AAM1992,

Run the full diagnostics and report back any error messages. How to Run the Dell™ Diagnostics Utility

Rick

The drive needs to be replaced.  If the system is under warranty, contact Dell with the error message(s).  If the system is out of warranty, any standard, 2.5" 9.5 mm or slimmer SATA notebook drive can be used as a replacement.

I got 2 error codes:

0146 and 2000-0146 on separate lines. Also: HD-0 self test logs contains previous error(s).

Hard drives can fail at any time - upon first power up, days, weeks or years later.

Do you have any idea why? It's been working fine and as I say the laptop is only 18 months old. Surely that shouldn't happen with normal usage?

The operating system will need to be reloaded onto the drive.  For how to do that, see the first link.

If you did not make the set of backup discs when you first received the system, you will need to order those - see the second link.

Step 4:

supportapj.dell.com/.../document

support.dell.com/.../backupcd_form

Thanks. Sorry, don't know much about where things are stored in the computer, but isn't the OS stored in a partition of the hard drive? If so, do I need to do anything to get the OS on to the new HD or is it just a case of replacing it and then using it?

Are the discs it mentions the recovery discs that it prompts you to make?

Thank you for the help.