What am I Doing Wrong - Hard Drive

I'm doing a clean install on an Aspire 5520.

Bought a new hard drive. Tried to format, format failed, "type mismatch error."

Called support, support said download DiskFormat DT_V1-1D iso. Downloaded it, burned it, ran it. Type mismatch error again.

Called support again, told that I was given the wrong file to download, instead I should download Initial Hard Disk Utility. Downloaded that, burned it to a disk, ran it. Told "you are now ready to format."

Formatted and reboot. This time after reboot, got PXE-E61 Media Test Failure. Called support, told to go into BIOS and make sure the hard drive was the first in the list. It was. "IDE 0" and the name of my hard drive was first in the list. Just in case, I selected "restore factory settings." Still gave me Media Test Failure.

Support suggested a faulty hard drive. I returned the hard drive, the company tested it, told me the hard drive was fine. Bought a new hard drive from another company.

Ran Initial Hard Disk Recovery, then inserted recovery CDS. Everything goes fine until time to reboot, then I get the same old Media Test Failure message. I'm not sending another hard drive back. There has to be something I'm doing wrong. I'm guessing it has something to do with the Nvidia G-force graphics, but I assume that is taken care of on the Initial Hard Disk Utility file that I download from the Acer website.

 

I’m almost positive that you have a bad hard drive. PXE means Pre-Boot Execution Environment. You see this message when the laptop trying to boot from a remote server using the network card. If you didn’t see the PXE-E61 message before, it means that the network card was listed after the hard drive in the boot order (you can set the order in BIOS) and the laptop booted directly from the hard drive. Now, when the hard drive has failed, the laptop cannot detect it and tries to boot from the next available device – the network card. Your laptop is not configured to boot from a remote server using the network card, that’s why you are getting PXE-E61 Media test failure error. You have to replace the hard drive and reinstall the operating system.

You should be able to set your options to something like this:

1st Boot Device - IDE CD-ROM
2nd Boot Device - Floppy/Removable Storage
3rd Boot Device - IDE0
Try Other Boot Device - No

in addition also disable "boot from other devices"
try that

 

Both hard drives were bought brand new. I find it hard to believe both are defective. Are there not a bunch of drivers that I have to re-install (Nvidia Gforce, wi-fi, webcam, etc)?

Why should I set the CD ROM as the initial boot location, if I was told by support to make ID0 [name of hard drive here] as first in the list?

Also, I do not see any options for disabling a boot option in the bios. I can only move them up and down in the list.

 

yes, you have to reinstall your drivers.

did you attach your cables correctly and securely

did you remember to install the drivers for everything before you formatted your new HD?

 

I did not install any drivers before formatting my HD. How do I reinstall my drivers? Why are they not taken care of in a single download from the Acer Website?

There are no cables to secure. On older (desktop) computers, I remember a little plastic piece that I needed to move onto certain pins, which was considered a "switch." Is there a "switch" or something on notebook hard drives? I do notice that there is a set of pins that do not even touch anything when the HD is plugged into the laptop. Is that normal?

Thank you for your help. I can only access the internet at an internet cafe, so don't take my prolonged replies as an indication that I've given up. I have to get this problem solved.

 

Did you install the sata drive ,if it is a sata drive, when prompted to press F6
with the install of windows at the beginning?

 

try just using one drive to get the OS installed and working??

it may help

make a custom XP install disk if installing XP... (use the CD + INTERNET METHOD)

vista doesn't need sata so that's not the issue

make sure boot order in BIOS is CD, HDD, USB devices, network boot should be last

that PXE error is all other boot devices failing and the BIOS finally falling back to the network to get boot info

 

I installed the Sata drive. I didn't press F6. I just put in the recovery cds and let them do the work. It appeared to install fine, saying I'm ready to reboot the computer, but reboot fails to load Vista.

I'm trying to find the drivers online, but some of them are zipped files. How can I open zipped files if my computer won't even boot? I don't even know exactly which ones I need. Then, what do I do? Install them on a cd which automatically opens and installs them?

The link to the custom XP was good, but I'm using Vista. Do you have a similar link for Vista?

 

sorry but that type of custom reload only applies to XP,, since VISTA already has the SATA drivers included in the install DVD there is no need for this type of install....

now when you say the copmuter says it's ready to reboot, but fails to load vista,,

WHAT DOES IT SHOW ON THE SCREEN?? is there a STOP CODE?? does it continually try to reboot?? we need details to be able to help figure this out.

and since you used the RECOVERY CDs you shouldn't need any drivers... but then again i am no VISTA professional!!!

 

You don't need to load sata drives with Vista.

 

Ok, after running the recovery CDs, it says something like "format is now finished, you may restart your computer." (during the format, I can see the progress bar and I get a message telling me to insert the next CD once the progress bar reaches a certain point. Then I'm told format is complete, you may restart your computer. That's what I'm referring to when I say the format goes smoothly.) When I restart the computer, it attempts to load windows, but doesn't. It says "PXE Media Test Failure, check cable." It then attempts a network boot, times out, then tries the network boot over and over again. I have to stop it and turn the computer off. I am able to go into BIOS just fine and change the settings to every conceivable option, but none of them solve the problem.

Windows Vista is the program on my recovery CD. Does that recovery CD automatically install all of the the necessary drivers? If not, I need to find some online, save them on a disk and put them on my computer. The hard drive I bought is virtually identical to my original hard drive, just a slightly different series (1652 gsx instead of 1637 gsx). That's why I find it hard to believe I have a defective hard drive, or an incompatible hard drive. Unless the recovery CDs are made to work only on the factory installed hard drive. Is that a possibility? Some people say that recovery CDs will work a limited number of times, then you will need to buy new ones. Acer support offered to send me some new recovery cds, but I declined, believing the problem was something else.

 

FACTORY RESTORE CDs should work no matter what HDD is installed as long as it's big enough to hold the factory image.

i just did a factory recovery of an ASPIRE 4350 on a HDD that didn't come in that system! so that shoots that one in the foot.

i also don't buy the idea of a BURNED CD or DVD only working a certain # of times... once the image is closed it can't be changed.... now maybe if the disk wasn't finalized.. it could be possible.. BUT I DON"T BELIEVE IT....

i've also heard you can only burn 1 or 2 copys of the recovery disks.... and i know this is false... i have one ASPIRE that i have burned 3 sets of DVDs and one set of CDs from!

 

OK I'm having a VERY similar problem I don't know whether to make a new post or just post in it here, so for now I guess I'll post it in here, so here goes.

Just bought Western Digital Scorpio 250GB 2.5" Mobile Hard Drive - SATA, 5400, 8MB, OEM for my Acer Aspire 5520-5912. I assume i installed it right (all i did was slide it in, and put the two screws back on the top?

So Acer had sent me 3 discs, 1 system disc and 2 recovery discs. I booted from the sytem disc, that worked fine, then it asks me to put the first recovery disc in. SO I do and I get "type mismatch" error (the header reads Recovery 32). Click ok, nothing works.

Called acer, she told me to download Post Acer Disk Formatter CD ISO Image, so I did that (on a different computer, burned the iso), booted from that, but i still got the same error! But this time since its a new disc, it said "RY format" on the header of the error, but the error was still the same, "type mismatch" ..

Any help would be much appreciated and I can answer any questions about specifics or specs or whatever. I'll be checking back throughout the day tonight and tomorrow, and hopefully not too much longer after that!


Sorry for any spelling or grammatical errors I'm just kinda frustrated right now as i've been trying all day to get this thing to work to no avail.

Cliffnotes: type mismatch error when trying to load new hard drive on acer aspire, called acer and they didn't help very much.

 

Hi, welcome to NBR.

Is the new drive formatted? Does it have partitions?

 

I think better question does bios show the hard disk right ?

is the hard disk mount in laptop right and sata connect line up and the disk slide always into the plug


if so also does you bios have diffent sata model like ide or ahci mode?

 

I will get back to you on that as I have to go to sleep now, but thank you I do appreciate it. Tomorrow I will post as much as I know in response to your questions.

 

Ok I don't know much about hard drives, so I really don't know. I just bought it its brand new.

The hard drive does show up in the bios under slot 1, named WD asldkfjalsdfkj (don't know the rest, assuming WD stands for western digital).

As for the different sata model, the guy with acer told me on the phone when I was browsing through online acer that they are universal for the most part and that if I was getting the recovery32 type mismatch error that it wasn't because the hard drive didn't fit.

He said it was most likely a problem with the motherboard connecting to the hard drive or something, so they're letting me ship it out to them without the hard drive (because they wont' touch it), but i have to pay shipping.

hope that answered all your questions I'm going to send it out asap because if it IS the hard drive that is at fault (brand new) then I think I only have a 30 day warranty. Thanks for all the questions and support so far though.

 

I still think that it's hdd fault(not partitinioned/formatted). As far as I know, the recovery process CAN format partitions, but cannot create...(and the new hdd comes with all space unallocated(which mean no partitions))..but I'm not sure at this at all so sending the laptop to ACER might be a good idea..
Good luck

 

Also have burned many sets of recovery disks.

As long as you have not deleted the hidden partion you should be fine...

But.....sigh.....same old thing over again

Theo

 

well i say issues with laptop it not identify disk right have you try stick the old hard disk back in it shound not be indentify with werid symbols

it shound wd then modell of disdk

maybe put old hard disk back in do bios update on laptop

 

I ran into this problem as well confused the hell out of me still kinda does. If you have the hard drive as 2 partitions make it only one and format it.

 

Yeah lets hope! Anyways I'll check back, and post the updates.

 

Ok heres the story:

Short version: All I had to do was make my drive ntfs and partion it, so I used an XP disc i had laying around, which did that automatically for me. Then I just rebooted from the system disc, back up 1 and 2, and voila. done

Long story:

They sent me back the laptop, saying everything worked with their hardrive they tried. So basically they did nothing to help me. I called them, and they transfered me to level 2 (lol). This guy seemed to really know what he was talking about. He explained that my drive i bought was prob fat32 or whatever and wasnt set up right, thats why i kept getting the error, and he said there is third party software that can do that or an xp disc. So i got lucky and used an xp emachines disc i had from my home computer. The only problem is now I only have one drive; a C drive. Is this bad?

 

I wouldn't say it was really bad, but as my own personal preference i like to have 2 partitions. One for all of my system files, programs etc, and one for all of my personal stuff, music, pictures etc. I like it this way just in case i need to do a fresh install then my personal stuff doesn't get wiped doing the install, saves a lot of hassle backing up all of my personal stuff.

 

So I was right

You need some kind of partition manager software if you want to make more partitions and stuff, don't know any free ones though will try to find out. It's easy to do it if you have the software but if you don't have experience with this kind of software and decide you want more partitions or you want to modify something etc I suggest you do it now, when you don't have anything installed yet in case something happened.

 

I also like the 2 (visible) partitions that Acer supplies with their lappies.

C for operating system etc.
D for files and photo's and valuable stuff that you dont wan't to loose after doing a system recovery.

That's why I have not changed anything (except for increasing the size of D and decreasing the size C using Acronis True Image as I have a Seagate).

 

*sigh*

Well something is certainly wrong. Besides the fact that I only have 1 drive, my computer seems to not know who its father is. I guess when I booted from the emachines xp disc I should have stopped after it formatted my drive, before it installed other hidden things on my HD, because now for some strange reason and can't read discs that are put into my disc drive, yet I can burn discs just fine. Oh and I have Windows Media Center magically inside my computer, which I'm not supposed to have, nor do I really want.

Please help me!

I just want my hard drive to be normal like how acer made it! Can't they give me software to format it!?

 

You are right, you should make dvd Vista (can download everywhere), install vista (can use your key in bottom laptop). Then you can use the recovery disc again. It will work . NO ERORR RECOVERY32 mismatch again.