Toshiba Satellite C55-A5100 - New Hard drive - Freezes on Windows splash screen

[Rannison]

Hi Everyone,

I am helping out a coworker who has a Toshiba Satellite C55-A5100 laptop. They reported that the laptop is stuck on Windows splash screen at start-up and never boots. I did put in the old hard drive and verify it doesn't freeze, it just stays on the splash screen indefinitely and never boots up.

They were advised by retailer it was most likely the hard drive gone bad. They purchased a brand new hard drive online (identical model Toshiba MQ01ABD075) which just came in today. I swapped out the hard drives, and attempted to load the Windows OS setup via Windows 7 OS disk (note: laptop came with Windows 8, but owner wanted to install Windows 7 as we don't have the Windows 8 OS disk). The laptop prompts to boot from disk, which I hit a key to initiate. The setup files are loaded and screen transitions to the Windows splash logo screen. Here, it immediately freezes; unlike with the old hard drive, on which the Windows splash stays active (movement of pixels are visible), in this case the splash logo completely freezes. I have tried waiting an extended amount of time, but nothing moves. Multiple restarts result in the same thing.

Please advise what could be the problem here? Thank you so much!

 

[Shaun o]

Ok what you have there can be down to the mode set in your bios for the new hard drive.
There are a few other things but well deal with this first.

If the interface setting for the hard drive in the Bios is set to Sata mode 9 time out of 10 the windows install will stop or freeze. The cause is often it looks at another interface device or mode that should be set in the bios at some point during its setup ok.

So you should depending on the age of the laptop, try setting the hard drive interface mode first in the bios to the option of Achi mode, or Ide mode if it is listed before you try to begin the windows install from Dvd.

If you want to leave the mode set in the Bios for the drive interface mode to Sata.
Then to stop the freezing you will have to go to the toshiba website and pre download the Sata driver.
Unzip the files if compressed to a usb flash device or pen drive, or burn the file to a cd/dvd.

When you reach the main windows setup screen where it asks you to select what hard drive you wish to install windows to for setup.
If you look to the left you have an option to add driver.
Click on this and navigate to the Sata driver stored on a usb flash device or cd/dvd.
Click on the driver then click next.

Next click on advanced drive options click on the new drive delete all prior created partitions.
Then format the drive.
Making sure you have placed the windows disk in the dvd drive if you used a cd/dvd to store the sata driver for the laptop, and remove the usb pen inserted in a usb port of the laptop.

Click the next button to run windows install and setup. it should not freeze if you follow one of the methods above.

When it freezes it is because or dpwn to a fact a sata driver needs to be pre installed, or the interface mode in the bios for the hard drive needs to be changed to Achi mode or Ide mode to avoid the freeze during setup.

Let me know how you got on and if it worked ok for you, all the best.

 

[Rannison]

Ok what you have there can be down to the mode set in your bios for the new hard drive.
There are a few other things but well deal with this first.

If the interface setting for the hard drive in the Bios is set to Sata mode 9 time out of 10 the windows install will stop or freeze. The cause is often it looks at another interface device or mode that should be set in the bios at some point during its setup ok.

So you should depending on the age of the laptop, try setting the hard drive interface mode first in the bios to the option of Achi mode, or Ide mode if it is listed before you try to begin the windows install from Dvd.

If you want to leave the mode set in the Bios for the drive interface mode to Sata.
Then to stop the freezing you will have to go to the toshiba website and pre download the Sata driver.
Unzip the files if compressed to a usb flash device or pen drive, or burn the file to a cd/dvd.

When you reach the main windows setup screen where it asks you to select what hard drive you wish to install windows to for setup.
If you look to the left you have an option to add driver.
Click on this and navigate to the Sata driver stored on a usb flash device or cd/dvd.
Click on the driver then click next.

Next click on advanced drive options click on the new drive delete all prior created partitions.
Then format the drive.
Making sure you have placed the windows disk in the dvd drive if you used a cd/dvd to store the sata driver for the laptop, and remove the usb pen inserted in a usb port of the laptop.

Click the next button to run windows install and setup. it should not freeze if you follow one of the methods above.

When it freezes it is because or dpwn to a fact a sata driver needs to be pre installed, or the interface mode in the bios for the hard drive needs to be changed to Achi mode or Ide mode to avoid the freeze during setup.

Let me know how you got on and if it worked ok for you, all the best.

Toshiba made it a lot more difficult than it should be, but using your post as a general guideline I was able to figure it out! Thank you very much for your help.