Windows Cannot be Installed to Disk 0 Partition 3

Amazingly, the disk now passes a chkdsk /r with no errors, as well as the WD quick test.

Judge by the extended test. It may have repaired bad sectors.

I'd monitor the SMART on the HD with CrystalDiskInfo - Software.

You can also install and periodically check Download Hard Disk Sentinel which will tell you how many bad sectors it needed to quarantine. Keep you data backed up elsewhere.

Ran the extended test, and it passed that too!

I downloaded the Dell M5030 Inspiron Chipset and Network drivers to a USB drive, and now I have internet access, but did I screw something up with the keyboard? An external USB KB works just fine, but the laptop's KB only displays a few characters, and those are wrong. Q & W (either uppercase or lower) give a 2 and 3. A gives a lowercase w, s an e, z an s, x a d. The right <Alt> gives a z. None of the other keys do anything. I see no num lock or scroll lock. The touchpad works just fine, as do the left and right buttons.

And to add insult to injury, I've somehow turns off the wireless capability, and have no idea how to turn it back on.

Never mind. I just removed the keyboard, and hooked it up again. All is well.

I was going to ask if you were in the case as it sounds like something came undone inside, even for the wireless switch. Laptops are a bear to disassemble/reassemble. It's something I reserve for when it's going to be otherwise junked.

gregrocker said:

I was going to ask if you were in the case as it sounds like something came undone inside, even for the wireless switch. Laptops are a bear to disassemble/reassemble. It's something I reserve for when it's going to be otherwise junked.

And THIS laptop must have been designed engineering morons. You actually have to take out all 1027 screws from the bottom, carefully pry apart the case, detach the keyboard ribbon, remove the power connector mini-ribbon and some other little ribbon connector and remove the keyboard itself just to get access to remove the hard drive. No joke.

I disassembled a Compaq CQ60 last summer that covered two table tops with parts before I got to the heatsink to clean it. I was as precise as I could be taking all the time necessary to do the work but I still snapped a clamp that holds the touchpad ribbon on their contacts, which was the size and heft of a fingernail clipping. I patched it back together so that the touchpad works and the laptop is still used daily by my friend in Boston. He was literally throwing it in the trash when I decided to "practice" on it. I can see why repasting a laptop processor is prohibitively expensive.

I try to install Windows 7 on the new HD (pulled from another laptop) I get the 'Where do you want to install Windows?' screen which lists 3 areas:
Disk 0 Partition 1: PQSERVICE
Disk 0 Partition 2: SYSTEM RESERVED
Disk 0 Partition 3

Hi Boweasel - I have the same problem with my Samsung N145 netbook, I have done exactly as you did (as gregrocker suggested) and I am coming to the same conclusion of putting the disk in and hitting Shift + F10 on the screen where I select my language does bring up the command prompt, but when I type diskpart it brings up: On computer: MINWINPC and is totally unresponsive after that. I left it there for 15 minutes to see if anything would happen. It didn't.

You managed to fix it by writing binary zeroes to it -- how would I do this? V. stuck and obviously don't want to be wasting anymore money.

TIA

The prob could be your installer so see if it will boot and see the HD using Diskpart "List Disk" in another PC. If in doubt burn another DVD from Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 or try a flash stick installer, with HD set to boot first in BIOS then trigger stick using one-time BIOS Boot menu key.

Boot into BIOS setup to confirm the HD is indeed seen in the problem PC. It should show up under Storage devices or in the Boot order priority list, perhaps as its Serial number.

You can also do a Quick Wipe using DBAN CD or Partition Wizard CD, then using PW CD create a Primary NTFS partition marked Active to give it more potential.

The prob could be your installer so see if it will boot and see the HD during Install Now in another PC. If in doubt burn another DVD from Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 or try a flash stick installer, with HD set to boot first in BIOS then trigger stick using one-time BIOS Boot menu key.

Boot into BIOS setup to confirm the HD is indeed seen in the problem PC. It should show up under Storage devices or in the Boot order priority list, perhaps as its Serial number.

You can also do a Quick Wipe using DBAN CD or Partition Wizard CD, then using PW CD create a Primary NTFS partition marked Active to give it more potential.

I will try to burn another CD tomorrow and will get back to you, hopefully it will work tyvm.