Broken Windows Installer

I go to the HP site and 'put in' my computer - Pavilion dm1 3240ca - and it gives me a multitude of drivers to download (and tries to install them on the 'wrong' computer - the Lenovo desktop I'm using).

How do I know what I need?  It won't download them to a USB... so how do I get a driver (if I knew which one) installed on the laptop?

On your working computer:

(1) Go here: http://support.hp.com/us-en/product/HP-Pavilion-dm1-Entertainment-Notebook-PC-series/5082195/model/5128713/drivers

  And from the big blue list, select "Software and Drivers"

(2) See: "There are 2 ways to determine whether you have updates for your device. Choose from the options below:"

   Go to "Select or confirm your operating system and submit" and choose "Microsoft Windows 7 (32 bit)", then tap "Next"

(3) From the long list that appears choose "Driver - Network (7)"

(4) From the detailed list that appears, find "Realtek Local Area Network (LAN) Driver" and tap the blue box that says "Download"

(5) The "HP Download and Install Assistant" will pop up and offer to "Use HP Download and Install Assistant (Recommended)l" or "Download Only". Select "Download only" and press "Next"

(6) A file will download (or a Download options window will appear and you will accept).

(7) Once that file is downloaded, copy the downloaded file to a convenient USB device

(8.) Transfer the usb device to the afflicted laptop and copy the downloaded file somewhere.

(9) Run the downloaded file on the afflicted laptop.

Bam.

Network driver installed.

Then either run windows update and see if it lets you have the other drivers or - on your afflicted laptop - go back to (1) and let the website install everything for you.


ETA: for the sake of completeness, note that once the network adapter is installed you still have to set up a broadband connection - and for that you'll need your China Unicom username and password and... Start > Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Set up a new connection of network > Connect to the Internet > Broadband > [username and password here] > connect...

May the light of Mao in his good heaven shine upon us all.

After many setbacks (the broadband disconnected and wouldn't reconnect... and being initially stuck behind the GFW with no way 'out' - no VPN, no Google/ncr etc. ) I've managed to digitally 'escape' China (and Internet Explorer) with Windows 7 Ultimate working perfectly on my HP laptop.

A million thanks CP - I couldn't have done it without you! If you're ever around Zhengzhou, drinks are on me.
 

It's been a wild ride.

It's been a wild ride.

That's for sure. And there were parts where I don't understand what happened -
I did the installation four times. What happened did not exactly follow the steps outlined in the How To Clean Install Windows 7 slide show - it seemed to only get out of 'the endless loop' I described if I pulled the bootable USB out of the computer. I've ended up with a computer with 3 partitions on the hard drive (I wanted 4) and will leave it at that. Following the (unclear to the uninitiated) instructions, I (the first time) ended up with only 1 gigantic partition... so only (C:) drive on the computer.

I'm not sure everything is 100% yet. The broadband connection works fine for about 30 minutes then disconnects. It won't reconnect. I have to delete the connection, reboot and create another connection... which works for about 30 minutes...

Getting out from behind the GFW was a nightmare. I (somehow) managed to get Astrill transferred from the Lenovo to the HP on a USB. If I did not have it already installed on a second computer, I don't know what I would/could have done - you can't access the site to download it.

Later today (I'm on the Lenovo now), I will continue to try and get all my programs loaded on the computer (I hope I can connect). I'll be back... LOL.

I did the installation four times. What happened did not exactly follow the steps outlined in the How To Clean Install Windows 7 slide show - it seemed to only get out of 'the endless loop' I described if I pulled the bootable USB out of the computer.

Now that you mention it, yeah, that happens. It's a consequence, I suspect, of having the USB ahead of the hard drive in the boot sequence. There's some point where Windows Setup finishes copying files to the hard drive and reboots for the first time - signaled, as I recall, perhaps incorrectly, by some message like Setup will reboot the computer in 15 seconds. On that first reboot, the files copied to the hard drive are supposed to take over the process, but if the USB is first in the boot sequence and a bootable USB device is still plugged in, endless loop with the whole setup process starting again every reboot.

I've ended up with a computer with 3 partitions on the hard drive (I wanted 4) and will leave it at that. Following the (unclear to the uninitiated) instructions, I (the first time) ended up with only 1 gigantic partition... so only (C:) drive on the computer.

I used to be a partitions guy. I used to have three. Presently I have two hard disks in the same computer - one, a 120GB SSD boot disk arranged as one big C: drive, and the other a 400GB regular HDD, which used to be the boot disk before I got the SSD. I have two partitions on the regular HDD but they're probably unnecessary. I didn't trust the SSD (it is constantly within a few degrees of its maximum operating temperature, which is kinda  ), so I put a second Windows on a D: partition of the regular HDD in the event of SSD failure. Everything else is in a gigantic E: partition. With a reasonably well-thought out directory structure, unpartitioned monster HDDs seem okay.

I'm not sure everything is 100% yet. The broadband connection works fine for about 30 minutes then disconnects. It won't reconnect. I have to delete the connection, reboot and create another connection... which works for about 30 minutes...

I have no idea what that could be. Either unfortunate coincidence that looks like a pattern, or Racer really did have a purpose. 

Quote from: cruisemonkey on March 31, 2015, 10:58:02 AM

I did the installation four times. What happened did not exactly follow the steps outlined in the How To Clean Install Windows 7 slide show - it seemed to only get out of 'the endless loop' I described if I pulled the bootable USB out of the computer.

Now that you mention it, yeah, that happens. It's a consequence, I suspect, of having the USB ahead of the hard drive in the boot sequence. There's some point where Windows Setup finishes copying files to the hard drive and reboots for the first time - signaled, as I recall, perhaps incorrectly, by some message like Setup will reboot the computer in 15 seconds. On that first reboot, the files copied to the hard drive are supposed to take over the process, but if the USB is first in the boot sequence and a bootable USB device is still plugged in, endless loop with the whole setup process starting again every reboot.

That makes perfect sense. Why don't they tell you this stuff?    I'd still be stuck in the endless 'loop' if I hadn't got POed and pulled out the USB. It was only the second time I got POed   (and yanked it) that I realized pulling out the USB had something to do with getting out of 'the loop'... and allowing the installation to continue.

Quote from: cruisemonkey on March 31, 2015, 10:58:02 AM

I'm not sure everything is 100% yet. The broadband connection works fine for about 30 minutes then disconnects. It won't reconnect. I have to delete the connection, reboot and create another connection... which works for about 30 minutes...

I have no idea what that could be. Either unfortunate coincidence that looks like a pattern, or Racer really did have a purpose. 

It's staying connected now.