I'm going to take a guess. Remember, this is just a guess.
Read My Disclaimer.

Whoever sold you the computer COMPLETELY erased the
hard drive. Including the recovery partition.
Without that recovery partition the disks are useless.

Whoever's idea it was to use recovery partitions instead of
full installation disks should be drawn and quartered.

Pooh Bear

Oh lovely...
Are you saying that the 3-disk set of Recovery disks are of no help then? My only solution is to install a new disk drive?!?!?

Thanks,
Lynn

I'd say the hard drive is no good, that's why it says no hard disk installed, unless the person erased it and it has no partition.
To get it to boot from the CD's, you'll have to go into setup or bios by pressing delete or the F2 key at boot. Set the CDRom to first boot drive, floppy would be second and hard drive would be third, If you're lucky when you boot the next time with the recovery cd in the drive, they'll spin and start the recovery or it may tell you again there is no disk.
If you're trying to install Win98, you may need a bootdisk with cdrom support from bootdisk.com and you may have to make a partition on the drive, even though if you have the recovery disks that came with the computer, the recovery partition should already be there.
If you're installing Win XP or Vista, they do everything automatically when you insert the disc.
If delete or F2 don't work, try F1, F3, F10 depending on the name of computer.

Randy may be right about the hard drive being no good but before you race off for another drive do as he suggests by making the CD boot first. Perhaps the vendor simply did just what he needed to do to remove his data and only ran Fdisk but never bothered to format the drive after. Not nice if that is what was done but...... that would be in line with Randy's idea that there is no partition

Do you know the vendor or have a phone number? Even if you have to drive round and ask what he/she did you would then be aware and make the appropriate chioces.

Lots of times when I move my old desktop computer tower, some connection that probably heat cool cycles had already loosened will become loose enuff to cause a problem.

Perhaps in the move to its new location, something or connection internal in the case has wiggled loose.. hard drive ribbon connector or maybe the cmos battery blinked and the hard drive parameters are set to something other than what;s there.

Dang if am not gonna have to start using MSWindows, y'all seem to have so much fun with the seemingly constant stream of issues, and getting to buy and try all the latest and greatest in it won't work for very long solutions unless you give us some more $$$.
Hmmmm makes me wonder, if all the "Linux isn't ready...etc" naysayers, most all of whom it would appear have never even tried it, have so much trouble and need such an exhaustive repitoire of tools/knowledge/money/advisers just to install it and barely keep it running for a week at a time..... And to think that they now get to pay $239.95 to get a useable and less complete and functional system than what I do for free, or from $.125 to $29.95, (depending on whether bought OEM, DL'd or bought from a vendor).

And to think, "Aero" is out, at last....And yet there I was playing with 3D stuff from LG3D and Kororaa a year ago (stuff that looks and works better than "Aero" [and for $239.95 less too!]). And then there is Beryl.....Maybe I should go back to what was barely kept current and stable over an almost six year period and quit using the modern and up to date and secure stuff....

Nah, I'll be sticking with what works and is rapidly becoming the new world standard in Operating Systems........
Why they even make Linux so easy to install and use that my shoe loving totally devoid of any technical knowledge or ability daughter did an install and configure all by her lil ol self

Go to the link and get the latest version, burn the cd, or buy one for $1.95. Definetely a much more effective and productive way to find out what's wrong hardware-wise with a WinTel system than taking it to your friendly local shop for a clean/inspect/install.

>This only applies if your PC bios is set to permit booting from disc* Put the Cd in your CDRom, and restart your PC
* If there are any hardware issues you will know within a very few minutes,
* If everything comes up and seems to show a viable hardware configuration, go click click click on some things just to be sure.
* If all tests/checks well, you can either run the OS full time from RAM, from the CD or you can set up your own little persistant image to save changes/settings/programs/etc as you wish. A friends daughter ran Knoppix from RAM 24/7 for almost 8 solid months last year, until the power went out one day. She called and told me what happened and said she just restarted it and damn if all her stuff wasn't still there just like she hoped it would be.

And if you do the run from anywhere but a hard-drive thing, or set the OS up as "read only" and you are virtually assured of having a virtually infection proof PC virtually forever.

Here is a link that might be useful: PC: check test and run.....virus proof and free

Spunbondwarrir if I did not know all linux flavours were free I would swear you are getting financial considerations for all your promotion efforts on this board.

I have Ubuntu Dapper Drake as you know. When I mentioned an issue you sent me 30 or so web sites for my perusal. If Linux is so easy why did I need those 30 or so links? And, yes one day I will find the time to become more comfortable with my Linux install.

Unlike yourself who constantly bashes Windows I am not knocking Linux but I strongly suggest anyone considering it does so either on a second computer or a partition on their existing setup untill they are comfortable. You also need to understand most of those seeking help here are not computer geeks, they simply want answers to the current situation they find themselves in.

He's detramental to that lenox stuff. He seems to like to add to the mystery. I have no idea how to understand what he says.

>>>> "If Linux is so easy why did I need those 30 or so links?" They were just to help with finding the best possible distro for your personal situation/ability/interests and to provide you with tips/tools that you might find useful-helpful along the way....

Years ago, I bought my first Mac, yes a Mac, even after I left the wonderful fun filled world of working for IBM, and people wondered why on earth did I buy a Mac....

Why indeed.... Lets see, I went to a book store to buy me some "new" tech related reading material. I was where the computer books and magazines are, and I counted something like almost 100 different books on how to use a wonderous product called MS-DOS. There were like 2 or 3 Mac books. The magazine selection was the same..... So i kinda figured that if it takes 100 books and magazines to get one thru owning a PC vs. 2 to do the same with an Apple Computer....
This is a philosophical outlook that has held up quite well over the past 20 something years....

>>>> "Spunbondwarrir if I did not know all linux flavours were free I would swear you are getting financial considerations for all your promotion efforts on this board." Damn, I wish I was!!!! I apparently have 40 something distributions put to disc now...... and if somebody would just pay me say......$37.50 an hour for every hour I don't run Mepis or Knoppix or VectorLinux (one extra fine Linux distro of Canadian lineage, one of the very best of all),
at (X 1.25) for running Gnome based distro's, and at (X 1.5) for running PCLinuxOS (mainly because I cannot stand it) I could retire really soon, and do what I really want, which is drive really fast cars really fast, and grow lots of roses and daylilies and irises and fruits nuts and berries of all kinds.....

HAGD.....

oh yeah, hey Mikie.... you are 03/03??? me 02/02
and I am a real native Floridian... I was actually born there in 1953 to people whose families were living south of Lake Okeechobee before 1900.

>>>> "I have no idea how to understand what he says." You could always ask someone, or maybe you should learn about those new fangled things called search engines and learn a thing or two. One should never publicly display ones preference for ignorance over knowledge.

And Mikie, maybe this will help you understand, I run 3 and 4 browsers with lots of open windows and even more open tabs, as many as slightly over 100, I never ever defrag, scan, I never anything, I run ZERO security software, oh yeah I have a firewall. This PC is online 24/7/365 never disconnect and never turn anything off. I have never ever had a virus/worm/trojan/malware/rootkit/infection of any kind. AND it was on and online 24/7 for over 8 months solid and was only rebooted to do a kernal update. It would have been over a year but after only 4 or 5 months online (spring 2006) embedded thunderstorms settled in over us and led me to unplug and wait out the storm. You couldn't do that with a MSWin machine if your childrens life depended on it. Does that help with your lack of understanding?

Hey -are you guys hijacking my thread?!?! Just kidding...
Okay, for the record, this is an HP pc, running WIN XP. We bought it privately, and it was shipped in original packing to us via UPS> Fortunately it IS under extended warranty thru COMP USA, so I'm hoping if all else fails I can always take it there.

I've been able to access SETUP, but I cannot seem to change the primary drive to the CD drive. I use the PG UP and PG DN keys, but they don't change anything. ? Sorry to be so ignorant...
Very appreciative of any help you can offer... and feel free to hijack this thread in return...

If the hard drive was completely erased (FDISK)
then it would give you the error of hard disk not found.
On another (working) computer go to www.bootdisk.com
and download a Windows98se boot disk image with CD support.
Use it to make a floppy disk boot disk.
You can use this to check the status of the hard drive.

In the Setup menu try using the arrow keys to move around.

You could also download a Knoppix CD and boot from it.
I do this to diagnose computers with dead hard drives.

Provided the computer hardware is in working order then the
worst case scenario is you would need a new operating system.

Pooh Bear

Amen on we aint geeks. Grady

Now we know more, thank you. I thought it was a yardsale computer.
If they said it was running Win XP, I'd take them at their word.
I'll go with a loose ribbon cable, either at the harddrive end or the motherboard end. Pull the case off the tower and check the wires, unplug and replug making sure they are pushed in tight.
You're not ignorant, you went into the bios, how many people can do that...
Yes, use the up-down arrows, when you get on what you want, press enter. After the changes press F10 to save and get out of there.
If you get it to boot from the cd's and it still can't find a hard disk installed, it's either loose ribbon cable wire or the disc was damaged bouncing around during transit.
Yes, your thread was hijacked.

Bestyears, I apologise for seemingly hijacking your thread. That was not the intent in any way shape or form. However Spunbondwarrior shows up here sporadically touting Linux. My concerns are that the average person seeking help here is not necessarily comfortable working with the computer. He should really go to the geek forums touting his ideas. So based on that I fear for any of them who might take his advice after a frustrating time with their Windows install. Many pass through as lurkers too and I would hate to see people make a switch only to realise the mistake they may have made.

Windows help is available widespread, Linux is slightly more difficult to get help for - in my opinion.

Please check all those cables and make sure ram is in solid, and that your video, sound etc, are all pushed into slots tightly. If this computer was supposed to be in running order, it probably is. It is not unusual to have a cable loosen, or a card loosen when it is being shipped. Certainly would do all those things, before changing anything in bios, or anywhere else. Good Luck :-)Cat

Okay, I got the cover off. I found a long red plasticky 'ribbon' 9\(about 1/2 inch wide and 12 inches long. One end was connected in, but the other was not connected to anything. I found a spot right beside the other end of it, which matched the rather unusual shape of the connector, and plugged it in. Unfortunately, still no go. STill telling me it cannot find the hard drive. The transfer of warranty paperwork should be here within a few days, so I've always got that option, thank goodness. It actually should be a pretty good pc. AMD Athlon dual-channel 64, 2GB memory, 30GB hard drive, ATI Radeon graphics card. Thank you all so much for your help. I'll keep checking here, so if you have other ideas, I'll try them...
Many thanks,
Lynn

Might look at a pic of a SATA hard drive cable because that sounds like what youve found... maybe it should be plugged into the hard drive.

eBay pic

Sounds like a SATA cable to me also.

Lynn,
You've got a real nice system there.
I hope you do use the warranty, they may be forced to upgrade your harddrive to a larger size to at least 40GB. I've only seen 30GB in HP, but I don't see that size sold in stores.

Yes, yes that's the cable! I'm going to take the cover off again and take another look. I don't think I have it connected to the hard-drive.

Oh, and that was a typo, it's not a 30GB drive, but a 300GB drive! (Does anyone remember when 1GB was A LOT?!?)
Lynn

I've attached a few photos of the inside of the machine in case that's helpful... You can probably see the end of the red hard drive cable. The other end is connected in to the motherboard. There is another slot right beside it on the motherboard (white in the photos), which this end would click nicely into. Maybe that's for another hard drive? This loose end -where does it go? I tried connected it to what I thought was the hard drive. Although it fits the connection, it doesn't 'click' or really 'snug' in. A firm pull will easily dislodge it. And... it doesn't fix the problem. Looking at the photos, the top device, (silver, top center of photo), I believe is a removable backup drive? And the device I tried clicking into is directly beneath that (black). I'm not really able to get a picture because of the location.

Any help is GREATLY appreciated...

Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures of the inside of the PC

oops, that link went to photobucket home page.
copy the url for the picture where it says HTML Tag and paste it in your message here. You'll see it on preview and we'll see it when submitted.

This should work...

Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures of the inside of the pc

trying again...

Here is a link that might be useful:

Here it is:

From the response to the photo, you know it's hard to tell. The loose end on the red wire may be for a secondary drive, can't tell if the middle of it is attached to the silver enclosure on the bottom bay and whether that is a harddrive, usaually a harddrive is just screwed inside the bay and not in a enclosure.
To me it looks like the harddrive should be the black area, it's gotta be one of the two bays on the bottom. The 2 at the top are CD/DVD or floopy or whatever shows on the front of computer.
A local Mom and Pop computer shop would be able to tell you in a minute if you carried it in without the case, may not even charge you.
I hope the comp usa extended warranty gets there soon, the kids must really be desperate to play with it by now!

Hi Randy,
Yes, I think the black is the hard drive too, but I cannot figure out anyway to attach the cable to it. It's a bit awkward to get to actually. The top drive is a removable storage device I think. The warranty paperwork should be here in a few days, so I think I should probably just exercise some patience before I blow the thing up!

Thanks for the help..
Lynn

While I look for a decent tutorial from HP - do you have the model number? So much easier to get you the correct info.

Look below, you will need acrobat reader to view it. This shows a media pc that has the same set up as you do with the hard drive on it's side. You will need the red cable and a black one that comes from the power supply.

Please post the model number. I'd like to check out the restore procedure in case you have more problems

Here is a link that might be useful: Manual

Great manual -thanks! I've saved that on my pc.
The model number is m7470n.
It also has a product# ER883AA-ABA.

thanks in advance,
Lynn

Going to the link below gives you access to everything relating to that computer - software patches are listed on the left. Look under manuals - you want the Upgrading and Servicing Guide - here

Here is a link that might be useful: HP Pavilion Media Center TV m7470n Desktop PC

Wow -that's going to help us with everything. Thanks so much. I've just created a Favorites Folder for it.

lynn

Your welcome. Hopefully you can get the pc running. If you need help quick, there should be a web chat listed also.