Steps/hardware needed? Replaced hard drive, load Win 7 w/ sys image DVD

[shoeman]

Replaced failed HDD in laptop, need to load Windows 7 using the System Image DVD's.

Can this be done?

If so, what are the steps?
Is special hardware needed?
Do I need to format hard drive first?

I have already tried by using the "Repair Disk" created along with the "System image" disks, it's apparently not as simple as just following the prompts.

Thanks.

 

[Mark56]

This should help.


http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/675-system-image-recovery.html

 

[shoeman]

Either I'm not explaining myself well enough or I'm not understanding what it states in the link you sent. (this is very possible)

Since this is a new hard drive that is blank (not formatted), it doesn't have Windows 7 on it, so I can't use "system restore" nor can I enter DOS. The link appears to deal with a drive that already had Windows 7 on it. I'm not seeing how to load to a hard drive that never had windows 7 on it.

I have loaded Windows XP before, but that was using an OS disk, which formated the drive and then loaded the OS.

I don't have a Windows 7 OS disk, just the repair and Image disks. Hence, maybe I can't get there from here.

Another thought: can I install XP, then use the Image disks in install Windows 7 over XP?

 

[Mark56]

All the information is there to do the restore to a blank disc just follow the guide to do the restore on a drive that will not boot. Read the instructions carefully and use the links within the instructions (words in blue) which take you to other guides. All you need is the Repair disc and the Image disc.

You can boot into dos even on a PC that has no hard drive, you just hit F8 repeatedly when you boot up and then select Command Prompt.

If you need further help with any specific part of the instructions then please copy and paste the bit you do not understand into a post and I'll guide you through it.