Check Setup (F2). If the drive is still detected, something may be recoverable. You'll need to buy a 2.5" external drive case to attempt recovery.

If you're in warranty, Dell will not charge for the CD. You can also ask that they ship you a pre-imaged drive during warranty to save time.

Once you've replaced the drive, mount the faulty one in the external case, attach it and try copying.

If the drive isn't detected, and/or you can't get the data, you'll have to decide whether to hire a data recovery firm - such services usually work but aren't cheap (figure on $1,000 to start, and possibly several times that total, depending on what is needed).

Once the system is working again, invest in a backup drive.

Call or email Dell with the error. If you did not order an XP CD with the system, order one, as you will need it to reinstall.

You can try reseating the drive, but it's probably totally gone. If you need to hold onto the failed drive indefinitely, it'll be cheaper to buy yourself a new drive outright - Dell will want the old one back within a couple of weeks at the outside, and if you don't return it will charge you 2-3 times what you can otherwise buy a drive for. You can buy a 2.5" notebook drive far cheaper than what Dell will charge you.


You'll still need the XP media from Dell if you don't have it.

If the system is under warranty, it'll cost nothing.

Call Dell with the error. Make sure you get either the XP CD or a pre-imaged drive - or both.

oke and I just want the harddisk replacesd and I don't need the lost data any more what do I have to do to have it replaced and is that gonna cost me?

Message Edited by nivek777 on 12-28-2005 03:06 PM

As above, call Dell and replace it. It's history.