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HP Recommended
HP Pavilion HPE H8-1234
Microsoft Windows 7 (64-bit)

Original Windows 7 installation went bad.  Stuck in infinite reboot as soon as it starts.

 

Removed old hard drive.  Installed new hard drive.

 

When installing Windows 7 from disc, it would display a message stating that a driver is missing.  Copied the AMD storage driver as INF file (downloaded from HP website for H8-1234) to flash drive and pointed Windows 7 to it.  Okay.

 

Overcame that problem but no hard drive is detected now.  Attempted to use diskpart in command line but even that does not see the hard drive.  I read online that the problem could be one of the following:

 

1. AHCI or RAID setting in BIOS.  Is there a BIOS manual for the H8-1234 (Gigabyte M3970AM-HP Angelica2 motherboard)?  I am troubleshooting this remotely for my mom so it is difficult without seeing the menus and options.

 

2. SATA port.  Connected using SATA_0 and SATA_1.  Did not try others yet.

 

3. Hard drive boot sector is lost or corrupted.  Planning to use a Windows XP disc to fix this.

 

Is there a BIOS manual?  Anyone have additional suggestions?

 

Thanks!!!

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions
HP Recommended

Hi!  Fixed the problem.  But I did not reset the BIOS.  Resetting the BIOS changes parameters to their default values without me knowing what those changes would be.

 

Found some help on my mom's side.  A friend of her's was able to navigate the BIOS for me.  We basically worked out #1 and #3 that I determined from before.

 

First, I set the storage mode to AHCI and then finally to IDE for better compatibility.  It was set to RAID originally.  RAID setting is probably what prompted the Windows 7 disc to error out asking for a driver every time during installation.  That was frustrating!  I probably could set it back to AHCI for performance but I'll keep it at IDE just because it works now.

 

Second fix was using Acronis True Image to write over the hard drive and clear the corrupted MBR.  Didn't use a Windows XP disc like I originally was thinking but it worked just the same.  I attempted to restore a clean Windows 7 image from a different computer (with True Image and Universal Restore).  The image restoration didn't work properly even though it completed.  But it was enough of an over write that Windows 7 could then see the hard drive.

 

After that, it was relatively smooth sailing with the Windows 7 installation.  The disc created three partitions which was unexpected: 100MB, 128MB, and the rest of the 1TB.  Usually see just the 100MB and the rest.  Maybe it is a Dell configuration since I used a Dell recovery disc.  Either way, it worked.  I've reinstalled everything and the machine is working again.  Only part left is plugging in the old hard drive and recovering the files.

 

To HP, it would have been really nice if you answered some of the questions that were posed.  That would have been a big help I think.  Regardless, I am glad I was able to fix it and hope someone finds my notes on this ordeal helpful.

View solution in original post

4 REPLIES 4
HP Recommended

@bluberryfreckle

Thank you for posting on HP Forums, 

Riddle_Decipher is at your service. 

 

As I Understand Windows 7 Install isn't detecting the replacement HDD,

No worries, as I'll be glad to help you, that said, I'll need a few more details to dissect your concern & provide an accurate solution: 

Are you using the retail copy of Windows 7 or is this the OEM using the recovery media?

Have you installed a hard drive that's similar in size & speed as the one your PC was pre-shipped with?

 

While you respond to that, here's a few things you should do:

 

Make use of the Recovery media as it would install the Softwares and drivers your computer was sent with, therefore avoiding all the issues that you are currently going through:

Click here to obtain one if you don't have it.

 

Click here to view all the user manuals and guides made for your computer/model

 

Let me know how that pans out

I hope you have a good day ahead,

And Feel free to ask any other queries as  well,

Considering, this forum has some of the best people in the world available and ready to help.

 

Riddle_Decipher
I am an HP Employee

HP Recommended

I am using a retail copy of Windows 7 with SP1.  Disc is fairly new.

 

Unfortunately, the HP OEM recovery media is unavailable, and I am unable to order one.  I tried but the website tells me that it has been ordered before and the limit is reached.  This computer was purchased second hand so the recovery media could have been ordered by the original owner before or we lost it on our side somewhere.  Either way, I am working without one.

 

The hard drive I have newly installed is a WD Blue 1TB.  That is identical to the specs for the H8-1234 so should pose no problems.

 

I have downloaded all the drivers from the HP website, including the AMD storage driver.  I have also reviewed all the user and troubleshooting manuals available.  There is little detail on the BIOS menus and options.  Only that F10 allows one to enter the BIOS.

 

If anyone has a detailed manual for the BIOS, that would be greatly appreciated.  Or perhaps someone could tell me how to verify within the BIOS whether the hard drive controller is set to AHCI, IDE, or RAID configuration.  Is there a preferred one?  I assume I should be in AHCI.

 

Also, I'm a bit confused by the boot order menu.  There are UEFI and Legacy boot sources.  Does the computer go through the UEFI first, then the Legacy?  How do I change the order?

 

As mentioned, I am troubleshooting this remotely with my mom in front of the computer so step-by-step instructions on where to navigate and what buttons to press (arrow keys, etc.) would really help me.  Thanks so much!

HP Recommended

Thanks for the reply and trying to troubleshoot the issue on your own. All HP computers go with tattooed BIOS with limited functionality to safeguard the computer. 

 

Request you boot the computer to BIOS, reset BIOS to defaults, save and exit BIOS and check. 

If the issue persists, please boot the computer to BIOS again, disable secure boot and enable legacy boot. Save and Exit BIOS and check. 

 

Let me know how it goes. 

Chimney_83
I am an HP Employee

HP Recommended

Hi!  Fixed the problem.  But I did not reset the BIOS.  Resetting the BIOS changes parameters to their default values without me knowing what those changes would be.

 

Found some help on my mom's side.  A friend of her's was able to navigate the BIOS for me.  We basically worked out #1 and #3 that I determined from before.

 

First, I set the storage mode to AHCI and then finally to IDE for better compatibility.  It was set to RAID originally.  RAID setting is probably what prompted the Windows 7 disc to error out asking for a driver every time during installation.  That was frustrating!  I probably could set it back to AHCI for performance but I'll keep it at IDE just because it works now.

 

Second fix was using Acronis True Image to write over the hard drive and clear the corrupted MBR.  Didn't use a Windows XP disc like I originally was thinking but it worked just the same.  I attempted to restore a clean Windows 7 image from a different computer (with True Image and Universal Restore).  The image restoration didn't work properly even though it completed.  But it was enough of an over write that Windows 7 could then see the hard drive.

 

After that, it was relatively smooth sailing with the Windows 7 installation.  The disc created three partitions which was unexpected: 100MB, 128MB, and the rest of the 1TB.  Usually see just the 100MB and the rest.  Maybe it is a Dell configuration since I used a Dell recovery disc.  Either way, it worked.  I've reinstalled everything and the machine is working again.  Only part left is plugging in the old hard drive and recovering the files.

 

To HP, it would have been really nice if you answered some of the questions that were posed.  That would have been a big help I think.  Regardless, I am glad I was able to fix it and hope someone finds my notes on this ordeal helpful.

† The opinions expressed above are the personal opinions of the authors, not of HP. By using this site, you accept the <a href="https://www8.hp.com/us/en/terms-of-use.html" class="udrlinesmall">Terms of Use</a> and <a href="/t5/custom/page/page-id/hp.rulespage" class="udrlinesmall"> Rules of Participation</a>.