More than 99 times out of 100, it means the hard drive has failed.  To confirm, press F12 at powerup, load the Dell diagnostics and run an extended test on the drive.

this is message after running diagnostics test Test results: Fail Error code OFOO:0244 Msg: Block 20514528 Uncorrectable data error or media is write protected What does this mean?

Where would i buy that and is that something I can do/replace?

Thank you so much.   you have been a great help. 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136130

Service manual:

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins1150/sm/hdd.htm#1084976

Be sure you pull the blade adapter from the back of the original drive and place it over the pins on the new drive.

It means you need a new hard drive - the drive has failed.

You'll need a 2.5" 9.5 mm EIDE (NOT SATA) notebook drive, 120G or smaller.

I didn't see the blade adapter, so maybe that's my problem. What does it LOOK like?!?

There's a black strip on the back of the original drive.  It needs to be removed and placed over the pins of the replacement drive.

If you see bare pins, the connector is missing.

Most likely, you purchased a serial ATA drive (SATA), which won't work - what model number is it?

Also note the 1150 has a BIOS limit of 120G - in addition to the requirement that the drive be parallel ATA.

I don't know how many times I've seen YOUR posts about the adapter, and I STILL forgot to look for it!

But I looked at the old drive, and there it was, just as you said it would be. Looking at it, though, it doesn't look to be compatible with the new drive, a 160GB Western Digital. Do I have to get some kind of an adapter for that drive, then? Or is it a bigger problem, and the drive isn't compatible with my system?

It's a Western Digital Scorpio Blk 160GB HD SATA 7200RPM 2.5 LP.

Why on EARTH would DELL suggest this as a replacement?!? Wouldn't they know it wouldn't work? What the hell can I do with it now?

Am I stuck with it?

I have an old 2650 on which I think the HDD died as well--I suppose I could put it in that, and at least have access to internet.

I hate being technologically-challenged. :|

Unknown why they didn't pick up the incompatibility.  Neither of your systems will take that drive - return it for a PATA version.

When your system was built, there was nothing other than parallel ATA for drives; SATA did not exist.  Only a few years later, SATA came about and with it the need to differentiate the two.  Your system absolutely will not work with a SATA drive.  You MUST use a parallel ATA drive.

Newegg.com is probably the single best source of non-proprietary computer parts - yes, I would order from them and do, regularly.  I've never had a problem they didn't resolve immediately. 

Unless you're having other problems with the system it is just the drive that's bad.  One thought - buy a parallel ATA drive from newegg, and an external drive case for the SATA drive you purchased from Dell.  Mount the SATA drive in that and use it as an external backup drive - it'll avoid the returns hassle.

I won't dispute that Apple support is better than Dell's - and Apple is much more homogeneous from a hardware standpoint - there's no variation as there is with Windows systems.  However, that comes at a price - their up-front cost is higher and their proprietary parts costs are astronomical -- if you think the $400-500 Dell charges for a  mainboard in a notebook is outrageous, call Apple and ask -- hint:  it's close to double that. 

As for HP, if  you think Dell is bad,  you haven't seen anything until you've dealt with HP support - they're worse, hands down.  And they're just as astronomical as Apple when it comes to parts prices -- and like Toshiba and others, they restrict the supply of parts so they're harder to find and pricier, third-party when you can find them.  Don't even get me started on Sony -- which on some models of notebook considered the hard drive NON-REPLACEABLE.

Dell isn't the best for support -- but their hardware is reasonable to work on and the parts prices aren't anywhere near as bad as they are with HP/Compaq, Apple, Toshiba, Sony and others.

Good response--you make some well-thought-out points, and I will definitely at least reconsider. I thank you for your patience and advice.

It seems to me, then, that as long as I put the black plastic adapter on the new drive, it sounds like I mounted it correctly, at least. I did some checking on NewEgg, keeping in mind what you said about the PATA drive. This is the drive that I think works from NewEgg--would you agree?

Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD1200BEVE 120GB 5400 RPM 8MB Cache 2.5" ATA-6 Internal Notebook Hard Drive

Also, as I said, I'm relatively unschooled in electronics in general, and computers in specific. Could you give me some guidance on what type of enclosure you're talking about for the (I'm guessing) non-returnable drive? I'm thinking it's fairly standard, but I'd like to get it right--also, how to connect it to my system. And, lastly, is this something I could attach and de-attach at will, or would it be a hassle to put on and take off. I like the idea of using it as the backup.

Thank you, again!

Yes, that drive is the correct one for an Inspiron 1150.

Something like this will work to convert your SATA drive to an external - you can plug and unplug it as needed:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817816003