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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.

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  • Did you burn Windows into USB using Windows USB/DVD Download Tool ? Also please clarify, do you want to boot directly from USB, or boot from USB to install Windows on HDD?
    – Jet
    May 2, 2015 at 23:50
  • @Jet yes, I tried with the Window's tool and with Isoburner to make sure. Ideally I'd just like to have a clean install, so I'd like to boot to install on HDD. May 2, 2015 at 23:52
  • Do you have working Windows in computer? If yes, you can mount Windows 7 iso (using tools like Daemon Tools) and run windows setup directly from PC. This way you can pass by errors caused by USB. Otherwise, try another USB stick. Is it still the same?
    – Jet
    May 2, 2015 at 23:58
  • @jet How do you mean directly from PC? I have another laptop with a working Windows, but the laptop that's having issues won't boot at all. I don't think the USB is the problem either because I've tried 3 different versions of Windows 7 and the Windows 8 installation was fine until configuration problems. I've tried the USB on my work's computer too and it seemed fine. I don't have a second USB to try. Thanks for the help too :) May 3, 2015 at 0:03
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    @MikeMiller: Try using a Linux LiveCD/USB to wipe the HDD, then use Rufus to create a Win7 USB installer.
    – Karan
    May 4, 2015 at 6:53

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