Unexplained system failures.

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sorry, forgot you're using a laptop... so unless have another media bay cant really have a slave drive...
 
what exact model, exact error message, type and size of new HDD (manufacturer), and what o/s version. Also, make sure this cd IS for this particular system and not another gway system.
 
oh, also EXACTLY how far did the installation get. Does it boot? Does it start? When you get to choose the drive, does it do anything before saying its unsupported? Any special raid drives? Have you tried a flat installation=?
 
Well, if you get back one thing to do is try a flat installation. Copy the cab files from the cd to hard drive (will need to make a folder for it) and once that is done change to the HDD, goto the directory and run setup. DO NOT copy the cab/install files to the root directory. Make one up. For example (and you have to exit from the install wizard to do this and get to dos prompt). md flat <return>. that makes a directory of c:\flat. Now, goto the cdrom drive (god knows what drive letter, but you can bet it wont be normal) and I believe its the win directory on the cd. probably just do this when you exit from the cd wizard. You'll be at D:> (or something that is the cd) just LEAVE IT THERE. now type MD C:\flat <enter>
now type xcopy *.* c:\flat /v /s /h <enter>
when its done copying type in c:\flat <enter>
now type setup.
hopefully thatll do it. I'm ASSUMING the drive you bought for rpl ISN'T the external drive! If so, then thats gonna be a problem. Hopefully you can get to safe mode and just copy to the back up USB drive.
 
and 100! sorry... just wanted to see what would happen. was expecting balloons and all... guess I expected to much :D
 
...I'm sorry, you lost me at MBD...
The computer is a P4 Gateway 400VTX laptop, It runs Windows XP home edition.
I really know nothing about hardware, or much about operating systems, So I kinda need some help. Is there a way to slave it's HD to the other laptop to retrieve the data? It is an internal HD, and I don't know how I would do that. I can remove it, but I don't have a cable to use to hook it up. Gateway does have some wierd copyright on their systems, but I haven't run into it.... yet.
 
well, the way the copywright works is this. it USED to be just bios, when installing the OEM cd checks the bios for key information. if it matches, then it continues the installation. if it doesn't, it halts the installation. causes a real problem on some systems if a bios flash has ever been done. now, if it looks at the bios for the hardware config and matches with the install log and its different, same thing will happen. poor way for them to do it, but its not unheard of. I would contact them and TELL them that you installed a new HDD (maybe you updated bios??!) and now its locked out due to the bios verification. Now, if the new HDD is external (USB), then no you cant install o/s and run off of it. It would be for data storage ONLY. The way a thumb drive would be. You COULD add the drive to another laptop. Unsure how you would go about that, though. If it was modulure than all you would need to do is find a lap top with another modular bay and hook up that hard drive in... say, the cdrom spot and it would become the D: drive. However, since its internal that may not be so easy. I would try, regardless. Just chain it with the IDE as a secondary drive and the other laptops drive as the original. Careful to not fry anything (ESD and the sort)! Best bet is to tell them that its having a problem with the bios ver of the OEM installation cd due to new hardware configuration and possible bios update. Or, you can find a NON OEM windows cd and install it that way. May want to make sure that when you hooked up the new hard drive, you're IDE connection is correctly fited. Bios and installation may still see it, but may not be able to write if all pins are not seated on the cable. should be keyed, but you never can tell.
 
What really peeves me is that they assured me that if I bought their expensive USB HD that I could install an OS onto it and use it to recover my files. I dug way too deep into my college funds just to get it and I don't have the money to have it repaired. when I try to install windows onto it it says that there is some kind of disk format that prevents it. Whenever I contact them I get put on hold for an hour and then redirected. then I get put on hold again until I get disconnected. I have no idea how to run it off another computer, and sadly, I really have no idea what you are talking about. I kinda have to remind you that I know NOTHING about hardware, and next to nothing about operating systems. Maybe if you could just give me some advice as to who I should contact to try and get this worked out. Gateway isn't going to be any help unless I can get some money back returning the HD, and even then I would probably have to threaten a lawsuit just to get them to take it back. The company that gave me the faulty hardware drivers that crashed the system just keep redirecting me. I go to tech support, and they send me to customer service, I go to customer service, they send me to tech support. since I only make about $50 a week it would take me about two months to come up with enough money to take the computer in to get it repaired.
 
well, here is one more idea to at LEAST get you back up for a LITTLE bit... and then backup as QUICKLY as possible. To let you know, I have NO idea if this will work since goback is in the way, but were gonna try to use XP system restore. Here's what you do:

Start the computer in safemode command prompt.
Then type in C:\%whatever the system folder is%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe

follow the insctructions on screen. hopefully you can backup some stuff. the %whatever the system folder is% maybe windows, or win, or winnt.

after that, and you got stuff backed up lets try to rescue this system by getting rid of goback. this may cause the system to go down, or may fix it. depends on how corrupt goback is. but hey, if you got the data or what you can of it then should be okay to try this now: Here we go:
 
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