The post is correct, if brief. You will need a new, 2.5" SATA hard drive , 9.5 mm or shallower - once you install it, you'll then need to reload everything.
If you didn't get a copy of Windows with the system and are in the US, see:
is the info on the drive lost ? or is it just the boot sector ? in other words will i be able to connect this as a slave drive and recover the files on it ?
Before buying, check the BIOS setup - if the drive isn't recognized (i.e., not installed or unknown), it's beyond home recovery - you may be able to retrieve the data but will need a data recovery service. Such service isn't cheap - it'll be well over $1,000. If the drive is recognized, then proceed with an external case (in fact, if you don't have one, buy one anyway -- along with TWO replacement drives - one internal and the other to use for backups).
I recommend you purchase a 2.5" drive external USB enclosure. Get it from a local store. That way, if the drive is completely dead, you can take back the enclosure.
ieee488
4 Operator
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11.1K Posts
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January 12th, 2011 16:00
your hard drive is toast
Jimdev01
3 Posts
0
January 13th, 2011 07:00
very helpful ..... anyone else got any useful comments
ejn63
9 Legend
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87.5K Posts
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January 13th, 2011 07:00
The post is correct, if brief. You will need a new, 2.5" SATA hard drive , 9.5 mm or shallower - once you install it, you'll then need to reload everything.
If you didn't get a copy of Windows with the system and are in the US, see:
http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dellcare/en/backupcd_form?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&redirect=1
Jimdev01
3 Posts
0
January 13th, 2011 07:00
Thanks EJN63,
is the info on the drive lost ? or is it just the boot sector ? in other words will i be able to connect this as a slave drive and recover the files on it ?
Any ideas
ejn63
9 Legend
•
87.5K Posts
0
January 13th, 2011 12:00
Before buying, check the BIOS setup - if the drive isn't recognized (i.e., not installed or unknown), it's beyond home recovery - you may be able to retrieve the data but will need a data recovery service. Such service isn't cheap - it'll be well over $1,000. If the drive is recognized, then proceed with an external case (in fact, if you don't have one, buy one anyway -- along with TWO replacement drives - one internal and the other to use for backups).
osprey4
4 Operator
•
34.2K Posts
0
January 13th, 2011 12:00
Hi Jimdev01,
I recommend you purchase a 2.5" drive external USB enclosure. Get it from a local store. That way, if the drive is completely dead, you can take back the enclosure.