External HDD not being recognized during 7 Home Premium re-imaging

Hey everyone,

Dell Inspiron M5110
Seagate 500GB External HDD (p/n:9sf2a2-500)
Western Digital Black 750GB 7200 RPM (p/n:wd7500bpkx)
Windows 7 Home Premium w/SP1 x64

I've got a HDD that is failing, so I created a system image(successfully) and saved it on the XHD. I bought a new HDD that is larger than the failing one, and installed it. Using the recovery disk I created after creating the system image, I was able to boot into repair/recovery environment. However, I get "Windows cannot find a system image on this computer. Attach the back up hard disk or insert the final DVD from a backup set and click retry. Alternatively, close this dialog for more options." I retry to no avail. I cancel. On the "Select a system image backup" screen, the first option to "use the latest available system image(recommended)" is greyed out, so my only option is "select a system image." After clicking next there is no option for me to select other than "advanced..." and refresh. No restore images.
Clicking on "advanced..." allows me to check the network for an image or to install a driver. I click "install a driver" and file explorer opens up. Through this I am able to check Computer. I see the formatted c:\ and boot (x:\) under Hard Disk Drives. CD Drive (D:\) Repair disk and Removable disk (E:\) show up under Devices with removable storage. Naturally, I click on E:\ and receive "Please insert a disk into Removable Disk (E:\). I've checked the XHD on another laptop and I am able to navigate through it.
While checking the folder on another laptop I've made sure I had the 3 files I need, medialD.bin, aaron-pc, and windowsimagebackup. I have MedialD and windowsimagebackup on the root of the drive and aaron-pc is the first subfolder in the windowsimagebackup folder. I have another back up, but it's in a sub folder of a folder on the root.
I've tried booting with and without the XHD connected, I've made sure that it's plugged into a USB 2.0 port, I've looked for drivers for the XHD from seagate and there are none(to my knowledge), I have booted from a repair disc, an installation disc, and a bootable flash drive. The flash drive shows that my usb controllers are working and I can access the XHD on another system.
Losing patience I decided to just install Windows onto the new drive and would attempt to do it through Control Panel, but during the installation, I receive and error about drivers not being present and the installation must be terminated.
I have zero clue as to what else I should do. Any information or help would be appreciated. I would like to use windows to do so, instead of tearing the laptop down completely to install the old drive and install macrium. Thanks in advance, if you need any more info, please just ask.

-B

I can't help you with the Windows imaging tool. I gave up on it long ago.

If you don't want to use Macrium, you may have to reinstall Windows directly to the new drive. Which you've failed at if I understand correctly.

Take a look at this tutorial and tell us where you go off the rails with it:

Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7

Sonic, I haven't checked the tutorial yet, I wanted to ask about Macrium. How would I go about using it? Would I have to remove the new HDD, install the old HDD, install Macrium, run the back up, and then...? I'm installing it onto a fresh drive, so I don't quite grasp how I would be able to retrieve the backup. I have a SATA to USB adapter, would I be able to run the backup from another, completely different machine? Thanks for the reply.

BCD1982 said:

Sonic, I haven't checked the tutorial yet, I wanted to ask about Macrium. How would I go about using it? Would I have to remove the new HDD, install the old HDD, install Macrium, run the back up, and then...? I'm installing it onto a fresh drive, so I don't quite grasp how I would be able to retrieve the backup. I have a SATA to USB adapter, would I be able to run the backup from another, completely different machine? Thanks for the reply.

Here's a quick rundown on Macrium use:

1: install it and open it.
2: Make image file of C and System Reserved partitions. Save that file on some other drive, normally an external.
3: Burn a recovery disk from within Macrium, either Linux-based or WinPE-based. Preferably WinPE.
4: Boot from that recovery disk. If you used WinPE-based disc, you will see an excellent interface that looks exactly like what you'd see if you opened Macrium from your hard drive.
5: Use restore function in Macrium, selecting the image you made in step 2. Choose the new drive as the destination.

Not sure I understand your questions. I'm not sure if you can image a hard drive that is sitting outside the case at the end of a cable hanging off a USB port. Is that what you mean?

I have restored an image to a drive mounted in an external dock that was connected to my PC through an eSATA port. The image file was on an internal hard drive. I restored that image to the drive in the external dock. I was then able to boot from the docked drive.

Hello BDC1982,

Has this termination error got any number, when you're trying to install Windows on your new drive? What is the exact message showing?
If you can, I would like to ask you to upload some printscreens of the errors.
Have you tried to make an image with the Acronis tool? Award-winning PC backup software - Acronis True Image 2014
Other thing that comes up in my mind to ask is have you tested your new HDD for errors? Here's a link to the software Data LifeGuard Diagnotics: WD Support / Downloads / Other Products / Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for Windows

Please, keep us posted what happened during tests. Thank you.

KY_WD

Sorry for the wait guys, I've been trying multiple other options.

Sonic, the drive is basically useless at this point. The only way that I get any machine to recognize the drive, is if i use an ATAPI bridge/usb to sata adapter AND luck is on my side. Most times after connecting the usb plug, the drive just clicks away and it's not recognized in windows. So making another backup is not going to happen, unfortunately. Thanks for the help though.

KYWD, it's not an error in the sense that I get a code or BSOD or anything like that. I perhaps misworded what I meant.

*Load Driver
A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing. If you have a driver floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB flash drive, please insert it now.

Note: If the Windows Installation media is in the CD/DVD drive, you can safely remove it for this step. *

I did a look up of that message from Microsoft and am beginning to think that my iso is corrupt. The DVD drive reads the disc no problem until I begin the install. I've burned 3 copies at different speeds. I tried to make a bootable usb, only to lose usb support in the BIOS, I've tried a clean install with the drive in another machine, and I get the same message from above. I'm getting resistance from every front on this.
And again, the disk is pretty much useless at this point.
I have not checked the drive for errors, short of partitioning it using diskpart, and moving the WindowsImageBackup to the new drive. Hoping that running recovery from a repair disk, it would see the image. Obviously it didn't.
At this point, I would be ECSTATIC to just get windows installed onto the drive. It was a simple drive that really only had Office 2010 on it and all the files are backed up to an external. (not the system image, mirrored files.)

The DVD drive is a Panasonic Model UJ8C1. I've looked for drivers, maybe you can find some I didn't?

Thanks for the help fellas, I truly appreciate it. I'm at my wits end and REALLY don't want to bring it somewhere with my head hanging low.

BCD1982 said:

I did a look up of that message from Microsoft and am beginning to think that my iso is corrupt. The DVD drive reads the disc no problem until I begin the install. I've burned 3 copies at different speeds. I tried to make a bootable usb, only to lose usb support in the BIOS, I've tried a clean install with the drive in another machine, and I get the same message from above. I'm getting resistance from every front on this.
And again, the disk is pretty much useless at this point.
I have not checked the drive for errors, short of partitioning it using diskpart, and moving the WindowsImageBackup to the new drive. Hoping that running recovery from a repair disk, it would see the image. Obviously it didn't.

Hey,

Could you check whether ISO file is really corrupt or we have to look somewhere else? Try this link: "A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing" or "A media driver your computer needs is missing" error message when you install Windows
I think you have to check both disks for errors, just in case.
Have you thought about bringing your DVD burning device to hardware company to test it?

Good luck.

KY_WD

MJF- I made a bootable usb drive, and got the same message about my dvd/cd drive drivers. Still won't let me install the operating system.

KYWD- I did an MD5 hash check on the ISO. It matched. I also checked that link prior to posting here and tried all avenues to no avail. I didn't update the firmware on the dvd drive, though. But I don't believe that to be the issue as I tried installing from usb and got the same message.

I copied the drivers from the VHD(system image), put them on a usb drive and a dvd, tried to install them ALL and it still wouldn't install. I got a hold of the original drivers and utilities disk that came with the machine, installed ALL of those and it wouldn't install. I don't believe the DVD drive is bad because it wouldn't boot in the first place if it were, nor would it allow me to "see" the drivers let alone allow me to install them. I'm beginning to think it's a hardware issue that would be too expensive to replace. Thanks for all the help.

If you come up with some other ideas, I'm all ears. It's just gonna sit here until I decide to use the LCD for some fun project.