Issues installing Windows 7?

So, I just scored an older laptop. HP EliteBook With everything already installed... Windows 7Man, everything was running smooth as butter just six months ago. But now? Total disaster. Windows won't boot at all. I tried a Repair using a Windows 7 DVD, but no dice—it’s like talking to a brick wall. Then I thought, "Alright, let's just wipe the partition and start fresh with a clean install," but after waiting for a bit, I hit this wall with the message:
Ugh, total nightmare fuel right here. I’m staring at my screen and Windows is basically throwing a tantrum at me: "Windows cannot install required Files. The file may be corrupt or missing." It even gives me that classic error code 0x80070017 just to rub salt in the wound. It’s like trying to bake a cake but realizing halfway through that someone swapped the flour for sawdust—everything looks fine until you actually try to make it work, and then boom, total meltdown. It keeps telling me to double-check if everything needed for the install is actually there and then just... restart? Yeah, thanks for the tip, Captain Obvious. Has anyone dealt with this mess before? Is my media toast, or is there a way to fix this without losing my mind?

I did a quick dive on Google to hunt down some tutorials, but honestly? It’s like everyone out there only cares about Windows 10. Every single guide I found is geared toward that version.
Man, I am stuck. Someone please help me out!

Scratched CD? Just try putting the installation on a USB stick instead.
The HDD is dying.

Every time I boot up my PC, I just get stuck staring at this black screen with a message slapped right at the top:
1720-SMART Hard Drive detects imminent failure (Falling Attribute: 5) Please back up the contents of the hard drive and run HDD Self Test In
Press F1 key to continue

That's all done

So yeah, looks like we're looking at an issue with the HDD

Sam Peterson6 said:So we're looking at an issue with the HDD

Exactly. When you're dealing with corrupted or missing files, it is almost invariably the death knell for the HDD.

Just slap an SSD in there and you'll be fine:

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-BX500-SATA-SSD-480GB/dp/B073DBY9N8

I’m still totally lost here, man.
I ran this "HDD regenerator" tool and it’s straight up telling me there aren't any errors on my HDD.
But then, this is what pops up once everything finishes...

I’ve said it a dozen times already, but I’ll say it again just so it sinks in. If you’re still rocking a PC in 2022 with your OS running off an HDD... man, my heart goes out to you.

Seriously, whether that old drive is actually working or not, just grab an SSD and get moving...

An HDD can start dying even if there aren't any bad sectors yet...

Maybe try running a low level format.

Sam Peterson6 said:Now I'm even more confused.
I ran "HDD Regenerator" and it claims there aren't any errors on the HDD...

And what about that busted CD—or failed Repair?—you mentioned in your first post?

Sam Peterson6 said:... Then I attempted a clean install (formatting the partition), and after a bit, this popped up:
Windows cannot install required Files. The file may be corrupt or missing.
Make sure all files required for installation are available , and restart the installation.
Error code: 0x80070017 ...

Have you tried downloading some fresh installation files from the internet?

Sam Peterson6 said:Now I’m even more confused than before
I ran "HDD Regenerator" and it claims the HDD doesn't have a single error
this is what shows up at the end of the process

It makes absolutely no difference. Once an HDD starts spitting out messages like that, it's effectively dead within xy amount of time. We are talking about a mechanical device packed with tiny moving parts that no software on this planet will ever be able to accurately read or fix.

Yeah, I didn't buy into that either until my own drive finally gave up the ghost on me once. It is a gut-wrenching feeling when you realize you have critical data sitting on it.

Now, despite everyone constantly preaching the gospel of the SSD, I actually lean toward using HDDs for data archiving specifically because an HDD—unlike an SSD—will generally give you some warning signs before it dies, such as these exact symptoms. I'll admit, I prefer running my OS on an SSD, but I keep everything important on an HDD.

fadedorca66 said:An HDD can totally kick the bucket without even having bad sectors...

Try running a low level format.

Honestly, doing a low level format is pretty much pointless these days (it just fakes the signal), especially since we moved past the old IDEdiskov era and started using SMART. Besides, even if it actually worked, you'd just wipe out the factory bad sector map, and then you're really stuck with no way to fix it.

You could maybe try some deep (destructive) HDD test instead. It’ll take forever—literally days—but it really puts the drive through its paces. If there's any weakness hiding in that disk, it'll show up after a few days of testing.

Maybe the issue is with the controller, or it only pops up during boot, which you might be able to catch by repeatedly cycling the power or running tests over and over.

Or hey, maybe the DVD drive is busted, or the problem only happens when the DVD and HDD are working at the same time. You could try using some fresh media or just stick to a USB drive.

Either way, you've gotta force that error to happen so you can see what's actually going on.

Stuff like this can happen because of crappy cable connections on your HDD, or honestly, even just bumping your desk too hard can trigger issues.
It doesn't necessarily mean Windows actually found physical bad sectors; you can get file corruption just from an improper system reset...

To rule out my DVD drive being the culprit, I hooked up an external one and tried running the installs:
Windows 7
Windows 8
Windows 10
And man, it’s the exact same headache every single time. Every time I reboot the laptop, I just get hit with a black screen saying "NTLDR is missing" Press ctrl+alt+del tro restart
It just keeps looping like that, totally stuck in a rut.
But here’s the kicker—when I pop in a "Hiren's Boot 15.2" disc, everything works perfectly. I can pull up the menu for Mini WinXP, Linux, DOS, and it all boots up and runs like a charm.

Sam Peterson6 said:So, if you're trying to figure out if your DVD drive is actually busted or just being a pain, here’s what I did. I hooked up an external DVD drive and tried running an installation to see if it would actually work:
Windows 7
Windows 8... man, what a ride. Just thinking about that OS brings back some serious memories. It was definitely a choice, wasn't it? A bold, confusing, "what were they thinking?" kind of choice. Still, we all lived through it!
Windows 10
Ugh, man, I’m getting the exact same headache on all three machines. Every single time I restart the laptop, I just get stuck staring at a black screen with that annoying error message popping up. Total nightmare! Ugh, the classic "NTLDR is missing" nightmare. Seriously? Just hit Ctrl+Alt+Del to reboot and see if that clears the cobwebs.
And just like that, stuck in the same spot again. Not moving an inch.
But then I popped in that "Hirens Boot 15.2" DVD, and man, everything just works! You get the list with Mini WinXP, Linux, DOS, and it all boots up smooth without any drama at all.

So, look, that external DVD drive is plugging into a USB port, which eventually talks to the SATA controller. That means we could still be looking at a glitchy controller itself, or maybe just some annoying SATA collision between the DVD and the HDD. But hey, at least we're narrowing things down!

Look, you could try getting a little "MacGyver" with it using some of those basic tools on a Hiren’s BootCD drive. Like, maybe try to create some non-boot partitions—set up a C: and a D: drive both formatted to NTFS. Then, you could just dump the installation files, say for Windows 7, onto that D: drive. From there, you might be able to kick off the installation from D: directly onto C: as your main boot drive. It's a bit of a workaround, but hey, why not give it a shot?

It sounds like a total headache, honestly, but the whole point is just to stop that SATA traffic from crashing into the DVD drive and the HDD at the same time.

Look, obviously this doesn't fix the actual headache, but it totally points you toward where the real trouble is hiding. It’s almost certainly a SATA controller issue or some funky driver acting up.

So, this thing is an old-school 2008 model. I’m pretty sure it's running 32-bit, even though it claims to be 64-bit or whatever. Honestly? You aren't getting anything to work on it if you're trying to use Windows 7. Total dead end.
Check out this spec sheet for the HP EliteBook! It’s got some decent bones, but you know how these things go—sometimes the numbers look great on paper until you actually try to get things running. Just a heads-up if anyone's looking at picking one up.
Wait, are you sure you aren't trying to force a 64-bit OS onto it? Usually, the installation starts up in 32-bit mode first, and then the whole thing tries to switch over to 64-bit during the boot process. That might be where things are getting messy!

I’ve tried absolutely everything under the sun, but nothing is working. I just keep getting stuck on this "NTLDR is missing" Press ctrl+alt+del to restart message and it won't budge an inch.
I am seriously losing my mind here because I have zero clue what's going on.

If you're 100% sure your boot order is actually pointing to the HDD, then seeing that "NTLDR is missing" error basically means you need to grab those files from a Windows 7 install disc and toss them onto your HDD under the C: drive.
Just do a quick Google search for "error NTLDR is missing"—you'll find plenty of ways to fix this. Honestly, just binge some of the YouTube tutorials that pop up in your search results to see how it's done.

Sam Peterson6 said:If I wanted to eliminate any lingering doubt regarding whether a DVD drive was actually functional, my immediate course of action would be to hook up an external DVD drive and attempt a fresh installation to verify its performance.
Windows 7
Windows 8
Windows 10
It’s happening on all three of them, and the result is identical: every single time I restart the laptop, I’m staring at a black screen with that same error message staring back at me. The "NTLDR is missing" error is staring you in the face, so quit wasting time and just hit Ctrl+Alt+Del to force a restart.
And it’s the same old story every single time—absolutely zero progress made whatsoever.
But when I finally popped in that Hirens Boot 15.2 DVD, the whole menu for Mini WinXP, Linux, and DOS loaded up perfectly, and everything functioned exactly as it should without a single hitch.

The Windows installation disks you’ve been trying to run simply aren't bootable.

I strongly suggest that you seek out professional assistance from someone who actually possesses the expertise to manufacture these, given the specific circumstances involved.

Fixed it! Turns out my hard drive was totally fried, but a buddy hooked me up with his old one. Got Windows installed and running smooth as butter without any hiccups.

Thanks