windows 7 crashed while updating

please refer them to this thread, the links given, it may be helpful to them, at least for perusal before they attempt anything.

Hope the best for you, but your current path seems to simply things as much as possible at this point and that's recovering personal files and a restore of hard drive to pristine software environment.

I checked many difeerent ways including your specific steps.. even a new usb flash drive 16gb which is visable on desktop.. tried finding any files but even if I had a few pics etc.. I do not need them enough to waiste my time or yours. The show must go on,, I am ready when you are..I did retrieve some videos and pictures awhile ago on a flash drive ( before the crash) so I am not worried about losing any that data should it even exist. What I am hoping to do is get to create a backup for the factory windows 7 home premium.. but not really too worried about that as much as getting an os that functions and doesn't fail as much as msft windows os.

650 GB Seagate hard drive model: ST9640320AS

How your hard drive is setup.

sda= SCSI drive "a" and the numbers which follow are partitions.
sda is used now for most all hard drives, previously hda, hdb, hdc, and so forth were more common.
It no longer denotes a SCSI type system exlusively.

sda1 = a 210 MB size partition identified as SYSTEM and formatted in NTFS file system. This would
probably be the EFI partition for Windows 7 system. Oddly enough, it seems your windows 7 system
was installed as a MBR type disc and not a GPT system. That's good if you decide later to install
Linux on it.

sda2 = This is your main windows partition, the second one on the hard drive, what in windows would be seen as "C:/" drive. It's where all your system files, personal files, programs and so forth are at. It is 625 GB in size.

sda3 = This is your Recovery partition. It's the one with the data necessary to restore your computer back to factory specifications, and the one from which you would create Restore Discs. It is about 15 GB in size.

sda4 = This is a 110 MB size partition with the HP special Tools included with your laptop. Oddly its in a FAT32 formatted partition instead of NTFS formatted partition. Probably so it can be copied off to a flashdrive easily.

sda1 size: 0.21G label: SYSTEM uuid: F6CCB6EACCB6A471 fs: NTFS
sda2 size: 625.02G label: N/A uuid: 5014106B14105676 fs: NTFS
sda3 size: 14.79G label: RECOVERY uuid: E8DE7AAFDE7A7622 fs: NTFS
sda4 size: 0.11G label: HP_TOOLS uuid: 3C09-44A7 fs: FAT (32 bit)

The DVDRW drive
sr0 size: 1.33G label: Linux Mint 16 MATE 64-bit uuid: N/A

This is all very good. It means once you copy off what files you want to save, you probably can restore your computer to it's original setup, just like when it was new. Remember, to do so will lose all files you created and saved, and any programs you installed since then.

Considering your particular computer acumen or level, I'd urge you after saving what files you want, to run the restore system function to return it to like new condition. You can do that by pressing ESC key and then choosing the correct function key. Check that pdf file I linked to you on how to do that. You might wish to save that pdf file onto your Acer computer to have for consulting with at times.

After restoring your windows to computer, then run the program to "create restore discs" that should be on the computer, and be sure to have the required number of disc available first. It can run 4-5 DVD or up to 20 CD disc to do. I believe my daughter's system required 16-17 CDR disc for hers.

I would put off to the future installation of the Linux system until you've had more time to study on it. While I think it's easier than Windows and safer once you spend a couple months getting used to it, you have had enough frustration already for now. I'd look on it as a future project and one you can approach in steps. You will have the DVD which you can boot to from time to time to play around in it some, but there's an easier method to learn it first that is a lot safer. When you are ready, you can come back here and I or someone will help you install Virtual Box, then install Linux Mint into it, and there it can be safely tried out in it's own "sandbox" without risking any problem to your windows installation.

You should commit the info from those commands you ran into a text file somewhere and have them available to display again if need help in future on that computer.

It was truly a pleasure and I feel honored having learned what you taught me so far. I will take it slow,, I can not rush this and will keep in touch.. is ther a way to delete anything that might be in the ipadress INFO ,, there is no key or password data I left here? ..lol anyway God bless you and thanks again for sharing, John


as you suggest

nothing too compromising, other than an IP address indicating north west of NYC is your current location. I live in Maryland, no big secret either.

Newark to Patterson, New Jersey area for you.

I am grateful for all your help. Now I am reading how to avoid similar crashes /software issues on both the pavilion and my new Acer desktop that came pre-installed with windows 8 and McAfee trial which i learned has only 14 days from a popup today. I typed in a search bar free atti virus for windows 8 .. I read on a link that I coulsd opt for window 8 window defender which as I understand it is, the first atti virus software from windows .. it works like windows essentials.. anyway ,, was reading comments on pc magazine ..i am going to research here too for suggestions.

I have yet to recovery my genuine windows 7 home premium. I will report here when I figure out if it is still somewhere in the laptop.. question,, my new acer computer came preinstalled with McAfee .. today I get a pop up that I have 14 days left of the free trial... should I not accept purchasing agreement, should I remove McAfee and try another atti virus free ware? Or isn't windows 8 suppose to have windows essentials and similiar atti virus and malware protection?

Although I came a long way thanks to James,, I tried several hrs trying to recovery for windows 7.. I did heed the advice James gave me in that I should seek someone who knows computers .. I used the HP phone support once again and they insist the recovery disk won't work without replacing the original hard drive. The HP tech support explained this to me even though after i explained that I can use linux and get internet access on the machine.. he explained I could order the windows 7 recovery kit for 15-20 dollars but that it will not work because the harddrive error code on data .. so he advised me to have them refurbish the laptop and get a bonus one year from date of service purchase hp full support.. for a total of 106.00 Americans I still want to learn more about linux os and will continue trying to learn how to avoid what appears to be a plague of viruses /etc. with msft windows operating systems. The tech assured me that I will get free shipping and one year full support after they refurbish this corrupted or defective hp pavilion. I will report my final results for all here who have helped me get this far,, Thank you all so much, John

just wanted to post an update about the hp .. I insisted a refund of the 106.00 americans the India hp support sold me because it was only phone support and not what the phone saleman explained as covering recovery for the crashed windows /hard drive etc. .. meanwhile consulted my brother who knows computers .. i explained i can use linux just fine on the notebook pc but the original windows 7 is nowhere to be recovered. He explained why.. he also said I could buy a new hard drive and ask hp to send me the recovery windows kit licensed to my hp pavilion ( i never created my own recovery upon purchasing the notebook in 2011) so this is where I am.. using my new Acer desktop bought a week after the notebook crashed in Dec.1013.. I will take my time refurbishing the hp laptop for a secondary backup. ty all once again and especially James

They are shipping me a windows recovery disk for free because of the runaround I had with their call worldwide support centers. I have a email confirmation from their (elite) support who are going to walk me through the procedure after I receive the backup disc they just shipped out today. I will post a follow up next week or so. John

HP support case manager sent me free of charge a backup kit for the Crashed windows 7 home premium.. It removed the installed linux mint which was working like a champ.. the only thing was that I wasn't sure about firewalls and other privacy software trusted sites using linux because when I was, I did not find anything for a firewall AV malware etc... So, after installing the three discs that HP provided for the original win 7 ,, which took several hrs.. all seems fine now with windows os,, i had to go to programs and remove a bunch of garbage to get rid of the IE advertising,, I will use the provided free windows av firewall/ windows defender/essentials for now.. But i couldn't stand msn homepage with the popups etc.. I deleted and use Mozilla Firefox for a browser.. So the hardware wasn't an issue as the hp support from India claimed to be the case. So far so good. take care everybody!, AND TY ALL AGAIN..John