How do I install a hard-disk on a Laptop?

Question

Here's the scenario:
1) My friend bought new hard disk for his laptop. He replaced the old one with the new one, of course.

2) He started up the laptop. The laptop is able to start up.

3) He wanted to boot-up from the CD-ROM in order to install the new Operating System, but it was said that there wasn't any hard disk present upon the laptop.

4) We checked under BIOS and it seems that there is no hard disk present within the computer as well.

The questions would be:
Is there anything I should do to a new hard disk before plugging it into the old computer? Or is there a way to rectify the problem?
Thanks for the help in advanced.

The laptop model is an Acer. The processor speed's a Pentium 3.

The new hard disk is a Hitachi Travelstar, from 40GB.

Answer 1

Make sure that the hard drive is plugged/pushed in all the way. Make sure its compatible for that laptop. If it has any jumpers, make sure its set correctly. Other than that, I couldnt think of any other reason it wouldnt get picked up, unless its a bad hard drive. But even bad hard drives get picked up in the bios.

Answer 2

Can you tell me the laptop model and also the hard disk brand name and size of the hard disk.

Answer 3

put the laptop power off
opent the laptop
put the hard drive in conncet the data cable &
power cable to the hard drive
then power up the laptop

as it is starting up get back in to bios
then set the hard drive as
AURO detect
then hit the (ESC) key
then hit the (F10) key
save setting in bios
and restart the pc
as it is starting back up put the
windows system disk in and the
and see if you can install
windows on to the hard drive
if not you have to format the hard drive
so restart the pc again
and as it is starting up
get back in to bios
and set it to boot from
cd rom
when you find the boot up option
hit the
page down key
to reset it to boot from
cd rom
then hit the (ESC)KEY & (f10)key
save bios settings
then re start the pc it will boot up from cd rom
then for mat the hard drive
and when then is down windows will install
when you have windows install go back in the bios
back to the boot up option
and hit the page down key till it is reset to boot
from hard drive
then hit the (ESC) key & (f10) save settings in bios and restart the pc then windows will boot up from the hard drive and go to the desktop
when installing windows
if its windows xp
dont install the windows auto update
coz if your going to have cracked software on your laptop
if windows auto up date is installed from set up
soon as windows auto up date download
there is a patch that comes with it to kill off cracked software and stop it from working
but if you have paid for all the software
you can if you want install the
windows auto update
but really you dont need the windows auto update installed on set up on windows
coz its noting but a pain in the head and so its up to you if you want to use windows auto update .. if you cant set up the hard drive its best to take it to a pc store for them to set it up
and say to them when installing windows
good luck

Answer 4

check Plug and Play