My laptop erased entire hard drive

Question

I own a Toshiba Satellite laptop L305D and it runs Windows Vista 32-Bit.

So my laptop was starting to catch a virus and I figured that it would be easier to install an antivirus software if I restore my laptop to factory settings. So I went on to Google and searched up on "how to restore laptop to factory settings Toshiba" and followed all directions listed. I chose the option of recovering without the need of a CD/DVD, because I don't have one, since Toshiba never placed one in my package.

But, I have a feeling my laptop did the entire opposite. It erased the entire hard drive. Now. when I boot up my laptop, after the Toshiba logo disappears, a black screen appears saying: "No boot disk detected--insert boot disk." As stated before, I don't have any type of disk! Nor did I want to restore with a disk!

I tried burning the Vista and Driver Restore programs onto a blank CD and placing it into my laptop. That option didn't work. I transferred the same programs into the USB Drive and inserted it into my laptop. That option didn't solve anything, either.

Solution 1

I think it is time to restore using the combination of Windows rescue disk and backups that you should have made before this time.

In my case, I periodically do an image backup onto an external USB disk. This sure is a life saver and prevents reinstall of Windows and all those utilities again.

If you haven't done this, you're going to have to start building your system from scratch starting with Windows. I'd use this opportunity to start with Win 7 if you want to be mainstream or Windows 8 if you want to be daring.

You can always load one of the nice standard Linux distributions for FREE. My preference is the latest version of Centos or maybe Ubuntu (what your basic Android phone is based on).

Solution 2

By the sounds of it, instead of doing a factory restore, which is where the computer usually comes with a built in hidden partition on the HDD, acting as the installation media, and through options usually found in control panel you can start a complete format and reinstall of the OS partition, what you did was completely wipe the HDD or either the software did not act as it was supposed to and may have done the same.

You have 2 options, use something like a gparted live disc to see if the hidden partition is still there, if it's one big empty disk, then you're onto the other option, buy installation media and install it.

Optional, install linux for free in the mean time if option 2 is the result.

Comments

[user151324]

How do you know that you were infected?

[Carl B]

Did you try pressing f9 (I think that is what Toshiba uses) to possibly access the recovery partition and restore to factory settings?

[MGOwen]

1. Computers don't "start to catch" viruses, you had one or you didn't - was it just seeming slower? 2. There's no reason to guess that "restoring to factory settings" would have made installing anything "easier". 3. "Restoring to factory settings", from the sound of it, probably includes wiping all your data from the PC (didn't it warn you when you did it?) 4. "boot disk" means the HDD (hard disk drive), not a CD or DVD. I'm afraid it may be bad news. Find a friend who understands computers and ask how to re-install windows and your data from whatever backups you have made.

[Keltari]

I dont remember if your Toshiba does this, but some of those rescue partitions will ask you to put in CDs/DVDs to create the bootable media.