Ian Field wrote:
Just won a Fujitsu Siemens laptop with a bricked HDD.

Linux based partition tools were able to recognise that the "HDD is bad"
- although it may have been occasionally poking its head above the
parapet, because at one point the tools exited with a message that
server edition wasn't supported.

With a replacement HDD; the XP Pro install disk went through the motions
all the way to the partition setup screen - then said no HDD was present.

Since Linux based tools found the drive OK; I installed Fedora, that
went without a hitch and everything seems to be working.

The laptop is now capable of doing the job I wanted it for, but I'm used
to Windows, and finding out what's preventing the install would make
life easier.

Thanks for any help.
Well, now that there IS an OS on it, you could try a M$ OS,but may i
suggest NOT one more modern than XP, and pay very special attention to
partition's, unallocated gaps, etc. and delete what you do not want (EG:
the F-ing LILO) so that there is one allocated partition - to then
format for the new OS. (fast format is better than "full" format which
may take forever).
Then if that works, just "upgrade" to Win7; ferget LOST_ten.