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Installing a new hard drive

1K views 28 replies 5 participants last post by  okwrangler 
#1 ·
Howdy, I hope someone can help me. First, I am 72 years old and not very computer literate so I really need help.

I have Compaq CQ57 with no operating system. I installed a new hard drive. I bought the Windows 7 operating system from Compaq to install on this computer. This computer originally came with Windows 7. The disc will start to load and then freeze. I contacted the people that I bought the operating system from and they said that I need to initialize the new hard drive. I asked them to help me and they said I could find all that information that I needed on the internet. Yes, there are plenty of sites that tell me how to initialize a hard drive, BUT, they all begin, "Open Disc Manager". Since I have a new hard drive, I do not have Disc Manager.

Can someone help me install the new operating system on my computer?

Thank you
 
#2 ·
Hi okwrangler, and welcome to TSG.

Exactly what kind of Windows 7 installer did you purchase? Was it a Compaq labeled factory recovery disc for your particular computer or a Microsoft labeled Windows 7 installer disc? In either of those cases, the installation software should have detected the unformatted hard drive and asked if you wanted to format and partition it as part of the installation procedure.

EDIT: Does anything show on the screen before or after the installation freezes?
 
#3 ·
What's the complete model number of your Compaq Presario CQ57 series laptop?
(Note: a dash and additional characters after CQ57 comprises the complete model number)

What's the exact serial number on it?

What's the exact Windows 7 version on its Certificate-Of-Authenticity sticker?

----------------------------------------------------------------

If the new hard drive is correctly installed, it'll appear in the BIOS setup screen.

If that's a legitimate bootable Windows 7 disc, and if the disc drive is set first in the boot order in the BIOS setup screen, a
Press any key to boot from CD or DVD
command should appear when you boot from the Windows 7 disc.

----------------------------------------------------------------
 
#7 ·
Sorry, I think I answered Post #2 via email and it did not show up on the board. I did get a scolding email telling me this. I am not very good at this, but I do try.

I purchased the discs from Computer Solutions which is the company that sells the operating system that came with the original computer. They are marked as Compaq.

The disc begins to load and then freezes. If I try a second time, a third time ... it freezes at the same place.

No, the operating system does not ask if I want to format the hard drive.

I bought the computer off of Ebay last year with no hard drive.

If you have any other questions, please ask.
 
#9 ·
I really do appreciate everybody that is trying to help me - Thank you very much.

Ok, I have spent all morning working on this computer. I went to the article specified. At one point it says, Repair my computer. I tried that. It told me that it could not to fix the problem and I should go to a Compaq site for help. The site wanted me to contact a technician. I signed up for assistance and nobody ever answered me. Please note - I bought my Compaq computer with a three year warranty and never had anybody help me with a problem. My first CQ57 was really a pretty good computer,and still is, but the tech support really stinks.

All I am trying to do is install the original Compaq operating system on the computer that came with it. It shouldn't be that hard, should it?

Now, if someone wants to hear the whole story, just ask. I have just been giving the highlights because I have been accused of talking too much.

Thank you all again.
 
#10 · (Edited)
I am 72 years old and not very computer literate so I really need help.
Installing a new hard drive and then doing a clean install of Windows 7 and then getting it up-to-date is not an easy job for someone who is not computer-knowledgeable.
You should ask a family member or friend who is computer-knowledgeable and willing to devote several hours of their time to help you.

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#11 ·
I really do appreciate everybody that is trying to help me - Thank you very much.

Ok, I have spent all morning working on this computer. I went to the article specified. At one point it says, Repair my computer. I tried that. It told me that it could not to fix the problem and I should go to a Compaq site for help. The site wanted me to contact a technician. I signed up for assistance and nobody ever answered me. Please note - I bought my Compaq computer with a three year warranty and never had anybody help me with a problem. My first CQ57 was really a pretty good computer, but the tech support really stinks.

All I am trying to do is install the original Compaq operating system on the computer that came with it. It shouldn't be that hard, should it?

Now, if someone wants to hear the whole story, just ask. I have just been giving the highlights because I have been accused of talking too much.

Thank you all again.
 
#12 ·
Thank you for your advice It explains a lot to me. The problem is that my wife and I moved to Oklahoma 46 years ago to be near family and friends, and now they are all gone, either moved away or died. And now I am crippled up, I can't sit, can't stand, can't walk. Last year was the first time I ever paid someone to mow my grass. You see, I am all I have, and someway I will figure out how to fix this computer.

I do thank you for the conversation and advice.

Thank you
 
#13 ·
I'm not trying to be smart. (I'll turn 72 this year). Are you sure it is freezing?
I ask because the specs for that model Compaq shows it only came with 2GB RAM. That is a small amount to be running Windows 7 Professional with SP1.
All our Win 7 computers have 4GB of RAM and even one of them operates really slow because of the slow processor.

It's been years since I had to install Windows 7 and that was an upgrade for an XP computer. I remember thinking that at points, I thought nothing was happening.

Might I suggest that you try again and this time, let the computer alone. Don't stop it. Wait and see if it ever finishes.
Start when you have lots of time to let it do the install. Grab something to read and from time to time, check if the computer has any dialog for you to answer.
 
#14 ·
I upgraded the computer to 8GB. I used to have a friend in Kentucky that was a disabled Vet that would help me and he always told me to put the maximum amount of memory in my computer that I could.

Well, I said freezes, maybe that's not the right word. It will load for 25 0r 30 minutes and then stop. I retried it a bunch of times. It stops at the same place every time. I have let it set there for over an hour and nothing happens. Do you think I should wait even longer?
 
#15 ·
I upgraded the computer to 8GB. I used to have a friend in Kentucky that was a disabled Vet that would help me and he always told me to put the maximum amount of memory in my computer that I could.

Well, I said freezes, maybe that's not the right word. It will load for 25 0r 30 minutes and then stop. I retried it a bunch of times. It stops at the same place every time. I have let it set there for over an hour and nothing happens. Do you think I should wait even longer?
Try removing the RAM you installed and go back to the 2 GB of RAM you had and try again. I also have an old desktop that when I added up to 4 GB or RAM I had the same problem as you did. I reverted back and it is back to normal.
You may want to also try it with 4 GB of RAM to see what results you may encounter.
 
#19 ·
Actually, I have three sets of install discs. They all do the same thing.

I will tell you what I have learned today, I think. The Windows install discs are different from the Compact install discs. I have got to find a Compaq install tool to install the new Compaq discs And I haven't found that yet.
 
#20 ·
If you have the same problem on all the discs I think that you might be having an optical drive problem.
Try downloading the Windows 7 disc image and see if you can make it into a USB drive install. Just follow the on screen instructions. Once you are about to make the install on your computer select the option for the USB and follow on screen instructions from thereon.
You will also be needing the drivers for your computer. I think it was mentioned in post #6.
 
#21 ·
Thank you very much for this website, However,I found this page yesterday and when I entered the Product Number for my computer, it told me that this was the Product Number for a Compaq Computer and I needed the Compaq Install Tool. But it did not tell me were to find the Compaq Install tool.
 
#25 ·
I am sorry, you have lost me. I have to have the retail product key to obtain the Windows7 ISO file, but my computer did not come with a retail product key, it came with a OEM key, and the OEM key will not work, so I can not load the original operating system on my computer?
 
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