the old drive, and had a new instance of windows XP on the new drive. The problem was that the File and Setting Transfer Wizards were different versions, The new drive was updated by windows update with the new File and Setting Transfer Wizard, and the old drive had not. I just find it odd that the file created using the old drive and Transfer Wizard was incompatible. I've heard of backward compatability, but to expect FORWARD compatability on the Wizard is odd.
 
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