[iammykyl]

The WD HDDs are inexpensive because they produce and sell vast numbers of them, about the most popular HDD, but it is not a cheapo drive, it is very high quality.   It is also 1TB, so there will be no need for you to change it for a bigger one.

I have one half that size, 500GB, used for 6 years, and still has 200GB free space.
We will surely help you, but please answer the questions from reply #43 as you may need to download Drivers and/or software to a working computer and burn discs or USB sticks. 

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most of my drives are the 1TB wd blacks iammykyl linked to and i think i've only ever had 1 that was dead on arrival and needed returning and the others lasted for years before trouble, but like any hard drive they will fail in time.

 

just make sure your son doesn't turn off the pc by the socket in future, either shutdown in windows or hold the power button in for 5 seconds or so, the problem with the unexpected power shut off at the psu or wall socket is that the drive may be in use at the time and so get damaged by the sudden loss of power.

 

as to set up just plug it in and install the os and you should be good to go, i didn't see anything in the bios that would cause the os not to install, only thing i'd check after setting bios defaults is if you can enter bios using the usb keyboard if not find and enable the setting that will let it do so.

 

also keep that install cd and key somewhere safe and i'd probably also make a backup of it too.

 

 

forgot to mention like iammykyl said you'll probably need to install the motherboard chipset drivers, so look at the motherboard and probably between the pci-e slots you will find the motherboard model written on it, make a note of it because you'll need to know that to find the correct drivers for it, windows will install just fine without those drivers but for best performance you will need to go into device manager later and check everything has drivers and you'll probably find some don't and that's when you'll need to find them and install them yourself, easy enough to do and we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

 

also forgot to mention every time you've tried to install windows it said you needed drivers, that is a standard message you get when windows can't find the hard drive because it is dead or if your trying to install it to raided drives which in your case your not but raid is the only time i remember ever having to install a driver first before i could install a windows os.

 

also forgot you need to set the correct time and date in the bios, can't remember if this will interfere with installing the os, don't think so but it might.

Edited by terry1966, 15 April 2015 - 01:04 PM.

[terry1966]

most of my drives are the 1TB wd blacks iammykyl linked to and i think i've only ever had 1 that was dead on arrival and needed returning and the others lasted for years before trouble, but like any hard drive they will fail in time.

 

just make sure your son doesn't turn off the pc by the socket in future, either shutdown in windows or hold the power button in for 5 seconds or so, the problem with the unexpected power shut off at the psu or wall socket is that the drive may be in use at the time and so get damaged by the sudden loss of power.

 

as to set up just plug it in and install the os and you should be good to go, i didn't see anything in the bios that would cause the os not to install, only thing i'd check after setting bios defaults is if you can enter bios using the usb keyboard if not find and enable the setting that will let it do so.

 

also keep that install cd and key somewhere safe and i'd probably also make a backup of it too.

 

 

forgot to mention like iammykyl said you'll probably need to install the motherboard chipset drivers, so look at the motherboard and probably between the pci-e slots you will find the motherboard model written on it, make a note of it because you'll need to know that to find the correct drivers for it, windows will install just fine without those drivers but for best performance you will need to go into device manager later and check everything has drivers and you'll probably find some don't and that's when you'll need to find them and install them yourself, easy enough to do and we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

 

also forgot to mention every time you've tried to install windows it said you needed drivers, that is a standard message you get when windows can't find the hard drive because it is dead or if your trying to install it to raided drives which in your case your not but raid is the only time i remember ever having to install a driver first before i could install a windows os.

 

also forgot you need to set the correct time and date in the bios, can't remember if this will interfere with installing the os, don't think so but it might.

Edited by terry1966, 15 April 2015 - 01:04 PM.

[ColleenB]

Ok I did set the correct time and date when I first was able to get to the BIOS..Thank you terry1966 for the info.  iammykyl told me to please answer the questions from post #43, so here goes.  My friends computer is a Compaq CQ5107C, She has windows vista home premium.  My sons is ....I dont know what but it says Antec on the case.  I'm running windows 7 home premium.  I have a copy burned to a dvd of that OS as that is what the guy who built it used.  Although I do have the product key.  I have a question for you guys.......  My friend said she doesnt want her desktop back so she said I should use her hard drive until I can afford a better one.  Will this work?  My hard drive is a 1TB Samsung model #  HD1035SJ  and hers is Hitachi  320GB  model #  HDT721032SLA380.  I should be able to use hers right?  Please let me know okay?  Thank you again guys.  You have been fantastic and I am so grateful.  I will be waiting to hear from you and I hope I answered all of iammykyl's questions from post #43.

[ColleenB]

terry1966 I hope this answers your questions.  I hope I'm reading the right info from my MB.  Here goes.......     Intel Desktop Board,   DG965RY  D0963FX  DP965LT.  And there is a white sticker under this info that says:   BTRY7050045U       AA  D41691-206.  

I HOPE THIS WAS THE INFORMATION YOU NEEDED.  LET ME KNOW OKAY?   Thank you                            Colleen 

[iammykyl]

You won't buy a better mechanical hard drive for a desktop computer.   I nearly always configure a build with WD or Seagate 1TB drive.

You can compare > http://hdd.userbench...012/m4609vs1779

 

 
so she said "I should use her hard drive until I can afford a better one".

It may be possible that when you install windows to your computer, some drivers could be missing, most important at the beginning is the LAN driver (internet access), so a working computer would be required, not available if you use her Hard Drive.

 

With Antec on the case, it is not a factory Dell/HP configuration, which is good as less problems updating driver/utilities.

 

Thanks for the info about your board.

Here is the MB User Manual, > http://downloadmirro...e03_English.pdf

From this page, after windows is installed, you can click on the Automatic Intel Driver Update Utility. > http://www.intel.com...pboards/dg965ry

[terry1966]

colleen uses her laptop for internet and replies iammykyl.
 
so yes colleen just remove the hard drive from her pc and put it into yours, insert the installation disc and install windows 7 onto it,
 
personally if it has a recovery partition i wouldn't destroy that because who knows at a later date you may want to put it back in her old pc along with the vista os but if that's not anything your worried about then during the install process just delete all the partitions and create a single new one to install onto.
below is a short video showing how to do that for a completely clean install of your windows 7 os with nothing left on the hard drive from when it was in use in your friends pc.

 
the way i do an install is
 
first install the os (now at no time until you finish and have installed an anti-virus are you to browse the internet. except to come here and use the links provided.)
 
next keep updating windows until none are left (takes hrs probably and you will need to repeat the update search after it's finished updating whatever it found last time.)
this link just tells you where to go in the os to find windows update and just keep using it and rebooting until no updates are found.:- http://windows.micro...e#1TC=windows-7
 
next check in device manager for any missing drivers, find and install them. (follow iammykyl's link and click on the automatically detect and install drivers, once this is done you shouldn't find any devices in device manager with a yellow exclamation error icon next to them. but if you do we'll work through them together and find the drivers for you to install.)

how to open device manager :- http://windows.micro...r#1TC=windows-7

example of device errors when no driver is installed. see the yellow exclamation marks.

 
next install an antivirus. personally i'd use mse :- http://windows.micro...ntials-download
 
next i install the latest graphics drivers, we'll need more info from you later though to do this once everything else is installed and you may not need them anyway depending on what graphics solution is in your pc, nvidia,amd/ati or intel.
 
any questions or problems during the process just post them and either iammykyl or i will answer them whomever sees them first.
 
you'll soon be able to build your own pc's with everything you've learned fixing this one.
 

Edited by terry1966, 16 April 2015 - 07:41 AM.

[ColleenB]

Thanks for the info.  I will get started on it this morning.  And I dont ever want to do this again terry1966.  I might be able to but it's kinda scary to me.  But the funny thing is, is that my son who this desktop belongs to, he is 12 1/2 and special needs and I adopted him at birth, anyways now he is very interested in building computers and has been involved since I first started this thing, so thank you for that.  You never know.......  Thank you guys again.           Colleen

[terry1966]

it's our pleasure helping you, and there really is nothing to be afraid of as long as you follow a few simple rules, like always disconnect the power and press the power button to discharge any electricity before working inside a pc, and always take anti-static precautions (this usually just means keep touching the metal case while handling/installing components to keep the electro charge equal thus stopping a static build up and discharge which can damage certain pc parts.)

 

yes it can seem overwhelming because there seems to be a lot to learn about but in reality it is quite simple and is just a case of plug and play nowadays, unlike when i built my first pc, you really had to know about electronics, be able to follow schematics and how to use a soldering iron to put it all together. in todays pc's you'd buy about half a dozen parts slot them all together and connect the correct leads and power cables and away you go.

 

you and your son have done a great job so far, and with luck he'll have a working pc again before the day is out.

 

Edited by terry1966, 16 April 2015 - 08:35 AM.

[terry1966]

did you get everything installed and working again?

 

[ColleenB]

For a minute.  Ive been so upset and crying that I dont know what to do.  I had just got the OS installed and was getting ready to do updates when my older son showed up and I told him everything that had been going on with it and he ran to my room.  He took both hard drives out and said he was going to fix the 1TB (the old one).  He ripped out all the connectors on the mother board and was re doing everything.  I told him not to cuz I didnt know where they went without labels.  He pointed out that he did so I shouldnt worry about it.  Then he left for an appointment and said he would be back.  He came back grabbed the hard drives and the monitor and said he would come back that night.  I just knew something would happen.  Well he called and told me what was wrong with the original hard drive.  Apparently we had a short in our outlet that had fried the surge protector and had reduced it to a regular extention cord and with the next swurge it fried the circuit board on the hard drive.  He was replacing it and would come the next morning.  Before he could come he got an emergency call on the fiber optic lines his crew had  done in Texas so he had to fly out right away.  His wife called to tell me he would be back in a couple weeks and she brought the hard drives to me.  But he failed to remember that I cant hook up the connections that he undid.  I havent a clue where they go.  I dont have a choice but to wait till he makes an appearence which could be 2 = 4 weeks.  Basically we are screwed.  I am thankful for your help and I guess I will be in touch as soon as he puts the wires back.  It was really working and I was so happy but I guess that was short lived.  I have been thinking about a new tower maybe but right now it just makes me cry every time I think about it.   Thank you again                Colleen

[iammykyl]

Sorry to hear you have such a drama.

I think it best we do not give you any further instructions but let your son carny on where he left off.   We have know way of knowing at what stage he has reached , repair, rebuild of the system or fresh install.

I hope things turn out OK.

Please let us know the outcome, or if you need further help.

 

Good luck. 

[terry1966]

don't be upset, if you want to we can get the hard drives installed and the pc working again for you, or you can just wait for your son.

 

we can easily explain what goes where with the help of some pictures from you of the motherboard, and with the link iammykyl provided of the motherboard manual.

normally it would just be a case of connecting 2 cables the sata power cable from the power supply unit to the hard drive and the sata data cable to one of the motherboards sata ports and to the hard drive, he shouldn't have needed to remove or undo any other connections on the motherboard and really don't see why he did.

 

anyway most of those cables are designed so they can only be fitted 1 way and on the correct connections, hardest ones to find and fit are the case wires if he removed them also unless they are wired into a single connection block.

 

we can test the 1tb drive to see if it's been fixed or just leave that to one side until your son returns and just fit the drive you had from your friend and installed the os onto, once fitted you shouldn't need to install the os again, it should just boot up to where you left off last time so all you need to do is carry on from that point.

 

like i said before computers seem overwhelming but are really quite simple things to put together in reality.

 

the power connection looks like this :- tried posting images for the connections but it wouldn't allow me for some reason or other.

 

notice it has an L shape with the little notch on one corner so it can only be connected 1 way.

 

the sata data cable also has an L shape but is much shorter in the long side of the L shape.

 

so as you can see the data cable will not fit on the power connection and vice versa, the 4 pin molex connection shown in this picture is unused and it's only the 2 sata connections you need to worry about.

 

now at the other ends of those cables, the power one will already be connected to the psu so it's just the sata data cable that needs to be connected to the motherboard when he completely removed that cable. in the motherboard manual link page 41 shows the location of where that end goes.

 

it's up to you tho colleen, you can wait for your son or press on and put things back together again with help from us and your other son.

 

one bright point to always remember too is

 

I REALLY SCREWED UP-PC WONT BOOT AND WONT GO TO BIOS

 

your screw up really wasn't a screw up, and after all that worrying for nothing it was you who found out the hard drive was the problem, then fixed the problem and got everything working again.

 

it doesn't matter it was only for a short time before your son got his hands on it again.

that doesn't change the fact you fixed it by yourself and could probably do the same again if you want to.

 

 

 

your name rings some bells in my head for some reason, i'm sure i should know a collenb from some place but my memory just will not help me out.

could be an aunt or even someone off tv or something but i just can't figure out where i known it from.