Laptop running very slow, before and after fresh install

[Harlem]

Hi guys, wondered if I could borrow some knowledge.

Today a customer asked me to look at a laptop for them. Apparently she dropped it the night before, and since, was running very slow, and would not load up past the windows logo screen.

After going into safe mode etc, I finally got it to boot up normally, but it ran very slow. Opening folders etc would crash the computer for a few minutes before it would respond. At this point I decided the only action would be to format the hard drive and give it a clean install.

I've been trying all night, it gets to the point where it is setting up registry files, then reloops to the installation screen of windows, at the completing installation stage.

This obviously points to it being a hardware problem, but do you guys have any idea or suggestions.
I'd consider it to be hard drive, but as it loaded up her profile, albeit, very slowly, and would let me install windows back on it, I just don't think it would be that, but I could be wrong.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

 

[Layback Bear]

It smells to me like a damaged hard drive. Their isn't much mechanical other than the hard drive in a laptop. If it was my laptop that is the first thing I would replace with a new hard drive or SSD. Once hard drives have been banged around I no longer trust them.

 

[Harlem]

I tried again this morning, and after 4 hours, it has finally looped passed the completing installation and has just got me to the home screen.

Tonight I will try a new hard drive, but could it also be a RAM issue instead?
Normally, for me, when a hard drive has failed, it wont even load to a windows screen, let alone let me install windows 7, or before the fresh install, let me very slowly log onto the account.