HP 2000-2b19wm laptop will not boot even with secure boot disabled

[pclaptop23hour]

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I have a hp 2000-2b19wm that will not boot from cd/dvd drive. This laptop was converted from windows 8 to windows 7 Professional by an unknown individual for a friend of mine. My friend brought it to me because it is was UNBELIEVABLY slow, he also believed there were numerous virus infections and boot up time was easily 5 -7 mins.

In the course of converting, the hard drive was wiped clean (no recovery partition) and Win7 professional was installed.

I removed the hard drive from the laptop to AV scan and to inspect it from my computer. Paragon Partition manager was reporting there was still parts ot the hard drive in GPT format!

I used Gpart Linux to check the hard drive and saw no GPT partitions contrary to what Paragon reported! (A RESULT OF VIRUS INFECTION??) I used the Linux Gpart program and reformatted to Linux ext2 and then back to ntfs. I believed from what my friend indicated there was a root kit virus and from previous experience formatting to Linux ext2 and back to ntfs removes any hidden undetectable(to windows OS's anyway) partitions prior to attempting to install windows 7 ultimate.

When replacing the hard drive back in to the hp 2000-2b19wm and inserting my Win7 Ultimate installation dvd disc into the cd/dvd drive, the hp 2000-2b19wm will NOT boot from the dvd! I tried to disable the Secure Boot option in bios but the choice for Secure Boot was light grey (i.e. not accessible) and already in disable mode!

All I'm getting now is a flashing cursor and that is it. It stays at this point with no further execution.

Also there is a VERY long period at startup before the blinking cursor appears !

How do I get this laptop to recognize a bootable DVD and why does it take so long to go thru POST? if that is indeed what it is doing?

thanks pclaptop

 

[VirtualLarry]

Have you tried boot media with an external USB DVD drive? The internal DVD drive may be shot.

 

[pclaptop23hour]

Kudo's to you VirtualLarry, you hit the nail on the head! the CD/DVD drive was bad! Where as I didn't have a USB DVD drive, by a REALLY odd coincidence I had a Compaq laptop that was almost IDENTICAL to the HP! I swapped drives and BINGO, in the boot up menu the CD/DVD drive then appeared as an option and I was good to go!

cheese steaks on me from Jim's Steaks South ST (where all the hippies meet) Philadelphia PA!

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