Linux Live CDs

Posts Tagged ‘Laptop’

I’ve been meaning to install windows 7 on my laptop which was dual booting vista and ubuntu no problem. My end goal was to have vista, 7, and ubuntu next to each other. I decided that I also wanted a clean install of ubuntu. So I started out today by deleteing all the linux partitions and installing 7 on it. When it restarted I only had a blinking line. So I fixed mbr and fix boot. I fear that installing 7 in the free space beside vista and using a 7 install disk to fix the mbr it has damaged my vista partition. When I run a live cd it looks like all my files from vista are there but when I restart and try to boot it tells me I have a disk read error, please press ctrl+alt+del. ubuntu sees my vista partition as a windows 7 (loader) and it sees the 7 partition as just a nfts filesystem. Any ideas on how I can get vista to boot again?
Thanks for the help, but I figured it out a diffrent way.
1) I used gparted to remove the boot flag from the dead vista partition.
2) Installed 7 on a new partiton
3) Used the repair option on the vista disk, which automatically added the “recovered” vista partition to the boot loader and it boots.

I have a Compaq CQ50-115nr. I bought it online for pretty cheap. The listing says the HDD is bad, which is fine, I have a ton of those sitting around. I get the laptop, rpl the hdd, it still won’t recognize it, disk read error. I assume it is the SATA port, yank the hdd and throw it in an external case and figure I will boot to usb. Same thing. I try the hdd on my regular computer and it has Linux on it.

I am having trouble even getting this laptop to do the same thing twice. One time it will boot to the WIndows cd, go through the initial loading files portion and then pop up an error (trying to get 0x code), another time it will go to the disk read error again, and sometimes it just sits there and has a blinking cursor until I shut it off.

So far I have tried:
1. taking out the ram chips 1 by 1 and trying in different slots
2. Windows xp, vista and 7 (the xp disk wont even spin up, but is filthy so…)
3. put a new hdd in
4. tried different usb ports
5. crying and punching a pillow (I rent so hitting a wall is a no go)
6. resetting cmos
7. resetting bios
8. booting up to a diagnostics cd and running tests (doesnt find the hdd so those tests are pretty short)
9. booting to a live cd (only worked once or twice, and I was so shocked didnt think to try anything, just sat there looking at the screen)

Any help or suggestions (or random insults) would be appreciated. I want to flash the BIOS and update to the newest version, but the HP website says it is some utility and I have to have Windows installed to use it?!

I would like to use my old copy of windows XP, but it won’t load on my newer laptop nomatter how I tweek my BIOS. I love the quick boot and simplicity of PUPPY LINUX, but it won’t connect wirelessly to my AIRPORT EXTREME. I tried MANDRIVA, it’s nice to look at but it’s too big and it’s too slow to boot and shut down. I’m currently trying KNOPPIX, but it didn’t boot. Besides, it’s a large file like MANDRIVA and I expect it’ll be just as slow, but I’ll try again Does anyone know of any quick boot PUPPY LINUX type of live cd’s?

I am fixing a friends laptop computer that has Vista on it. She bought it from Best Buy a little over a year ago. 5 months ago she was downloading a game, closed the lid, and went to bed while the game kept downloading. When she woke up and open the laptop lid, it asked her to restart. After restarting the computer she received the “A disk read error has occurred, press ctrl+alt+del to restart.” That is where it is stuck at.

She took her computer to Best Buy and was told she had MalWare and that it would cost $325 (she even bought the extended warranty which they told her doesn’t cover the hard drive) to send it off and have the data backed up and a new Vista OS installed. Or $525 to backup data and replace hard drive. I know thats bs. I took it from her yesterday to play with it.

I have tried using the Vista Recovery CD from NeoSmart, but no luck. I set laptop to boot from cd and it stops after the Windows Loading screen that has the little green “Knight Rider” bar. After that screen it just goes black. I know the CD is fine because I tested it in my computer. I know the DVD drive is fine also because of whats follows in the next paragraph. I am pretty sure this problem is a simple fixboot/fixmbr problem, but I can’t get the Recovery CD to load which in turn prevents me from running anything. BTW, this laptop like many does not have a Vista CD since it has the Recovery Partition installed on the HDD. Can’t access that since I can’t start Windows. She did however make other Recovery CD’s when she bought the computer using the Recovery Manager (you know the whole 3 Dvds crap) but those will not work either. they just cause a clicking sound.

So, my last effort was Linux Live. I don’t use Linux, but I always keep a updated Linux Live CD for just such an occasion. Linux Live (Using Slax) will load just fine from the DVD drive and I am able to access the contents of her HDD. So now I am pretty sure the HDD is in good shape and that the boot sector is the culprit. My question basically boils down to:

Is there any way to restore a Windows Vista Boot Sector with a linux live cd?

I did a search and came across ms-sys, but know nothing about it. I aso have a Win XP CD, but read somewhere that you should never use an XP CD to repair Windows Vista boot sectors. I so far haven’t even tried that CD to see if it will load. Anyway that is where I am at. Any help or guidance would be appreciated.

I am fixing a friends laptop computer that has Vista on it. She bought it from Best Buy a little over a year ago. 5 months ago she was downloading a game, closed the lid, and went to bed while the game kept downloading. When she woke up and open the laptop lid, it asked her to restart. After restarting the computer she received the “A disk read error has occurred, press ctrl+alt+del to restart.” That is where it is stuck at.

She took her computer to Best Buy and was told she had MalWare and that it would cost $325 (she even bought the extended warranty which they told her doesn’t cover the hard drive) to send it off and have the data backed up and a new Vista OS installed. Or $525 to backup data and replace hard drive. I know thats bs. I took it from her yesterday to play with it.

I have tried using the Vista Recovery CD from NeoSmart, but no luck. I set laptop to boot from cd and it stops after the Windows Loading screen that has the little green “Knight Rider” bar. After that screen it just goes black. I know the CD is fine because I tested it in my computer. I know the DVD drive is fine also because of whats follows in the next paragraph. I am pretty sure this problem is a simple fixboot/fixmbr problem, but I can’t get the Recovery CD to load which in turn prevents me from running anything. BTW, this laptop like many does not have a Vista CD since it has the Recovery Partition installed on the HDD. Can’t access that since I can’t start Windows. She did however make other Recovery CD’s when she bought the computer using the Recovery Manager (you know the whole 3 Dvds crap) but those will not work either. they just cause a clicking sound.

So, my last effort was Linux Live. I don’t use Linux, but I always keep a updated Linux Live CD for just such an occasion. Linux Live (Using Slax) will load just fine from the DVD drive and I am able to access the contents of her HDD. So now I am pretty sure the HDD is in good shape and that the boot sector is the culprit. My question basically boils down to:

Is there any way to restore a Windows Vista Boot Sector with a linux live cd?

I did a search and came across ms-sys, but know nothing about it. I aso have a Win XP CD, but read somewhere that you should never use an XP CD to repair Windows Vista boot sectors. I so far haven’t even tried that CD to see if it will load. Anyway that is where I am at. Any help or guidance would be appreciated.