BAH!!!

[Saizou]

BIOS is stored in CMOS on your motherboard so it's always there. When you start the computer you should see "Press some key to enter setup" or something like that. Push that key and you are into the BIOS. I think on HP BIOS there's that boot priority setting right on the main menu (at least it was on some older HP laptop i recently saw). If it isn't just search the menu it has to be in there for sure.

[G!NG3R420]

I see. Thats what F10 takes me into. I'm not too knowledgable about that portion of computers, So I tend to not switch anything in fear of doing what I did to my desktop a few years back and completly screwed it up. Anyone know HP's BIOS well enough to give me close enough directions to find out how that is set? I know I hit F10 and it pops up with my computer specs, other then that I have no navigation skills.

[NoGooD]

It would help more if you posted the model of your laptop.

 

typically it's a key like F2, Del etc to get into BIOS.

 

The point I was trying to make is, occasionally the manufacturer will ship a computer that is set to boot from the hard drive only. The secondary boot item is directed at anything "i.e. cd-rom, hard drive, etc". So when you press power and your computer goes to boot...it will check the HDD first...and find nothing..and then instead of looking for a 2ndary device it stops trying to boot and will give you an error message instead.

 

Ideally for the install of the OS, you would like to boot from your dvd drive first, and harddrive second.

 

This way the computer automatically looks for the boot disks, and then loads them up. Since I boot device has been found by the computer there's no need for it to look for another one.

[G!NG3R420]

Instead of messing around with all that, I have a new hard drive, and they sent me the original disks for the HP DV7 since it was totally blank, as most predicted.. It allowed me to chose what programs to install and what to keep out. Tis awesome. I'm now fully up and running just like before. Thanks for all the help guys =D

[AntiThought]

Good to have you back.

[KevinBacon]

Since it was under warranty, I would just demand they fix the entire problem. Threaten to blog about it if they stammer on the deal. I dunno, I have 120+ blogs and that has always gotten me out of any customer-service problems....

I also tell them I have many readers...you gotta flex your digital balls....

 

/endrant

Edited July 31, 2010 by KevinBacon

[ZetaG]

@NoGood-BIOS=Basic Input Output Systems. If the HDD is blank, doesnt that mean I dont have the option to choose where to boot from, since everything on the pc is blank no software installed and no recovery or self diognostics? I know it sounds nubish, but I dont fully understand how you would access that portion and how to change it.

 

 

@Anti-Thank ya! Goes to proove that if you threaten to take your buisness elsewhere, companys will do all in their power to keep you a satisfied and loyal customer. =D (Just dont tell them that I its the first product I bought from them lol)

 

 

 

Thanks to everyone for the interest in the input your giving, As you can imagine this is a very difficult time for me, as I have no life but ET

 

The BIOS is firmware installed on a chip on your PC's motherboard... You don't need anything on your HD to access it. You usually access it by holding some button (delete for me) when you power on your machine.

Edited August 2, 2010 by ZetaG