Can I use a recovery disc to restore my OS onto a new hard disk?

Q  The hard disk drive in my laptop recently failed. Attempts to launch Windows resulted in an error message stating that ‘The operating software could not be found’. When I tried the recovery CD, no free space was found on the hard disk.

If I buy a new hard disk, will I be able to use the recovery disc to restore the operating system? The original hard disk had two partitions and I presume the recovery files were stored on the second (D:) partition.
Arthur Hey

A  If the laptop included a recovery CD, then it should work with any internal hard disk drive. The only catch is that replacing the hard disk on some laptops can be tricky, thanks to the number of screws involved and the sometimes-inaccessible location of the drive – but it’s otherwise a simple job.

If you have access to another internet-connected computer, try searching the web for hard disk upgrade advice for your particular model – someone else is bound to have done it before.

If, however, the laptop’s recovery files are stored on the failed hard disk’s D: partition rather than recovery CD (you mention both in your email, so we’re a little confused), the chances are that the data was lost when the hard disk broke down.

Contact the laptop manufacturer to explain the problem, as it may send you a recovery CD for a nominal charge.

Otherwise, short of buying a new copy of Windows to install on a new hard disk, the only other option is to install one of the many free distributions of the Linux operating system, though again you’d need access to another PC in order to download it.

Ubuntu is the best known and one of the easiest to use. It does pretty much everything Windows does – but be prepared for some rooting around online to find out how to get everything on your laptop to work properly.