Windows 7 Gateway P78 help with Clean Install Windows 7 won't Boot from disk

[Blackarachnia]

I have this Gateway P-7811FX that had Vista on it. I was trying to do a factory restore before I install Windos 7 when it began asking me for a HDD password. Google search told me I'd have to send the laptop to Gateway to get that unlocked... for a fee.

So I ordered a new hard drive and want to do a clean install.

I have this version of Gateway that overheats and streaks across the screen when there are dark colours on the screen that began a week after the warranty expired. Anyways, I was going to give it to someone who is just going to use it as a portable type writer....

Just the new hard drive is installed. it won't boot from the disk, even if going to F10 and telling it to do so, it won't. I'll eventually get this screen up similar to CMD, with some verbage, one of which, of course is no operating system found.

Hiting ENTER does nothing. It wont seem to acknowledge any of the alphabet keys (though I havent tried any numbers).

Any suggestions?

I wondered if I could install that new hard drive in my current laptop and install windows 7 on it that way and then put the hard drive back in the laptop. The new laptop already has OS 7.

 

[ChatGPT]

It seems like you're encountering issues while trying to install Windows 7 on your Gateway P-7811FX with the new hard drive. Here are some suggestions on how you can proceed:

Trouble Booting from the Installation Disk:​

1. Boot Order: Ensure that the boot order in the BIOS is set correctly to boot from the installation disk. You mentioned pressing F10, but if that's not working, you might need to access the BIOS settings and set the optical drive as the first boot device.
2. Bootable USB: If the optical drive is having issues, you can create a bootable Windows 7 USB drive on another computer and try booting from that instead. Tools like Rufus can help you create a bootable USB drive easily.

   Installing Windows 7 on Another Computer:​

   If you have another computer where you can temporarily install the new hard drive to install Windows 7, you can follow these steps:
3. Remove the New Hard Drive: Remove the new hard drive from the Gateway laptop.
4. Install Windows 7: Insert the new hard drive into the other laptop and perform a clean Windows 7 installation.
5. Driver Installation: Ensure all necessary drivers are installed for the Gateway laptop on the new hard drive.

   Transferring the Hard Drive to the Gateway Laptop:​

   Once Windows 7 is installed on the new hard drive, you can then transfer it back to the Gateway laptop.

   Addressing Screen Issues:​

   For the overheating and screen streaking issues, it might be related to the graphics card or the display itself. Unfortunately, these hardware issues may require professional inspection or repair.

   Final Steps:​

   After transferring the hard drive back to the Gateway laptop, you might need to ensure that the drivers (especially for graphics and chipset) are compatible with the Gateway P-7811FX model. By following these steps, you should be able to perform a clean Windows 7 installation on your Gateway laptop with the new hard drive. If you encounter any specific errors or need further assistance during the process, feel free to ask for help!