Hardware No boot device available

[endoverend]

lost my product key can i just use a product key from another computer?

There should be a sticker somewhere on the computer with the code, otherwise use some program to remove the checking, not gonna link you to that

 

[JoostinOnline]

The product key should be on the computer itself.

 

[trumpet-205]

Product key sticker on OEM computer usually cannot be used on retail installer.

 

[the_randomizer]

Product key sticker on OEM computer usually cannot be used on retail installer.

Usually, no, he might be lucky but chances are, he'll have to buy a license key.

 

[notrustinsasuke]

laptop didn't come with sticker on it

 

[loco365]

If you need a free operating system, Ubuntu is a free option so you can get at least something running and get off the ground. I use it myself as it is free and doesn't take much to run. You can install it with a CD or USB if necessary. And if you need to run Windows applications, you can use Wine to get them going. Wine is also free. These, l find, are suitable substitutes until you can get a Windows OS installed.

It's also possible to extract your product key from the OS that was on your old hard drive, but you need to be able to boot into it, first. I've never attempted it, but I do know that it's possible, however, you need to ensure that you have the proper key for the OS you're installing.

Also, if you are using Windows 8, you may be out of luck. The serial number is tied to your motherboard, and requires deactivation before you can use it on a second computer, however, because this is only a hard drive replacement, you shouldn't have this issue.

 

[Originality]

Sometimes the sticker is underneath the battery. If there is no sticker at all, then the laptop is probably second hand/refurbished and does not have an OS licensed to it, in which case you have to obtain your own. You can either get a free OS like Linux, buy a Windows OS/license, or "acquire" Windows from other means.

Or if you just want to try Windows for 30 days trial,you can download Windows for free from Microsoft/Digital River servers.

 

[notrustinsasuke]

found product key but then the setup is saying we can't reach right now check your internet connection and try again

 

[loco365]

found product key but then the setup is saying we can't reach right now check your internet connection and try again

Skip adding the key for the time being, let it install, and add it once you're finished and logged into an account. Windows gives you a 30-day grace period of being unregistered.

 

[notrustinsasuke]

thank you all that helped got computer working on windows 7 but now i have a problem with the ethernet controller and network controller. I went to device manager and it says the ethernet and network controllers aren't installed.

 

[loco365]

thank you all that helped got computer working on windows 7 but now i have a problem with the ethernet controller and network controller. I went to device manager and it says the ethernet and network controllers aren't installed.

You should be able to use another device and find the manufacturer's drivers on the website. Ensure that it's the proper ones, or you may break them further.

 

[ILuvGames]

Go into device manager, bring up the properties tab for the unknown device, click the details tab, choose hardware id's from the property drop down menu and copy the longest value you see. Mine is 'PCI\VEN_1969&DEV_1073&SUBSYS_E0001458&REV_C0' for example. If you do an internet search for the hardware id you will find out what it is and possibly a download for the driver. Personally speaking it is not a good idea to download drivers from anywhere but official sites. One way of ensuring this is to do what I would suggest and go here :-

http://www.pcidatabase.com/

Click on vendors by ID. Look at the hardware ID. See where mine says 'VEN_1969' ? Take the four characters/digits part and put '0x' in front of it. Mine would be '0x1969'. Scroll down the list and look for yours and click the link next to it to take you to the vendors page. Now you need the device ID. Mine says 'DEV_1073' so the 1073 bit is my device ID. Put '0x' in front of it as before and scroll down the list for yours. Now you know what the device is and the manufacturer. Mine is an Atheros AR8151 gigabit network controller. You can now do a search for it and download the driver (preferably from the laptop makers site or in my case Atheros) or you can use the link on the site you just used.