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Question

Installing Windows onto a new hard-disk drive

by Apr 1, 2015 12:23AM PDT

Dear Hardware Experts

I should be grateful for your help with re-installing Windows 7, after replacing the hard disk drive in an HP Compaq.

The installation proceeds for about one-and-a-half minutes, past the 'Windows is loading files' message and as far as the coloured globules doing a dance around each other.

The display then simply freezes, without an error message. Does anybody know the explanation?

It may be worth mentioning that I had the foresight to make a recovery disk (which offers diskpart) while the old hdd was still working.

So I made 2 partitions for W7 to install itself into, formatting 500 gigs took about an hour.

This didn't help, but it confirms I think that hdd and motherboard are talking to each other. No cable connector has come adrift.

Discussion is locked

3 Posts
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Answer
Creating partitions before install can be trouble.
by Forum moderator Apr 1, 2015 1:58AM PDT
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Answer
(NT) I think you aren't waiting long enough
by Apr 1, 2015 2:21AM PDT
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Answer
Thanks
by Apr 13, 2015 8:07PM PDT

Everyone has been most helpful, but I have admitted defeat and bought a Windows 8.1 cd. It installed without a hitch.

I half-expected someone to tell me that I was up against an anti-piracy provision, and that a copy of Home Premium can only ever be installed on one hard disk.

But no. So the mystery is unresolved. But again, my thanks to you all.

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