Cannot install Windows 7 on HP Pavilion 360 from USB

[benellard]

Install starts, opening screen appears, and then the welcome screen with language, etc. When I click Install now, I get this message " A required CD/DVD device driver is missing." Beneath the message is a search screen to find and load the driver. The Pavilion 360 does not have an optical drive, so I'm not sure what the installation is looking for. Of course the USB port works well enough to begin the installation and reach the Install now screen. Any help/suggestions would be most welcome.

 

[sharinganpapi]

i too would like to know i'm having the same problem except i'm using an acer

 

[gregrocker]

The error is almost always a bad installer. Start over with a fresh ISO for your licensed version written to stick with the tool from Steps 1 and 2 of Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7.

If you stick with the steps, tools and methods in that tutorial you will get and keep a perfect install for as long as you do.

 

[benellard]

Thanks as always Gregrocker. One item I failed to mention: this is not a Win7 re-install. the Pavilion 360 came with Windows 8.1 and I desperately want it gone -- to the point I'd consider installing DOS or setting the machine on fire. There are no Win7 drivers for the 360 on the HP site, so I assume some things won't work. But I do want it to do one thing: access my Google account online.

 

[gregrocker]

You'd still follow the same steps as for Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7
however on a Windows 8 machine you must also enter BIOS setup to Disable Secure Boot, then possibly enable some level of CSM or Legacy BIOS to install Win7, as shown in DownUpgrade Windows 8 to Windows 7.

If you'll take a pic of those settings choices we can help you get them set correctly. You can also choose to Bypass UEFI to Install WIn7.

Do not worry about the drivers as I've not found a Win8 PC yet that will not run Win7, usually with the drivers Win7 itself provides when you enable Automatically deliver drivers via Windows Update (Step 3) and then run all Rounds of Important and Optional Updates.

Any drivers then still missing in Device Manager can normally be found via a Google search, tracing Hardware Identification by pasting the Hardware ID into Google, or posting back here for our driver experts to find for you.

 

[Ztruker]

I know this is not what you want to do but I recommend keeping Windows 8.1 and installing Classic Shell to give you back a useful, Windows 7 like Desktop that you boot directly to.

You can disable all the hot corners so the only way you will end up on the Modern Desktop is via Windows key + C.

That's the way I have my Win 8.1.1 Pro X64 system setup and it runs great, actually a bit faster then Windows 7 did.

I also have the Quick Launch like XP had and Gadgets like Windows 7.

 

[benellard]

Had time to attempt again -- to no avail. Same message: "A required CD/DVD device driver is missing"

I tried "Bypass UEFI to Install WIn7" as suggested, but received error message: "The specified disk is not convertible. CDROMS and DVDs are examples of disks that are not convertible."

Thanks for any further suggestions. Here are my settings:

 

[gregrocker]

Work through the Overcoming Install Problems tutorial linked below.

Do not skip any steps including if necessary trying a new installer

 

[benellard]

Will try later. By new installer do you mean a different ISO? Will my OEM product key on an ISO from, say, Digital River?

 

[gregrocker]

Did you even bother to read the tutorial in the blue link?? Why ask for our help and then ignore the experience of tens if thousands of installs we've helped with here?

The error is almost always a bad installer. Start over with a fresh ISO for your licensed version written to stick with the tool from Steps 1 and 2 of Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7.

If you stick with the steps, tools and methods in that tutorial you will get and keep a perfect install for as long as you do.

 

[benellard]

Apologies. I thought I had read and followed the directions, but apparently not closely enough. In any case, my thanks for your patience. If this message ends that patience, I fully understand and will not bother you with this attempt any further.

Meanwhile, I have read the steps again and tried my best to understand them.

Step 1: Using Home Premium 64bit ISO purchased and downloaded from DiscountMountain with Product code and Product Key. I used ei.cfg on the ISO and got the message "ei.cfg removed."

Step 2: I made a bootable USB using Windows 7 USB-DVD Download Tool.

Steps 3 and 4 were skipped because there's nothing on the machine I give a shit about, including 8.1. If it's a brick, so be it.

Step 5: Created a Belarc profile for drivers and saved it to my desktop machine. Of course the audit is of the pre-installed 8.1.

Step 6 and 7: I believe I have the stuff I need.

Step 8: The HP boots, Windows loads files, screen asks for language information, Install Now screen appears. I select that and, whirr, whirr, the dreaded driver request screen appears and I'm stymied.

I tried these steps again with another ISO downloaded from Digital River with the same result.

Again, my apologies. Of course I'm missing something, probably something simple and obvious. But make no mistake: I do appreciate the smart help I've always gotten on this forum.

 

[gregrocker]

We don't give up, ever.

Work through these steps for Overcoming Windows 7 Installation Failures - Windows 7 Help Forums.

Instead of choosing Install Now choose from bottom left corner Repair My Computer and open the Command Line to clean the hard drive and format an Active partition from there.

If this fails report back the error and/or failure behavior and at which step.

Then proceed with the steps to try another installer but this time burn to DVD using the Download tool to compare.

 

[benellard]

Thanks Greg. Here's the story as of today.

Followed steps in "Windows 7 Installation Failure - Troubleshoot."

This BIOS does not offer SATA controller choices.

At first couldn't access Repair. Got message that I wasn't using the correct Windows version. Then tried creating an installation USB with Rufus that allowed me to select GPT partition. That enabled a new UEFI boot choice.
Then I was able reach the command line. Followed all commands in step 6, then attempted to install Win7, only to come up against the same driver-needed screen.

But I noticed something there. The screen that allows you to browse for drivers shows a drive labeled Boot x. I assumed that was my USB, but it isn't. It must be a recovery sector on C: that wasn't overwritten by CLEAN. That means even though the installation is running from the USB, the software does not recognize it or the files on it. Does that mean I need USB drivers in order to go forward?

Also, just to make it interesting: While the GPT partition installation made it possible to reach the command line once, since formatting C: I get a wrong-version error even though C: appears as a Win 7 drive.

This is evolving beyond challenge to the level of quest.

 

[gregrocker]

If you overwrote with Clean command then nothing remains on the drive that's readable. What you were seeing is the flash stick.

I've never seen the prompt for drivers NOT be a bad installer, but you can try to supply them anyway. You'll need the SATA controller driver: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/68505-sata-driver-load-windows-7-vista-setup.html

But I would first try an installation DVD. Use a fresh ISO with tool provided to burn it in tutorial.