Do hard drives come with the operating system CD's?

[Hirano]

My laptop and my desktop both pretty much are dead.

My desktop: I reformatted that hard drive, and I used dell disks. Later to figure out that I have a Western Digital hard drive. So I used dell disks on a Western Digital hard drive=No drivers so I can't do anything.

My laptop: I reformatted as well, but with the normal disks, and it worked fine, but ever since I did it, it is really slow. And then just today it crapped out, and now it is making really loud noises and saying that I have a faulty connection or something like that.

So I want to get a new hard drive for both. What I want to know is, do Hard Drives come with the Operating System and driver CD's so if I need to reformat it, I can?

Thanks

 

[edfair]

No, there are no operating system disks or drivers needed. You have everything you need.

 

[Hirano]

For the desktop It was my friends, and he made it himself. But when he bought the hard drive off ebay, it didn't come with any operating system or driver disks. So I don't have any disks for that. And my other friend just recently had the same problem with his laptop, he got a new hard drive, and it worked fine.

 

[jurgen36]

:edfair
Sorry mate, I never ever did receive a new hard drive with the operating system installed. I must have misunderstand you. Or I am getting old and senile.
Please clarify.

Jurgen

 

[goombawaho]

Hard drives are utterly blank when they arrive - no data, no partition and certainly no operating system. Your operating system installation CD will supply everything required UNLESS you have some controller card (SCSI, SATA) that requires providing a driver disk for during the install.

If that was the case, you can download it from the manufacturer and provide it on floppy/USB floppy as the installation of the OS demands it.

If you're saying that you can't get an OS to install onto a new hard drive - you're doing something wrong. Please clarify what you actual problem is as mentioned above.

Dell disks/Normal disks - what are you referring to?? The operating system reinstallation CDs that came with your computers?

 

[wahnula]

What edfair is saying is that System CDs don't care whether you restore to a WD or Seagate or Itchygoochi hard drive; you have everything you need in the system CDs.

There are rarely drivers needed for hard drives, that driver has been built into Windows for years.

I don't understand why you feel you can't use a WD drive on a Dell PC; the drivers on the CD are for chipset, LAN, audio, video, etc., not the hard drive.

Hard disks NEVER come with operating systems installed, at least they shouldn't and besides I would not want to use someone else's installation, which may be buggy or virus-filled.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[edfair]

When you build a computer you have to buy an operating system to run it. If your friend put a Microsoft operating system on it and didn't give you the CD it is likely that you have a "pirated" installation. But you are giving us mixed messages. Is you desktop a Dell, or was it built by a friend.

Your laptop, with normal disks, will reload the OS with a new drive. The OS can handle drives from various manufactures and of various sizes but look on the manufacturers website for size limitations.

Your other friend who got a laptop that ran when he turned it on bought one with a preloaded operating system. He paid for the operating system as part of the price of the laptop.

A Dell disk includes a legitimate OS for that machine (or type) only and will reinstall correctly when you put another hard drive in it.



Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[Hirano]

Ok. Thanks for your help everyone, but my main message is.

The Desktop: My desktop was built by a friend. It has a Western Digital Hard drive (if that helps) and I need to know what OS disks I need to buy to successfully reinstall the OS, with the wireless internet drivers and such. Or, do I need to buy a whole new hard drive, and that was my main question, "If I were to buy a new hard drive, will it come with the OS disk and the Drivers for the OS disk?

The Laptop: I don't know what happened to it. It was working fine then poof. So I reformatted it, and it worked fine again. Now my hard drive screams at me when I turn it on, and I have no idea what it is doing. When I start it up, It goes to the Compaq screen, (I have a Compaq Presario R3000,) and then an error message comes up that says like "Media test failure, Check cable" Something of that sort. But, sometimes it doesn't even get to that screen It comes up with the Compaq and just freezes there.

I have no idea what to do anymore and I'm on my last crappy family computer, and I just want my computers back :[

 

[edfair]

For your desktop machine you need a CD for whatever operating system you are planning to install. You picked a bad time if you had XP installed since Microsoft has withdrawn XP from the marketplace.You might be able to find one on ebay, but be careful as there are pirated copies out there. My personal opinion would be to install windows 2000 as it seems to be a more stable OS, although out of date. You also should have a CD of the drivers for your motherboard. You can install the OS without having drivers available but some board parts won't work. XP would probably pick up the wireless stuff, but not always, and if not, you would need drivers from the manufacturer. If the existing hard drive is working you won't need a new hard drive and if you buy a new one it will not come with anything but possibly jumpers and a data cable. And make sure you buy the right kind of drive if you do buy a new one.

So far as the laptop, it sounds like you have a legitimate need for a replacement hard drive. Visit Compaq's website and find out the hard drive size it will handle. Then buy one, install it, the use the recovery CDs to rebuild the OS. That worked before, so it should work again.

Pretty soon you'll get good at it.


Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[wahnula]

Ed,

Just because MS ceased making & selling new XP Retail disks doesn't mean they're off the market; there are still plenty available from reputable resellers, some even with SP3:

http://www.directron.com/winxppsp3.html

I agree with the caveat about eBay, you might be buying a pirated or an already-activated CD. Generally my experience with eBay has been good, except for that Symantec Enterprise A/V CD that was homemade and labeled with a Sharpie...no way was that CD going into one of my machines!

Win2K reaches end-of-support in 2010, XP in 2014, so at this point XP is the better choice.

Hirano,

You should identify the motherboard of your desktop and download the drivers in advance, place them on a flash drive or a CD so you'll be ready to go. Best of luck.



Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[Hirano]

Ok. So I can use say an XP OS disk for my hard drive, but then get drivers for my motherboard? What I really need to know is "What OS disks exactly do I need for my desktop? And what do you need to know to figure out which specific kind of OS disk I need for my computer?"

And the Laptop, I am just going to get a new hard drive for. Plain and simple, then reinstall the OS.

 

[max8699]

what os did you have on your desktop before it died?
if it was windows xp then you need the windows xp disk if it was windows 2000 then the windows 2000 disk etc. etc.

Regards
Max
Never argue with an idiot, they drag you down to their level and beat you with experience

 

[G0AOZ]

Don't forget that you will need to know your 25-digit product key number when installing W2K or XP. W2k doesn't require activation with Microsoft, but XP will. (Unless you have a volume licence). Hopefully you've got the Microsoft product key sticker (approx 28mm x 70mm) stuck somewhere on your desktop machine...

ROGER - G0AOZ.

 

[wahnula]

Roger,

This is a new OS install, the XP CD will come with its own activation code.

Hirano,

You need the OS (probably XP) on one CD, then another source for the chipset drivers like the motherboard CD or downloaded drivers from the 'Net placed on a flash drive or burned to a CD.

OEM XP CD is available for $139 here. For the chipset drivers, look at the motherboard and report back with the make & model number.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[Hirano]

wahnula, thank you lol. Ok, So, I need to get a new XP CD, which is like 140$, and then it will come with it's own activation sticker. And then I need the chipset drivers for my motherboard? See, what I was trying to figure out is what part of the machine do I need to figure out to successfully install my drivers, and apparently it is the motherboard. I have a VIA motherboard, which shouldn't be hard to find. I have a VIA motherboard (PTBBOPro-A7 Combo motherboard) and a VT8237R Plus VIA Processor. Can some one tell me the exact step by step instructions for installing my drivers? I can get the formatting the C: drive with the new OS, but I need the drivers to activate it. So where do I install the drivers to and such?

Thanks everyone for all your help.

 

[edfair]

Easiest way is to get a friend to download and burn the driver set on CD. Once XP is on, you reboot and let the system find new hardware, when it asks for the location of the drivers select browse and point to the directory on the CD that has the driver for the device you are installing. Should load what is needed.
Anything that loads the wrong drivers on the initial load will be markded with a yellow ! in device manager. You refresh the drivers, pointing the same way. Or you delete the drivers and get them installed again like a new install.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[Hirano]

Edit:

I Need exact directions on the installation of the chipset drivers for a VT8237R Plus VIA Processor. Apparently some computers have a north board and a southboard, but I see no north board processor, so I think that is it. I found

http://www.viaarena.com/default.aspx?PageID=420&OSID=1&CatID=1070

which could be the drivers, and I was just going to save them to a flash drive, buy my new OS, install it, and then put in the flash drive, and then this is where I get stuck. Say I have the correct drivers, where would I install them to? Like what Directory exaclty? I really don't want to mess up my computer hah.

 

[Hirano]

Edit Edit:

lol, I need to figure out the drivers exaclty, because now it is saying you just unzip and run the .exe. So, idk. Can somone please give me a link to the correct chipset/motherboard drivers for my computer? I am going to go get my OS soon, so if I don't answer, I'll answer back soon.

 

[Hirano]

True edfair, but It isn't doing to recognize my processor and motherboard as new hardware. I think I just need the chipset drivers (some one please link me) and the motherboard drivers (if the chipset and motherboard aren't the same, I need both I think) and the OS disk. I am going to get the OS disk asap, like today hopefully, and then, if I am correct, I need the link to the download for the chipset/motherboard drivers, and then just reinstall my new OS, and then install the drivers for the chipset/motherboard and then activate windows online with the code provided with the OS disk.

If I am right, I should have my computer working soon.

 

[G0AOZ]

Fine Tony, no probs. I read the original post as that these systems were both running at some point and then died. I (wrongly) assumed from that, that the poster would use the original licences...

ROGER - G0AOZ.