Windows 7: Booting from USB to install an OS

I have an old HP notebook with no optical drive and the laptop is saying "no os found" or something like that. I want to install a fresh copy of windows 7 pro on it, but this is one statement from a Microsoft site regarding the issue.

"When you download the ISO file, you must copy the file onto a USB flash drive or a DVD to install Windows 7. When you're ready to install Windows 7, insert the USB flash drive into your USB port or insert your DVD into your DVD drive, and then run Setup.exe from the root folder on the drive"

If I cannot get to an area in which I can actually access the drive, how would I? The whole reason I need to reinstall is because is says OS not found, that is it. I cannot move on fro there although I do believe I can access the BIOS. Do I need the drive connected when I switch the boot order? What will it be called when the pc has no cd drive?

Yes, you'll want to put in the disc/USB with the ISO burnt to it, and then start up your computer and enter BIOS.

Though your first problem seems to be that it's suddenly not detecting your current install and that could mean your HDD croaked, in which case trying to reinstall an OS on that HDD would be pointless.
Have you confirmed that the HDD is working? or is there a different reason your current OS isn't booting?

How can I test if the HDD is bad or not?

And actually, sorry, It is a friends computer. they never really used it, but she does have small children so who knows what they did. I do believe I ran diagnostic and it didn't indicate that the HDD had any issues. When you say the ISO "burnt" to it, do you just mean placing the ISO onto the stick.

If you have any other PC you could try connecting it to that and see if you can access the files or boot from your HDD.
Or if anybody else has a functioning Hard drive that you can try to boot your PC off of that'd be fine too.

I don't know your situation over there but my local PC parts/repair shop lets you put your HDD into their Hard drive dock and will tell you if it's corrupted or working for free.

If you just place the .iso file onto the USB drive and arrange your BIOS to boot the USB drive first, you should be able to run it that way.

Awesome! What needs to be done in order to test from another pc? I do have a laptop a desktop and an Imac

Unless you have a handy-dandy external Hard Drive dock you'll have to take off side cover on your other desktop PC and connect the HDD, and then enter BIOS and change the boot priority to YOUR hard drive.
If you don't have spare the spare cables, just switch it with your current hard drive. Remember to plug in both the power and the data connections.

And of course you'll want to power off and unplug the PC before you start swapping HDDs in and out.

If you enter the BIOS on your current PC and the HDD appears in the boot order list then it should be recognizing it without problems. I would say that as long as it is recognized, you should be fine to reformat it. On second thought to what I mentioned above, you will probably need a program to make the .iso bootable from the USB drive. This should do the trick: http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-us...b-flash-drive/

Thanks! I will try this once I get off of work!

As suggested enter BIOS setup at boot to check if HD is detected and set first to boot.

Then download your licensed version of Windows 7 to write to flash stick from Step 6 of Troubleshooting Windows 7 Failure to Start to work through the repair steps, or Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7.

Trigger the flash stick to boot for repairs or reinstall using the one-time BIOS boot menu key, under USB, Removable or HD's.