Windows 7 won't start after initial boot

Question

Last year I was given Inspiron 15R 5110 as a gift and up until yesterday it has been working fine. I had noticed that the harddrive had installed Google Chrome twice and completely started bugging out. I had tried the Start up repair but was told it could not fix the errors. Then I attempted a system restore and the only restore point I had was corrupted. So finally I make an attempt to do a factory recovery and I received an Error 0x400110020000100A following with: restore7.exe-application error: the instruction at 0x4008c99b referenced memory at 0x00000008. The memory could not be read. Now nothing works past the initial Dell boot screen. None of the Safe Mode options work. I tried booting the drivers and utility disk that came with it but its telling me it can't be read. I do think I may be in need of the disc that can restore it to factory default but since my warranty is expired I know I'm going to be charged for not only setting up a warranty again but for the disc. My questions are: 1. What exactly is going on with my laptop? And 2. How much is it going to cost to fix it? Because if it's as I am fearing, I might be better off buying a new one.

zwer4e · Answer

First, when you see the Dell logo press F12 to get the boot menu and select diagnostics. If the hard drive has gone bad it will come up with an error, if it does not, get a windows 7 disk or usb and do a clean install - it does not need to be a dell disk as long as you have the windows license sticker on the bottom of the laptop - when the installation asks you for the key just enter the one on the sticker. Also make sure you get the right version of windows fro your laptop - it says it on the sticker, I believe for inspiron 5110 is windows 7 home premium.

you might also be looking at a faulty dvd drive if it cannot read the drivers disk, or just a faulty drivers disk. do you have any other bootable disks that you can try?

In any case DVD drive and HDD are one of the cheapest main parts to replace on a laptop.

ejn63 · Answer

Run an extended hard drive diagnostic on the system - it sounds very likely the drive is on its way out. Unfortunately for this model, replacing the hard drive requires removing the mainboard (the hard drive is affixed to the bottom of the system board, which in turn can only be accessed from above. F12 at powerup to get to the diagnostics.

If a hard drive replacement is required, you'll need a new 2.5" 9.5 mm or slimmer notebook drive and quite a bit of patience (video link):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0OM7cothHU

Philip_Yip · Answer

See F12 preboot diagnostics:

http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/f12-preboot-diagnostics/

I recommend upgrading to a Solid State Drive for superior system performance, run the Crucial system scanner for more details.

You will need Windows 7 installation media see Download Windows 7 SP1 (Dell OEM):

http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-microsoft-windows-and-office/download-microsoft-windows/windows-7-sp1-iso-download/

Follow A Clean Install of Windows 7:

http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/a-clean-install-of-windows/

Labellasunshine · Answer

I did the F12 dianogsis and I got four beeps and an 0151 error?

ejn63 · Answer

That error means hard drive not found - most likely the drive has failed. You can try reseating it (disconnect and reconnect) but as you'll see from the video link below, this is not an easy job with the N5110. You may want to simply replace the drive given the amount of work it takes to access the drive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0OM7cothHU

Philip_Yip · Answer

See here:

More details here:

http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-microsoft-windows-and-office/download-microsoft-windows/windows-7-sp1-iso-download/

Alternatively call Dell Technical Support.

Labellasunshine · Answer

I had to replace the hard drive, which went off without a hitch...but now I need to replace all the software. And since my warranty on this model expired AND have no other access to download what I need on a usb how much would I be charged for the disc? Currently I have the software and driver reinstallation disc.

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Windows 7 won't start after initial boot

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