If you can't boot to windows now, by restarting the computer and are constantly receiving that error. It's a good chance that the drive may have failed already. If you have important data there are ways to try and get it. If it's extremely important data take it in for service. Do you have a warranty?

Disconnect anything that is connected to it. Try a reboot.

You could try booting to safe mode just to check but I doubt that will work.

in the message it gives it says to press F1 to continue when you do that does it boot? If it boots then you need to image/clone that drive immediately so that you can buy a new drive and put the image on it. If it has already failed you can still get your files from it using a linux live cd and we can give directions for that but you need to let us know what stage it is at now.

I just listed free imaging software and a tutorial on another thread asking about external hard drives and usb drives you can look on it for the links to those.
Best flash drives and CDs for backing up?

Thanks for your help. I had tried hitting F1 several times and the laptop would not boot. After reading the above.. "Disconnect anything that is connected to it. Try a reboot." ..I disconnected the wireless mouse and tried to reboot. The laptop booted into windows. I am not sure if the mouse being connected was a factor or not, but I had already tried the same things with it connected.

I do have all my files backed up already to an external hard drive, but I think that now that the PC has rebooted, it might be a good idea to clone the hard drive and then replace it.

Would cloning the old drive allow me load everything back to the new drive more easily? If you can you instruct me on the best way clone the drive and /or make any suggestions on the best place to purchase a new drive? All help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.

How to Buy HP Laptop Replacement Parts. See link for a start.

I cant help with the cloning drive, never have done it. Others will chip in.

Here is a link that might be useful: -hp-laptop-replacement-parts.

If you have a good back up then time isn't so critical but it would be a very good idea to replace that drive as soon as possible.

Cloning the existing drive means you wouldn't have to "load" anything back on it because you're making an exact copy of what you have now. The problem with a laptop is that they typically only have one hard drive connection. You either need to have access to a desktop computer or use a USB enclosure.

You can check with HP if a warranty applies to your machine. Otherwise get a laptop drive at local computer store or online. My preference would be for Western Digital or Seagate.

I would suggest investing in a portable USB external hard drive. I bought one at Amazon at a good price. The one I bought is a Toshiba, and it comes with software that allows you to clone your existing hard drive. Then when you replace the enclosed hard drive with a new one, you can restore everything, including the operating system, from the external drive. Everything should be just as it was. I have never done this with a laptop, but did it with my HP desktop, using an external hard drive. Be sure you get a drive that is compatible with your laptop---most laptop drives are 2.5" in size. If this is a not so old laptop, it will probably be a SATA drive. Good luck!

using an imaging program that can clone or image your drive will take a snapshot of the entire drive exactly as you have it now, including the windows and all your settings you would have a new hard drive install the cloned image and be right back to where you were that simply. Much easier than using a recovery disc that will put you back to where the pc was when you bought it then have to do updates and then put back in all your files.

here is a good free version
imaging software

and some of the people on another forum I am on did a little tutorial
Step-by-step instruct on creating image: Macrium

there are several other free versions or you can purchase acronis, some external hard drives come with imaging programs.

Thanks to everyone for your help! Grandms, I already had an external HD and all data backed up before I got the error message, but it does seem much better to clone the drive.

Ravencajun.. thanks for the links. I have downloaded the imaging software and have cloned my defective HD to the external HD. With that done, I am now going to start searching for a new drive(no warranty).

I do have another laptop (same model) that has problems with the motherboard. I was thinking of taking the hard drive from it, but it's just as old as the defective one. These two laptops were bought at the same time for my daughter and I when she went away to college(abt 2007). Good or bad idea, anyone?

My daughter's HP was replaced by a Macbook Pro about 6 months ago and I will probably buy a new laptop for myself soon. I was hoping the HP would last until I could make up my mind whether to stick with PC or buy MAC.

New drive or daughter's old drive? PC or MAC?Any input appreciated!!
Thanks so much to all for your help.

Newegg has a couple of Western Digital laptop drives for under $50 (delivered). You could certainly reuse the drive from your other laptop as well; just because one drive failed doesn't mean the other one will too.

As for Mac vs. PC, I wrote something about it a while back. A search should turn it up.

totally up to you a brand new drive can fail in fact they sometimes come out of the box and don't work so no way to tell how long the other drive will last. Just be sure they are the right specs for your laptop same connections and stuff like that. In case you need any info on it I would run a belarc while you can and print it out
Belarc Advisor

I am a pc and linux person don't use Apple.