Recovering Windows ME After Hard Drive Replacement

[georgef]

Hello,

I have an HP 8860 Pavillion. I had to replace a defective hard drive. Used the original System Restore cd's. How I cannot get beyond accepting the second license agreement to complete the set up. I am in the User License agreement screen and have accepted the first. However, it will not allow me to either accept or not accept the second agreement to go to the next screen. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you,
Georgef

 

[CFLager]

Georgef,

I have an HP also. I have found that if you don't follow HP's reinstall methods to the letter, the process will hang up. I would tap a key when it wasn't required and it would mess up the install. You have to be patient with it. I have since used Norton Ghost, and no longer have the problems. Here is a link to their website for the reinstall after a new HD.

I hope this helps you out.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...docname=bph07119&product=59404&dlc=en&lang=en


CFLager

 

[flavallee]

George:

I believe the recovery/restore CD has to be used with the original hardware that came with that computer, or else it won't work right.

According to the hardware specs site for that computer, it's about 4-1/2 years old. Do you really want to restore it back to that time, and with all the outdated and demo software that came with it?

Since it came with Windows Millennium installed, you might consider installing it from scratch, or better yet, increasing the RAM amount from 128 MB to 512 MB, then installing Windows XP.

 

[junker39]

flavallee, doesn't HP hard drives have a second partition containing the restore info? If so, then he won't be able to do a restore with the new hard drive, correct? I've got an old Compaq that was like that. Without access to the D drive, the Restore disks wouldn't work. Maybe that's the problem here.

 

[georgef]

Thanks for the information Flavallee -- Do I then have to replace all of the software.

 

[CFLager]

It's true that the drive has a second partition for system restore, but this is a new drive. You can restore to a new drive. I have done it. As I said, HP reinstalls can be a pain.

A new XP install and more memory would make for a much better comp. than with ME. The HP website should have drivers for XP.

 

[flavallee]

The list of driver and software updates for that computer and using Windows XP is located here.

If you format the hard drive and install Windows XP, yes you have to reinstall all your software programs.

 

[georgef]

Hello CFLager and Flavallee,
This is now what is happening - When I go into "safe mode" the original software is accessible - when I restart I go right back to the "Victor" telling me that I need to accept the second license in order to go to the next window, which is the registration window, which I know I can skip over, of course. I really would like to update the OS, but it appears as though I can't get into anything until I accept the license, which is grayed out. What a revolting development this is!