A laptop that hates hard drives

[16k_zx81]

I have a laptop in the workshop thats got me totally perplexed.

Bad hard disk.

Removed hard disk.

Deployed image 1 to new hard disk. Inserted. Got "Reboot and select proper boot device"

Checked BIOS. Set to defaults. "Reboot and select proper boot device"

Checked BIOS. Set SATA to compatibility mode. "Reboot and select proper boot device"

Re-imaged hard drive with image 1. "Reboot and select proper boot device"

Re-imaged hard drive with image 2. "Reboot and select proper boot device"

Inserted a known good SSD with image 1. Machine booted.

Got a brand new hard disk (different brand) from stock with image 1. "Reboot and select proper boot device"

Same (new) hard disk with image 2. "Reboot and select proper boot device"

Put in his old hard drive. It sees it and starts to boot.

Re-imaged both drives with image 3. "Reboot and select proper boot device"

Cannot get the machine to boot with either of two new hard disks with any of three images.

It boots with his hard disk and with one of our SSD's that has image 1 on it.

Makes no sense to me but this is what its doing.

Anyone?

J

 

[PBComputer]

What os? I had a HP last week the same running Windows 8.1, in the end had to order recovery media?

BIOS or UEFI

 

[16k_zx81]

7. BIOS.

 

[Moltuae]

What capacity are the new HDDs, the SSD and the original HDD?

 

[NJW]

Is this Advanced Format related? The SSD probably presents as 512/512 block sizes; the new HDDs as 512/4k.

Does the BIOS recognise all of the disks?

I have an ongoing fight with a Vaio + AF; an older Dell (Insp. 1525) couldn't even recognise the AF HDD in the BIOS.

 

[HFultzjr]

Maybe......

Bad, loose, or faulty connector/cable, etc.

 

[PCX]

I recently had a Dell that we initially could not get to boot up Windows 8. We cloned over our image as we always do, turn on the computer and nothing. BIOS settings were good and the BIOS recognized the the hard drive. After several attempts at cloning our own images to the hard drive and getting Windows to install on that computer, I decided I would go old school and grab a good ole Windows 8 DVD. Booted right up from disk, saw the hard drive, installed to the hard drive, restarted and Windows was installed it it should be.

I have also had a couple instances where I had to update the BIOS. Messing with the BIOS firmware is usually the last thing I try, but it has worked in the past.

 

[mr m]

It might be that the new HDD's have GPT partition styles as opposed to MBR. I'm pretty sure Win 7 can R/W a GPT disk but not boot it.

Check the partition styles of the SSD and new HDD's to see.

 

[FremontPC]

What hardware/process are you using to put the image on the drives?

 

[phaZed]

I have had bad motherboards (Presumably HDD controller) do similar things. Just a thought.

 

[frase]

OP / What is the laptop model?
try this though -
Get in BIOS

secure boot :disabled
fast boot :disabled
sometimes under boot configuration : boot mode set to legacy
save and fu windows 8

depend on laptop press key to enable boot mode from external