what are the steps in deleting preexisting partitions and formating a hard drive on a Acer Aspire 5315-2326 laptop?
Hi Everyone,
I am interested in deleting the preexisting partitions, creating one primary partition, formatting, and installing Windows 7 onto a harddrive of a Acer Aspire 5315-2326 laptop. While I realize there are many 3rd party programs which can accomplish this goal, I am interested in using the Windows 7 installation DVD. Any step by step procedures for accomplishing this goal will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
George
I am interested in deleting the preexisting partitions, creating one primary partition, formatting, and installing Windows 7 onto a harddrive of a Acer Aspire 5315-2326 laptop. While I realize there are many 3rd party programs which can accomplish this goal, I am interested in using the Windows 7 installation DVD. Any step by step procedures for accomplishing this goal will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
George
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ASKER
Hi There,
Thank you so much for the tip to change SATA mode to IDE mode. That very insightful suggestion certainly helped : - ) Basically, here is a rundown of what I have done which now gives me the total size and free drive space for the laptop HDD within the Windows 7 installation. When I started the laptop back up, I did notice the HDD was identified within the Information section of the BIOS configuration. The HDD model name and HDD serial number was given. Personally, I found that bit strange considering that earlier it was not being seen earlier within the BIOS configuration. At any rate, I went into the Main menu of the BIOS configuration and disabled Network Boot and changed the SATA mode from AHCI Mode to IDE Mode, and saved the changes by pressing F10.
To my pleasant surprise, I was given the information regarding the size and free space of the laptop HDD, namely, 232.9GB for both, within the Windows 7 installation screen. While I have made it past this hurdle using your great suggestion regarding changing the mode to IDE, I can not go to the next step to use the more advanced disk management options like deleting partition, creating extended partition, formating, etc. Each time I select any of these disk management options, I get the following error message: "Setup was unable to create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition. See the Setup log files for more information". Given this newly developed hurdle, I will need further technical guidance to complete the installation of Windows 7.
Thank you in advance for any further help given to this post.
George
Thank you so much for the tip to change SATA mode to IDE mode. That very insightful suggestion certainly helped : - ) Basically, here is a rundown of what I have done which now gives me the total size and free drive space for the laptop HDD within the Windows 7 installation. When I started the laptop back up, I did notice the HDD was identified within the Information section of the BIOS configuration. The HDD model name and HDD serial number was given. Personally, I found that bit strange considering that earlier it was not being seen earlier within the BIOS configuration. At any rate, I went into the Main menu of the BIOS configuration and disabled Network Boot and changed the SATA mode from AHCI Mode to IDE Mode, and saved the changes by pressing F10.
To my pleasant surprise, I was given the information regarding the size and free space of the laptop HDD, namely, 232.9GB for both, within the Windows 7 installation screen. While I have made it past this hurdle using your great suggestion regarding changing the mode to IDE, I can not go to the next step to use the more advanced disk management options like deleting partition, creating extended partition, formating, etc. Each time I select any of these disk management options, I get the following error message: "Setup was unable to create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition. See the Setup log files for more information". Given this newly developed hurdle, I will need further technical guidance to complete the installation of Windows 7.
Thank you in advance for any further help given to this post.
George
ASKER
Hi Everyone,
I am wondering if the HDD of this laptop is not physically defective. Is there a way I can determine if the HDD is good or not?
Thank you
George
I am wondering if the HDD of this laptop is not physically defective. Is there a way I can determine if the HDD is good or not?
Thank you
George
sure George, run a diag on the disk : http://support.wdc.com/download/#diagutils
or from the ubcd - which you have already, i believe?
or from the ubcd - which you have already, i believe?
ASKER
Hi
Thank you for the link. Once at the link, do I select the 2.5-inch notebook hard drives with the title of WD Scorpio & AV 25? Or, do I type in the model number of the laptop or HDD at the top of the page? Sorry for the confusion, but, I am a little unclear on what to do when I am at this page.
Playing devil's advocate here and assuming the laptop HDD is actually bad, could you give me a youtube link on how to uninstall a defective HDD for an Acer Aspire 5315-2326 notebook? And, also a link on how to install a new HDD into this laptop as well? While I am fairly decent with configuring and installing desktop HDD, I am very new at this sort of thing with laptop HDD's. Just out of curiousity, do laptop HDD's have jumpers? I am under the impression they do not have these, but, I am unsure though.
Hopefully, the laptop HDD is not bad. But, at this point, that is certainly a possibility which can not be ruled out. If the laptop HDD is configurable, perhaps removing it and reconfiguring it will take care of this problem. I know with desktop HDD's, jumpers can often be used to reconfigure a HDD for troubleshooting applications.
Further feedback given to these questions will be greatly appreciated. And, thanks so much in advance for any help given.
George
Thank you for the link. Once at the link, do I select the 2.5-inch notebook hard drives with the title of WD Scorpio & AV 25? Or, do I type in the model number of the laptop or HDD at the top of the page? Sorry for the confusion, but, I am a little unclear on what to do when I am at this page.
Playing devil's advocate here and assuming the laptop HDD is actually bad, could you give me a youtube link on how to uninstall a defective HDD for an Acer Aspire 5315-2326 notebook? And, also a link on how to install a new HDD into this laptop as well? While I am fairly decent with configuring and installing desktop HDD, I am very new at this sort of thing with laptop HDD's. Just out of curiousity, do laptop HDD's have jumpers? I am under the impression they do not have these, but, I am unsure though.
Hopefully, the laptop HDD is not bad. But, at this point, that is certainly a possibility which can not be ruled out. If the laptop HDD is configurable, perhaps removing it and reconfiguring it will take care of this problem. I know with desktop HDD's, jumpers can often be used to reconfigure a HDD for troubleshooting applications.
Further feedback given to these questions will be greatly appreciated. And, thanks so much in advance for any help given.
George
I don't think the drive is bad. I am curious to know which options are you pressing. A bit late I will upload a video where deleting partitions during installation is shown.
Here is the video. Do you get exactly same menu?
Windows-7-installation.exe
Windows-7-installation.exe
if you have a disk like that, yes
you can also search by model number
the disk is secured with screws on the bottom side (see #3 : http://www.ehow.com/how_6398939_replace-motherboard-acer-aspire-5315.html )
you can also search by model number
the disk is secured with screws on the bottom side (see #3 : http://www.ehow.com/how_6398939_replace-motherboard-acer-aspire-5315.html )
ASKER
Hi Everyone,
Thanks so much for the most recent replies in addition to the links. Here is my hurdle with wrapping up the Windows 7 installation. Basically, the advanced disk management tools or options like deleting a partition, formatting a partition, creating an extended partition, etc never become fully available. Even though I see these options, they can not be used because of the following error message which I get "Setup was unable to create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition. See the Setup log files for more information". And, I only see one partition within the window as well, which I believe is normal though seeing this is one HDD without any partitions. The total size and the free size values only show when IDE mode is enabled within the BIOS indicating to me this HDD is likely to be running off of the IDE controller on the MB as opposed to a SATA controller.
But, to some up everything, this is my problem. To the best of my knowledge, I am using a "full" installation version of Windows 7 as opposed to an "upgrade" version. This problem was also noted when I attempted to use Windows Vista installation DVD as well. I have not run any diagnoistics on the HDD yet though. Just on a sidenote, I do have the Windows 7 utility DVD which is bootable and used for recovery and repair only if you think it might help. Perhaps the MBR or master boot record of this HDD has been corrupted for some reason or the other. I have not tried this suggestion, but, merely want to bring it up for consideration. In the past, I do remember having to use this DVD in a different situation to correct problems within the MBR of a HDD before the installation would complete or finalize.
Any further thoughts on this matter will be appreciated.
Thank you
George
Thanks so much for the most recent replies in addition to the links. Here is my hurdle with wrapping up the Windows 7 installation. Basically, the advanced disk management tools or options like deleting a partition, formatting a partition, creating an extended partition, etc never become fully available. Even though I see these options, they can not be used because of the following error message which I get "Setup was unable to create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition. See the Setup log files for more information". And, I only see one partition within the window as well, which I believe is normal though seeing this is one HDD without any partitions. The total size and the free size values only show when IDE mode is enabled within the BIOS indicating to me this HDD is likely to be running off of the IDE controller on the MB as opposed to a SATA controller.
But, to some up everything, this is my problem. To the best of my knowledge, I am using a "full" installation version of Windows 7 as opposed to an "upgrade" version. This problem was also noted when I attempted to use Windows Vista installation DVD as well. I have not run any diagnoistics on the HDD yet though. Just on a sidenote, I do have the Windows 7 utility DVD which is bootable and used for recovery and repair only if you think it might help. Perhaps the MBR or master boot record of this HDD has been corrupted for some reason or the other. I have not tried this suggestion, but, merely want to bring it up for consideration. In the past, I do remember having to use this DVD in a different situation to correct problems within the MBR of a HDD before the installation would complete or finalize.
Any further thoughts on this matter will be appreciated.
Thank you
George
Can you take picture of the screen where partitioning should be available normally and load here?
a phone cam or digital cam would do that.
a phone cam or digital cam would do that.
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ASKER
Hi Everyone,
I have dBan running now on this laptop at Pass 1 of 3. Due to the large amount of remaining time which is over 1241 hours, can 1 pass be good enough? So far, there are not any reported errors within the statistics dialog.
With regards to what is seen on the screen, it matches everything presented within noxcho's link. While the disk management tools can be seen on the screen, they can not be used because of the error message noted earlier.
I am confident dBan will iron out things good enough to get the installation situation resolved. At any rate, will 1 pass be sufficient? I guess because of the large size of the HDD, it is taking longer.
Thank you
George
I have dBan running now on this laptop at Pass 1 of 3. Due to the large amount of remaining time which is over 1241 hours, can 1 pass be good enough? So far, there are not any reported errors within the statistics dialog.
With regards to what is seen on the screen, it matches everything presented within noxcho's link. While the disk management tools can be seen on the screen, they can not be used because of the error message noted earlier.
I am confident dBan will iron out things good enough to get the installation situation resolved. At any rate, will 1 pass be sufficient? I guess because of the large size of the HDD, it is taking longer.
Thank you
George
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Could it be that your HDD is dynamic or retained LDM? How many partitions do you have on this HDD?
ASKER
Hi
Could you define a dynamic or retained LDM of HDD? I am not sure I follow on that part of the question. With regards to the number of partitions, it appears to be just one based upon what is shown during the initial phase of the Windows 7 installation.
Thank you
George
Could you define a dynamic or retained LDM of HDD? I am not sure I follow on that part of the question. With regards to the number of partitions, it appears to be just one based upon what is shown during the initial phase of the Windows 7 installation.
Thank you
George
ASKER
Hello Everyone,
I want to take a moment and provide some updates to this ongoing project. Using a program downloaded from Western Digital with Caldera DR-DOS, I attempted to run a test to check the integrity of the laptop HDD. No matter if I select Quick Test or Extended Test, I get the following message: Drive configuration changed while this program was running. The drive configuration must remain the same as the program runs. Please restart the program. I also get this message if I try to low level format by selecting Write Zeroes. When I restart the laptop as instructed, I get the following error message: Non-WD Drive.. Error/Status Code: 0201. Interesting if I do a "cold" boot (powering off the laptop and staring it up again to run the WD utility), the WD utility detects the HDD once again.
At the present time, I am running a utility built into Ultimate Boot CD called Parted Magic. This program detected and ID the HDD of the laptop and gave me the option to erase it using Secure Erase. The message I got says Secure Erase command has been executed against the selected drive. Please allow 30 to 180 minutes for completion. It has been at least 3 hours now, but, this screen is still there with the HDD light on the console occasionally blinking. To be honest, I am not convinced it is doing anything to the HDD. However, I will leave it on all night and see what happens in the morning. If the message is still there in the morning, then, it is safe to assume the utility is not doing what it claims.
Playing devil's advocate for a moment and assuming the HDD is really bad, I do have a question. I have an Acer Aspire 3690 laptop with a good working HDD. Speaking theoretically of course, could I possibly use this HDD in the problem Acer Aspire 5315-2326 laptop? It seems reasonable that I might be able to do this, but, I am unsure though.
In the meantime, if any further suggestions come to mind, please post because I am anxious to get this HDD issue with the Acer Aspire 5315-2326 laptop resolved. And, thanks in advance for all of the great suggestions so far.
Thank you
George
I want to take a moment and provide some updates to this ongoing project. Using a program downloaded from Western Digital with Caldera DR-DOS, I attempted to run a test to check the integrity of the laptop HDD. No matter if I select Quick Test or Extended Test, I get the following message: Drive configuration changed while this program was running. The drive configuration must remain the same as the program runs. Please restart the program. I also get this message if I try to low level format by selecting Write Zeroes. When I restart the laptop as instructed, I get the following error message: Non-WD Drive.. Error/Status Code: 0201. Interesting if I do a "cold" boot (powering off the laptop and staring it up again to run the WD utility), the WD utility detects the HDD once again.
At the present time, I am running a utility built into Ultimate Boot CD called Parted Magic. This program detected and ID the HDD of the laptop and gave me the option to erase it using Secure Erase. The message I got says Secure Erase command has been executed against the selected drive. Please allow 30 to 180 minutes for completion. It has been at least 3 hours now, but, this screen is still there with the HDD light on the console occasionally blinking. To be honest, I am not convinced it is doing anything to the HDD. However, I will leave it on all night and see what happens in the morning. If the message is still there in the morning, then, it is safe to assume the utility is not doing what it claims.
Playing devil's advocate for a moment and assuming the HDD is really bad, I do have a question. I have an Acer Aspire 3690 laptop with a good working HDD. Speaking theoretically of course, could I possibly use this HDD in the problem Acer Aspire 5315-2326 laptop? It seems reasonable that I might be able to do this, but, I am unsure though.
In the meantime, if any further suggestions come to mind, please post because I am anxious to get this HDD issue with the Acer Aspire 5315-2326 laptop resolved. And, thanks in advance for all of the great suggestions so far.
Thank you
George
since the WD diag told you there is a problem, i believe it : your disk is bad
if you want to get it ok again, you can try to replace the disk logic board with one of the same model and firmware level
btw - to be sure - you tested the drive on it's laptop, yes?
Can you test the drive also on another PC? it could be the disk controller is giving problems
or test with another disk on this laptop
if you want to get it ok again, you can try to replace the disk logic board with one of the same model and firmware level
btw - to be sure - you tested the drive on it's laptop, yes?
Can you test the drive also on another PC? it could be the disk controller is giving problems
or test with another disk on this laptop
ASKER
Hi Everyone,
Thanks so much for the easy to follow suggestions in addition to the resourceful links which certainly did help in putting all of this together. Using the information given within this post, I was able to quickly figure out the logistics of deleting preexisting partitions and formatting a HDD using the Windows 7 DVD. Unfortuntately, the HDD being used though was defective for some unknown reason. In fact, it would not respond to any diagnoistic test either. A utility downloaded from the WD or Western Digital site to check the integrity of the HDD never would access this drive. Instead, I got a list of ATA errors which I assume is referring to the HDD in this instance because it does use a SATA technology for interfacing with the motherboard.
At the present time, I am trying to determine if I can get an RMA or Return Material Authorization for this drive. Hopefully, it is still under warranty so I can get a replacement.
In closing, thanks again for the great information shared to this post. I did learn a great deal here.
George
Thanks so much for the easy to follow suggestions in addition to the resourceful links which certainly did help in putting all of this together. Using the information given within this post, I was able to quickly figure out the logistics of deleting preexisting partitions and formatting a HDD using the Windows 7 DVD. Unfortuntately, the HDD being used though was defective for some unknown reason. In fact, it would not respond to any diagnoistic test either. A utility downloaded from the WD or Western Digital site to check the integrity of the HDD never would access this drive. Instead, I got a list of ATA errors which I assume is referring to the HDD in this instance because it does use a SATA technology for interfacing with the motherboard.
At the present time, I am trying to determine if I can get an RMA or Return Material Authorization for this drive. Hopefully, it is still under warranty so I can get a replacement.
In closing, thanks again for the great information shared to this post. I did learn a great deal here.
George
ASKER
I apologize for the lengthy delay in getting back with everyone regarding my progress. Today, I have been back on this project using the information contained with the links supplied in addition to personal insights shared within this post. At this point, here is the status of everything which will require further technical advisement.
When I booted to the CD/DVDROM containing the Windows 7 DVD, I got all of the normal screens leading up to the Windows 7 install. At the option to either Upgrade or do Custom (Advanced) install, I selected Custom install because I want to basically redo the entire HDD by deleting the preexisting partition. To my surprise when I clicked Custom installation, I noticed within the Total Size and Free Space of Disk 0: Unallocated Space, there was not any default values. Instead, I only saw 0 for both of these. In other words, it is almost like the laptop is not even recognizing a HDD at all. And, of course, there was a message at the bottom of the screen indicating Windows cannot be installed to this disk (Show Details) When I clicked Show Details, I got a message indicating the computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk... Ensure that the disk's controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu. So, I cancelled the installation and went back into the BIOS.
Upon doing a visual priority order, I noticed there was no longer a description given to IDE 0. Before I rearranged the boot sequence order within the BIOS configuration, I did notice a description given to the laptop HDD making reference to a WDC HDD which I believe to be Western Digital, but, I am not sure. To be honest, I found it strange the laptop's HDD looses its description just by the simple act of rearranging to the boot sequence.
At any rate, if someone could provide further advisement on this matter, it will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
George