Which Hard drive Should I Install?
- Thread starter cavemangr
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CalcProgrammer1
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If you got a virus, your hard drive probably didn't die. Viruses can destroy software but rarely destroy hardware. You can use software such as Boot And Nuke to wipe your virus-infected hard drive clean and then reinstall Windows on it, without a trace of virus.
To use Boot and Nuke, you'll need a floppy, CD, or USB drive that you can write a bootable program to. You'll also need a Windows CD (or Linux CD if you use Linux, but Linux rarely ever gets viruses so I doubt you're using that).
To use Boot and Nuke, you'll need a floppy, CD, or USB drive that you can write a bootable program to. You'll also need a Windows CD (or Linux CD if you use Linux, but Linux rarely ever gets viruses so I doubt you're using that).
lancec2c30
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Love the dropped hint..
Anyway, He is right. A virus can't really physically damage the hard drive.
Does it just not allow a windows install? What do you mean by "died"
Jorsoft
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Yeah, could you be more specific about your laptop's problems? Having a virus actually somehow damage hardware is like a needle in a haystack, really. You probably just need a reformat and/or a session with Boot And Nuke and you're back in business. Download and run Disk Checker and see if your HD checks out.
Welcome to RS Software Lab web site. Disk Checker
Welcome to RS Software Lab web site. Disk Checker
CalcProgrammer1
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So. When you turn the laptop on, it does the following?
1.) Fans, lights come on, hard drive spins up (listen for the spin up noise)
2.) DELL logo shows on the screen, allowing you to go to setup menu
3.) PC tries to boot an OS, but it gets yellow, blue, and red lines.
OR does it do the following?
1.) Press button. Screen comes up with yellow, blue, and red lines and nothing else happens?
If the second is true, then the virus may have eaten your BIOS. If they infect that, your PC is pretty much toast. If it didn't damage your BIOS, then you should be able to use Boot and Nuke or another program. Does your laptop have a floppy disk drive? Does it have a CD/DVD-ROM drive? If yes, download a copy of Boot and Nuke just to see if it boots up. Before wiping the drive, you can try to salvage important data using a Linux CD such as DSL (DSL information) and use it's file manager to copy to a USB drive or to a network. When done, you can format the hard drive and restart.
1.) Fans, lights come on, hard drive spins up (listen for the spin up noise)
2.) DELL logo shows on the screen, allowing you to go to setup menu
3.) PC tries to boot an OS, but it gets yellow, blue, and red lines.
OR does it do the following?
1.) Press button. Screen comes up with yellow, blue, and red lines and nothing else happens?
If the second is true, then the virus may have eaten your BIOS. If they infect that, your PC is pretty much toast. If it didn't damage your BIOS, then you should be able to use Boot and Nuke or another program. Does your laptop have a floppy disk drive? Does it have a CD/DVD-ROM drive? If yes, download a copy of Boot and Nuke just to see if it boots up. Before wiping the drive, you can try to salvage important data using a Linux CD such as DSL (DSL information) and use it's file manager to copy to a USB drive or to a network. When done, you can format the hard drive and restart.
The lines pop up over white text that says:
Invalid configuration information - please run SETUP program
Primary hard disk drive 0 not found
Time-of-day not set - please run SETUP program
Strike the F1 key to continue, F2 to run the setup utility
When I strike the F1 key, white text says:
No bootable devices--strike F1 to retry boot, F2 for setup utility
Invalid configuration information - please run SETUP program
Primary hard disk drive 0 not found
Time-of-day not set - please run SETUP program
Strike the F1 key to continue, F2 to run the setup utility
When I strike the F1 key, white text says:
No bootable devices--strike F1 to retry boot, F2 for setup utility
MetalOwns
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Dell will send you a new hard drive free of charge...
Kisskerven
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only if its under warrenty Dell will send free of charge.
have you tried a simple thing- Remove your harddrive, then plug it back in?
Have you dropped/hit it recently? (not suggesting you do -but my laptop gets lines of terror and its normally from harsh treatment)
The lines sound more like video problem and the OS not found could be a loose connecetion- my other laptop does that I just reset the HDD whenever it comes loose and wont boot.
Slimmer chance that the virus ate the bios.. still plausable.. but .. meh....
if still no luck- try to go into your bios itself and see if you can select where to boot from- if you can do this then its def not a bios virus.
also check to make sure the HDD still is read in bios to be booted from- if not it sounds more like a HDD failure then virus.
Def turn it on and get close and listen for the HDD spin up sound- you should know it if you hear it, if you hear clicking inform us- (like constantly clicking)
have you tried a simple thing- Remove your harddrive, then plug it back in?
Have you dropped/hit it recently? (not suggesting you do -but my laptop gets lines of terror and its normally from harsh treatment)
The lines sound more like video problem and the OS not found could be a loose connecetion- my other laptop does that I just reset the HDD whenever it comes loose and wont boot.
Slimmer chance that the virus ate the bios.. still plausable.. but .. meh....
if still no luck- try to go into your bios itself and see if you can select where to boot from- if you can do this then its def not a bios virus.
also check to make sure the HDD still is read in bios to be booted from- if not it sounds more like a HDD failure then virus.
Def turn it on and get close and listen for the HDD spin up sound- you should know it if you hear it, if you hear clicking inform us- (like constantly clicking)
CalcProgrammer1
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Try removing the hard drive and powering up the PC. It should show a normal BIOS startup screen and then tell that there's no drive. Try reinserting the drive, and also try booting from a floppy or CD.
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