Fixed! Need help loading driver for hard drive?!

New HD from HP, fixed up and running... Thanks for the help and suggestions!


I hope you all can help me out! I bought a desktop from Cowboom.
See this thread:
http://slickdeals.net/f/4339254-C...ntium-G620

It said it had been refurbished with no operating system. I thought that was ok, I have a windows 7 disk. Im not a huge techie but thought I could do that. I guess not!

It will go to set up with my disk, but when it shows available drives it does not show the hard drive and requests a driver. It will let me browse for one, I just dont have one! Same trying the x:boot setup.

In the bios and such, it does show the hard drive is there.
Looked into driver issues, doesnt seem to be the problem.
I tried calling HP tech support. A good half hour into the conversation we were barely past verifying my info and numerous repeats of my problem. The guy kept thinking I was new to computers and didnt know how to start my computer up?!?

Please help if possible,... tell me it cant be such a big deal to get a driver going for this? I guess I under estimated what it would take to get this up and going. Ive formatted drives and such many times but this one is beyond me.

Thank You!!

Update:
Not a driver issue
Hard drive is recognized in BIOS
Hard drive isnt listed when running new OS set up.
It only shows x:boot

When going through some of the repair options I can see
C drive - removable disc - tried to right click to format but it does nothing. Guessing this must refer to the hard drive?
CD Drive
USB Drive if attached

Can access dos, but cant use the disk management utility

When windows disc is started, it will start into set up and I get stuck as stated above.
Made an ubuntu disk but it will not allow it to run because it does not see the hard drive to load it on to including trying to get it running using dos.

Thank You for all of the suggestions, I appreciate the feedback! Trying to rep you too!

that's your problem right there, you bought from cowboom........

one thing you could do is burn ubuntu on a disc and try that to see if it will load without actually installing it. then you can format the drive then try installing windows 7.

or you can try parted magic, you will need to download the iso then burn a disc with it then load it then format the hard drive

the link is

http://partedmagic.com/doku.php

good luck, and stop buying from cowboom

Quote from arcticmaniac : that's your problem right there, you bought from cowboom........ one thing you could do is burn ubuntu on a disc and try that to see if it will load without actually installing it. then you can format the drive then try installing windows 7. or you can try parted magic, you will need to download the iso then burn a disc with it then load it then format the hard drive the link is http://partedmagic.com/doku.php good luck, and stop buying from cowboom

First purchase, lesson learned! hah!
Thank You so much for your response, off to try!

I don't think you need a driver. That's just a default option.
I think that your hard drive is offline.
All you would have to do is attach it to another computer and bring it online, for it to be seen when you do the installation.

PS: If you don't have the means to hook it up to another computer, you should be able to do it by command prompt.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-u...32026.aspx

Quote from RockySosua : I don't think you need a driver. That's just a default option. I think that your hard drive is offline. All you would have to do is attach it to another computer and bring it online, for it to be seen when you do the installation.

That will be next on my try list, thanks! It does show in the BIOS, just not as an option to load windows on to. Tricky! Ive seen many forums today with people asking the exact question but none that really seem to have solved it. Ive tried so many little things today my head is mush. Im gonna start back in, and report back. Thanks to you too for the advice!

Edit back to you, it wont allow me to do in command prompt. In dos, the only options are x:boot drive and/or any USB drive. Since windows isnt loaded on, it wont work. Tried that one!

Agreed on not needing driver. I did finally figure out how to load it but as you said, wasnt the issue.

what make is the hard drive download driver from that site

Win7 should have the drivers for the controller in this PC. Check the HD mode in the BIOS. It should be in AHCI mode. If it's in RAID mode, it will prompt for drivers. You can also try combined\compatibility mode if AHCI doesn't work. You lose some features, but most likely nothing that you would notice.

Quote from flea : Win7 should have the drivers for the controller in this PC. Check the HD mode in the BIOS. It should be in AHCI mode. If it's in RAID mode, it will prompt for drivers. You can also try combined\compatibility mode if AHCI doesn't work. You lose some features, but most likely nothing that you would notice.

Done both of the above. Doesnt seem to be a driver issue, maybe I should edit first posting.

Hard drive is recognized in BIOS
Hard drive isnt listed when running new OS set up.
It only shows x:boot

When going through some of the repair options I can see
C drive - removable disc - tried to right click to format but it does nothing. Guessing this must refer to the hard drive?
CD Drive
USB Drive if attached

Can access dos, but cant use the disk management utility

When windows disc is started, it will start into set up and I get stuck as stated above.
Made an ubuntu disk but it will not allow it to run because it does not see the hard drive to load it on to including trying to get it running using dos.

Thank You for all of the suggestions, I appreciate the feedback! Trying to rep you too!

Quote from thejas : Done both of the above. Doesnt seem to be a driver issue, maybe I should edit first posting. Hard drive is recognized in BIOS Hard drive isnt listed when running new OS set up. It only shows x:boot When going through some of the repair options I can see C drive - removable disc - tried to right click to format but it does nothing. Guessing this must refer to the hard drive? CD Drive USB Drive if attached Can access dos, but cant use the disk management utility When windows disc is started, it will start into set up and I get stuck as stated above. Made an ubuntu disk but it will not allow it to run because it does not see the hard drive to load it on to including trying to get it running using dos. Thank You for all of the suggestions, I appreciate the feedback! Trying to rep you too!

when you load up ubuntu, try gparted I think under the systems menu and then it may show up and reformat the hard drive. If your system has DOS installed, I don't think it allows you to format the C: drive in general which is why you need to boot up another system like ubuntu or parted magic.

try parted magic, worst case, just put in a new hard drive or if you have one of those USB SATA cables you can just reformat the whole thing, then plug it back in.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6812232002

also, it may help if you can take some pics of the screen with your camera or phone adn upload the screen display of the bios. its strange that it loads into DOS which means your bios sees the drive and is booting from it.

Quote from thejas : Done both of the above. Doesnt seem to be a driver issue, maybe I should edit first posting. Hard drive is recognized in BIOS Hard drive isnt listed when running new OS set up. It only shows x:boot

Can you take a photo of this "x:boot" screen and post it here? Or maybe point us to an image online that looks like it.

If something like x:boot shows up when you boot the computer from a windows installation DVD, either the DVD disc has problems/been compiled/customized or for some reason the computer couldn't boot from the DVD drive. -> get correct disc image first.

Quote from thejas : When going through some of the repair options I can see C drive - removable disc - tried to right click to format but it does nothing. Guessing this must refer to the hard drive? CD Drive USB Drive if attached Can access dos, but cant use the disk management utility

You're trying to do a fresh win7 install, forget about the repair options.
What does the BIOS say about the drive? Please post the drive info(model and size) you see in bios.
"removable disc" is not a hard drive.

Maybe it's time to check out the step-by-step instruction?
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/ope...part-1.htm

Are you using a retail\OEM Win7 disc? Or a burned Win7 disc?

Well....
After another hour on the phone with HP, they are sending me a new pre-imaged hard drive. Should be here in a couple days. If that doesnt work for some reason, Ill just return it. I do hope it will work out ok, it was affordable for me hopefully to use for all my graphics and photoshop?

If interested, I can still load photos of this odd bit, but apparently it all adds up to bad hard drive.

What a mess and wasted time, but thanks so much for taking your time to help me out...wish me luck! :-)

Final update :

Had HP send new pre-imaged hard drive, arrived today. Those phone calls sure are long and rough but they do seem to try to take care of you, Im impressed with it arriving already! Arrived, replaced, up and going. Im so excited!

Just wanted to say thanks again for all that took the time to help me try to figure this out. I actually learned a lot in doing it, never know when you might need it!

Buying from Cowboom.... lesson learned!

So what was the issue? The hard drive? Odd that it was seen in BIOS but not during Win7 install?