How to install an operating system on hard disk?

[JohnShot]

Basically I have a problem where whenever I boot up my computer it says (Checking Media Presence) and then takes me to a screen with (Please install an operating system on hard drive disk). Now I've ran an extensive check on the hard drive and everything passed, I only have 1 hard drive. I've opened start up menu to try and do System Recovery but then it takes me back to (Please install an operating system on hard drive disk) so I was wondering if there is a fix for this or did I just screw up the system so badly that I have to buy a new pc?

[TheOldMan · Accepted solution]

A message of that nature can mean only a handful of reasons.  If Windows 10 is the OS that was installed, then either the bootloader lost its way to the OS folder, the harddrive has failed or the OS is missing.

It can possibly be reinstalled with the Recovery Manager -  F10 on startup  - or download Windows 10 using the Media Creation tool.   Scroll down to the "Using the tool to create installation media" on a working PC.

Then use the newly created media to either repair the install or reinstall Windows 10.

[RAD94]

You haven't lost the laptop, just access to the OS.  Have you tried getting to safe mode?  Can you boot with an external W10 disk so it can repair?    W10 could reinstall the OS to a new folder thus saving you from losing your personal files.  If you have to reinstall to a clean disk you would have to attach the drive as a slave to another PC and copy the files off.   If you have multiple partitions on the drive then you could reinstall a clean OS to the C partition and not lose the the other  partitions.  Can you run CHDSK at bootup? 

[JohnShot]

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@RAD94 wrote:

You haven't lost the laptop, just access to the OS.  Have you tried getting to safe mode?  Can you boot with an external W10 disk so it can repair?    W10 could reinstall the OS to a new folder thus saving you from losing your personal files.  If you have to reinstall to a clean disk you would have to attach the drive as a slave to another PC and copy the files off.   If you have multiple partitions on the drive then you could reinstall a clean OS to the C partition and not lose the the other  partitions.  Can you run CHDSK at bootup? 

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I don't fully get what you mean but I have tried to reinstall Windows 10 on a USB therefore I had to change BIOS setup from Secure Boot to Legacy Boot. I had to delete my old partitions because for some reason I could not install windows on any of my old ones so I deleted all of my old partitions and launched the Windows 10 installer, it worked but now I have a few hardware problems such as my (Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165) not working and in the device manager under the subtitle of (Other devices) all the devices in that category are not working. Also my screen resolution changed but thats a minor problem. I asked how to install an OS on Hard disk because I thought if got the Secure Boot options to work then I would not have to use Legacy Boot which I think is the one causing hardware issues but i'm not sure. In Secure boot i've tried Recovery mode but again it takes me back to (Boot device not found, Please install an operating system in Hard Disk) and I also tried to boot in safe mode it once again said (Boot device not found, Please install an operation system in Hard Disk). 😞

[TheOldMan]

For those devices not working properly, the drivers are probably not installed.  Here is the drivers page for that model

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/hp-envy-750-200-desktop-pc-series/9259609/model/105...

Check which one are needed and then download then onto a flash drive with a working PC and then install the drivers on this troubled PC.

[RAD94]

If you are using a proprietary laptop such as an HP laptop, these laptops are the hardest to reload the OS.  I had a friend with W7 who clicked on a popup and ended up with W10 on his laptop.  It took me 3 days to put him back to W7, finding all the device drivers, and other specific HP programs to reload the laptop.  Your first option is to use your warranty.  You may have a BIOS issue with the hard drive settings.  When you delete the partitions, W10 will create a system partition along with the C partition.  For proprietary laptops you have to use the OS specific from the manufacture.  Your problem is an analysis issue and cannot be thought out via this medium.  Manufacture's have their own way of installing the OS on their laptops.  It is different than installing on a clone type system.