Hi steveloxton, and welcome to the HP Forums!
I understand that you had to do a complete fresh install of Windows 7 and it stalls on you. I will try my best to help you resolve this issue.
In this document FAQ On Repairing Or Reinstalling The Operating System it explains what to do when the recovery failed to start, or did not complete.
I hope this information is useful, please let me know how it goes.
Thank you and good luck!