Resolved Temp boot disk for laptop

My sister's Toshiba laptop stopped working recently and I have been trying to find a way to boot to dvd to see if I can get anything off the hard drive there. We don't have windows boot/install dvds on our pcs as everything was on the hard drives and she has no dvd either.

IS there a way for me to create a boot DVD from my PC (windows 7 home edition on an Acer pc) to be able to boot her laptop and see if I can read her hard drive there? I can access the bios on the laptop and see the settings, but when trying to boot I get a 'boot failure', assuming it is the hard drive itself.

Barring that, is there a way for me to connect my pc to her laptop to access it and see if I can run diagnostics sw on it to possibly retrieve some of the data on it that isnt corrupted if it is indeed the hd?

UPDATE:
I tried spamming the F8 and finally got the windows boot menu, trying the 'Safe Mode' option I got stuck on it loading the 'disk.sys' file (but at least we know now that it IS accessing the drive). I tried rebooting again and hitting F12 and it started booting but gets stuck at the 'Starting windows' splash screen. SO I know part of the drive is good and would prefer a way to just access the laptop drive to backup the data then do further diagnostics on it.

Thx for any input!

 

-Not sure how old it is, but it's a "Toshiba Satellite A660 - OML "
-The OS is Windows 7 Home Premium based on the info on the sticker on the back
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No I'd prefer not to open up the laptop, I'd want to get any possible data THEN try to repair the installation and if not, hopefully the HD itself.
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Ideally a combination of your options:

1-Back up the data to my Acer computer

2-Attempt to boot from a Windows 7 DVD and perform a repair install of Windows without having to take out the hard drive.

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So having said that I'm debating the best method of backing up the data without taking out the hard drive (remember though I have no boot or install disks, everything comes pre-installed these days to my chagrin).

Once/if I get some/all of the data backup up, then I'd like to try to repair the installation. If it can't be repaired BUT the hard drive can be saved, then a fresh install would be the last step.

Would be nice to save the laptop without looking into getting a new HD for it

 

Get a Linux live CD and boot off that and see if you can access the HD. Copy files over to a USB. then when you obtain a win repair install cd you can experiment to your heart's delight

 

Most HD will just come right out. Usually 1 or 2 screws hold them in. Don't have to take the thing apart.

 

If I did get it out how would I connect it to my PC to access it as another drive? I've never messed with laptops before only with PCs.

 

hmm.. I went to http://www.linux.com/directory/Distributions/livecd but there are a number of distributions of linux as well as other programs, which do you suggest to download?

 

Okie I ended up getting KNOPPIX - Live Linux Filesystem On CD at "http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html" and created a bootable unix dvd.. nice to have as it runs unix right off a single dvd =)

Unix booted up fine from the dvd on the laptop, so now I'm looking into mounting the hard drive partitions on the laptop to to see if I can view the data. Have to go brush up on my unix, been a decade since I used it

 

Well I downloaded the Home Premium version and burned the ISO to DVD (I always use ImgBurn). When I boot the laptop it accesses the DVD first (I can hear it doing so) and then says windows loading files, but does not give me any menus or anything to choose from after, it just seems to go on to trying to run from the hard drive. I have the laptop set to boot from DVD first and I know that works because I could boot to the Linux DVD earlier.

Not sure why this new Windows 7 DVD just seems to bounce it back to the hard drive, at which point it says it is running/loading windows but eventually all I get is a blank screen. Shouldn't I be getting some options from the DVD when I boot from it first?

 

I have worked on a few Toshiba laptops that exhibited this problem. Many times it was just the hard drive had worked itself loose. Pulling then re-seating the hard drive fixed the issue. Follow the instructions for accessing the hard drive in the links below. If that doesn't resolve the problem you will most likely need to remove the drive and hook it up externally to another computer as pointed out by Evan Omo.

Satellite A660 HDD Replacement

Satellite A660/A665 Series: HDD replacement YouTube Video

 

OK I removed the hard drive and reseated it (didn't realize it was THAT easy to remove ha! ) but the same disk error pops up "Disk read error has occurred press ctr+alt+del to restart ". When I use the Windows 7 DVD I get to that blank desktop/screen I mentioned before.

I see that the "Vantec 2.5 "/3.5 "/5.25" SATA/IDE to USB 2.0 Adapter - Model CB-ISATAU2" goes for about $20 or so, I'll have to ask my sister if she wants me to go forward with that (not my laptop). Of course there's no guarantee that I'll be able to read anything off the disk so she may not want to bother. My guess is that the hard drive is just fried at this point. My frustration is that I can't even get to any kind of repair option for the hard drive with the Windows 7 DVD since it stops at that blank screen when I boot from it. Also when I try holding down the F8 key I don't get the Windows menu to even try getting to safe mode (or any of the other usual options).

 

I tried using the Windows 7 DVD again and this time pressing F8 after it finished loading and got to choose "Safe mode with Command Prompt" this time. It displays the drivers it is loading but then again I get stuck at a blank screen with the arrow cursor but no desktop. I also tried "Last Known Good Configuration (advanced)" but get the same blank screen with cursor at the end. <blarg!>

 

Yes I mentioned above that I had set the DVD drive to boot first in the bios, and I do see the "press any key to boot from the DVD" which I do (if I don't hit a key then it stops/bombs right there with a disk read error and goes no further so I HAVE to hit a key to go to the DVD).

The problem is after it loads everything it needs from the DVD it ends up at the blank screen with a cursor eventually (I never get an option to repair or anything else). If I hit F8 I get the windows menu but none of the options help i.e. safe mode, last known config etc., it always ends up at the dead blank window with an arrow cursor.

I even tried downloading a 'windows-7-64-bit-repair-disc.iso' and creating a boot disk for that but it does the same: loads drivers etc. but always ends up at the blank screen. With either DVD I never get any kind of option screen it just continues until the above screen. I NEVER get that input screen you showed even though it is booting from either of those two DVDs I mentioned. <sigh>

 

Well, after talking to my sister again, turns out she doesn't need any data off the drive just wants to make sure any that is there is wiped. SO, my issue now is trying to get the laptop to allow me to either reset to factory/out of box settings or reinstall windows. The problem again is as mentioned before, the windows iso files I downloaded and burnt to disk, as suggested, never bring up the window you mentioned. If I want to reformat the drive and do a clean install, what else can I try since the DVD isn't giving me the window to install or repair?

Barring any other possiible suggestions, I'm going to try now is to boot using the Hiren's boot DVD I had created initially to get to a 'MiniXP' type of OS setup off the DVD. That seems to be the only DVD that gets me to a desktop, as the windows ones I just end up at the blank screen mentioned. I'll try doing a diagnostic on the partitions and see what's up ..

I 'm debating reformatting the main data partition if nothing else helps (but I don't know how I'll reinstall windows if the DVDs I created don't do what they're supposed to :-O) .. blarg!

 

Have you considered that the HD is dead and cant be re-formatted?

 

Ok, Evan: on my PC, I tried booting to the Windows 7 DVD I created and I *DO* get to the 'Install Windows" popup window you showed in your earlier post.
BUT, as stated before, when I boot to the DVD on the Laptop, I get the same windows loading messages with progress bar but NEVER get to that window.

Now, regardless of whether the hard drive is fried or not, shouldn't I still get that install window when I boot from the DVD on the laptop?? It is definitely going to the DVD drive first: I get the 'press a key to boot from DVD' message and so I press a key and then can hear and see it loading windows files from the DVD... but again, I NEVER get to the install window that I do see when booting from the same DVD on my PC. It ends at a blank screen with an arrow cursor with nothing to click on.

What could possibly cause that, the DVD is independent of the hard drive when booting. I can boot to a Unix DVD and the Mini-XP DVD on that laptop, so why would this windows 7 DVD work on my PC but not on the laptop. Baffling..