Help boot disk for an HP desktop computer...

First, you need some basic info...

What it appears she has is a machine with 2 identical HDs in a Raid 1 array. It's a simple Raid setup where one HD perfectly 'mirrors' the other, constantly making an exact copy, including the OS. They appear as a single 1.8TB drive but in fact are physically separate drives, not a partioned drive.

In a Raid 1 array if one drive fails, the computer should continue to operate normally from the remaining drive. Replace the failed drive and the computer resyncs the drives, recreating the mirror. The computer can even be used normally while the drives resync. It's best if the drives used are identical, but drives of similar specs can be used if each has an identical size partition. They must be specially formatted for Raid use.

Now on to your problems...

Drive 1 has failed and for some reason the unit did not continue to operate off Drive 0 as it should. That's one problem.

You said the computer is not recognizing the wireless keyboard and mouse. But it should not need a boot disk for that. The BIOS should load basic drivers for those even before it begins to read a boot disk or HD. Remember, the keyboard has to function before any communication at all with the computer is possible. So something's not right there, maybe a missing dongle like you suggested. Anyway that's another problem.

You're getting Boot Manager errors which suggests that the boot sector files could be corrupted. I don't know what she did but I have to doubt she's responsible for that. Somehow, Windows seems to have found a way to trash itself in spite of the additional reliability the Raid 1 array should provide. Another problem.

You could replace the failed HD and buy a new full-version Windows disk, but you still have the problem of why the keyboard and mouse don't work. I can't say why they don't, but I have some doubts new ones will. Getting them working is the first thing to do, obviously.

You've gotta lotta problems...

First things first... start with the basics and get the input devices working. Connect bog-standard USB k/b and mouse to ensure that you can get into the BIOS setup menu and check the config.

You're right - a decent system, should be worth saving.

It bothers me a lot that the computer does not boot up. Now that you've got a working keyboard, describe exactly what happens when you try starting the PC.

In a Raid 1 array it should function normally off the remaining disk regardless of which disk that is. There could be a few reasons it failed to do so including but not limited to:
A. The good disk has a trashed boot sector or Windows has managed to scramble itself somehow. Imagine that...
B. The good disk (according to the BIOS) is actually also bad.
C. The machine has the disks setup in a Raid 0 rather than a Raid 1. Not particularly likely, but possible. Unlike a Raid 1, there is no redundancy in a Raid 0 and if one drive fails you're toast.

You can try pulling the bad drive. I doubt it will help but it can't hurt. Configured correctly I suppose the drive you found would work, but if you have to reload Windows anyway, as cheap as drives are now I'd replace both and start fresh. Or buy one or reuse the existing HD and skip doing the Raid array. The redundancy and reliability of a Raid 1 is significant, however.

BTW, do you have the user manual or have you looked up the model number online to get more information about the unit and how it's configured?

IMHO pass on Windows 8x and install Windows 7 Pro. Win 8x is soooo bad...

I'm not going to go into detail explaining Raid arrays and setup here, sorry. You're not stupid and some simple Google searches will provide far more information than I can type out. But feel free to ask questions and I'll do my best to help.

I will say this: you can setup a Raid 1 either via hardware (setting up the array in the onboard Raid chip set in BIOS settings) or via software (setting up the array in Windows) and you'll find tutorials for both methods. I prefer the hardware method myself.

Crashdamage said:

install Windows 7 Pro.

Click to expand...

If you need a DVD, Digital River disappeared but MS has Windows 7 ISO.