Error Code 0F00:136C

What error comes up when trying to start the computer? The error you appear to be getting during diagnostics should not be related to the computer not starting. The error you are referencing has to do with a blank CD not being in the CD/DVD drive during that part of the test.

Did this error come up during the Hard Drive diagnostics? With the PBR error you are getting it could be a sign that the Master Boot Record is bad, but if you are getting this error during Hard Drive Diagnostics it could mean that the drive has failed.

Try running the Dell Diagnostics again and test just the Hard Drive.  

A additional piece of info, because of your comments I ran the diagnostics again with a blank cd in the drive and I recieved error code 1000-0146.

Thanks

When I start or reboot I get:

Loading PBR for descriptor 2...done

A disk read error occured

Press ctrl+alt+del to restart

Yes, this error occured during the hard drive diagnostics.

Sorry I edited my last post with some additional information before I saw your new post. Have you backed up all of your data recently on the drive? 

I do not believe a back up has been done recently.

I believe I have the windows disk for this machine (we have 7 Dells in the house so there are all kinds of disks floating around).

Regarding salvaging the data, I would like to give that a try, could you direct me to where I can find out about copying the data to another computer through an external drive enclosure?

Thanks

The only reason I am asking is because the fixes I have seen are risky in that this could just be the MBR is corrupt, or it could be a sign that the Hard Drive is Bad. If you have important data I would suggest trying to copy the data to another computer through an external drive enclosure etc. If you are not worried about the data we can try a fix. If this fix does not work the Hard Drive will need to be replaced. And if it does work but the issue returns the Hard Drive still might need to be replaced.

Do you have the Windows disk that came with your system? If you do I will post what you can try, and if not I can see what other options we have. One other question I have is the system still under warranty?

Essentially you will need to purchase an external Hard Drive Enclosure that works for ATA (or sometimes called PATA) drives, and that accepts Hard Drives that are 2.5". You will then need to remove the drive from the computer and insert it into the enclosure. Once the drive is installed you should be able to hook it up via USB to another computer and copy your data (make sure the enclosure uses USB unless you want it to use something else). Once the drive is plugged in the computer should recognize it, and you should be able to copy your data to the other computer. If for some reason the drive really is bad this will not work, but it is worth a shot before going the expensive data recovery route.  

Here is a link to the Service Manual that will detail how to remove the drive from the system:

<ADMIN NOTE: Broken link has been removed from this post by Dell>

When you are ready to try the next step with the Windows disk I will walk you through it. Please let me know if you have any questions.