Hello, I just recently wiped my hard drive completely clean. However, I do have the Recovery Disk. It is a laptop with a Vis

[roypdiggs51]

I am trying to restore my hard drive after wiping it clean. It has a Vista operating system and I do have the Recovery Disk that came with the computer when I purchased it. However, the recovery disk cannot locate the C: drive. Do I need to repurchase a full version of Vista operating system or is it on the Recovery Disk. If it is on the recovery disk, will a recovery/restore boot disk solve the problem? Lastly, there is a DVD player on the laptop. Should the recovery disk include DVD.

 

[dextermat]

Hi,

If it cannot find the drive it means it's not plugged in correctly or defective.
I would inquire the hard drive problem. You do not need to buy another copy of vista since the recovery disk should work.
Maybe try another disk if you have a spare one.

 

[Shaun o]

When you say you formatted the hard disk.
Was it partitioned into two drives.

By that I mean when in windows before the formatting did you used to have a C: and a D: drive even though there is only one physical hard drive in the laptop.

Its important you see, because if it was and you deleted or removed the partition if it had what we called and extended.
Then you wiped the image required that is hidden on the partition of the hard drive to complete the install of windows Vista.

You see all some recovery disks do is start the main part of the installation or setup of windows from the dvd or cd used.
And then are pointed to the hidden image for the complete re install of the os.

If it cannot find that image due to deletion of the partition of the drive it has no where to go.
Most laptops have a hidden partition where the Image of the OS sits for use of a re install via a recovery disk.
By the look of it its looking for the image, to start the install of the OS again.

 

[roypdiggs51]

When you say you formatted the hard disk.
Was it partitioned into two drives.

By that I mean when in windows before the formatting did you used to have a C: and a D: drive even though there is only one physical hard drive in the laptop.

Its important you see, because if it was and you deleted or removed the partition if it had what we called and extended.
Then you wiped the image required that is hidden on the partition of the hard drive to complete the install of windows Vista.

You see all some recovery disks do is start the main part of the installation or setup of windows from the dvd or cd used.
And then are pointed to the hidden image for the complete re install of the os.

If it cannot find that image due to deletion of the partition of the drive it has no where to go.
Most laptops have a hidden partition where the Image of the OS sits for use of a re install via a recovery disk.
By the look of it its looking for the image, to start the install of the OS again.

 

[roypdiggs51]

Shaun,
There was a C: and D: drive before I wiped the hard drive clean. What can I do to resolve the issue???

Thanks

 

[Shaun o]

Well the only thing to do if the laptop is new.
And it contains a sata 2.5" hard drive is to take it out of the laptop.

You could then connect it to a tower based system via its sata ports and a cable, and sata power connector from the Psu of the tower.

You would then have to run partition recovery software such as found here http://www.easeus.com/

You must have a drive in the system with enough space so the image or old structure of the formatted 2.5" drive can be reconstructed to it.

1.Run,install Easeus
2. Select drive to recover 2.5"
3.Select the other drive with enough space to store the image of the 2.5" drive rebuilt.
4. Once done you select the image and write it back to the 2.5" drive.

If all goes well then the drive should return back to its state before it was formatted by you including the two partitions C: and D:

Once done it can be disconnected from the tower and placed back in the laptop.
A hidden partition normally does not show, but if it does and appears blank on opening it in windows it is because the image is hidden to windows to avoid deletion.

Failing that it`s a case of buying a full disk version of windows, or asking the company who made the laptop to provide you with an os install disk that they may also charge you for.

Good luck.