Compaq restore cd not working properly..help

[markiezzi]

Hello,

I have a clients notebook here (compaq 2140US) he gave me his restore cd's to try and restore his notebook to factory settings. He deleted some windows files and now it says "operating system not found" I was able to re-install windows XP home on the notebook.

When I put the compaq restore cd disk1 in his CD drive it comes up with an error message "Drive Q not ready" and sometimes "Drive Q door open" I tried it with my external USB drive and rebooted and same message comes up about "Drive Q not ready"

Is there a way to run the restore disks from windows? I just want to put his programs back on the notebook. The files are saved on the CD as a .PQI file.

Has anyone run into this problem

Thanks
Mark

[greggh]

PQI are PowerQuest Drive Image files. You could just use powerquest and image the drive (like ghost or acronis.)

[MrMille]

By installing XP you have damaged the Compaw restore partition, and that is why your restore disk won't work.

Always ghost or acronis a drive before you do anything with it.

[markiezzi]

Hi,

The notebook came in with a damaged drive. I had to reformat could not access anything on the drive. I called HP and was told that the restore files are stored on a partition labeled drive "Q:" The cd's I have need to see some of the files on drive "Q:" to ba able to restore the system.

I ordered a set of recovery CD's from HP..Hopefully they will work had then Fed Ex them to me.

So I guess if anyone comes across an older Compaq laptop before doing anythign with the hard drive (replacing/re-formating) back up everything in drive "Q:" if you can.

Thanks for the help.

[gunslinger]

I miss the days when a computer came with a real xp disk.

[greggh]

Suprisingly the new dell vostro line comes with standard dell oem xp sp2 install discs.