HELP MY Dell inspiron 1545 hard drive failed and crashed!

Boot your computer and hit F2 at the dell logo. Check in the BIOS setup menu and see if your hard drive is recognized.

If so, then boot your computer and hit F12 when you see the Dell logo and select Dell Diagnostics

and run Dell Diagnostics on the hard drive.

Sorry this method did not work and I it said the hard drive state was a warning; but the hard drive is recognized, but I think everything got erased on it because the hard drive (HDD) doesn't have the windows 7os on it.Hey do you know how I can recover all of my stuff. :) :) But thanks for the reply :) :)

Sorry for my bad typing I have been typing from a old IBM42 and my tablet

OOHH and thanks for answer.  

Sorry this method did not work and I it said the hard drive state was a warning; but the hard drive is recognized, but I think everything got erased on it because the hard drive (HDD) doesn't have the windows 7os on it.Hey do you know how I can recover all of my stuff. :) :) But thanks for the reply :) :)

Sorry for my bad typing I have been typing from a old IBM42 and my tablet

OOHH and thanks for answer.  

Hi 1ys23,

Welcome to the Dell Community Forum,

I appreciate that you’ve tried checking the HDD detection in BIOS and as you say the Hard drive is crashed, are you able to boot into Safe mode.
If you're able to boot in Safe mode the data can be backed up and if not you will have to take the Hard Drive to a local technician who will help in
backing up the data

Please run the Hardware Diagnostics on the computer in order to check the functionality of the hardware.

Below are the following steps mentioned to initiate the Diagnostics.

1. Shut down the computer completely.

2. Disconnect any external connected devices (Like Printers , scanners , USB media/ HDD , optical media )

3. Remove the battery and disconnect the AC Adapter

4. Press and hold Power button for a minute so it drains all the flee power present in the computer

5. Plug in the AC Adapter, Connect the Battery

6. Press and hold Fn key and Power On the computer which will initiate the Diagnostics on the computer

7. It may take 15-20 minutes to run the diagnostics

Once Diagnostics completed it will give you an error message if any hardware part is failed so do capture that error message and reply us back with the findings.

Hi DELL-MUNAWAR P

Thanks for the reply and it has done every thing you said and the diagnostics said that the hard drive "Warning" and it also said it failed. 

Thanks

Kind Regards

1YS23

Try backup up your data using a Linux live CD/USB and an external hard drive see Windows Reinstallation Guide/Data Recovery of the Hard Drive using Fedora:

http://philipyip.wordpress.com/dell-community-forums/ (page 413)

Do this as soon as possible to maximise your chances of recovering data.

Next you will need to replace your hard drive and reinstall your Windows 7 Operating System. I recommend getting a Solid State Drive for maximal performance e.g. a Crucial M500 2.5 " such as:

http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=3534BF18A5CA7304 (120 GB)

http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=EDE13291A5CA7304 (240 GB)

To remove and install the hard drive see the Service Manual.

To Reinstall your OS see A Clean install of Windows 7 (page 8).

Hi 1ys23,

Thank you for your response,

It’s good to know that you’ve tried all the steps mentioned previously and as you’ve mentioned about hard drive giving a “Warning” indication,

You can consider changing the Hard Drive as the HDD has failed and you can also contact a local technician who can help in backing up the data.

Let us know if this helps.

Hi aniruddhapatil2000,

I would suggest you to check for the hardware functionality by running hardware diagnostics on the system:

• Power on and press F12 to enter the Boot Menu
• When the boot device list appears, highlight Diagnostics and press Enter
• The computer begins to run the Pre-boot System Assessment, a series of embedded diagnostics that perform initial testing on your system board, keyboard, hard drive, and display
• In case any hardware component is bad, you will get a corresponding error.

You may disable NIC from BIOS (System setup):

• Restart the system and keep taping 'F2' as soon as the Dell logo appears.
• Go to 'Advanced' and make sure 'Integrated NIC' is disabled.
• In case it is set as 'Enabled', change it to 'Disbaled'.
• Press 'F10' to save the changes.
• Restart the system and see if it works fine.

You may try reseating the hard drive. For Service Manual, you may refer to the link: http://bit.ly/REGhS6.

Keep me posted with the results, I will be glad to assist further.

Hello,

I also have the dreaded 0146 error when running the internal diagnostics so looks like the hard drive is a goner. I did manage to get into the a command shell and was able to retrieve our personal data.

I'm even able to boot into Windows normally or in safe mode, however with many error messages, all saying that the applications at startup couldn't be loaded, including the explorer. I can't open ANY programs and since the explorer doesn't work can only look at the desktop.

I've resigned to the fact that I need to get a new hard drive, however the Windows Vista installation we have is on that laptop, I don't have a DVD, it came preinstalled. There's a separate partition with a restore data on it, however I can't access that.

Is there a way to get the operating system on a new hard drive once I buy that or do I have to invest into an OS as well?

Thanks for your help in advance!

PS: Would this one fit in the Dell Inspiron 1525? http://www.amazon.de/Western-Digital-WD3200BPVT-interne-Festplatte/dp/B0037NYQ7K/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
 Thanks

Is there a way to get the operating system on a new hard drive once I buy that or do I have to invest into an OS as well?

See Windows Reinstallation Guide/A Clean Install of Windows Vista:

http://philipyip.wordpress.com/dell-community-forums/

It addresses the problem by use of downloadable files from Digital River which can be used to create a Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 Installation USB (Service Pack 2 should be installed as a standalone Update after).

Yes the hard drive should do. If you can afford a bit more go for a solid state drive which will boost your systems performance significantly.

Thanks a lot. I'll get the hard drive and report back.

Hi couchpotatoe,

Error code 0146 doesn’t really mean the hard drive has gone bad. I would suggest you to run Dell 32-bit diagnostics on the system. You may follow the steps below:

• Run the diagnostics by pressing at the Dell logo.
• Tap to launch 32 bit Diagnostics when prompted to run remaining memory tests.
• Dell Diagnostics main menu will appear, choose ‘Custom Test’
• Click <+> sign besides 'Hard Drive.
• Highlight 'SATA Disk'
• Click 'Run Test'.
• For any problem encountered during a test, a message appears with an error code and a description of the problem

Keep me posted with the results. I will be glad to assist you.

Thanks for the help, I get 0146 errors there as well, twice. I can't remember the exact wording but if it's important I'll try again

Hi couchpotatoe,

If the system is giving error in Dell 32-bit diagnostics as well, it means the hard drive has gone bad and you need to replace it.

If you are residing in the US, you may contact dell spares to check for the price. Please refer to the link: http://dell.to/11GOIPD. For Owner Manual, you may refer to the link: http://bit.ly/Sl1m5z.

Hope this helps. Please feel free to reply for any further assistance.