Presario CQ61 Notebook Recovery

[Upgal]

I tried using the "restore computer to factory settings" feature on a 2-year old laptop thinking it would be the easiest way to start fresh. There weren't any files on it that I had to worry about, but it was running poorly and obvisouly infected with viruses. The restore feature failed and I got this message: "Windows failed to start. Boot selection failed. Required device is inaccessible." It said I needed to insert my system disks.

I purchased the recovery disks from the HP website and after several tries and many hours of frustration, they finally finished installing. However, when it got to the step of restoring files to the hard drive, it failed again. The message: "Smart Hard Disk Error - detected an imminent failure."

I've read many posts. Some say try a new hard drive. Others say it's not the hard drive at all. That it is a DMI issue that HP knows how to fix. They went on to say that it is a manufacturer defect, which seems very logical since it appears from these forums that many, many people have not been able to use the restore disks. "Restore to factory settings" sounds pretty simple and it should be! Has anyone else had this problem? What is the best route to fix? And can someone other than HP fix it or do I need to purchase the support and send it to them. Thank you for any help!

[ManjunathTech]

Hi,

 The failure ID will either be a Smart or Disk Self Test failure - both would indicate that your Hard Drive is failing and will need to be replaced. Please run the Test if the test fails you need to replace the part.

If your notebook is still under warranty, contact HP and arrange to have the drive replaced.

If you are out of warranty and would like a guide on replacing the Hard Drive yourself, please let me know.

Testing a Hard Disk using the Built in Self Test