Lenovo M58 won't boot Win10

It is very late here so I will revisit this in the morning but here are my thoughts for now:

I think you are saying I should proceed with a fresh install of Win10 on the 750 GB HDD to make the computer work, then use HDtune &/or Hard Disc Sentinel to test their original HDD.

I know how to install Win10 with the Media Creation Tool and I have the product key so that part is straightforward.

I guess I'll need to connect their original HDD to their computer with the "new" HDD in order to test it. I've had computers with 2 hard drives in the past but I've never done it myself; Is it as simple as plugging it in and turning on the computer or do I have to do something to make it not try to boot from that HDD (I have a vague memory of my son mentioning jumpers to make one the master and the other the slave but it was a long time ago and I have no idea if that has changed since then).

As for backups, I have a couple of ideas about that but lets get it working first.

Sorry I didn't get back here this morning like I said I would. I slept late after being up so late playing with some old computers I inherited (deciding what to keep and what to sell off) and then spent a bunch of time today on eBay buying stuff for them and a part I need for one of the bikes and lost track of time.

That could be a problem. I have an external (USB connected) drive enclosure here which I've been using with the cover off for testing hard drives but it is PATA and this drive is SATA

I do have a SATA to 2xUSB adapter cable (I believe the 2nd USB is for an external power supply). Would that do?

In the meantime, I'll get started with Media Creation Tool and get the last of the old computers (for now) off of the bench...

BTW: I should explain that my main interests are motorcycles (I have 2, both with sidecars) and model trains but computers and home renovations are the means to those ends (I need to do the renos so I'll be have somewhere to build a railroad and I have a pretty good sized home network for entertainment and web access in various parts of the house without carrying a laptop or tablet around).
My son Matt was the computer guy in the family but when he died 3 years ago I inherited his stuff, which is why I have a lot of stuff and I don't really know how to use some of it.

Sidecar Bob said:

(snip)

I do have a SATA to 2xUSB adapter cable (I believe the 2nd USB is for an external power supply). Would that do?

Almost certainly. If the drive is 3.5", you may need to use both USB plugs to power it. (A 2.5" laptop drive, not so much.)

Sidecar Bob said:

In the meantime, I'll get started with Media Creation Tool and get the last of the old computers (for now) off of the bench...

BTW: I should explain that my main interests are motorcycles (I have 2, both with sidecars) and model trains but computers and home renovations are the means to those ends (I need to do the renos so I'll be have somewhere to build a railroad and I have a pretty good sized home network for entertainment and web access in various parts of the house without carrying a laptop or tablet around).
My son Matt was the computer guy in the family but when he died 3 years ago I inherited his stuff, which is why I have a lot of stuff and I don't really know how to use some of it.

Sounds like you have quite a life. Sorry to hear about your son. I'm a childless old bachelor, but losing a child must be the worst.

It wasn't the most fun thing that's ever happened but 3 years later life goes on.

The Windows installer discovered that the 750GB drive is divided up into 4 partitions and it won't install on or format any of them so I tried connecting it to my computer to see if I could do something about that but it won't power up through the adapter and when I plugged it in in place of the optical drive the computer didn't see it.

So I tried the 320GB one. It is partitioned too (oddly, the 2 partitions found only add up to about 60 GB, it wouldn't install on or format it and I couldn't get my computer to see it either.

It is possible that these drives have problems; Matt usually labelled things like that but he might have figured he'd remember these ones...

Suggestions?

Re the 3rd party programs fir checking drives, would they work if the computer isn't seeing the drive?

I unplugged the optical drive in my computer and plugged in the 750GB hard drive and the drive did not appear anywhere that I could see. I did the same with the 320GB drive with the same results. Either I don't know where to look or what to do to make them show up or something is keeping them from being recognized by my computer.

I went through all of what the page you linked says up to step 11. When I click Custom it does NOT show me the screen that says "Drive 0 Unallocated Space" but goes directly to something like this except the sizes and names of the partitions are different.
IIRC, one is called XP and another is called Data but I'm not sure. I've been waiting for it to get there again so I could tell you exactly but for about an hour all I see is a black screen and the drive light flashing (it took almost this long last night).


I tried each of them but it said it couldn't install it to any of them. Each time it took me back to the beginning and took a long time to get back to that screen. None of the buttons below the field with the list of partitions did anything.

The 320GB drive didn't take as long to get there. It also went directly to the list of Partitions and wouldn't install on either of the 2 it showed. The New button looked tempting but it was greyed out.....