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New HDD can't load windows

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Ray

PCHF Member
Sep 12, 2017
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Hi I have a Toshiba satellite A40C i5 can't load a windows operating system.
I had to fit a new HDD due to the previous one packing up
I have no windows 7 pro disc but have tried installing win xp,win vista,win7 home and windows8 but the laptop always says no operating system found.The only disk that will load is Linux based.
Also tried USB win7.all of these disc have been tried on my other laptopb with no problem.Any help please
 
Hi Bill many thanks for your prompt reply.I have formatted the drive also it is visible in the bios.I am a little confused as why it will not load any windows,but does load linuxmint with no problems. I thouth i might be able to load windows through the linux operation system but no luck there. Do you think if i get a windows pro disc it would load?
 
Ray, There shouldn't be any difference between loading Win 7 Pro and Win 7 Home. Are the discs you're trying to use certifiable? What format did you use for the HDD?
 
Hi Bill i tried formating in ntfs and i think i tried fat32 .The laptop is a 64 bit.The windows disks i used are are copies of my old computers .Have used the win7 on many computers so i know they all work.
 
Ok, you need to check your BIOS and make the optical drive the first boot option. The default setting is first boot HDD. Unless the machine is set to look first at the optical drive Window will not load.
 
Win 7 on a USB stick has to be configured as a boot device. I don't know much about linux but I think it's install drivers over-rides the BIOS boot order.
If you set the optical drive as the first boot priority, put the Win 7 Home disk in the drive and reboot the machine.
 
Hi Bill i tried formating in ntfs and i think i tried fat32 .The laptop is a 64 bit.The windows disks i used are are copies of my old computers .Have used the win7 on many computers so i know they all work.
The thing that you have to remember is that they were for you old computers. When Windows is installed it forms it self around that system. Since you are dealing with a different computer Windows is not recognizing the hardware installed matching the hardware installed so it will never work.

What happened to the original operating system that was on the system? Best thing to do is contact the Manufacture of the laptop to get recovery disk that are for that system.
 
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The thing that you have to remember is that they were for you old computers. When Windows is installed it forms it self around that system. Since you are dealing with a different computer Windows is not recognizing the hardware installed matching the hardware installed so it will never work.

What happened to the original operating system that was on the system? Best thing to do is contact the Manufacture of the laptop to get recovery disk that are for that system.
hi the computer was purchased online from a dealer secondhand but as most computers you dont get the disc . The hdd that came with it packed up so i could not retrieve it.I understand about the disc i have being old but they have always loaded on newer computers with little trouble..I just dont understand why it does not even start to load?
 
Hello Ray,

Hi I have a Toshiba satellite A40C i5
Do you have a link to your specific model of notebook, there is more than one that includes the prefix A40C but not all have the same tpe of BIOS.

NTFS is the correct format. Have you tried the advice that was offered on the other site?

We are always happy to help when we can but we cannot safely do so if you are already receiving assistance on any other forum, doing so may lead to confusion as to whose and what guidance you are following which can be both dangerous and costly, decide on which forum you wish to continue and as a courtesy let the other/s know that assistance is no longer required.
Thank you for your understanding.
 
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Until you're able to get a valid, licensed Disk or USB Drive, I'm afraid I have to close your thread from further responses. PCHF follows every law, and cloning a OS disc is not the best way to do things. You can order a DVD from eBay or other online sites, but remember that each computer has X amount of activations, and once that limit has been reached, you'll need to call Microsoft's automated telephone line to get a new activation key.

We can re-open this thread at any time, but until a valid, licensed copy of Windows is obtained, it'll remain closed. Hope you understand :)
 
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