Boot Problem With Only One Harddrive

So I had a Harddrive with Windows 8 installed, but it ended up becoming unresponsive, and pretty much broken I could no longer log in to it, so I bought Windows 7, and it worked fine, however, I could not install it to the HDD with Windows 8 on it, only my old one, which is only 75 GB. I really want to get my memory back, but whenever i try booting with the other drive in so I can format it, it just hangs at the Starting Windows screen.

If I start in safe mode, it says it hangs on classpnp.sys. I really don't want to lose a TB HDD and need to buy a new one, but I cannot find out how to wipe it from BIOS or anything. Help please.

Well it may be happening because of the illegal software .. but U don't mind losing the windows 8 on that hard disk?

nooruddin76 said:

Well it may be happening because of the illegal software .. but U don't mind losing the windows 8 on that hard disk?

No I don't mind. One of the reasons I bought Windows 7 instead of continuing with Windows 8 is because I didn't want to use it illegally, it was just its breaking that was the deciding point.

Well then .. Just boot with the windows 7 repair disk .. Go to command promp...
Type diskpart
select disk 0
clean

this will delete everthing on the disk( including partitions)

then what do U want to do with it ?

Btw make sure it's the one u want to erase .. Do U have both of them
on same computer ? If so don't do this

Clean the HD Drive, using Step one in this tutorial:
SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation

As suggested boot the Win7 DVD with only the target HD plugged in, at first screen after booting press Shift + F10 to open a Command Prompt, then run Diskpart Clean Command.

Close the Command Box and continue to Clean Install Windows 7

gregrocker said:

As suggested boot the Win7 DVD with only the target HD plugged in, at first screen after booting press Shift + F10 to open a Command Prompt, then run Diskpart Clean Command.

Close the Command Box and continue to Clean Install Windows 7

Tried that, but after it went through the "Loading Files" step, it went to a black screen with just my cursor, and stayed there, not letting me start any command prompt. I also tried launching my Windows from my HDD normally, plugging in my other one, an scanning for hardware changes, but when it found my other hard drive, it immediately froze, with Windows becoming unresponsive.

DPEAR said:

gregrocker said:

As suggested boot the Win7 DVD with only the target HD plugged in, at first screen after booting press Shift + F10 to open a Command Prompt, then run Diskpart Clean Command.

Close the Command Box and continue to Clean Install Windows 7

Tried that, but after it went through the "Loading Files" step, it went to a black screen with just my cursor, and stayed there, not letting me start any command prompt. I also tried launching my Windows from my HDD normally, plugging in my other one, an scanning for hardware changes, but when it found my other hard drive, it immediately froze, with Windows becoming unresponsive.

If you have any problems just make a windows 7 repair disk .. from the windows 7 U already have ..

here is how
System Repair Disc - Create

do diskpart

select the disk U want to delete completely.. and then do the 'clean' command..

generally the disk to be selected would be disk 0(if U want to make sure ...after diskpart.. do list volume)


so.. on command prompt:

Diskpart

list disk

look at the size of the disks.. and note down the number of the disk which U want to clean.. and then

select disk 0 (or 1 or 2 .. depending on which disk U want to delete)
clean

exit

exit

Hope this helps