Should a disk try to boot if the hard drive is bad?

Need_help_now · Feb 28, 2015

I posted a couple months back about a laptop that I cannot get to boot for the life of me. I have no idea what is wrong with it and it was generally a new laptop for the person who ruined it.

The laptop is a HP 2000 Notebook PC, product #: A5F13UA#ABA.

I originally thought that the hard drive was bad in it and that was all. My friend had one that he ordered(brand new) that was the wrong one so it didn't work in his laptop, he let me use it but it didn't work either. I have since tried using 2 other drives, that I didn't know if they were working but they were the only ones I had laying around however I am still getting the message "Hard Disk Not Exist", I then hit escape and "Hard Disk Test" Failed, "Boot device not found". (3F0). I also get an error of "Boot Device Not Found" Please install an operating system on your hard disk. Hard Disk (3F0)" Message but it will not let me boot to the windows 7 disk.

I have been trying to screw with it and I have a hard drive plugged in currently and my windows 7 disk in. I cannot get it to boot to the windows 7 disk at all. I have tried changing the BIOS to Enable the CD-ROM boot, and then the boot order to "internal CD/DVD ROM drive" first, USB CD/DVD Rom Drive" second, USB Diskette on Key/USB Hard Disk" third, I have the USB Floppy and Net Adapter off, and Notebook Hard Drive is last in the boot order.

I have no options to select then I go into the Boot Manager other than to enter bios or exit. Does anyone have any idea on how to get this laptop back up and running? It is a fairly decent laptop but I just cannot get it to run. I do not want to order another hard drive to fit it and have that one not work as well. I would think that if the disk is in the tray and first in the boot order, it should at least give me an option when turning on the laptop of "press any key to boot cd" but I get nothing of that sort.

Update:

I had a working Windows Vista laptop with the same style hard drive so I checked to make sure it booted fine on the one laptop, swapped the drive into the broken laptop and it still showed that there was no hard drive present as well as no bootable operating system on the fully functional hard drive. Does this rule out hard drive failure and lean it more towards a faulty cable from the hard drive to motherboard, or something is wrong on the motherboard?

I also swapped the Original Hard drive into the working laptop(doesn't need the cable just hooks straight into a port so I cannot test a new cable) and the hard drive fully boots up in the laptop so the Hard drive did not go bad, either the cable or something in the Motherboard did.

Any ideas?

Bossyfins · Feb 28, 2015

If a hard drive is bad, it is bad. I'm afraid it has a 1% chance of coming back to life. That 1% is slim. Wait, I don't even think you can..

Did you have any data that was of any value to you?

Need_help_now · Feb 28, 2015

Bossyfins :

It isn't about if the hard drive is bad or not. I really couldn't care less about it or the data on it. I am just trying to get the laptop to come back to life. Like I said, I have tried 3 different hard drives since the first one went bad. One was new that my friend lent me, and 2 were old that I had laying around and I am still not able to boot to a disk to install an OS on them.

Solandri · Feb 28, 2015

Did you turn off Secure Boot?

Shaun o · Feb 28, 2015

Depends on how old the laptop is and what type of interface it uses internal.
If the hard drives is of the old ATA style connectors for example 40 pins.

If not and its a Sata type interface, there are a few things to try.

Obviously you have a boot able version of the windows CD/ DVD, and and not an Upgrade edition because they are not boot able via a cold start up or bios detection.

Older laptops in the bios section had a delay feature, where you could set a delay before the bios tried a device in the boot list cd drives and hard drives.
They took a bit more time to spin up if of ATA type 40 pin.

Part of the problem is also as i`m sure you know the inital bios setting of the laptop. and the type of interfaces listed.

For example some have IDE mode listed Ahci mode and then Sata.
IDE should always be selected if the laptop is old. with a ATA type HD or Sata, or Ahci mode for a sata drive.
When you set the mode in the bios to Sata it can in some cases fail to detect or boot, even see the CD/ DVD in the drive. For the most part to get a windows disk to boot set the interface mode to IDE or Ahci mode, not sata.

If you get windows to boot from this.
Then it is likely that windows will begin to load and when asking where you want windows to be installed to drive c should be listed.
If it`s not then you are required by clicking on the add driver in blue writing to the bottom left to install a pre install sata driver before windows install.
It should load the driver and the HD should be presented on a refresh.

One more tip.
The pause key does alot more than you think.
While booting and looking for a CD in a drive if you hit pause, leave it for a few seconds and hit pause again.
in some cases the cd in the drive is detected. Why don`t ask me just some types of bios firmware have a clitch.

But for the most part the reason why is due to the inital type of interface mode set in the bios so try IDE first, then Ahci.
Sata mode will most likely not work and why no cd device or HD is detected at all.

You must first select IDE mode or AHCI mode.
And if you wish to use Sata mode install or add it at windows setup and installation after the first reset.
Jump into the bios and change the interface type to Sata. save it. Restart and let windows continue installation.

Need_help_now · Feb 28, 2015

Solandri :

I couldn't. I checked the bios and had no option to turn off secure boot. It was running windows 7 but I cannot boot into anything other than the bios and secure boot option is not listed.

Need_help_now · Feb 28, 2015

Shaun o :

The laptop was bought in 2011. The hard drive is a SATA with the laptop only having 1 full cable that connects to both the power and also the data portion of the drive so that all pins are covered.

I did not know that the "upgrade" CD's are don't work in cold boot. The windows 7 disc is an Upgrade from vista to windows 7 and the windows xp disc that I tried is a re-installation disc. Maybe this is the issue with them not booting?

Can I change the interface mode without being able to do anything other than get to the bios? I didn't see an option for it when I was screwing around with it for like 2 hours.

Need_help_now · Feb 28, 2015

Also, these are my options(editable) when in the bios:

Main:System time, System Date, Diagnostic log
Security: Admin pass, Power-on pass
Diagnostics: Primary Hard Disk Self Test, Memory Test
System Config: Language, Virtualization Technology, Fan Always on, Action Keys Mode, Boot options
Boot option menu: POST Hotkey Delay(I have it set for 5 seconds), CD-ROM boot, Floppy Boot, Internal Network Adapter Boot, and Boot Order

Boot Order:Internal CD/DVD Rom Drive, USB CD/DVD ROM Drive, USB Diskette on Key/USB Hard Disk, USB Floppy(I have turned off), Network Adapter(Turned off), and Notebook Hard drive is last.

There are no other options available in the BIOS.
My bios vendor: Insyde, version F.24 Rev 3.5

Need_help_now · Feb 28, 2015

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