Laptop disaster -- F11 no longer works for recovery

"Percival P. Cassidy" <> wrote in message
news:MTMqi.80$...
>I am trying to help one of my wife's foreign students, who borrowed a
>Vista Home Premium CD from a friend to upgrade her HP Pavilion dv2125nr
>notebook that came with XP Media Center Edition.
>
> AFAICT, the upgrade was successful, but of course she cannot use the
> machine because there is no valid license key. She does not have the
> money to purchase a legitimate Vista key.
>
> According to all I have read, pressing F11 repeatedly at the HP logo
> should get me into the Recovery screen, but the only place it gets me is
> the Windows options screen (e.g., Safe, Normal).
>
> Is it possible that installing Vista has killed the F11 option (e.g.,
> altered the BIOS)? I don't yet know whether the student made the
> recovery CDs or DVDs: I can't contact her at present.
>
> Perce

Depends ... When 'whoever did the Vista install' got to the screen that
asked "which drive/partition to install it on?", did they answer C ? D ?
Overwrite existing ? etc - It should be OBVIOUS to installer that they are
about to overwrite the 'xp MC' install. Without the factory partititions
( if they chose to erase/reformat), nor the original HP CD - you now have
a 'new hard drive' with no HP factory info on it ( no restore partititon
either). Need to purchase XP Media Center CD again. Even if you DO
get/use a 'valid Vista license', you're gonna be missing all of the
drivers for the built-in hardware. (Fetch them via web and from another PC
and burn to CD /copy to folder on HP PC ).
To make XP work again - go to HP website, enter the model number - go to
parts ordering - to get the Install DVD's. Cost ma about $10-$20. Boot
DVD #1 to reinstall XP. Otherwise you now have a boat anchor.
( Even if you do get Vista to work, I'd recommend that everyone buy their
restore media - just to have it. In a few years ( after they sellout) they
will not be available and then a hd failure means pc is useless. Spend the
$20 and put them in the drawer as insurance.

I am trying to help one of my wife's foreign students, who borrowed a
Vista Home Premium CD from a friend to upgrade her HP Pavilion dv2125nr
notebook that came with XP Media Center Edition.

AFAICT, the upgrade was successful, but of course she cannot use the
machine because there is no valid license key. She does not have the
money to purchase a legitimate Vista key.

According to all I have read, pressing F11 repeatedly at the HP logo
should get me into the Recovery screen, but the only place it gets me is
the Windows options screen (e.g., Safe, Normal).

Is it possible that installing Vista has killed the F11 option (e.g.,
altered the BIOS)? I don't yet know whether the student made the
recovery CDs or DVDs: I can't contact her at present.

Perce

On 07/28/07 03:34 pm I wrote:

> I am trying to help one of my wife's foreign students, who borrowed a
> Vista Home Premium CD from a friend to upgrade her HP Pavilion dv2125nr
> notebook that came with XP Media Center Edition.
>
> AFAICT, the upgrade was successful, but of course she cannot use the
> machine because there is no valid license key. She does not have the
> money to purchase a legitimate Vista key.
>
> According to all I have read, pressing F11 repeatedly at the HP logo
> should get me into the Recovery screen, but the only place it gets me is
> the Windows options screen (e.g., Safe, Normal).
>
> Is it possible that installing Vista has killed the F11 option (e.g.,
> altered the BIOS)? I don't yet know whether the student made the
> recovery CDs or DVDs: I can't contact her at present.


I discovered a BIOS update program for this machine on the HP Web site:

sp36119.exe

It says to save it to the hard disk and execute it, but it's not
possible to boot the machine into Windows. Would executing it from an
external hard disk or USB thumb drive while in the Recovery Console of
an XP Pro CD work, or do we have to be able to get it booted into
Windows first?

If she gets the Recovery Disks from HP, will they fix up any BIOS
problems too? I recall trying to reinstall WinME to a Toshiba laptop
that had been repaired, but it wouldn't work because the repair center
had mistyped the model name when they configured the BIOS; thus the name
for which the restore CD was looking was not found.

Perce

Perce...

1. You are supposed to hit F11 right at Power Up... could be waiting for
the logo is too late.

2. When the "borrowed" Vista CD was used... was the "D:" partition
destroyed?? HP made the D: for System Recovery and to Burn new CDs.

3. Vista would NOT alter the BIOS... but, just guessing... could be the
owner burned the Recovery CDs and HP's recovery process is coded to "use the
CDs if burned"??

4. Last option would be to call HP and order the Recovery CDs... go to
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/d...=29517&lang=en
and see what they want. As I read it... they are NOT FREE but I didn't see
how much.

Steve



"Percival P. Cassidy" <> wrote in message
news:MTMqi.80$...
>I am trying to help one of my wife's foreign students, who borrowed a Vista
>Home Premium CD from a friend to upgrade her HP Pavilion dv2125nr notebook
>that came with XP Media Center Edition.
>
> AFAICT, the upgrade was successful, but of course she cannot use the
> machine because there is no valid license key. She does not have the money
> to purchase a legitimate Vista key.
>
> According to all I have read, pressing F11 repeatedly at the HP logo
> should get me into the Recovery screen, but the only place it gets me is
> the Windows options screen (e.g., Safe, Normal).
>
> Is it possible that installing Vista has killed the F11 option (e.g.,
> altered the BIOS)? I don't yet know whether the student made the recovery
> CDs or DVDs: I can't contact her at present.
>
> Perce

"Steve" <> wrote in
news:_o2ri.13036$ hlink.net:

> Perce...
>
> 1. You are supposed to hit F11 right at Power Up... could be
> waiting for the logo is too late.
>
> 2. When the "borrowed" Vista CD was used... was the "D:"
> partition destroyed?? HP made the D: for System Recovery and to
> Burn new CDs.
My guess is that the (non-HP) Vista installation has overwritten the
HP-specific boot loader (or whatever) that manages the F11 key
detection. The recovery partition is probably intact, but orphaned.

>
> 3. Vista would NOT alter the BIOS...
I agree, most unlikely.

> but, just guessing...
> could be the owner burned the Recovery CDs and HP's recovery
> process is coded to "use the CDs if burned"??
Very much doubt it - can't see why HP would bother.

>
> 4. Last option would be to call HP and order the Recovery
> CDs... go to
> http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/d...=c00707856&lc=
> en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=3245594&rule=29517&lang=e n and see what
> they want. As I read it... they are NOT FREE but I didn't see
> how much.
>
I ordered one for a customer recently [failed disk, no recovery CD
burnt!] - £25.90. But the real issue was the delivery delay - 6
weeks.

On 07/27/07 03:59 pm - Bobb - wrote:
>> I am trying to help one of my wife's foreign students, who borrowed a
>> Vista Home Premium CD from a friend to upgrade her HP Pavilion
>> dv2125nr notebook that came with XP Media Center Edition.
>>
>> AFAICT, the upgrade was successful, but of course she cannot use the
>> machine because there is no valid license key. She does not have the
>> money to purchase a legitimate Vista key.
>>
>> According to all I have read, pressing F11 repeatedly at the HP logo
>> should get me into the Recovery screen, but the only place it gets me
>> is the Windows options screen (e.g., Safe, Normal).
>>
>> Is it possible that installing Vista has killed the F11 option (e.g.,
>> altered the BIOS)? I don't yet know whether the student made the
>> recovery CDs or DVDs: I can't contact her at present.

> Depends ... When 'whoever did the Vista install' got to the screen that
> asked "which drive/partition to install it on?", did they answer C ? D ?
> Overwrite existing ? etc - It should be OBVIOUS to installer that they
> are about to overwrite the 'xp MC' install. Without the factory
> partititions ( if they chose to erase/reformat), nor the original HP CD
> - you now have a 'new hard drive' with no HP factory info on it ( no
> restore partititon either). Need to purchase XP Media Center CD again.
> Even if you DO get/use a 'valid Vista license', you're gonna be missing
> all of the drivers for the built-in hardware. (Fetch them via web and
> from another PC and burn to CD /copy to folder on HP PC ).
> To make XP work again - go to HP website, enter the model number - go to
> parts ordering - to get the Install DVD's. Cost ma about $10-$20. Boot
> DVD #1 to reinstall XP. Otherwise you now have a boat anchor.
> ( Even if you do get Vista to work, I'd recommend that everyone buy
> their restore media - just to have it. In a few years ( after they
> sellout) they will not be available and then a hd failure means pc is
> useless. Spend the $20 and put them in the drawer as insurance.


Even Safe Mode would not work ("activation period expired," or some such
message), so I hooked up a USB hard disk and booted from a dfSEE CD
(www.dfsee.com -- it's not as pretty as Partition Magic, but PM
complained about "bad clusters" and quit), then cloned the C: drive to
free space on the external drive. Then I connected the external drive to
another machine and burned the contents of the Users folder to a couple
of DVDs.

The student had not made the Recovery Disks (CD or DVD) as recommended,
so I assume she is going to buy a set from HP. Once she has the machine
back in working order with XP, she can copy her stuff back from the DVDs.

Perce

On 07/29/07 11:31 am Steve wrote:

> 1. You are supposed to hit F11 right at Power Up... could be waiting for
> the logo is too late.

I tried it both ways. No go.

> 2. When the "borrowed" Vista CD was used... was the "D:" partition
> destroyed?? HP made the D: for System Recovery and to Burn new CDs.

The D: partition looks OK to me.

> 3. Vista would NOT alter the BIOS... but, just guessing... could be the
> owner burned the Recovery CDs and HP's recovery process is coded to "use the
> CDs if burned"??

I was thinking that, if the Vista CD/DVD she used was for a different
computer AND that computer needed some BIOS change to be able to use
Vista, the Vista installation/upgrade might have performed that change
on the HP BIOS and messed it up.

> 4. Last option would be to call HP and order the Recovery CDs... go to
> http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/d...=29517&lang=en
> and see what they want. As I read it... they are NOT FREE but I didn't see
> how much.

I got her files off onto an external disk drive, then hooked that up to
another computer and burned the files onto DVDs.

I think she's ordered the Recovery Disks from HP now.

Perce


>> I am trying to help one of my wife's foreign students, who borrowed a Vista
>> Home Premium CD from a friend to upgrade her HP Pavilion dv2125nr notebook
>> that came with XP Media Center Edition.
>>
>> AFAICT, the upgrade was successful, but of course she cannot use the
>> machine because there is no valid license key. She does not have the money
>> to purchase a legitimate Vista key.
>>
>> According to all I have read, pressing F11 repeatedly at the HP logo
>> should get me into the Recovery screen, but the only place it gets me is
>> the Windows options screen (e.g., Safe, Normal).
>>
>> Is it possible that installing Vista has killed the F11 option (e.g.,
>> altered the BIOS)? I don't yet know whether the student made the recovery
>> CDs or DVDs: I can't contact her at present.

re:
The student had not made the Recovery Disks (CD or DVD) as recommended,
so I assume she is going to buy a set from HP. Once she has the machine
back in working order with XP, she can copy her stuff back from the DVDs.

Noone I know made them , nor bought them.
When they bought the new pc and turned it on, the kids wanted to use it.
"we'll do it later"
Later, they didn't make them either.
Only when it dies do they remember: " I meant to do that".


"Percival P. Cassidy" <> wrote in message
news:r4Qri.153$...
> On 07/27/07 03:59 pm - Bobb - wrote:
>>> I am trying to help one of my wife's foreign students, who borrowed a
>>> Vista Home Premium CD from a friend to upgrade her HP Pavilion
>>> dv2125nr notebook that came with XP Media Center Edition.
>>>
>>> AFAICT, the upgrade was successful, but of course she cannot use the
>>> machine because there is no valid license key. She does not have the
>>> money to purchase a legitimate Vista key.
>>>
>>> According to all I have read, pressing F11 repeatedly at the HP logo
>>> should get me into the Recovery screen, but the only place it gets me
>>> is the Windows options screen (e.g., Safe, Normal).
>>>
>>> Is it possible that installing Vista has killed the F11 option (e.g.,
>>> altered the BIOS)? I don't yet know whether the student made the
>>> recovery CDs or DVDs: I can't contact her at present.
>
>> Depends ... When 'whoever did the Vista install' got to the screen
>> that asked "which drive/partition to install it on?", did they answer C
>> ? D ? Overwrite existing ? etc - It should be OBVIOUS to installer that
>> they are about to overwrite the 'xp MC' install. Without the factory
>> partititions ( if they chose to erase/reformat), nor the original HP
>> CD - you now have a 'new hard drive' with no HP factory info on it ( no
>> restore partititon either). Need to purchase XP Media Center CD again.
>> Even if you DO get/use a 'valid Vista license', you're gonna be missing
>> all of the drivers for the built-in hardware. (Fetch them via web and
>> from another PC and burn to CD /copy to folder on HP PC ).
>> To make XP work again - go to HP website, enter the model number - go
>> to parts ordering - to get the Install DVD's. Cost ma about $10-$20.
>> Boot DVD #1 to reinstall XP. Otherwise you now have a boat anchor.
>> ( Even if you do get Vista to work, I'd recommend that everyone buy
>> their restore media - just to have it. In a few years ( after they
>> sellout) they will not be available and then a hd failure means pc is
>> useless. Spend the $20 and put them in the drawer as insurance.
>
>
> Even Safe Mode would not work ("activation period expired," or some such
> message), so I hooked up a USB hard disk and booted from a dfSEE CD
> (www.dfsee.com -- it's not as pretty as Partition Magic, but PM
> complained about "bad clusters" and quit), then cloned the C: drive to
> free space on the external drive. Then I connected the external drive to
> another machine and burned the contents of the Users folder to a couple
> of DVDs.
>
> The student had not made the Recovery Disks (CD or DVD) as recommended,
> so I assume she is going to buy a set from HP. Once she has the machine
> back in working order with XP, she can copy her stuff back from the
> DVDs.
>
> Perce

"Percival P. Cassidy" <> wrote in message
news:I9Qri.154$...
>
>> 3. Vista would NOT alter the BIOS... but, just guessing... could be
>> the owner burned the Recovery CDs and HP's recovery process is coded to
>> "use the CDs if burned"??
>
> I was thinking that, if the Vista CD/DVD she used was for a different
> computer AND that computer needed some BIOS change to be able to use
> Vista, the Vista installation/upgrade might have performed that change
> on the HP BIOS and messed it up.
>
Perce,

Nice going. Glad you were able to get her stuff off there.
Also, aside from the license issue, it seems that the built-in hardware
worked ok ?
As for wrong CD: if OEM CD - you can't use restore DVD/CD for different
model - the install procedure checks. I've tried it on a few Dell's just
to see. " Object PC does not match model number " type message. On a
Compaq Armada series 3500 that came with 2000, I tried to use a later
"armada XP version" restore when xp came out - got a similiar message at
very start of install. I suspect same security now. So doubt it would
have done it automatically - or even purposely.

Re - HP BIOS .. if you suspect that is bad, you can reset to factory - see
specific area for your model on HP website.

"Percival P. Cassidy" <> writes:

> On 07/27/07 03:59 pm - Bobb - wrote:
> >> I am trying to help one of my wife's foreign students, who borrowed a Vista
> >> Home Premium CD from a friend to upgrade her HP Pavilion dv2125nr notebook
> >> that came with XP Media Center Edition.

One may borrow any Microsoft media to install anything, but that is illegal in
most cases, and everbody really should know. There's absolutely no sense in
installing Windows Vista if you don't want to buy a license.

This is somewhat misplaced in a HP hardware newsgroup... software problems...

Ulrich
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