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Windows 7 is very unstable & glitchy after install. How can I fix it?
Hello, I am fairly new to this forum, so please forgive me if I make a mistake or put this in the wrong section. My friend has an HP dv4-2145dx that he needs me to install Windows 7 back on for him. His original HDD went bad, so he put in a new 500GB HDD and I purchased a reinstallation disc for the OS and reactivated it with the original key, which worked fine. Windows has been activated and verified. However, updating this computer has proven to be a major headache. Windows updates are getting stuck on the "checking for updates" screen, as well as driver updates. Neither seem to want to function properly. When trying to perform a recommended BIOS update, the cursor went haywire and several various windows randomly popped up and flickered all around. The machine was unresponsive for about a minute and then let me close all of the windows one by one, and could only close the top-most window each time. I have considered that possibly the DVD drive could have been dirty and could have corrupted the installation of 7, so I wiped the HDD again and reinstalled Windows 7 a second time but from a working external DVD drive. However, I got the same results. Also, I do have high speed internet and am connected via an Ethernet cable.
I ran the system file checker tool, which did find and supposedly fixed some missing .DLL files, but even after running it several times, the issues persist. I am stumped on this one and am starting to think I am experiencing serious hardware issues or perhaps received a bad installation disc. The charging circuit in the laptop is already fried and the laptop runs hot and loud, which I know from experience is a common fatal issue with these older HP's.
I do have about 7-8 years of self-taught computer experience and have been able to resolve a wide variety of issues on many computers, however I am still learning and I am strapped for time on this computer. I have tried several of the fixes that I know but none proved helpful. I was wondering if the memory could have an issue so I just ran RAM diagnostic tests, with no errors found. Please let me know of any more info you need and/or specs. Thanks in advance!