Not sure if there's a more appropriate SE site, but I've been having some real trouble today. My laptop stopped running Windows because I powered off holding the power button and I must've corrupted my hard drive.
My trouble is that I've downloaded and burned Windows 7 pro to USB. Initially I got as far as installing Windows on a partition, but when restarting, I ran into the same problem every time of Windows not being able to load because 'Hal is missing'. Startup repair was no help and I ended up going in circles. I next tried installing Windows 8.1 and all seemed to be going well until it said that Windows could not configure on my computer's hardware.
I've now tried installing Windows 7 Ultimate but after it boots from USB, the Windows logo comes up, followed by a black screen with a moveable cursor. It seems to be stuck there - I've left it for over half an hour with no change so I can't even attempt to install a new Windows. Any help at all appreciated, I've no idea what to try next. Many thanks.