Need with with my friend's HP laptop please!

Hi all, i tried doing a few forums searches and i think i have a grasp of what i need to do, but considering this isn't my laptop, but a friends, i want to make sure i get it right.

Here's the issue, her computer no longer boots up, it goes through that infinite recovery loop where it acts like its going to restore to a previous date, but will not. It never loads windows. I realize that HP will sell you a recovery disc...

The problem is she has lots of photos that she has stored on there, and i'm not sure how to extract them. A friend suggested an external harddrive enclosure such as ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817362001).

I have 2 questions though. Firstly how do i go about creating a backup and retrieving her photos if the computer wont boot (i know i have to use the harddrive enclosure and connect it to another vista computer), it just doesnt make sense to me.

Secondly, instead of ordering one of those discs from HP and paying for basically an overcrapped out version of vista... could i use my vista cd and load it on there for her? The reason i ask, is that the same friend who recommended the enclosure said that I would have to use the HP disc, and that a clean copy of vista wouldn't load properly (cant remember why).

Can you guys please help me out what is my best course of action?

Thanks so much in advance.

 

I would suggest you first try a linux live cd to boot up and save her data to an external hard drive or flash drive (if you have one).

If that doesn't work, then purchase the external hard drive enclosure. It will make the disk act like an external hard drive, whats there that doesn't make sense? I mean its not like you'll be booting from the external hard drive.

Also yes, using an alternative vista disc and using the cd key on the bottom of the laptop is the best/cheapest way to go.

Your friend doesn't happen to work for HP would he? Because this is completely false. The only thing you'd really have to do would be to save the SW Setup folder in the hard drive that's there originally, because all of the drivers for the computer are located in this folder.

 

well i guess it does make sense when you word it that way. I think what i was getting caught up on was the fact that it wont currently boot into windows and i figured that somehow affected its status as an external harddrive.

Ok, so if its that easy... and you can garantee me that i wont have problems loading a non-hp vista cd, i think im good to go!

 

Try booting from the vista DVD you have.

 

Yep, I used a vista ultimate retail disc (from windows feedback panel) to install Vista Home Premium 64 bit. The only thing that might have a minor issue would be you might have to call microsoft to activate Vista, as I had to do. But all it took was about 4 mins on the phone.

 

worst case scenario if it doesnt work, could we always resort to the HP disc? or at that point have i screwed things up by using another vista disc?

 

The only difference between HP's vista Disc and a regular vista disc is that HP has added drivers to the installation along with a bunch of software and a License key. Other than that, there is no difference.

 

to retrieve the photos use a USB to SATA/IDE cable or an external hdd caddy and load the photos onto another computer since that drive would work as a usb storage device....but if the photos are in the My Documents folder and the earlier windows account was password protected, then the My Documents folder will be inaccessible....!!
To install vista....get the same version of vista from anywhere because the key will work for that version only....!! download it, rent it, borrow it, etc. but unless u use the key from the COA it wont be considered as piracy....!!
Alternatively you could request microsoft or HP for a vista DVD without the CD-KEY and they may charge you $20 for shipping....although I am not sure if it works that way anymore....!! I requested DELL about 6 months ago....and they shipped me a CD from the US all the way to UK for 20 bucks..

 

Why buy bloated discs when you can download a clean copy of vista here. And the OP already stated he has a vista disc, and the laptop has a license printed on the bottom of it.

 

Not BLOATED..!! I dunno if this is in practice or not but 6 months ago I crashed my hdd and I called up Dell....and I said I need to only install vista..not bloatware.. so they gave me some sort of 8 digit ticket no. and i called up MS and requested them for a vista disc and they sent me a Vista disc without boatware..!! i know HP doesnt do this as it was confirmed by another guy, that they are adamant at spreading bloatware all around the world....!!
With all due respect, I did not wanted to repeat stuff you had posted earlier, i was only trying to convey the point that install the EXACT version | Like if it is win vista x64 SP1, that key would not work for a vista x64 install....I am not a tech expert and maybe wrong too, but I have experienced this with xp, when I was installing win xp home with a win xp home sp2 serial....!!

 

Yeah, but theres no need to spend money on a vista disc nowadays, since microsoft is allowing people to download vista anytime upgrade discs.

 

Alright
I am unaware of the current vista happenings since I havent had a HDD failure in the past 6 months..

 

I have one last question for you guys, which enclosure between these two should i get?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182140

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817362001

the more expensive one claims to have backup software with it, will this be needed for my situation or should i go with the cheaper one?

thanks alot

 

I just asked her and YES her windows account she logged into WAS password protected... so now what?

 

Go for the Rosewill....if the HDD has a SATA port..!!
You could give it a try but a few days ago I tried to retrieve some info of the My Documents folder in my old drive which still has xp installed....!! So i presumed that since my account was password protected and I had also checked the option of "personalising my files and not to be accessible by other users"....so I was unable to access that folder and I had to insert that HDD into my notebook to retrieve those files by copying them into the dump drive....!!
So go for the cheaper caddy....and I use an $8 caddy and it works absolutely fine..

 

thanks my man

 

Anyone know what to do if her account is password protected?

 

not sure, but while on "friends notebooks"..
a friend asked me if he bought a laptop without vista sp1, could he get a disc somewhere to put it on his machine? He has dial up and from what i gather sp1 is huge.....
anything? bueller?

 

@Guest
Found the solution to his thing today..
Now connect the HDD to your computer....!! It will be great if that HDD works with the caddy in the first place....otherwise the rest of the info is all useless..

First of all the user doing this must have Administrator credentials..!!

If you are using Windows XP Professional, you must disable Simple File Sharing. By default, Windows XP Professional uses Simple File sharing when it is not joined to a domain.

How to turn off simple file sharing
To disable simple file sharing, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, and then click My Computer.
2. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options, and then click the View tab.
3. In the Advanced Settings section, clear the Use simple file sharing (Recommended) check box.
4. Click OK.

To take ownership of a folder, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the folder that you want to take ownership of [Documents and Settings> User name>My Documents], and then click Properties.
2. Click the Security tab, and then click OK on the Security message (if one appears).
3. Click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab.
4. In the Name list, click your user name, or click Administrator if you are logged in as Administrator, or click the Administrators group. If you want to take ownership of the contents of that folder, select the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects check box.
5. Click OK, and then click Yes when you receive the following message:
You do not have permission to read the contents of directory folder name. Do you want to replace the directory permissions with permissions granting you Full Control?

All permissions will be replaced if you press Yes.
Note folder name is the name of the folder that you want to take ownership of.
6. Click OK, and then reapply the permissions and security settings that you want for the folder and its contents.

I am quite happy that I can access My Documents on my old drive quite easily now....!! If that HDD of yours works with the other computer in the caddy, I guess you will be able to gain access to that folder.
I have XP so I don know how this can be done in Vista but I think most of the options should be the same.... But if you are doing this thing in XP Home you might have to restart in Safe Mode and login as Administrator..!!

Good Luck..!!
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You mean if your friend buys a laptop without an OS, can he load it from somewhere else..??

 

no the preinstalled os did not have sp1. You can buy sp1 and vista+sp1 discs from windows marketplace.

 

that's exactly what i meant, thanks for your help....
I can't imagine it being expensive...isnt is a download??