Windows won't load on new hard drive

[lschiltz]

I have an HP Pavillion a1025cc. Our power flickered last Sunday and this computer decided not to work after that. It would power on go to Windows screen and then we would get a "boot disc error". I ended up getting a new hard drive and installing it. I then used the recovery discs to reload the original software. Everything appeared to go well. Then when I got to the "restart or turn off" choice of the recovery discs, regardless of which option I choose it will not completely load. The farthest I get is to "wait while windows loads" and then I get a flashing cursor on a black screen that will stay on for hours. I put the hard drive in another computer and it worked fine. Any ideas? Thanks in advance for your help.

Linda

 

[Tmagic650]

You will have to get a retail copy of Windows and use it to install on the new drive

 

[lschiltz]

I don't think I need a retail version of windows. I ended up installing the hard drive in my other computer to see if it would load and it worked fine. Its my college son's computer and he has to leave tomorrow. I'll have to let him take mine until I can get his fixed. Thanks for trying though.. Any other ideas.

 

[Cybelex]

Is the drive being partitioned and formatted by the recovery disks? Or are you just loading software after XP is installed?

Can you explain your procedure a bit?

 

[lschiltz]

It is being partitioned and formatted by the recovery disks? I can even use the recovery software on the D drive or reformatt the hard drive. And it says it is loaded successfully, just when I get to the prompt to either restart windows or shut down the computer no matter which I choose, it won't go competely thru the windows start up. In my son's computer windows will not load to allow me to add other software. But yet it starts up fine if I put it in my computer. The only thing I can think of is that my son's computer has a different video card that loads first (GE force?) but that is the way it was prior to the hard drive going out. Thanks again.

 

[Tmagic650]

That Geforce video card was added after the computer was already set up originally. Your restore disc doesn't have the drivers for this card. Remove the GeForce card (use on-board video) and try your restore disc once more. After the windows install completes, reinstall the geforce card. Don't forget the download and install all the MS Updates. These updates may give you newer drivers for your system too. The restore disc contains old drivers... utilities, and programs