Hi I bought a laptop and needed to install windows. I made a c and d: partition on hard drive my cd rom didn't recognise so I hooked the hard drive to my main computer to do from there. Hard drive got lost not detected. I put it back on laptop still not there. I can't fdisk I can't load windows. It sayd need to make dos partition or check fats how I can't fdisk. Says no fixed droves present I think it's taking c: as my cd rom now??where did they go? Is it dead now?

Can you please clarify your problem:

Is this a new laptop? What version of Windows are you trying to install?

If you were making partitions then the drive was detected? Then what happened with the CD rom?

If you hooked the hard drive to your main computer then I am assuming that you were using an adapter? From Laptop drive to standard ATA?

Then back on the laptop now it is not detected at all?

When IT says this or that; what exactly does it say?

Hi sorry i had trouble getting in here to reply I sent a reply via email if you don't get it ill re do the information in here.Will check back soon Thx Lain

Hi,Thx for replying ok here goes. Laptop is not new it a thinkpad 570E. I needed to install windows 98 second edition but the laptop wouldn't recognise the cd.rom. So I had a proper cable to connect the hard drive to my usually computer but the hard drive wasn't recognised,I put the hard drive back on laptop incase i had done something wrong but the laptop now wouldn't recognise the hard drive ir the bios.
When inserting start up disk it loads to c: if i fdisk it says no fixed drives present. There is no d iether just the floppy and the directory it creates itself which it has put in c:...Im not convinced the hard drive has gone I'm thinking it is something to do with the partitions. It comes up with 4 options something about the fats 32 and partitions,virus,battery dead or hard drive had it. if i try and format c: it says it is not supported on there. Hope this help thank you.

Hi think Im going to send my hard drive back to the company for testing, this is doing my head in now...will let you know if I get it sorted.Thx

If you haven't sent the hard disk back yet, follow the instructions in my articles about getting a PC/laptop to auto-detect the hard disk. There are 2 articles in the "tutorials / articles" board in the D-A-L forum. If those still don't help, I've written a third article as well which I can copy for you here as it hasn't been posted onto the site yet.

Hello I couldn't open your minks,but setecting the hardware off a website is of no use as I haven't even got windows on the hard disk. Can't reformat because the option does not appear. I think it is something to do with needing to create a tempory directory and copying windows to the hard drive via normal computer so that I then install it to laptop. I sent the hard-drive back and they said they just reformatted it but I coudn't get it to do that as it kept reading there are no drives to format.?????? Anyhow the shop have sorted it for me posting back tonight,just going to really do my nut in trying to work out what he did lol..........any one know?

P.S My bios wouldn't detect my hard drive......

Originally Posted by rlain

I sent the hard-drive back and they said they just reformatted it but I coudn't get it to do that as it kept reading there are no drives to format.??????

That was exactly my point. The shop fitted your hard drive into another PC and set up the BIOS on their PC to recognise it. Then, they could format the hard disk OK. However, when you get the hard disk back, your BIOS probably still won't see it.

I'm sorry about the broken links in my signature - the articles had been moved. I have now updated my signature with the correct links. I recommend that you print them off on whatever PC you are using now and then you will be able to refer to the printed articles if you still have problems with the laptop.

Let us know how you get on

Hi ok thats great thank you. If and when I eventually get it back I will let you know.