Recovery disk will not boot

[cyborg5]

I'm helping a friend with his HP CP61-313US notebook computer. Somehow it's not booting from the hard drive. It tries to load Windows and then crashes giving me the black screen where you can choose safe mode, safer networking, etc.

It will not boot in safe mode or any other options. It will not boot from last good configuration.

I ordered recovery disks from HP and inserted disc one of the recovery package. It will not boot from the CD. I've gone into the bios options and set the CD drive as the first option. I've done this both from within the F10 bios settings and from the F9 boot order settings. I can hear the CD drive run but it keeps trying to boot from the hard drive.

I never get a message that says something like "press any key to boot from CD."

Is there something else I can do to force the boot from CD/DVD?

Is there a way that I can copy this HP recovery disk onto a flash drive myself and try to boot from flash drive. I suppose there is a possibility that the DVD/CD drive is broken. My friend who owns the computer rarely used to drive.

Is there some other bios setting I can use? By the way I ran the memory and hard drive diagnostics and they passed.

[Grassslacks]

I have exact same problem with Envy / Windows 7.

Using factory recovery disks, external DVD begins boot but rapidly goes into Windows anyway. Will have to send unit to HP for software reload. I won't buy another HP in this lifetiime. Enourmous frustration with incompetent and poorly trained tech support.

[CherylG]

 Have you tried the USB CD/DVD drive on another usb port? Not sure how many you have, but usually 2 x 2.0 usb and 1  x 3.0 usb port. USB 3.0 doesn't work to boot from.

A quick way to test CD/DVD drive (and possibly repair the installed OS).Create a Windows 7 Rescue CD.  Download the ISO from the link below.

Windows 7 64bit

Use an application such as ImgBurn to burn the ISO to a CD - a guide on using ImgBurn to write an ISO to a disc is Here. 

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Lockups-Freezes-Hangs/HP-G72-b66US-Notebook-PC-Dosn-t-Boot-int...

[CherylG]

If you can read the 25 character Microsoft Windows 7 license key, you can download a Windows 7 ISO file to burn to a DVD or USB flash drive. The version  must match version that came installed on your PC as  listed on the Microsoft COA sticker attached to bottom of laptop. Such as Windows Home Premium.

Link to the Windows 7 ISO file downloads:

http://www.mydigitallife.info/official-windows-7-sp1-iso-from-digital-river/

You can use the Windows 7 USB/DVD installation tool to convert the ISO file you download. Link and instructions below. You need a  DVD+R or DVD -R . Or a 4 GB flash drive to use the USB method.

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool#installation

Use the 25 character key on the COA to activate the installation.

The key will activate either a 32 or 64 bit installation.

Next go to your support and driver page to install the drivers you need.

[Grassslacks]

I am already in possession of HP factory restore disk set. The DVD writes and reads on this envy fine with other disks.

This Envy wouldn't boot from the USB DVD drive originally, HP requested a HDD extended test, it failed, the unit was sent to HP for new HDD. I recieved it back today. Under instruction from HP techs I tried a Minimized Image Recovery I want to have the OS clean of bloatware). Did another extended HDD test requested by HP, it passed. Frustratingly worked with five or more techs, was hung-up on, cold transfered after waiting 20 minutes on hold, was insulted for knowing what I know (from HP website information).

The Envy is going back to HP for OS reload. I requested but know they won't repair the DVD boot problem nor fix the HP Minimized Image Recovery for sucessful load / recovery.

The last tech I spoke with (level 2) told me that Windows 7 doesn't support HP Minimized Image Recovery and that HP Minimized Image Recovery only loads basic OS software without supporting software (for diagnostic purposes only).

http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c01867418

This is from that HP.com site:

Performing an HP System Recovery (Windows 7)

• Minimized Image Recovery: Available on many of HP's notebook computers, the Minimized Image Recovery removes all partitions, reformats the entire hard drive, reinstalls the original operating system and hardware drivers, and reinstalls HP essential software (such as HP Support Assistant and HP Recovery Manager). Minimized Image Recovery does not reinstall the trial applications and games.
  HP refuses to load the minimized image recovery at the factory, meaning I'll be stuck with the task when it returns to me from the factory. I want to be rid of the bloatware. And the system won't allow that option, so, just like today, I will attempt the recovery, the system will be corrupted and will be sent back to HP (third time). Remember that the HP factory recovery disks won't boot the system.

[CherylG]

 Replies were for the original poster.

[cyborg5 · Accepted solution]

I've determined that the DVD drive on this laptop is either bad or about to fail. I tried creating a Windows repair CD and was able to read the CD. It would give me the "Press any key to boot to CD or DVD" message which I was not getting with the HP factory restore discs. I put the HP factory restore discs in a different computer and tried copying them. I thought perhaps if my drive was about to fail there was something about the factory discs that it would not read but perhaps a copy freshly burned on a blank disk might read. It would almost boot. It would try and then get IO errors on the copied version of the disk. I came to the conclusion I could find other uses for an external DVD USB drive and since they were only $40 I went ahead and bought one. I'm now successfully doing the restore from the original HP recovery disks using the external DV

D USB drive. I had to set the bios to boot to USB DVD drive but it appears to be working. So you can consider my original request as "solved" however I cannot speak for other users who have latched onto this thread. But if anyone is having difficulty with their original HP discs I suggest trying to make a copy of the them and perhaps a copy will work. The copied almost worked for me.

[Kroel]

I lost recovery disk ?

[CherylG]

@Kroel 

Contact HP to order Recovery Media. Worldwide contact info can be accessed here>>Contact HP