Computer problems.

[Xantianut]

Ay Up!

You see before you a very frustrated XN.

Just before Christmas our two laptops dies with googats hard drives. One is dead. Finito. Pining for the Fjords. The other has a corrupted boot sector but will still work as a data collector so a suitable caddy has been bought.

We bought one but Imdecided to be clever so ordered an SSD (bang goes my cover as a Technophobe!) and a new OS. Theoretically pop new SDD in, slip in the OS disk, stand back and watch the fun.

Nothing happens.

Before it feels my (in)Famous 4Lb Hammer, any computer experts out there can help? At worse, I have a quality SDD and new OS....

NIgel

Aka

Xantia Nut.

[Ross_K]

Every computer has a sequence of boot devices, e.g. hard disk first, USB second, DVD third.

If yours is set to boot off the hard disk first, then you need to manually tell it to boot off the DVD instead to kick off the install.

On most, you can hit one of the function keys after you power on to select a different boot device.

On a Dell or Acer it's F12, HP is F9, Lenovo is Enter or F1(?).

For others just google "boot menu key" plus whatever your laptop brand is.

[Xantianut]

I've tried that and it just hangs.

Looks like she's googats....

[Gibbo2286]

Take it round to the local primary school and ask if one of their ten year olds can set it up for you.

[CitroJim]

Take it round to the local primary school and ask if one of their ten year olds can set it up for you.

That's perfect advice Eric

[Hell Razor5543]

Is the SSD shaped like a normal HDD or as a long thin circuit board (which is an M.2 design)? The reason I ask is that there are two different M.2 standards, and they are not interchangeable. In has a single 'cut-out' to the edge connector, while the other has two.

[Xantianut]

It is a normal disc drive. The old disc is in use as a data drive and, thankfully, although the boot is totally googats, the rest seems OK.

Oh, and I have a spanking new SSD.......

Ah. The ethereal sounds of a cover being blown.....

[Hell Razor5543]

I wonder if re-partitioning the old HDD might sort out the boot sector problem? The manufacturers know that sectors can fail over time, and so they they make them with extra capacity to allow for failed sectors to be 'swapped out' (for want of a better explanation).