Pavilion a1230n w XP: replaced hard drive & recovery disks don't work [ Edited ]

[tatzen8]

Replaced hard drive & recovery disks don't work. Create new partition & Microsft Recovery Console ONLY options offered on Recovery TOOLS disk; Microsoft recovery stops at "Preparing system to install Windows XP" page.  Pressing enter at this point results in "cannot find EULA" message & shuts off computer ... installed older version of XP (media center) via another set of disks, but want original HP software back!!

[CherylG]

Recovery Tools cd is mainly a startup repair disk. You need a full Recovery Disk set, usually 3-4 dvds or 10-12 cds . Do you have the set, either burned using software on the machine or ordered from HP?

[tatzen8]

Recovery set is on 2 dvds ... they do absolutely nothing.   

[CherylG]

So when you try to boot from the Recovery dvd it doesn't boot, or you get an error,or?

[tatzen8]

doesn't boot (cd-rom's 1st boot device, so, it should, right?) no error message. windows opens instead.

[CherylG · Accepted solution]

If it boots from the Recovery Tools cd but not from the Recovery dvd then you may have a bad set.Of course it could be the dvd laser of your CD/DVD drive too.Was the dvd function working before you started the reinstall?

 Don't see them listed at HP any longer, but are available HERE for $27

[tatzen8]

... i was placing the recovery disks in the cd drive ~ sad sad sad.  thank you for the link: 2nd recovery disk is scratched /// KUDOS!

[fishfear]

My system was set up as a RAID 0.  A few years later one hard drive totally died.

All my data was backed up so I pulled the bad drive, changed the BIOS to IDE and used my MINT never touched Recover Disks that I made when I first got the computer.  Everything worked absolutely perfectly until the very last screen.  "Windows Setup could not configure Windows to run on this comptuer's hardware."  I mean it took nearly two hours to get to this screen.  I tired safe mode which worked in the repair mode.  I started over with the DVD's again from scratch but got the same error.

It drives me nuts that HP ships without any disks or drivers.  Really bother's me... Now I'm stuck with an old computer that was working GREAT that still works great but I now need an OS and will have to try and download all the drivers needed for the motherboard. 

System recovery never seems to work right when you really need it.

[CherylG]

The problem with Recovery may well be due to the missing hdd, and the change in BIOS setting.Recovery is looking for the original hardware setup.

All of your drivers should be posted on your model's support page at HP. To find the page use the button at top of this page titled "Support & Drivers".

[fishfear]

Yep... I put everything back to exactly like I had it when I got the comptuer and created the recovery DVD's.  The only thing different was the hard drive set up.  I really can't stand how Micorsoft does this.  Why even bother with recovery disks?  It's usually a hard drive failure you're trying to recover from but unless you have the same drive your recovery disks may not work?