HP reinstall problems

[matt_21484]

I have recently acquired an HP Pavilion 762n from a friend minus the hard drive. I already have an 80 GB one that I threw in there with hopes of re-installing windows XP Pro, of which I have an install CD for. My problem is that when I put the cd in the drive and turn on the PC I get an error stating:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: <Windows root>\system32.hal.dll.
Please re-install a copy of the above file.

There is no option to boot from CD or anything, I see the HP Invent logo and then the above error. I dont have another computer with PATA connections on it, other than one that has a DVD-RW drive set as the master. The HD in the HP is set as master w/ the proper master connection. Any thoughts?

[Panama Red]

Sounds like it's not recognizing the CD drive or the CD drive isn't before the hdd in the boot order. Either way, you need to get into the bios to see what's going on. HP uses F1 or F2 to access the bios. If you don't get the "Press F1 for Setup" option on start up, just start tapping F1 and alternately F2 right after you press the power button.

[matt_21484]

So I got into the BIOS and I changed the boot order to CDROM and still nothing, i can hear it try to pick up the disk but i still get the same error right away. Does HP have a function key that boots straight to CD?

Also when I change the only boot option to CDROM I get this now:

DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER

[whubbard]

My guess is that your CDROM drive is broken, or the disc you are using is corrupt or broken (sratches, etc). Try instaling XP, Vista, 98, Linux, (whatever), with a disc you KNOW is good. If it works then your CD is bad. If it doesn't work I assume something is wrong with your CDROM drive.

Also: Is the XP disc your using a DVD (I believe some are), If it is you wont be able to boot it from your CDROM drive, and you will need an external DVD drive.

~Hope This Help~

[matt_21484]

So I tired using XP Home and Pro (two seperate disks) and neither of them worked, so I'm assuimg there is a problem with the CD-ROM drive, thus, i splurged and droped a big 30 bucks on a LIte-On DVD-RW drive from newegg, it better work when it gets here.

I believe both disks are CD-ROM disks as there is no designation that they are DVD disks. But I cannot say for certain.

Could this possibly be a problem with my hard drive? It is a segate of sorts, I think the model number is 7200.8. And how do I test to see if the hard drive is bad?

[glc]

You can download SeaTools to test the hard drive.

[chuck4456]

How many IDE connectors are on that board?

[matt_21484]

How many IDE connectors are on that board?
There are two

You can download SeaTools to test the hard drive.
How can I do this if I can't boot into windows. My other computer only has one IDE connector on it and it is being used for the DVD-RW. All my HDD are SATA. Can I still connect the IDE HDD as a slave and the DVD-RW as master?

[glc]

SeaTools runs off a bootable floppy or CD, as do most diagnostic programs.

Connect the hard drive as master and the optical as slave.

[matt_21484]

OK so same computer different problem, has anybody been able swap out the CD-RW drive or the DVD-ROM drive on this comp (HP Pavilion 762n)? I have the PSU hanging out the side of the case, the HDD cage out and all visible screws removed and I cannot get the either of the optical drives out. I am trying to replace the optical too test if that has gone bad. any suggestions would be appreciated. btw i can take pictures and post them if it will help

[whubbard]

Pictures might help, Also have you called HP, or stopped by their website. I believe they have live online support, and hopefully the agent you get will be willing to help!

[matt_21484]

Thanks for the tip, I actually went right to HP's website, I dont know why I didnt think of this before, maybe its b/c I've always had Dell's in the past and their websites are horriable. But HP had a great how to on removing/replacing devices on thier PC's. Couldn't have asked for a better FAQ section, too bad they make you remove the entire front of the PC, oh well. Thanks to everyone who helped, turned out the optical was bad.

[Ob1]

if you have another optical drive, just take the ide cable off the bad one(s) and power cables and just lay the new optical drive along side the case and connect the ide and power cable, and see if you can boot to the cd. have you tried replacing that IDE cable that goes to the optical drives?