Gateway MX7115 notebook issues

I have this Gateway laptop that will not boot from the USB floppy/HDD. It will not even recognize it in the BIOS when it is connected. Furthermore, I cannot even install an OS. If I try to install WinXP/2000, it gets to the first blue "starting Windows XP setup" screen and never goes any further.

If I try to install Windows 98SE, it gets to the detecting plug and play hardware screen and locks. So, what do you people think is wrong?

I have removed the wifi card, the battery, and reseated the CDROM. There is 512MB of memory installed and it passes Memtest completely.

Please offer up some advice? Thanks!

 

Are you trying to install the OS on the USB HDD, or the notebook HDD ??

And what is the STOP error code shown in the BSOD.

 

Well, I was trying to boot from a USB floppy to run memtest and I hooked up a USB HDD just to see if the laptop would recognize it...it didn't. I'm trying to install the OS on the laptops internal HDD...which I also replaced in attempt to install an OS.

And...I'm not getting a BSOD....the blue screen I'm talking about is the Windows XP setup blue background screen. The laptop just locks at the starting setup screen.

 

Have you diagnosed the internal HDD for any errors/bad sectors etc ??

Try nliting the XP disc to remove any unwanted drivers, and add reqd drivers, and also slipstream the latest SP....

 

funny you mentioned the slipstream'd NITEd OS install disc. I was trying to show off in front of my dad with my new slipstreamed OS disc and....it didn't get any further than the little message at the bottom during setup. "Windows XP setup is starting"

And yes, hard drive is in good working order.

 

The HDD on which you are installing XP, is it new ?? Does it have any partitions, or is it RAW with all unallocated space, or is it NTFS or FAT32 formatted ??

And when it hangs, do you press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart ?? Is HDD SATA or IDE ?

 

Hdd - not new but used and in good shape - 0 bad sectors
partition - 1 NTFS formatted

When it hangs, I gotta press the power button down until it shuts off.
HDD - IDE Hitachi Travelstar

 

ALSO, the guy I bought this from stated that the laptop stopped booting. He assumed it was the hard drive so he sold it to me cheap. I think there is something wrong with the system board....why else would it not recognize USB devices and boot from them upon power-on?

I tested the HDD that came with it (it tested OK), but I still replaced it with a newer one just in case.

 

Ok, one way is that you download GParted, burn the ISO downloaded and boot from it, delete all the partitions currently on the HDD (all data will be lost), then create a NTFS partiton, and then try the install.

 

so you don't think the issue is with a motherboard, do you?

 

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=217073

 

Yeah....Ctrl-Alt-Del will not restart it when it gets to that point, and I've let it sit for almost 3 hours at that point.

I did try disabling legacy USB support. Im pretty sure I changed plug-n-pray support to OS controlled also.

I seem to remember seeing that Tech bulletin from Microshaft before.

 

If it was me I'll download Ubuntu (linux), burn it on a CD and use the CD to boot the computer... boot it with its Live CD option (i.e. not installation).

Using the Live CD will let me know that the motherboard is OK at 90%. For the 10% left I need to check the Harddrive by scanning it and install Windows on it.

The best way for me to check the hardrive is to run CHKDSK under the dos consol. For this Ill need a system running Windows and a 2.5" IDE or SATA enclosure.

If no error reported I'll put the harddrive back in its laptop and do I full formating using Windows CD. The full formating is slow and even slower if the haddrive is slightly damaged.

hope this helps

 

So Ubuntu has a diagnostic side that can be run from the CD? Are these easy to use? What version of Ubuntu do i need to find.l

I've run CHKDSK and there are NO issues with the HDD. This same HDD will install XP on a different laptop so it is NOT the problem.

 

I suggest Ubuntu but it could be any linux that has a live CD.
The ubuntu Live CD has a memory test that shows at the boot of the CD. If you manage to get to the Ubuntu desktop it's a good sign.

Alternatively you could try this:
[_]http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/[_]
It's a collection of freeware that allow to check the hardware side

Last I had a problem a year ago with an old samsung laptop; HDD working fine on a test laptop but not on the samsung. Changing the bios battery (not sure about the name, it's a small battery that allows the bios to save its setting whn a computer is off and not coonected to the main) fixed the problem.

 

Well, I'm a Linux idiot. Never used it, never tried loading it.

But, I think I have a copy of Ubuntu sitting around the house somewhere. I'll try it tonight and see what happens.

As for the BIOS battery. Any changes that I make to the BIOS and then remove all sources of power are still present, so I think I can rule out the battery for the BIOS.

What would keep the USB ports from detecting hardware in the BIOS / to boot from?

 

Most BIOSs are not able to initialise the USB ports, so either the USB ports do not work at startup or they are not supported by the BIOS, hence you cannot boot via USB.

 

question for you if that is the case....

Why would the BIOS say that allows booting and has a setting to choose one of them in the boot order? ( booting from a USB floppy/USB HDD ) if it didn't support it? There is a boot order section in the BIOS that clearly allows me to choose one of them. PLUS, floppy drives are non-existant on newer laptops so the option to boot from a USB floppy MUST be present.

 

OK, I tried something this evening.

I tried to install Linux Ubuntu. It got to where you get a boot: prompt and I typed server. About 10 seconds later, it was locked. The line it locked on was ATI video something......

Second. I tried to install Windows NT. It installed fine! Sure I'm at Service pack for WIN NT but I have an operating system installed. I very seriously doubt that I can get all the drivers to install but anyway..it was an accomplisment, nonetheless.

Now, I tried to do an upgrade to Windows 2000 Pro. and it got stuck again at the "Setup is starting windows" blue setup screen.

To rule out a HDD issue, I tried this with 2 hard drives. It may sound time consuming but this all happened in the span of 30 mintes. NT installed REALLY fast!


Soooo, does this help any?