"You gonna format that?"

[kaihonsou]

Hello forum.

When technicians format drives, do they put windows on a DVD, install it and use the key thats normally on the case/laptop?

I avoid formatting but someone asked me yesterday the process and I couldn't tell him, and I felt very stupid.

Kai.

 

[AustinInDallas]

formatting: a task that should be done once every 6 months

 

[kaihonsou]

Thanks, but that wasn't the question.

 

[kaihonsou]

Actually im asking the wrong question...

Transferring windows onto a fresh new hard drive without the original Windows DVD, do you make one, install onto new hard-drive and use the serial thats on the laptop/PC?

 

[AustinInDallas]

formatting refers to basically erasing everything on the harddrive

*it doesnt really erase it, but for all intensive purposes refer to the above

 

[TuxDave]

Like a technician from Best Buy or like corporate IT? I assume for Best Buy, if they reformat it and reinstall your OS, the default approach is to record the key on the installed version of Windows and use their own Windows installation flash disk/dvd/whatever matches what you currently have. That way they don't have to deal with faded stickers or the customer providing them an incorrect key or losing their installation disks etc...

At least that looks like the most foolproof method.

 

[C1]

Actually im asking the wrong question...

Transferring windows onto a fresh new hard drive without the original Windows DVD, do you make one, install onto new hard-drive and use the serial thats on the laptop/PC?

If it is a proprietary machine then you should have restoration CDs that came with it or create them (as back up) from the restore partition that is included on the HDD when you purchased the machine. When you use the proper restoration media, no key or activation is needed (at least for all the machines Ive been involved with) as the restoration is proprietary for the make and model (ie, acts like a corporate edition).

If you try to install from a retail or OEM package, then you will use the key, have to activate as well as have to download and install all necessary drivers (can be a big deal and even PITA).

 

[Gunbuster]

Consumer windows machines (Dell, Lenovo, HP) are reloaded via restore DVD or HDD partition and activate based on a key stored in the system BIOS.

 

[kaihonsou]

I have a laptop with a failed hard-drive. I can see the drive from BIOs but once you get to windows its nothing, wont even get to the loading screen. I was thinking it might be a super nasty boot sector virus but using a CD for a pre-windows virus scan sometimes does not work, the CD/DVD drive stops working which is even more of an issue.

The client is a med student and would really like most of the files on the laptop.

So, I have a dock, a new 2.5 hard-drive and wondering replacing the old drive would still leave me the problem with the CD/DVD drive not working properly. I might scan the old drive externally once I can hook it up to the dock to my computer.

If the new drive goes in, my plan is to use my Windows 7 disk and use the Windows 7 serial on the laptop.

This is my baptism by fire. My first laptop to fix and its a bitch. At least I have the weekend to fix it.

 

[kaihonsou]

Consumer windows machines (Dell, Lenovo, HP) are reloaded via restore DVD or HDD partition and activate based on a key stored in the system BIOS.

Thanks. Maybe they have a windows DVD, since the laptop is one partition and no setup during boot.

 

[pandemonium]

Have you already run chkdsk and scanned for bad sectors? You may want to do that a couple times. It's probably just a corrupted boot file or something. Depending on the drive size, that'll probably take a large portion of a day/night up.

Worst comes to worst, you can write 0's to the drive to clear any possibility of your suspected infection. (Once you retrieve the files that are needed. Which is inherently an issue since those files may be housing the virus.)

Personally, I'd just run some chkdsks, scan with malwarebytes, mbar, run ccleaner, and see if the repair option from a W7 disk finds anything wrong with the windows installation.

Best of luck!

FYI: This belongs in Computer Help.

 

[Gibsons]

*it doesnt really erase it, but for all intensive purposes refer to the above

 

[Ketchup]

I have a laptop with a failed hard-drive. I can see the drive from BIOs but once you get to windows its nothing, wont even get to the loading screen. I was thinking it might be a super nasty boot sector virus but using a CD for a pre-windows virus scan sometimes does not work, the CD/DVD drive stops working which is even more of an issue.

What brand and model is the laptop?

The client is a med student and would really like most of the files on the laptop.

Are these files backed up? If not, the first thing I would do is pull the drive, plug the drive into a desktop, and back up everything important (or get a USB enclosure and do it on another laptop).

So, I have a dock, a new 2.5 hard-drive and wondering replacing the old drive would still leave me the problem with the CD/DVD drive not working properly.

Possibly. The easiest way to tell would be to put a bootable disk in the drive and see if the laptop will boot from it. If is does, it's probably fine.

I might scan the old drive externally once I can hook it up to the dock to my computer.

Yes. Just may sure you backup first, like I mentioned above.

If the new drive goes in, my plan is to use my Windows 7 disk and use the Windows 7 serial on the laptop.

This could work only if the version of Windows on your disc is the same that was on the laptop (Home Premium 64-bit, for example.)

Personally, I would order the recovery discs from the laptop manufacturer and back up the person's data. If I couldn't get it fixed by the time the disks arrived, I would just to a clean install with the recovery discs and copy the backed-up data back. Either way they will have the backup disks, and their data backed up, in the event a situation like this happens again.

 

[kaihonsou]

I was about to do run a HDD self-test and got full electronical failure. The software would let me browse the HDD but it was only empty folders.

I've been chasing the MBR but it seems like a dead HDD. Minitool partition wizard sees it as a "bad drive". Im trying whatever free software to try and clone it (just in-case).

I think its dead. BIOS can see it, programs can see it but once its remotely touched I get errors.

On the back of the laptop its Windows 7 Home Premium OA OEM. Assuming they dont have the disk, would it be possible to download Win 7 Home Premium and use the serial key on a new HDD?

 

[mikeymikec]

Hello forum.

When technicians format drives, do they put windows on a DVD, install it and use the key thats normally on the case/laptop?

I avoid formatting but someone asked me yesterday the process and I couldn't tell him, and I felt very stupid.

Kai.

For older versions of Windows than Win8, there's a product key normally on a sticker, stuck to the case of the computer. One then needs a Windows setup CD/DVD (assuming you don't have a recovery disc provided by the computer manufacturer). The Windows disc asks for the product key during setup.

- edit - I didn't think I had actually posted this, I decided to stop writing it after reading some of the responses.

- edit 2 -

formatting: a task that should be done once every 6 months

Are there really still people who believe this?

 

[Ketchup]

I was about to do run a HDD self-test and got full electronical failure. The software would let me browse the HDD but it was only empty folders.

I've been chasing the MBR but it seems like a dead HDD. Minitool partition wizard sees it as a "bad drive". Im trying whatever free software to try and clone it (just in-case).

I think its dead. BIOS can see it, programs can see it but once its remotely touched I get errors.

On the back of the laptop its Windows 7 Home Premium OA OEM. Assuming they dont have the disk, would it be possible to download Win 7 Home Premium and use the serial key on a new HDD?

Can you hear the hard drive running when it starts up? If it sounds normal, the actuating arm may be stuck or broken. I know that doesn't help any, as it sounds like the drive is indeed dead, I just thought I would throw that in there.

If you get a copy of the same version, you should be able to install it. Activation is up to Microsoft though. And then you will have to download drivers, depending on how old the system is.

 

[kaihonsou]

Fresh Windows 7 Home Premium OEM is installed. Not tried verifying but will get on that later. Gonna put a few programs on, update etc etc.

Should I let them have the Windows DVD ive made or should I keep that for when I need it again? If I create a partition then at least if they have any issues I can reinstall easily enough.

The other laptop has alot of their documents on it for studying (along with a jihad folder with jihadi stuff, wtf?), so im gonna put as much as I can on the laptop ive just got running.

All in all, this has taken me around 10 hours. With everything ive learnt from this I would be doing this so much more faster next time. This was my big fear but ive done it once and its done and dusted. Valuable knowledge was learned.

Thank you soo much forum. I was not really expecting the support I got.

kai.

 

[Ketchup]

Fresh Windows 7 Home Premium OEM is installed. Not tried verifying but will get on that later. Gonna put a few programs on, update etc etc.

Should I let them have the Windows DVD ive made or should I keep that for when I need it again? If I create a partition then at least if they have any issues I can reinstall easily enough.

The other laptop has alot of their documents on it for studying (along with a jihad folder with jihadi stuff, wtf?), so im gonna put as much as I can on the laptop ive just got running.

All in all, this has taken me around 10 hours. With everything ive learnt from this I would be doing this so much more faster next time. This was my big fear but ive done it once and its done and dusted. Valuable knowledge was learned.

Thank you soo much forum. I was not really expecting the support I got.

kai.

I would ask them to order the recovery discs from the manufacturer, but you can let the keep the disc you made if it activates. The license is for the key anyway.

 

[MorpheusPhreak]

Hello forum.

When technicians format drives, do they put windows on a DVD, install it and use the key thats normally on the case/laptop?

I avoid formatting but someone asked me yesterday the process and I couldn't tell him, and I felt very stupid.

Kai.

This depends on the source of the original machine.

If it is a machine that was built by a local dealer, then generally yes you will use the key that's on the machine.

If it's a machine that is built by a big box company then the tech should use the disc that shipped with the machine, or their own disc that is for that particular model or from that OEM. The key on those machines is generally embedded and will activate when the right disc is used.

For newer machines they use a different activation scheme that embeds a key in the UEFI chip for the machine and is unique per machine.

Are there really still people who believe this?

Indeed. It's usually people who write things like "for all intensive purposes" when they actually mean "for all intents and purposes."


Edit - Yes I realize I'm late to the party, but figured it would be nice to have everything listed all in one post...plus I couldn't miss the opportunity to make the crack under the second quote.