PC problem - error 0xc00000e9 -"Hard disk failed"

TakeThis

poppellerant wrote: »

You might be able to access the harddrive, and grab the Windows 7 serial number from your existing installation. This will remove the need for you to buy Windows 7. After that just download the Windows 7 ISO from the above links, and use Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool to copy the W7 installation to a 4gb memory stick (cheaper and more useful than an external DVD writer these days!).

It doesn't work that way...

In addition, the OP likely needs Windows 7 Starter. No DR download for that. So unless the OP downloads a full DVD, they may have to use the ei.cfg Removal Utility

Notwithstanding, the activation is a simple matter.

poppellerant

TakeThis wrote: »

It doesn't work that way...

In addition, the OP likely needs Windows 7 Starter. No DR download for that. So unless the OP downloads a full DVD, they may have to use the ei.cfg Removal Utility

Notwithstanding, the activation is a simple matter.

A quick Google tells me you can grab the Windows serial from the harddrive.

I wasn't aware you can't download Windows 7 Starter - if that's the case, the OP may well have to buy Windows 7.

TakeThis

poppellerant wrote: »

A quick Google tells me you can grab the Windows serial from the harddrive.

I wasn't aware you can't download Windows 7 Starter - if that's the case, the OP may well have to buy Windows 7.

You might be able to obtain the 'serial' as you put it, but you won't be able to use it in the way that you might imagine.

You can download Starter, but not as a standalone from the DR website. Either way, no need to purchase anything if the OP has an existing licence.

greyskittles

closed wrote: »

Some posters can be quite rude, they'll inevitably get banned eventually, and then come back as yet another AE.

how old is it?

exact model?

what happens if you hold down F8 at boot?

have you lost any data you need?

Do you have a dvd drive for it?

if the machine came with W7 installed when new, you will have a windows COA sticker on it - look on the case, so just need the correct W7 dvd, probably a new 2.5" hard disk (£50 upwards depending on type/capacity), and a method of installing it via usb or dvd drive.

It's 16 months old so out of warranty.
Model is HP Pavillion DM1-1102sa
There's no important data on it at all thankfully.
I have a separate DVD drive which plugs in the USB port.

I'll try F8 and let you know... though I think I tried it before and it just took me around in cirlces and back to the error message in the title.

GunJack wrote: »

£50 including a new hdd ?? so they're basically going to do it for free/£10 ?? don't quite believe this somehow, think someone's got wires crossed (not necessarily you)

right, to sort this:-

1. buy new hdd (depends how big you want, used from £15-ish on ebay)
2. buy external usb dvd-RW drive (around £18 on ebay)
3. download W7 ISO and burn to dvd (on another pc, and using Imgburn or other burning software that will burn an ISO image)
4. use burned dvd and usb dvd drive to install W7 on netbook, using product key from sticker on base of netbook.

job done, for around £30-£35 and an hour or so of your time

No sorry, I should have mentioned that the quotes given by the computer shop were if I supplied the hard drive.

Thanks for the steps. The problem I have now is the lack of Windows 7 product key so it's becoming more of an expensive job than it first seemed as I may need a whole new license.

macman wrote: »

This makes no sense. The product key (if present, as it should be) will be on a label stuck to the base or rear of the netbook. Since you took it in all they had to do was examine it!
Have you tried doing a Factory Restore from the disk partition? Of course if the drive has failed this will not work-but since you've nothing to lose it can't hurt to try it. Youll lose your data, but then you've lost that anyway if not.

Problem is that I don't have the sticker with the product key on it - it has worn off the bottom so it's unreadable. Everything suggested online to recover the product key is (seemingly?) useless to me because the hard disk is dead and I have no backup.

I haven't tried the Factory Restore that you mentioned, mainly because I don't know how to do it.

macman

Have you checked the paperwork for a possible copy of the product key?

closed

if the built in hard disk diagnostics say the disk is faulty, take it back to the retailer, quoting the sale of goods act, it hasn't lasted a reasonable amount of time

The disk doesn't appear to be completely dead.

TakeThis

Just noted that you need this disc; Windows 7 Home Premium SP1-U ISO. English x86, not Windows 7 Starter as suggested earlier.

No need to worry about the Product Key, I'll talk you through the process once you are ready to install the OS.

poppellerant

TakeThis wrote: »

Just noted that you need this disc; Windows 7 Home Premium SP1-U ISO. English x86, not Windows 7 Starter as suggested earlier.

No need to worry about the Product Key, I'll talk you through the process once you are ready to install the OS.

Out of curiosity, how will you get round that? Or is your intention for the OP to either purchase a new key or retrieve the existing one? I'm interested in your methods.

TakeThis

poppellerant wrote: »

Out of curiosity, how will you get round that? Or is your intention for the OP to either purchase a new key or retrieve the existing one? I'm interested in your methods.

Neither of the above. It's just a matter of reusing the existing licence and retaining the conditions for using said licence.