Lenovo G580 hard disk failure - how to reinstall W7 with no recovery disc?

[Burpo]

Either both drives are bad or your bios settings are wrong..

Rom drive is not set to first boot drive for one.
You don't want network boot enabled.
Hard drive should be detected and 2nd boot device.
AHCI should be enabled.

Does your bios look like that?

 

[TheNiceGuy]

Yes I've tried all that. I uploaded three relevant BIOS shots to that link I posted above. What do you mean by you don't want network boot enabled? Where is that setting?

 

[Ketchup]

As a side, I was just trial and error changing all settings in bios, and changing "sata controller working mode" from "ahci" to "compatible" mode has allowed it to progress to a system restore/repair screen I believe.
I ran every test available in the menus, such as memory test (appeared ok, although it restarted before I could see the results page) and restore to earlier update, and all have failed to allow windows to start properly.
Sorry, but hard to understand as everything other than bios is in japanese.

If you don't change this back to AHCI your existing drive will have no hope of loading Windows (not that it had much hope to begin with). As Burpo mentioned, the blue screen was an error with the hard drive/drive controller. I didn't see this mentioned, but I would clone the existing hard drive onto the other one, and see if there is enough good data for it to boot. With a Windows 7 DVD you could also run diagnostics, or do an "upgrade," which is similar to the Repair install offered in Windows XP.

Finally, you could contact Lenovo and they can send you recovery DVD's, which should work assuming you have a healthy hard drive for the laptop.

 

[TheNiceGuy]

I've responded in your post with *

If you don't change this back to AHCI

*As I mentioned, I've done this and other bios changes and reboots. Maybe 80+ times over this week.

your existing drive will have no hope of loading Windows (not that it had much hope to begin with).

*Why does it have no hope to begin with?

As Burpo mentioned, the blue screen was an error with the hard drive/drive controller.

*I didn't see that mentioned. Which error code are you referring to?

I didn't see this mentioned, but I would clone the existing hard drive onto the other one, and see if there is enough good data for it to boot. With a Windows 7 DVD you could also run diagnostics, or do an "upgrade," which is similar to the Repair install offered in Windows XP.

*I thought that download that I've burned two DVDs and a usb sd card from was the Windows 7 64 Home sp1 DVD. Is that not the case? As I mentioned previously, I followed every possible option that the DVD and bios allowed, and linked the screenshot results in that photobucket link. i've done this with both hard drives. Both hard drive works fine as an external USB hard drive when connected to my desktop pc and show no errors.


Finally, you could contact Lenovo and they can send you recovery DVD's, which should work assuming you have a healthy hard drive for the laptop.

 

[Burpo]

Yes I've tried all that. I uploaded three relevant BIOS shots to that link I posted above. What do you mean by you don't want network boot enabled? Where is that setting?

In BIOS set the following settings:
1. Under the Configuration Tab, set PXE Boot to LAN to Disabled
2. Under the Boot Tab, set the CD as the 1st boot device.
3. Set the HDD as the 2nd boot device and press F10 to save and exit.

 

[TheNiceGuy]

Thanks Burpo, but I tried all that long ago. Except #1: there is no option anywhere in bios or otherwise for "PXE". I only see a close term in that black error screen I linked.

In fact "LAN" only shows up as a bios option #6 boot order, and it cannot be disabled.

If I start the computer normally, it will do the normal booting screens quickly, then all black, and then it takes quite a while, maybe three minutes, and then it will show that black error screen I linked above. At that point it will automatically close again to a black screen and after maybe a minute it will come up with this screen asking me to choose:

From there it's also all dead ends.

I'm wondering if something on the MB hardware is screwed up. Would that cause all these bizarre phantom errors?

As a side, I tried reseeding the ram, and unplugging the battery power cord and internal battery briefly to clear the CMOS. Nothing changes.

 

[holden j caufield]

actually lenovo I think is F11 for lenovo partition system recovery.

F8 is the MS windows pre boot safe mode/recovery.

Try F11 and google lenovo system recovery. Go slow because screwing up maybe tough to recover from.

 

[Ketchup]

TheNiceGuy, right now you are stuck until you can get a hard drive that your laptop can detect.

According to Lenovo, there is just one SATA HDD, so the BIOS should be telling you correctly if you have a detectable drive installed:
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops...tab-tech_specs

The only other problem here could be the hard drive controller, which would mean a new motherboard.

 

[Blue_Max]

...are you saying that regardless of [ATA or AHCI] hard drive modes, it can't detect the old hard drive OR the new hard drive AT ALL?

If you boot from the Windows7 DVD, does it also say "no hard drive found to install to"?

If so, that sounds like the drive controller which is too expensive to repair on a laptop and you should consider a replacement. If it's a common business machine, you could get it very cheap and end up with a spare charger and battery in the process. [some positive side, I suppose?]

 

[holden j caufield]

before all goes to hell, have you hooked the drive up to an external and usb connecter and saved the data if it's important to you? I just see this being all over the place, you might want to just hit f9 and go back to bios default settings but if both drives can't detect then something is wrong with the connector to the hd or mobo. It is seeing the dvd (which is also on the sata controller).

 

[TheNiceGuy]

Thanks for the interest guys. The link I gave above has all the screen shots. It shows both HDs (whichever is connected), being detected in bios, along with all other (as far as I know) relevant hardware.
I was hoping someone could identify the meaning of the error screens I posted at that link. Those appeared very abnormal. And appeared to hold the keys to this problem.

 

[Ketchup]

Both screen shots in post 31 are saying that your hard drives are not detected as a boot source. Since there is no boot source on the DVD drive, it is going to the next item available on the list, the network card.

 

[Blue_Max]

That's weird...
The Info screen shows the WDC hard drive, yet it's been pulled out of the *startup time* boot menu options. Just make sure you line up which you want to boot first in the actual BIOS then let it do its thing.

I never use PXE with LAN (networking stuff if you didn't know) and don't bother with LAN as a boot option... put it last on the list.

I'm not going to look up what that BSOD screen might possibly mean... it could be anything.

 

[Ketchup]

That's weird...
The Info screen shows the WDC hard drive, yet it's been pulled out of the *startup time* boot menu options. ...

I think you are confusing Burpo's example pic with TheNiceGuy's actual shots from his laptop.

 

[Blue_Max]

I think you are confusing Burpo's example pic with TheNiceGuy's actual shots from his laptop.

I went to his photo site to view them all. [shrug]

 

[Ketchup]

I went to his photo site to view them all. [shrug]

Ah, got it. Didn't go back far enough. To me we are going back and forth between two hard drives and old and new Windows installations.

My suggestion for you, TheNiceGuy, is to put in the replacement drive, make sure it is in the boot order (with the DVD drive listed first) and run your Windows install DVD. Tell us what you get stopped at.

 

[Blue_Max]

Ah, got it. Didn't go back far enough. To me we are going back and forth between two hard drives and old and new Windows installations.

My suggestion for you, TheNiceGuy, is to put in the replacement drive, make sure it is in the boot order (with the DVD drive listed first) and run your Windows install DVD. Tell us what you get stopped at.

Agreed.

 

[TheNiceGuy]

Both screen shots in post 31 are saying that your hard drives are not detected as a boot source. Since there is no boot source on the DVD drive, it is going to the next item available on the list, the network card.

Ok thanks that's useful.
I'll list it here:
Both HDs show up immediately and work fine as external drives on my desktop pc with a USB adapter. They also both show up in BIOS. I've burned a W7 Home 64 dvd (twice) from the link in post #19.


1) With original HD, and said W7 install dvd in optical drive. At power on, It immediately flashes the normal bios screen (or whatever it's called) as it should. Then it takes 3 minuets of black screen. Then flashes briefly the first error scrren in post #31. Then goes to black again for another three minutes. Then gives the second error screen in post #31. No matter which option I choose at that point it will just loop again into one of the former menus and just keep repeating the same pattern. For example, selecting boot menu number one DVD drive, will just make me wait three minutes and then show the first error screen and post 31 again.and repeat.

2) spare HD with said W7 dvd in optical drive. As above, gives first then second error screens. Except does it much faster, all with a few seconds. Also, it lists the HD as "boot menu" option "2" (the PCI LAN thing is bumped to option "3"). So at this screen it appears to detect the spare HD , but not the original HD . However, it will also loop back through these two error screens if I press enter on boot option 1 (dvd drive). So I can't install the W7 dvd.

Is this dvd ok?
As a side, Ive attempted to use the w7 on my desktop to install/repair. It's a different version than the laptops "Home" edition, so if I do get it working won't work with the key. It's on SD card, so I changed bios boot order, it's recognized immediately. But it also loops, kicking us to this screen:


At this point, is my hunch correct, and some hardware on the MB is toast?
Lenovo customer service is worse than nonexistent- they wanted to transfer us to talk to a technician over the phone - and start at 40$ for that call.
Perhaps The most efficient route would be to try and find an identical laptop used, put the original drive in it, and then we have a bunch of usable spare parts as well.this may be challenging to find, are there any other models that would be sure to work with this hard drive installation and all the drivers as is?or would it be best to toss the lot and just start with a brand-new laptop?

 

[Ketchup]

So, it sounds like the second (spare) hard drive is ok. This part is interesting:

Is this dvd ok?
As a side, Ive attempted to use the w7 on my desktop to install/repair. It's a different version than the laptops "Home" edition, so if I do get it working won't work with the key. It's on SD card, so I changed bios boot order, it's recognized immediately. But it also loops, kicking us to this screen:

So as I understand it now we are looking at a problem with the DVD drive or the disc that was burned. As a test, I would burn something else that is bootable (a memtest CD or something like that) and see if it will boot. That should tell you if it's the disc or the drive.

 

[Blue_Max]

Heh... what could be broken is even just the HDD connector cable itself.

It might be a tiny repair, or a giant one. Since the DVD still works (can it boot a Windows or other bootable disc?) I wonder if the Lenovo G580 has a DVD-to-HDD caddy so you could pop the hard drive back in place of the DVD. A somewhat-sloppy workaround, but if you don't want to try getting it repaired it's certainly the cheapest, best option open.

Yeah, this is it: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/2nd-SATA-HHD-SSD-Hard-Drive-Caddy-Adapter-for-Lenovo-IdeaPad-G570-G580-G585-G770-/290908619941

Cheap fix!

Isn't this thing still under warranty though? Call Lenovo!

 

[TheNiceGuy]

No not under warranty anymore.
And the problem looks to be something on the MB? I've tried booting the W7 installs through dvd and usb, both editions, and it's giving stopping at the same points every time as I layed out above.

 

[Blue_Max]

Don't choose "repair". What happens if you try to do a fresh install? Still fails?

If so, the mobo is in baaaad shape. Hard to justify repairing when a new i5 machine can be had for a lousy $300.

 

[TheNiceGuy]

Decided to get a new one.
Will any parts be adaptable as spares from our Lenovo g580 2689 to a newer lenovo model such as these:
http://s.kakaku.com/item/K0000647599/
http://s.kakaku.com/item/K0000704327/
http://s.kakaku.com/item/K0000698741/


I was thinking the ram and power cords and lipos and HDs would be great as extras. Possible even the screen if it gets broken again. Would these items be drop-in compatible?

 

[Ketchup]

Decided to get a new one.

Good idea, as it does sound like the board.

Will any parts be adaptable as spares from our Lenovo g580 2689 to a newer lenovo model such as these:
http://s.kakaku.com/item/K0000647599/
http://s.kakaku.com/item/K0000704327/
http://s.kakaku.com/item/K0000698741/


I was thinking the ram and power cords and lipos and HDs would be great as extras. Possible even the screen if it gets broken again. Would these items be drop-in compatible?

As for this part, I don't know off the top of my head. They are different lines and different years. My advice would be to download the hardware maintenance guide for both and compare part numbers. For example, here is the one for your G580:
http://download.lenovo.com/consumer/mobiles_pub/lenovo_g480_g485_g580_g585_g780_hmm_v1.0_english.pdf

 

[Blue_Max]

Decided to get a new one.
Will any parts be adaptable as spares from our Lenovo g580 2689 to a newer lenovo model such as these:
http://s.kakaku.com/item/K0000647599/
http://s.kakaku.com/item/K0000704327/
http://s.kakaku.com/item/K0000698741/


I was thinking the ram and power cords and lipos and HDs would be great as extras. Possible even the screen if it gets broken again. Would these items be drop-in compatible?

Nice idea making the new machine also a Lenovo (if you haven't ordered yet, talk to a service rep - maybe he'll give you a discount considering your dead machine!) If you're careful (and it's compatible) you have a good chance of reusing the AC adapter, decent chance of reusing the battery, so-so chance of getting a new unit with one stick of ram so you can pop in one of your old ones beside it (but many new machines only take the new DDR3L) and your old hard drive in an external enclosure or DVD-to-HDD internal caddy.

Good luck on the new machine! Heh... check for used Lenovo machines like yours with broken screens -- maybe you could snag a super deal and put your good screen on his good base unit and have a spare lappy?