[Wolfeymole]

When it boots and runs Ubunto is because the cdrom drive is the first boot option that is set in the bios and seeing as Ubuntu contains boot files and you are running it as a Live cd then the motherboard could be ok but you have not answered my last question.

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If I may ask a question folks

Has the HDD been checked to see if there is a recovery partition on it, if the HDD has never been formatted there may a recovery partition present which is accessed by continually tapping the F11 key after restarting the computer and during POST.

[phillpower2]

If I may ask a question folks

Has the HDD been checked to see if there is a recovery partition on it, if the HDD has never been formatted there may a recovery partition present which is accessed by continually tapping the F11 key after restarting the computer and during POST.

[geno368]

Wolf, thanks again for your help...As I stated in my first post, it will not boot in safe mode. It gives me the selection screen and I chose safe mode w/networking. It loads the sys 32 drivers and then requests a startup repair which I select and then it is totally unresponsive.
Phil, thank you as well...When I try the F11, it just goes to the startup repair request...

[Wolfeymole]

Do you see a screen like this where "Repair your computer" is listed at the very top?

[phillpower2]

I don`t wish to cause any confusion here so for now I will only suggest that the HDD is tested;

Run the HDDs diagnostics tool;

Make sure you select the tool that is appropriate for the brand of your hard drive http://www.tacktech....ay.cfm?ttid=287
Depending on the program it'll create a bootable floppy or a bootable DVD/CD.
If the downloaded file is the .iso type use ImgBurn: http://www.imgburn.com/ to burn the .iso file to a DVD/CD disk depending on your OS (select "Write image file to disc" option) and make the disk bootable.

[geno368]

Wolf, yes I get there but it locks when I select it....Phil, you read my mind...I ran a Western Digital diag and it finds too many errors to fix...I am now guessing bad HD????

[Wolfeymole]

I would have to agree that it is the HDD.

[geno368]

I have installed a tester sata hd to install windows on and it goes through the motions until it can't find the hard drive. This is the error: "To install the device driver needed to access your hard drive, insert installation media containing the driver files". I hooked up this drive to a USB adapter and was able to see the files in windows explorer on my desktop...I changes the mode in bios to ide but that didn't help. where do I get the driver and how will I get it installed on the laptop?
Thanks again..

[Wolfeymole]

Windows 7 should already contain any SATA drivers needed Geno.

[phillpower2]

The notebook may be trying to boot using the data that is present on the HDD that belongs to the computer it was previously fitted in, this would include chipset drivers etc.

Is the boot priority still set to DVD/CD drive first and the HDD second.
Are you booting up with the OS installation disk in the drive so that the replacement HDD can be formatted and a fresh install of the OS can be done.