i accidentally deleted my D: recovery drive and now I get an error on startup

[CHEFKRH]

i accidentally deleted my 😧 recovery drive and now I get an error on startup saying

- THE SMART HARD DISK CHECK HAS DETECTED AN IMENENT FAILURE. TO ENSURE NO DATA LOSS, PLEASE BACKUP THE CONTENT IMMEDIATLT AND RUN THE HARD DISK TEST IN SYSTEM DIAGNOSTICS.

-HARD DISK 1 (301)

-F2 SYSTEM DIAGNOSTICS

-ENTER - CONTINUE STARTUP

The HD always fails the diagnostics, F11 doesn't work, I went in and made a new D recovery drive by partitioning some memory off the C drive but I don't know how large it should be and I don't know if the HP recovery partition sitting next to it is going to function with it. I am currently finishing the backup of my files and folders before I re-start the thing to see if I fixed it. I also re-installed every HP recovery software I could find in hopes that it would help. When I run HP support assistant, the HD fails. Please Help

[CHEFKRH]

Also, the failure id is GTTT3A-5RJ97S-MFP95G-60VT13

[Grzwacz]

Greetings,

Welcome to the forum.

I am not an HP employee.

You will have to replace the HDD ASAP.  Check out a SSD for better performance.

Accidentally removing the "D" drive is unrelated.

Did you make HP USB or DVD Recovery media?

You will need this or you have to install W10 using Microsoft installation media (link). You may have to install HP specific software and some hardware drivers if you use Microsoft installation media.

You may be able to buy HP Recovery media and find HP software at your PC's Software and Driver Download Site.

I would direct you to the HP site but "dv7" is incomplete product information. The product number is probably in the battery compartment.

Regards

[CherylG]

@CHEFKRH

As mentioned, deleting the D drive has nothing to do with your hard drive failing. If it is the original hdd it must be 6-7 years old by now. Since your DV7 6157cl shipped with Windows 7 I assume you took the free upgrade to Windows 10? Replace the drive and reinstall Windows 10. 

I like Western Digital drives:
https://www.amazon.com/Black-500GB-Performance-Mobile-Drive/dp/B00QFXOL5G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=153...

Maintenance & Service Guide shows how to change it:
https://support.hp.com/us-en/product/hp-pavilion-dv7-6100-entertainment-notebook-pc-series/5082216/m...

If you took the free upgrade to Windows 10 you have a digital license stored on Microsoft servers. 

Microsoft provides the free Media Creation Tool to download files and create a Windows 10 usb flash drive. At least 8gb flash drive required:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

Select Download tool now, and select Run.
If you agree to the license terms, select Accept.
On the What do you want to do? page, select Create installation media for another PC, and then select Next.
Select the language, edition, and architecture (64-bit) for Windows 10.
The Guide here shows the steps.Pay attention to Step 5 if you will be using another pc. If you are using the DV7 to make it you can leave it checked and it will make all of the correct choices for you.
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/2376-create-bootable-usb-flash-drive-install-windows-10-a.html

------------------------

When the hdd is replaced and the flash drive is prepared insert it in a usb port. Power on the laptop and immediately start tapping Esc key. From the menu tap F9 key and use the arrow keys to move to and select usb. Tap Enter key.
When installing if it asks at any point for a license/product key just choose "Skip" or "I don't have a key". It will continue and should activate once you are online.

[mdklassen · Accepted solution]

> I don't know if the HP recovery partition sitting next to it is going to function with it.

Using that partition would reinstall the original factory-loaded copy of Windows (7? 8?) onto the disk-drive.

You don't want to do that, because:

* your computer was running Windows 10 (and the Other Person has indicated how to reload Windows 10),

* the disk-drive is failing, and must be replaced (as the Other Person indicated).

If the computer still boots, or even if it does not boot, but it is not "completely-dead", consider "disk-cloning" as a process to copy everything, sector-by-sector, onto a brand-new disk-drive.  Then, remove the old disk-drive, connect the new disk-drive, and boot from it.  You'll find that 99.9999% of all your data files & programs will be available -- a few sectors may not have copied.

-----------
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Also, please click "Accept As Solution" for the best response.

[CHEFKRH]

Thank you, I am getting a new HDD now, it came with Win7 and I have the Win10 upgrade all saved. I saved all my data so no worries. I am going to transfer my old drive to the new one when it arrives. BTW, I downloaded all the HP recovery/fix software the had and it did fix the 😧 drive. Thank you!

[CHEFKRH]

Thanks, I have ordered a new WD HDD. The HP recovery software I downloaded fixed the 😧 drive anf the HP recovery partition is working with it. It did come with Win7 and I already have the Win10 upgrade all saved with all my personal data to an external source. I am going to clone the old drive onto the new one when it arrives and then install the new HDD. Thanks again for your help!

[CHEFKRH]

Hello, I am going to do exactly what you suggest. Seems like the easiest solution, I have ordered a new HDD. The HP recovery software fixed the 😧 drive and the HP recovery partition is working with it. I have all my data saved to an external source and am ready to begin as soon as the new drive arrives. Thank you for your help!

[CHEFKRH]

Let me please ask this. How do you clone? I believe I read you take the old HDD out and put the new one in before you start or the new one won't boot. Then you plug the old HDD in to the USB port and then start her up. But what do you do to clone? I just downloaded Macrium Refrect to clone, but do I need it?

[mdklassen]

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@CHEFKRH wrote:
How do you clone? I believe I read you take the old HDD out and put the new one in before you start or the new one won't boot. Then you plug the old HDD in to the USB port and then start her up. But what do you do to clone?
I just downloaded Macrium Refrect to clone, but do I need it?

---

Cloning is easiest when you have a different desktop-computer with Windows installed, and the case has three drive-bays.

1. If you purchased a Seagate (or Western Digital) disk-drive, download Seatools from www.seagate.com (or  Acronis True Image WD Edition Software from W.D.'s web-site).
2. Install it, and run it, to burn one bootable CD-R, with the cloning-software.
3. Shutdown the computer.
4. Disconnect its primary disk-drive.
5. Connect the "failing" disk-drive (power and data cables).
6. Connect the brand-new disk-drive.
7. Boot from the CD-R.
8. Select the "source" disk-drive.
9. Select the "target" disk-drive.
10. Launch the data-copying step.
11. Shutdown.
12. Disconnect the two disk-drives.
13. Reconnect the primary disk-drive that you removed.
14. Connect the "target" disk-drive to your computer.
15. Boot into Wndows.
16. Let "plug-and-play" identify the changed hardware, and reboot when prompted.
17. Done.

Yes, Macrium software can create a bootable CD-R.

1. Boot it, and use it to copy everything on the "failing" drive to a [large] file on the external disk-drive.
2. Shutdown and disconnect the AC power.
3. Disconnect the failing disk-drive.
4. Connect the brand-new disk-drive.
5. Check that the external disk-drive is still connected.
6. Boot from the CD-R, and copy from the external disk-drive onto the brand-new drive.
7. Shutdown & disconnect the AC power.
8. Disconnect the external disk-drive.
9. Boot from the new disk-drive.

Note that Macrium writes one file onto an existing external disk-drive, without first "wiping" the disk-drive.

So, one can use the same external disk-drive to hold backups of a few computers, disk-space permitting.