How do I fix Windows 7 OS

[sezz]

My laptop kept freezing, then crashed completely. When I restarted it, it said insert boot disc.
I then bought hbcd which came with no instructions. I ran the disc and it booted the hbcd menu, I was browsing through the list of program names, and tried going into all of the recovery tools but nothing would work and kept coming up with Error.
I googled forums looking for answers, with no such luck
I went into mini Linux then got extremely confused..
I am at my wits end, and have come here to try get some help from someone which would be much appreciated!!!

thanks in advance.

 

[TVeblen]

Hello sezz. Welcome to the forum.

It sounds like your hard drive has gone offline.
Do you know how to get into your BIOS settings?

 

[sezz]

Hi.. thanks for the reply!

Is that when you press F2 to get into the setup?

 

[TVeblen]

Yes.
Do that and look for any Settings that show the SATA list of drives and see if you can see the hard drive listed there.
The system needs to be able to connect to and "see" the drive before we can do anything else.

Please resist the urge to change any settings while in there now.

 

[sezz]

In main it shows SATA Mode: [AHCI Mode]
which comes up with change class ID? with options to change to IDE mode. They're the only two.

In information it says the HDD model name is: none .. Is that normal?

 

[TVeblen]

No. Not normal. HDD model name should show something.

Unfortunately there are 2 possibilities:

• Your Hard Drive died.
• Your hard drive has be come disconnected.

Have you dropped or bumped the laptop recently?
How old is it?

 

[sezz]

Could have died!! :shock: oh my.

It is around 3 years old..
Once it had crashed, and I needed the boot disk I had left it for a while so it may have been bumped around quite a bit since then.
What would be the best course of action in either case?

 

[TVeblen]

Are you comfortable opening up the laptop (to get to the hard drive)?

 

[sezz]

Yep, I can do that now..

When it's opened up, how do I tell that it is connected properly? (I've never seen the inside before, lol.)

 

[TVeblen]

OK, but first double check and be sure the HDD is not showing in BIOS.
On either the 'Information' Tab or the 'Main' Tab it will list the available drives. Under "HDD Model Name" and "HDD Serial Number" there should be info.
Your DVD drive should be listed also. If it is not then that is an important piece of info and could change things.

Your Hard Disk is a simple 2.5 inch drive with either normal or custom SATA connectors on one end.
You want to remove the cover plate and inspect the setup. Some drives just snap in place, other are held in by 2 screws. Check carefully.
Regardless of how it is secured you will release it and lift up on the end opposite of the SATA connector. You will use an up and out motion. Do not use excessive force.
Look at the contacts for any obvious signs of damage, corrosion, or grit - blow out any dust - and then just reattach it, close everything up, and test it. (Re-seating the hard drive).

If it was shaken loose and was just not making good contact that will fix it.

 

[sezz]

Information shows:

HDD Model Name: None
HDD Serial number : (Blank)
ATAPI Model name: Optiarc DVD RW AD-7585H

Should I continue with opening it up?

 

[spapakons]

Hello!

If you can open the laptop and get your hard disk, have a look at the back. If it has plastic connector, it is a SATA model. If it has pins, it is an older type mobile IDE model. In the first case you can connect it to either another laptop or PC, the latter is preferable. In the second case you need an adaptor from mobile IDE to standard IDE so you can connect it to a PC (provided it supports IDE drives). In either case you can use an adapter to USB to connect it as an external drive, but for faster recovery Internal Connection is preferable.

Assuming you connect it to your PC, there are several cases:

1) The PC freezes at startup. The disk is dead and you need special recovery services from a dedicated data recovery company. This is way too expensive and only recommended for vital data. Else forget it!

2) The PC boots successfully and loads Windows (from its own disk, not from laptop's).

Then we have two subcases:

i) Windows recognise the disk, but it doesn't appear in My Computer. This means that you data are all there (well, most of it) but the partirion table is corrupted and Windows cannot acceess them as usual. Here comes the DVD you bought. Reboot the PC, start from the DVD and select an appropriate recovery tool to extract your data. It will take over an hour to search the whole disk and discover your data, but it's worth it, be patient. Of course these data should be copied to another disk, so make sure you have enough empty space on PC's disk or connect a USB disk before rebooting.

ii) Windows recognise the disk and it appears in My Computer properly! You can directly Access your data from Windows Explorer and take a backup. Keep in mind that some folders (usually these in user folder) may be locked. To access them you must take ownership and change security settings (ask us if you need instructions). Once you get full Access, you can Copy all your data. Of course in any case only user data can be backup. All programs should be reinstalled to the new disk.

Tip: If you have subcase ii and you are sure your data are OK (but the disk nevertheless has a problem), you can try cloning the entire disk in the new disk and see if it loads Windows properly. In this case, you may have to update some programs and you are ready. Otherwise, take a manual backup as above.

I hope that helps.

 

[TVeblen]

Yes. The SATA controller looks like it is working fine. We are back to the hard drive.

 

[spapakons]

That's why I recommended testing in another computer. To exclude any other problems and make sure it is the disk.

 

[TVeblen]

Yes you are correct, but let the OP do the first test first.

 

[sezz]

I removed the hard drive, and there are no signs of any visible damage.
I've put everything back together, and gone back to the settings and the information is still the same as before ..
I'm guessing that's not a good thing.

 

[sezz]

Also, regarding connecting it to another computer..

I do have another laptop, (the one I'm using now to talk to you)
If I were to test it in another computer, would I simply just open it up, switch hard drives & test it that way?

 

[TVeblen]

I removed the hard drive, and there are no signs of any visible damage.
I've put everything back together, and gone back to the settings and the information is still the same as before ..
I'm guessing that's not a good thing.

No.

So now the next thing to do is what spapakons suggested. Remove the hard drive and test it in a desktop PC.

If the hard drive has an interface plate so it can transition from the Standard SATA connectors to whatever it needs to connect to the laptop's motherboard, then you can remove that transition and connect the drive directly to the PC.
If it has a proprietary interface then you will need a conversion connector.

All you want to see at this point is if, when connected directly to a desktop computer, the hard drive is recognized (alive). If it is then we can discuss options, if it isn't then your options are limited.

If you do not have access to a desktop computer you can bring it to a repair shop, or look into connectors that will allow you to test it on a laptop, but the laptop route has complications.

If you want to go one direction more than another let us know.

 

[TVeblen]

Also, regarding connecting it to another computer..

I do have another laptop, (the one I'm using now to talk to you)
If I were to test it in another computer, would I simply just open it up, switch hard drives & test it that way?

Yes, if you can get it to 'fit' with the connectors you can install it, go into the BIOS, and see if it shows up.
Do not expect it to start Windows. It won't.

The direct connection to desktop PC eliminates that SATA to Laptop connector as a possible point of failure.

 

[sezz]

Okay..
Well, I do not have access to a desktop unfortunately.

The hard drive is like the picture I have attached, which is a standard SATA Hard drive yeah?
So, I need to purchase the appropriate converter cable, so I can test it. If I am understanding correct, I would plug into my laptop using the cable and see if it is recognised or not.. :huh: