how to install windows on new hard drive without recovery disk

Have an Acer Aspire One 722 netbook whose 320GB hard drive might be dead.

It's been stuck in automatic disk repair in the screen that says it may take more than an hour, but that process never ends.

I have no way of intervening on startup other than F2 to go into BIOS or F12.

None of the other interventions like Alt-F10, F11, F8 etc do anything, so I can't stop the auto repair process from commencing to try anything else.

Not having made a recovery thumb drive, I don't know what else to do except replace the hard drive. For all I know the hard drive might be fried so I'm iffy about buying an erecovery drive on the chance that it will resurrect it.

If I just get a new drive, how do I get Windows back on it? It originally had Windows 7 and I upgraded a year ago to Windows 10. I have no media for either.

Thank you.

Accepted answers

IronFly

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/media-creation-tool-install?ocid=ms_wol_win10

you can create a bootable USB flash drive windows 10 installation media for free, just follow Microsoft instructions.

skip the product key request during windows 10 installationm it will be authenticated once connected to the web.

All comments

IronFly

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/media-creation-tool-install?ocid=ms_wol_win10

you can create a bootable USB flash drive windows 10 installation media for free, just follow Microsoft instructions.

skip the product key request during windows 10 installationm it will be authenticated once connected to the web.

padgett

Media is available from Microsoft but inless you retrieved and saved the keys (use a third party tool such as from Nirsoft or may be on a sticker on the bottom) or was saved for you in the Microsoft account, you may need to purchase a new license.

suthnuh

Thank you for responding. Not clear though how I create a flash drive for Windows 10 installation when the computer cannot be booted up? Is this Windows 10 install something I can create using another computer? Anything that has to be made from the dead computer isn't an option for me.

suthnuh

Thanks. I have to look under the netbook later today, it might have that key, but it would be for Windows 7, not 10 if there's one at all. I never wrote anytthing down. If I had to purchase Windows 10 fresh I think I'd just junk the netbook and buy a new one. Hoping to avoid that.

IronFly

you can use another PC without issues : Smiley Happy

about the product key, 99% you will be ok once connected to the web.

JordanB

@padgett

I haven't heard of anyone that's needed to enter their Windows product key just to re-install Windows 10..... even after replacing their HDD. Where are you getting your information from? Can you please post some links. Thanks.

suthnuh

this solution worked. I couldn't repair the drive with it, but I was able toi reinstall Windows 10. It kept ther computer's previous key. I think the drive or some other component still has issues, but it is up and running. Thanks everyone. I just had to set up what I wanted to do on the working pc used for downloading and then put it on a flash drive, which I then set in bios as the first bootable.