How to know what drivers you will need for clean install.

[ariel5345]

Cloning requires plugging the HD's into IDE or SATA port, not a USB hub. I wish you'd mentioned this earlier. As suspected your clone was bad.

You guys can't blame the student. It's on you guys.
I did this Exacxtly how it is shown here Laptop

 

[gregrocker]

Indeed you did, Ariel. I've never seen that before.

Can you try it again with both HD's plugged into IDE or SATA port, using Seagate's free Acronis cloning app?

 

[ariel5345]

Indeed you did, Ariel. I've never seen that before.

Can you try it again with both HD's plugged into IDE or SATA port, using Seagate's free Acronis cloning app?

Well unfortunately no. I sent the Seagate HD back to Newegg. I had another thinggy to return that I had only 4 days left to get it there, so I shipped them together trying to save 6 bucks. Yeah I'm poor. Obviously if I'm still holding onto this Laptop.

I'm ordering the Hitachi right now. I will need your help with It. I see I can't do it the same way as the Seagate. I have only one Mobo port.

 

[gregrocker]

In that case save an Acronis backup image externally then reimage to the new HD, making sure to include MBR and Track1.

 

[ariel5345]

I got the new Hitachi drive. I made an Acronis backup to a Western Digital external HD.

I made a bootable usb firmware upgrade key that I downloaded from HP.

I swapped out my HD and put in the new Hitachi.
I booted up my laptop into the usb key and I get this message. "invalid system disk. Replace and reboot".
I have remade the usb key and re-tried.

I think that it is saying that the new Hitachi Is not the right one and the bios flash will not take place.
I have tripled checked the model # and I DO have the correct one.
There are no forums no help anywhere on the web. I cannot find any help.
I will never buy anything from HP again. I swear on my mothers grave. I am so frustrated I want to spend the next 20 years diligently working a smear campaign against them.
I doubt anyone on seven forums would be able to figure this one out.

But If anyone is brave enough to try here is the HP link that started this whole thing.
Firmware Upgrade for Specific Hitachi Hard Drives Compaq Presario V6620US Notebook PC - HP Customer Care (United States - English)

 

[theog]

Firmware Upgrade for Specific Hitachi Hard Drives Compaq Presario V6620US Notebook PC - HP Customer Care (United States - English)

Description:
This package contains a firmware upgrade for specific Hitachi Hard Drive models that are installed in the supported laptop models running a supported operating system. This package upgrades the firmware to version C40A or C80A, depending on the hard disk drive (HDD) model. If the HDD in the laptop is not within the scope, the firmware upgrade does not take place. The following list specifies the Hitachi Hard Drives for which the firmware will be upgraded: - HTS542580K9SA00 - HTS542512K9SA01 - HTS542516K9SA02 - HTS542525K9SA03 - HTE542580K9A300 - HTS722080K9SA00 - HTS722010K9SA01 - HTS722012K9SA00 - HTS722016K9SA00 - HTS722020K9SA00

Do you have one of the above Hd Drives?

 

[ariel5345]

Yep... second to the last. Is it possible that I have a fake, a knockoff drive? You know the Chinese imitate everything.

 

[gregrocker]

Make sure you have a working bootable flash stick installer first.

Use this easy tool to write ISO to flash stick with Win7 in dropdown menu: Universal USB Installer – Easy as 1 2 3. Boot using one-time BIOS Boot menu key, under USB, Removable or HD's.

Make sure new HD registers correctly in BIOS, set SATA controller to AHCI to try install.

 

[ariel5345]

I plugged it in to the usb port and windows did its plug and play thing and installed the driver. The properties menu gives the correct model #.
Do I need to put my system image on it first? If so then since HP won't support win 7 on my model Laptop do I need to load vista on it then flash the bios and then restore my win7 image?
"supported laptop models running a supported operating system"
Maybe it won't flash unless it sees what operating system I have on it.

 

[gregrocker]

No, you don't have to have Vista on the HD to reinstall Win7 Upgrade version: Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

Seems the problem might be you tried writing the HP Recovery disks to USB and it's not booting correctly.

Better anyway to write the Win7 installation ISO for your version to stick since the HP Recovery has all of the sponsors' preinstalled bloatware which is the worst on HP computers.

If you only have the DVD then it's easier to use UltraISO trial version, on File tab Open DVD, on Bootable Tab Write Disk Image, Format, Write.

Tips for getting a perfect clean reinstall of factory OEM are in my signature below.

 

[ariel5345]

Make sure you have a working bootable flash stick installer first.

Use this easy tool to write ISO to flash stick with Win7 in dropdown menu: Universal USB Installer – Easy as 1 2 3. Boot using one-time BIOS Boot menu key, under USB, Removable or HD's.

Make sure new HD registers correctly in BIOS, set SATA controller to AHCI to try install.

Hi Greg!
The firmware download from HP automatically sets up the usb flash drive to flash my Bios. I am pretty sure that the flash stick worked correctly because it is what is giving me the error message saying that the System drive is invalid-referring to the new Hitachi. I checked the flash stick and it is formatted fat32 with Dos to flash the Bios. It was formatted Ntfs before-so the firmware flash loaded correctly onto the flash drive.

Are we talking about the same thing? Are you are steering me to load win7 with a usb stick?

I think that the bios flash will not take place unless it sees Vista loaded onto the drive.

 

[gregrocker]

Yes, I misread your intentions with the flash stick installer. Sorry about that.

It's safest to flash a BIOS from the OS, but if you don't have the OS on there then you can flash it from boot with CD or stick. However I would have HP tech support walk you through it and be under warranty so they can bail you out if it fails.

 

[ariel5345]

Yes, I misread your intentions with the flash stick installer. Sorry about that.

It's safest to flash a BIOS from the OS, but if you don't have the OS on there then you can flash it from boot with CD or stick. However I would have HP tech support walk you through it and be under warranty so they can bail you out if it fails.

Well they won't warranty the support even if I pay for it because I am not allowed to have win7 on my laptop. They will for Vista but the warranty will be void as soon as I reload win7.
I want to Load Vista on the new Drive Via usb port is this possible? Then I would insert new drive into Laptop and flash bios. Then boot from Acronis recovery CD and load my Win7 backup Image from the Western Digital external HD.

So tell me, is this possible? Can I load Vista with my HP Vista recovery cd to the new drive via my Usb port? I have an external case to put the new drive into.

 

[theog]

1) If I were you, I would fit the new HD Drive in the Notebook.
2) Boot the Pc with the Windows 7 DVD & do clean install.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1649-clean-install-windows-7-a.html?ltr=C
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31402-clean-install-upgrade-windows-7-version.html?ltr=C

 

[gregrocker]

What's the reason for the BIOS update exactly?

Sure you can restore Vista to do this if you want.

Better to install Win7 directly. You may not need a BIOS update if it succeeds.

 

[ariel5345]

You both will be happy to know....you are exactly right. I went out of my way to prove you were right. Reload win7 is the best advice.

Theog this was the problem http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/61869-ahci-enable-windows-7-vista.html?ltr=A
It's better to reload than to fix it though.

I will share my journey for prosperity. I put new drive in and reloaded Vista HP and crapware recovery disk. It went Bsod with diagonal 1/2 inch white stripes first time. Second time froze at 95% complete. I took out 1/2 gig of ram and it completed then FBI GUI manager started to install and then timed out and trashed the install. I could get to desktop for a minute at a time then it would restart and give error messages. The bios flash did not take.

I went to a friend and borrowed a disk and did Clean install of Vista. Took 25 min. Then I did the Bios flash thingy and it did not work. This bios flash was not written to make the controllers go from ATA to SATA. It is an update to fix other Issues. Yet It still would not boot. I guess I did not meet HP's requirements....though I do not see how.

So I booted into Acronis recovery cd and recovered my win7 to the new drive. Went flawlessly onto the new drive. Then I rebooted when prompted and I was back to the exact problems I had witht the Seagate drive. Windows would not see my HD. Would not repair it either. MY HD was visable with clean Vista and visible to do the Acronis recovery but as soon as I had my old install of 7 it was invisible.

I reloaded win7 from scratch and it is fine. working like a charm. So my first win7 install turned off AHCI and This was the problem the whole time. I wish I had my Seagate back

 

[theog]

1) If I were you, I would fit the new HD Drive in the Notebook.
2) Boot the Pc with the Windows 7 DVD & do clean install.
Clean Install Windows 7
Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

Do you do this? A: NO.

Do you reset the BIOS back to Defaults after playing around? A: NO

I put new drive in and reloaded Vista HP

If you had Vista would have install first time.

 

[ariel5345]

1) If I were you, I would fit the new HD Drive in the Notebook.
2) Boot the Pc with the Windows 7 DVD & do clean install.
Clean Install Windows 7
Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

Do you do this? A: NO.

Yes This is what I finally did.

Do you reset the BIOS back to Defaults after playing around? A: NO

The Bios flash would NOT take place. So it never changed.

I am pretty sure the problem was AHCI the whole time. Not the Bios. Yet the way HP worded the firmware update they made it sound like I had to have it to upgrade my HD.

 

[theog]

The Bios flash would NOT take place. So it never changed.

I am pretty sure the problem was AHCI the whole time. Not the Bios. Yet the way HP worded the firmware update they made it sound like I had to have it to upgrade my HD.

AHCI mode is in the BIOS.
HP did not tell to flash the BIOS.

 

[gregrocker]

This is why I asked a week ago for the SATA controller setting, but haven't seen a reply.

Are you saying that you bought a SATA drive but are using an adapter to plug it into an IDE port because you don't have SATA ports on the mobo? Can you plug a new SATA HD into a SATA port? What ports are available?

What is the SATA controller setting in BIOS setup?

While in BIOS setup see how the HD is recognized.