Formatting hard drive and Installing windows on my new laptop.

[lordhutt]

I just bought an HP DV6120 laptop.
I like it a lot except all of the crap they have loaded on it.
So I want to format the hard drive and do a clean install with my own Windows disk.

I downloaded all of the drivers that I will need from HP's website and have them on a flash drive to install after windows.

So, I insert my cd and reboot...it starts the disks and begins to analyze my computer and then I get a screen with this:

Setup did not find any hard disk drives installed in your computer.
Make sure any hard disk drives are powered on and properly connected to your computer, and that any disk-related hardware configuration is correct. This may involve running a manufacturer-supplied diagnostic or setup program.
Setup cannot continue. To quit setup, press F3

The Windows disk is fine as I have used it on my desktop.
Does anyone have any idea what the problem could be?

Thanks,
Andy

[tug_hill2]

Hello Lordhutt, Something similar happened to me a number of years ago. I "FIXED" the problem when I discovered that I had "Forgotten" to plug in the molex connector to the hard drive.


tug_hill2

[kosekjm]

Hey there,

Not familiar with that type of laptop, but if it is a newer laptop, it is most likely a sata drive. (Just checked and according to the specs it says its a Sata drive, so keep reading ) Windows install media usually doesn't have a sata driver in it (Unless the driver is slipstreamed). I get this everytime I reinstall my Dell or my Thinkpad. The media that came with these machines does not have the Sata driver.

On my Thinkpad, there is an option in Bios (Not sure where Laptop is currently at work) where I can set the HD to a compatability mode. This switches it back to a mostly generic IDE setting that Windows can then recognize and install to. The other option is to download the Driver disk for your Sata controller and hit F6 (I think its F6) during the install when prompted to add additional Mass Storage Drivers. Ths is one of the first parts of the Windows install, so watch for it, its easy to miss and then you have to reboot again.

If your Bios has the compatability setting for your HD, you should be able to:

Set the HD to Compat mode
Install Windows
Add the Windows Sata driver when Windows is running
Once finished with the install, make sure to go back to bios and switch the HD controller back to its normal setting.

(Sorry hit the post button instead of preview)

This should get you up and running. If not give a yell and we'll see what else we can come up with.

[redwudz]

I suspect it's simpler than that. You have a viable OS presently on the laptop drive. The existing system won't let you overwrite it. I have a HP laptop and I have been through this.

You may be able to boot from a floppy or a CD. Then you would delete the Windows installation or at least most of it. Then it's not viable. From that point you should be able to install any OS you want. I used a Bart's PE disc to boot from and deleted the Windows folder.

By wiping out the Windows install, it should let you put a regular XP install in there, after a repartition and reformat. That's what I did with my HP laptop to put Windows XP Pro on it and get rid of all the HP crap and useless additions. There will still be a protected restore partition on your hard drive, but without the HP XP OS, it shouldn't have any effect. After XP installs, you add the HP motherboard drivers.

EDIT: My HP has a PATA hard drive, so a SATA HD may behave different. I would recommend you do a little more research before diving in. But worst case, you still should be able to use your restore discs if you don't destroy the restore partition.

[Jeremiah58]

I just bought an HP DV6120 laptop.
I like it a lot except all of the crap they have loaded on it.
So I want to format the hard drive and do a clean install with my own Windows disk.
Setup did not find any hard disk drives installed in your computer.

You want to read this:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=73377

I hope that you haven't formated a hard drive yet and that you have made a restoration DVD's.
I haven't got a courage to do a clean install on my HP laptop dv5215, because I have read about many possible troubles.
Instead, I carefully uninstalled and deleteed all the crap, disabled unnecessary services and processes and I have come pretty close to a clean install state. After that, I have made an image of the hard drive with Acronis, so that, hopefully, I would not have to use HP restoration discs and install all the crap again (if I ever would need to reinstall Windows).
I wish you a good luck and please post back if you succeed in clean install.

[RichardZwicky]

I'm not sure, but you can try

when there is prompt ask if you have 3rd part hard drive when installing windows. You need to specify driver's path for SATA

[lordhutt]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I will check out that link jeremiah58, and yes, I have made the restore disks.
I will try the suggestions tonight and post my results.

thanks again.
Andy

[lordhutt]

Well, I have success. I followed Jeremiah58's link and used the 1st and 2nd guide. The main thing was this step:

3. Reboot, and enter the BIOS (F10). Go to the System Configuration page and set "SATA Native Support" to Disable. This is CRUCIAL!!

This was what was needed to do the install. After that is was pretty basic. Install windows and then reinstall all of the drivers which were previously saved before formatting.

It is so much nicer to have a clean install then have all the crap they force on you when you buy a new PC. I already went from 56 processes running at startup to 26...no wonder I build my own pc's...to bad you can't build laptops.
After some optimizing and tweaking I will be able to get that number even lower.

Thanks everyone.

BTW: I was wondering this. Since creating the restore DVD's before I formatted my hard drive on this laptop I started to think....I know you can clone hard drives. I have done this with other pc's after the initial install and getting all the other software running. Then if I have a problem I where I need to start over I can just swap hard drives and be up and running instantly.
But what I was wondering...is there a program that can create a set of 'custom' recovery discs? Instead of having a whole hard drive sitting around can I create my own recovery discs?.....

[Jeremiah58]

lordhutt,
Oh man, I'm glad that you have succeeded! Congratulations!
Maybe that would ecourage me to do the same thing when time comes.
As for the restoration discs, now that you made a clean install - I would use Acronis.
When I uninstalled the crap from my HP laptop, I fired up Acronis and it made a recovery disc (an image of that state of the hard drive). It all ended up on only 1 DVD.

[lordhutt]

Sweet, I've used Acronis before to clone my hard drive but I did not know that you could make a recovery disc as well.
Go ahead and do yours...that's half the fun...you know, when something goes wrong and spend 20 hours fixing it I wasn't really concerned about doing mine since I made the recovery DVD's.

Thanks again, Jeremiah58

[Jeremiah58]

Thank you, for posting back the result.
Cheers

[TBoneit]

The one advantage of using the HP restore is it should not need activation. If you do many wipes and reinstalls that can be helpfull.

[Jeremiah58]

Yes, activation.
Darn.
lordhutt,
Please say:
Did you use the original ser. number which came with your laptop or the one from your CD?
Did you use those drivers which you downloaded from HP site or the backup from previous installation?
Thank you

[lordhutt]

I used the serial number from my laptop. No matter what version of Windows I tried I had to activate it. I called the number and everything was automated....why do you ask?
And no the HP restore did not need an activation. I plan on making a clone of the harddrive so that if I need to reinstall my Windows again I wont have to worry about the activation.

I did not use the drivers from the website. I copied the C:\swsetup directory before I did the format. Everything you need is in there...that's all explained in the links you posted.

[Jeremiah58]

I asked because I have Media Center Edition on that laptop, preinstalled. I wonder if I go for a clean install of XP PRO, would the serial from the laptop be accepted.
What was your preinstalled OS and what have you installed now?
Regarding drivers, you mentioned that you downloaded them from HP site, so I wanted to know did you use them.

[lordhutt]

I don't think it will go for any OS that you install. I am actually confused on this whole situation. The Windows discs I used on this laptop have been used on multiple desktops and I was never prompted for activation. Why is it doing it on the laptop?

I had MCE preinstalled and that is what I have now...I tried regular XP and it asked for the activation as well.

As far as the drivers are concerned....I had every intention on using them but the guide mentioned the directory which actually proved much more convenient.

[Jeremiah58]

Ah, it's MCE then.
Thank you very much for the answers.

[Heavensent]

activation is required because of the serial you used.
the only xp that doesnt require activation is xp pro corporate edition.

if you use a regular windows xp pro serial - you will have to activate.

[TBoneit]

Or if you use the Discs that came with the hp to do a restore it restores as already activated and using a number that can not be activated as it is a special number that every laptop of that run has. The number on the bottom is the actual license and can be activated.

The fact that the restore is preactivated means even if the MS activation servers are down ou can still re-install and be OK.