installation stuck at setup is starting

[brehui]

compaq presario CQ61

Windows Vista 

windows stuck at setup is starting

my laptop doesnt boot.i am trying to instal a fresh copy of windows 7and stuck as above mentioned.when i diagnose the HDD says to replace.i replaced it but bothing changed.doesnt boot.Any suggestions?

[DavidPK]

Hi,

Although you have replaced the HDD, run the following tests and let me know.

Shut down the notebook.  Tap away at f10 as you start the notebook to enter the bios menu.  Under the Advanced or Diagnostic tab you should find the facility to run tests on both the Hard Drive and Memory.  Post back with the details of any error messages.

Regards,

DP-K

[brehui]

i run the test that was checking the both memory and HDD.was the startup test.Was passed.i also checked my laptop at the system engineer and he said that i have to replace the HDD because of some issues that he found with his super dooper software.he advised me to buy a brand new hdd.i ordered it on internet but i have some doubts cause why isnt it working with the other hdd that i tried it.I forgot to mention that this HDD was working on another laptop but mines.so i dont think that this is the problem.the hdd is over 120 $ and i dont want to buy it for nothing.what should i do?

[brehui]

when i run the HDD test, the quick test was passed but i received an error : 305. THE HDD 1 is Full. What does it mean?

[DavidPK · Accepted solution]

Hi,

The 305 error is a failure of the long Disk Self Test and would indicate the HDD has failed.

As a further test, you could try the following.

Follow the procedure on the link below to create a bootable Ubuntu CD and follow the steps in Part 3 to 'Try it' to see if this OS will run.  The 'Try it' option runs the OS from the CD without the need to install on your HDD.  If this runs Ok ( it will be slow running from a CD ), this would tend to confirm that the problem is with the HDD.

http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/download

Regards,

DP-K

[brehui]

so my friend was right.the HDD has big problems, and i wont waste 120$.thanks a bunch.it;s a relief.But what was the issue that caused this, cause i don;t want to have it again.what could it be?

[DavidPK]

Hi,

It's almost impossible to say exactly why the drive failed - the average lifespan is somewhere between 3 -5 years, but some last a lot longer while others may fail almost immediately.

Regards,

DP-K