Can't Re-install Windows 7 on Dell XPS 625

[Hoogle]

Hi I've searched for solutions to this problem for a few weeks and I haven't found anything.

About a month ago Windows 7 downloaded and installed a windows update. After restarting the computer windows failed to boot. I kept getting the recovery partition but it could not detect my harddrive and load a previous save point of windows. So I tried to reinstall windows yet it could not detect my Hard-drive and kept asking for drivers.

I put the Dell Driver and Utility DVD in the computer but recovery mode could not detect the dvd drive. I subsequently copied this DVD onto usb sticks which it can detect however it does not find the drivers.

I've downloaded various drivers from Dells website but none seem to work, Should I make an iso image on USB stick or should just puting the .exe be fine?

I downloaded Linux Ubuntu to find out if I could rescue data on my harddrive which I could, linux had no issues with my harddrive and I've managed to back up most important files to my external harddrive. However I couldnt install linux properly I could only use the "Try Ubuntu" option and run it from USB stick. When trying to boot Ubuntu without the USB I kept getting taken to the Grub Rescue screen.

I recently got a new harddrive a Western Digital 2TB and I've tried to install windows onto with the old harddrive unconnected. Though I'm having same issues, I can access the windows installation disk which boots fine but I can't install due to not being able the drivers and I get this message

"A required CD/DVD drive device is missing. if you have a driver floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB flash drive, please insert it now. "

When I've searched this problem online a lot of people suggest booting the Windows 7 Installation with a flash drive instead of a dvd. I've done this and yet the same problems persist.

Could this be a motherboard issue (which I dont have any experience with)?

So to summarise
*Windows 7 broke after an update
*Can't seem to be able to install any OS now
*The hardware was working perfectly up until now.

All my searches online for this problem only finds similar issues but not this one and therefore the solutions dont work. Has anyone had this issue before or has any suggestions for a solution or what could be at fault?

Thanks for reading.




Here are my computers stats


DELL XPS 625
AMD PHENOM X3 8750+ BLACK
Hitachi 500GB SATA HDD
Western Digital 2TB SATA HDD
1GB ATI RADEON 4870 HD

 

[Phillip Corcoran]

Strange you should buy a new hard drive when the error clearly refers to CD/DVD drive.

See if this helps:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/952951

 

[Hoogle]

Strange you should buy a new hard drive when the error clearly refers to CD/DVD drive.

See if this helps:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/952951

I was already getting the HDD it just happened to coincide with the problem. I may try another DVD drive if I can get my hand on one. It was working perfectly before the Windows update however. I can boot the the Driver DVD on its own but I get the error about a missing file which I can't quite remember just now but will check when I get home.