Norman Conley asks:
I have a HP Mini 210-1000 laptop that can no longer find the boot sector. I can’t get it to boot from my external DVD ROM. I didn’t get a Rescue Disk with it, I need to reformat the hard drive and reinstall Windows 7. I’ve read that this can be done by using a flash/thumb drive.
The computer has 3 USB ports, 2 on the right side and 1 on the left. Can anyone advise me about how to do this?
Browser: Chrome 20
System: Mac
Tagged: hp, install operating system, usb flash drive, windows 7, windows tips
System: Mac
Tagged: hp, install operating system, usb flash drive, windows 7, windows tips
4 Answers -
gaurav
June 28, 2012There are various s/w available to make a bootable usb for windows like Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool , Win To Flash etc. However you can try it manually by following these steps.
Launch a command prompt with admin rights and run the diskpart tool:
Then run these command in sequence.
diskpart
list disk
select disk #
clean
create partition primary
select partition 1
active
format quick fs=fat32
assign
exit
After this copy the content of your window 7 dvd onto the flash drive and U’re done!
ha14
June 28, 2012if you dont have access to your laptop you need a working pc plus windows 7 copy to create a bootable USB key containg Windows. Or you can try to buy it?
Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool
How To Install Windows 7 On Netbook From A USB Drive
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/install-windows-7-netbook-from-usb-flash-drive/
1.Click the Windows START button, and click WINDOWS 7 USB/DVD DOWNLOAD TOOL in the ALL PROGRAMS list to open the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool.
2.In the SOURCE FILE box, type the name and path of your Windows 7 ISO file, or click BROWSE and select the file from the OPEN dialog box. Click NEXT.
3.Select USB DEVICE to create a copy on a USB flash drive or select DVD disk to create a copy on a DVD disk.
4.If you are copying the file to a USB flash drive, select your USB device in the drop-down list and click BEGIN COPYING. If you are copying the file up to a DVD, click BEGIN BURNING.
How To Make A USB Installation Disk For Windows 7 Without Extra Software
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/usb-installation-disk-windows-7-extra-software/
once you have your USB key with windows, go to laptop Bios to change boot priority to USB key, then boot and choose format option in Windows.
Vipul Jain
June 28, 2012You will need another working pc with a USB Port and DVDROM first.
then have a look at this
http://wintoflash.com/home/en/
Kannon Y
July 2, 2012If you can’t boot from a USB DVD drive, it’s just as likely that you won’t be able to boot from a USB flash drive. Try trouble shooting the DVD drive first and if that fails, then try installing from a USB flash drive.
Also, I read that the Mini 1000 has a problem with its boot options menu, which can be accessed during post (it’s an F-something button). Basically, the 1000 doesn’t offer the boot menu option unless the USB device is already plugged in prior to turning the computer on.
Also, have you tried enabling your computer’s boot from USB function in BIOS? Or have you tried reordering the devices so that the USB drive is higher in priority than the netbook’s hard drive?