Hard drive replacement, new hard drive unrecognized

Hi John,

If you are installing a new hard drive, the computer may not be able to find it because of the missing operating system (boot files). It appears to be a similar situation. However, you may also check if the hard drive gets detected in system BIOS by following the steps below:

1. Restart your computer and tap F2 at Dell logo. 
2. Navigate to 'Device info' and check  for the 'Primary Hard Drive' to see if the hard drive gets detected. 

If the hard drive do not get detected, you may press ALT and F key to load defaults --> Save settings --> Restart your computer and check if the issue persists. You may also want to re-seat the hard drive to ensure functionality (If BIOS defaults do not work). For detailed instructions on installing the hard drive, you may refer to the service manual of computer: http://bit.ly/WS9JcK Ensure to follow safety instructions in manual. 

If the hard drive gets detected, you may install operating system on your computer from the Dell OEM version disc. OEM version of operating system will not require any product key and is pre-activated by Microsoft for Dell customers. In case you re-install operating system from a non-Dell OEM CD, you might face issues in activating the operating system. 

Before you proceed, remove all the external peripherals (like printers, scanners, any USB device except keyboard and mouse) connected to your computer. For more information on operating system re-installation, you may refer to link: http://dell.to/Qe7jyP 

You may change the operating system in case you are installing a different one. 

Please share the findings.