Packard Bell Pew91 clean install

Payton

A friend has a Packard Bell laptop and it has problems starting but no backup disks are made so I suggested a clean install with Win7...is it possible or do I need anything else to start the install?

5star02707

clean install is fine but before that download the necessary drivers (wifi / lan port, usb etc.) and make a backup of important files i.e. pictures, docs and videos.

Payton

5star02707 wrote: »

clean install is fine but before that download the necessary drivers (wifi / lan port, usb etc.) and make a backup of important files i.e. pictures, docs and videos.

He can't access the files but nothing important on it, is the Packard Bell site gone or will generic drivers be compatible?

5star02707

drivers can be found on the internet will be fine as long as you know what wifi card you have (look it under "device manager") i think that's the only thing you need to download to be able to connect to the internet if you don't like connecting using wifi try getting the drivers for the Lan port / RJ45. Windows update will do the work for you once a clean install is done. just be sure to download the correct driver for internet.

Payton

There is a problem starting as the laptop is seeking the installation disks...which he doesn't have so he cant access the device manager.

mordeith

Payton wrote: »

There is a problem starting as the laptop is seeking the installation disks...which he doesn't have so he cant access the device manager.

What os is on the laptop? If you have an installation disc with the same os you could the repair option.

Payton

mordeith wrote: »

What os is on the laptop? If you have an installation disc with the same os you could the repair option.

It's Win7 on it so I have a disc with Win7 so I'll try that, failing that it's a fresh install.

Payton

Update, I put the Win7 disk in to repair it and did a restart. Now it goes to the screen that shows 'Press F2 for boot menu' which I can't now access....and just restarts and shows the same screen and its caught in a loop.

5star02707

is that an official windows 7 disk or is that disk your repair disk on another laptop / pc?

you can create / download your own windows 7 here

1- https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows7

use his product key under the laptop to be able to download it

once you've downloaded the file use this

2- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/windows-usb-dvd-download-tool


then create a bootable medium (blank DVD or a usb)

Payton

It's a Win7 disk I used before. When it did start I selected repair after a few minutes I was asked to restart and from there it's just going in to the loop. I'll try and download the link when I get home this evening.

5star02707

Payton wrote: »

It's a Win7 disk I used before. When it did start I selected repair after a few minutes I was asked to restart and from there it's just going in to the loop. I'll try and download the link when I get home this evening.

if that's the case and you used it before try to not just repair the system but complete wipe(new install of win 7)

Payton

I tried to but it's looping before it can read the disc. So basically as soon as it boots up I get the 'Press F2 to enter setup' which I can't get into and it reboots even while pressing F2.

mordeith

Payton wrote: »

I tried to but it's looping before it can read the disc. So basically as soon as it boots up I get the 'Press F2 to enter setup' which I can't get into and it reboots even while pressing F2.

You could try removing the hard drive to see if that disables the loop. If you can and can access BIOS settings you can change the boot order to have the CD/DVD drive first.

Payton

I was able to access it and changed the first boot to CD?DVD drive then after the 'repair' it just went to loop. I'll remove it over the weekend.

mordeith

Payton wrote: »

I was able to access it and changed the first boot to CD?DVD drive then after the 'repair' it just went to loop. I'll remove it over the weekend.

Yeah, as suggested above, just do a clean install at this stage

Payton

mordeith wrote: »

Yeah, as suggested above, just do a clean install at this stage

That's the problem...I can't. As the laptop restarts before it reads the CD/DVD drive and I can't access the bios as F2 won't activate.
Laptop starts....'Press F2 to enter setup' appears on screen...after 2 or 3 seconds it reboots and just keeps looping.

5star02707

don't press the F2 just let it boot to CD/DVD

if it still won't work guess u have to try to change the hard drive and see if you can install a new one.

Payton

I'll do open heart surgery tomorrow on it and post an update.

5rtytry56

Let us know how you get on OP.

Payton

Ok I took the hard drive out and the laptop boots up and I can access the bios. I just need to test the hard drive.

5star02707

cheers, could be just the hard drive thats the problem then. rearrange the boot settings and boot on cd/drive to reinstall best of luck

Payton

I put a spare hard drive in and it installed Win7 on it. I connected the old hard drive as an external hard drive and its just spinning and nothing showing up on my laptop. So it was a faulty hard drive by the sounds of it.

5star02707

that's great update. i'd say invest on SSD it'll be worth it

Payton

New hard drive installed and Win7 loaded and working a treat.
Thanks for your help guys :-)