131 replies to this topic

[Happy]

Hmmm...

Uh, the screen turned blue with white letters. Reads:

CIA CHECKDISK Version 2.2
Copyright © 2006 Avira GmbH
http://www.avira.de

[then in yellow]
Benutze: \WINDOWS\system32\AUTOCHK.EXE

[and again in white letters X:\>

Not much of a change. I rebooted and it crashed again.

[noahdfear]

I suspect that means it was unable to detect the hard drive. Enter the BIOS and see if you have a setting for Raid mode and set it to IDE if found, then try the checkdisk util again. If that works to gain disk access, upon reboot go back into the BIOS and set the Raid mode to what it was, prior to attempting a normal bootup.

[Happy]

... enter the BIOS... uh...??? I'm sorry Dave, it feels like I should know what that means, but I don't. I'm sorry. I need just a little more detail please.

[noahdfear]

When you first power on the computer it should display something like 'Press F2 for setup' or 'To Enter Setup press Delete' (F2 and Delete are the most common). Setup is what is referred to as the BIOS. Press the appropriate key to enter setup then look for the aforementioned setting.

[Happy]

Ok Dave. Will do.

[Happy]

Well, I was able to enter the BIOS, but unfortunately, I could not find a setting for the Raid mode. I'm sorry. I can tell you it was BOIS Version = A05 (09\19\2005)

[noahdfear]

Did you find a setting anywhere that references Mode and appears related to the hard drive? It might include the words/options IDE, AHCI or Compatible.

[Happy]

It gives me a menu tree, starting with System. Below which is System Info, Processor Info, Memory Info, Device Info, Battery Info, Battery Health, Date/Time, Boot Sequences. Then, There are Onboard Devices, followed by Video, Security, Power Management, Maintenance, POST Behavior, and Wireless. With your request, I thought maybe I wanted to see Processor or Memory Info. Each gives technical information, and says "None of these fields are changeable. Again, I'm sorry, but I don't find anything that references Mode, IDE, AHCI, or Compatible.

[noahdfear]

Look under Onboard Devices.

You might also try removing the drive then pushing it back in (reseat the drive) and trying checkdisk again. When checkdisk runs successfully, it will display something like 'Filesystem is NTFS' after the line 'Benutze: \WINDOWS\system32\AUTOCHK.EXE'

[Happy]

Under Onboard Devices, it reads: The Onboard Devices group contains options and settings related to intgrated system devices. Press Enter to veiw or change the fields in this group: *Integrated NIC *MiniPCI Status *Modem Enable Does any of that seem like what we're looking for?

[Happy]

And, I tried reseating the USB... actually tried several different USB port/zipdrive combinations with no success.

[noahdfear]

Doesn't appear that the lappy has the Raid mode option, which rules that out as a cause for the drive not being detected by the checkdisk utility.

I was referring to removing the hard drive and reseating it. It is located right in front of the battery, and is removed from the side after removing the 2 screws on the bottom that hold it in place (remove the power cord and battery first!).

If the checkdisk utility still does not detect the hard drive, see if the Dell Diagnostics utility does, and if so, use it to test the drive. From the manual:

Start the Dell Diagnostics from your hard drive. The Dell Diagnostics is located on a hidden
diagnostic utility partition on your hard drive.

1. Shut down the computer.
2. If the computer is connected to a docking device (docked), undock it. See the documentation
that came with your docking device for instructions.
3. Connect the computer to an electrical outlet.
4. Turn on the computer. When the DELL™ logo appears, press <F12> immediately.
If you wait too long and the operating system logo appears, continue to wait until you see the
Microsoft® Windows® desktop. Then shut down your computer and try again.
5. When the boot device list appears, highlight Diagnostics and press <Enter>.
The computer runs the Pre-boot System Assessment, a series of initial tests of your system
board, keyboard, hard drive, and display.
• During the assessment, answer any questions that appear.
• If a failure is detected, the computer stops and beeps. To stop the assessment and restart
the computer, press <n>; to continue to the next test, press <y>; to retest the
component that failed, press <r>.
• If failures are detected during the Pre-boot System Assessment, write down the error
code(s) and contact Dell before continuing on to the Dell Diagnostics. See "Contacting
Dell" on page 108.
If the Pre-boot System Assessment completes successfully, you receive the message Booting
Dell Diagnostic Utility Partition. Press any key to continue.
6. Press any key to start the Dell Diagnostics from the diagnostics utility partition on your hard
drive.


Dell Diagnostics Main Menu
1. After the Dell Diagnostics loads and the Main Menu screen appears, click the button for the
option you want.
2. If a problem is encountered during a test, a message appears with an error code and a
description of the problem. Write down the error code and problem description and follow
the instructions on the screen.
If you cannot resolve the error condition, contact Dell. See "Contacting Dell" on page 108.
NOTE: The Service Tag for your computer is located at the top of each test screen. If you contact Dell,
technical support will ask for your Service Tag.

Express Test Performs a quick test of devices. This test typically takes
10 to 20 minutes and requires no interaction on your
part. Run Express Test first to increase the possibility of
tracing the problem quickly.

Extended Test Performs a thorough check of devices. This test typically
takes an hour or more and requires you to answer
questions periodically.

Custom Test Tests a specific device. You can customize the tests you
want to run.

Symptom Tree Lists the most common symptoms encountered and
allows you to select a test based on the symptom of the
problem you are having.

2. If a problem is encountered during a test, a message appears with an error code and a
description of the problem. Write down the error code and problem description and follow
the instructions on the screen.
If you cannot resolve the error condition, contact Dell. See "Contacting Dell" on page 108.
NOTE: The Service Tag for your computer is located at the top of each test screen. If you contact Dell,
technical support will ask for your Service Tag.
3. If you run a test from the Custom Test or Symptom Tree option, click the applicable tab
described in the following table for more information.
4. When the tests are complete, close the test screen to return to the Main Menu screen. To exit
the Dell Diagnostics and restart the computer, close the Main Menu screen.
Drive Problems
CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions in the
Product Information Guide.

Results Displays the results of the test and any error conditions
encountered.
Errors Displays error conditions encountered, error codes, and
the problem description.
Help Describes the test and may indicate requirements for
running the test.
Configuration Displays your hardware configuration for the selected
device.
The Dell Diagnostics obtains configuration information
for all devices from system setup, memory, and various
internal tests, and it displays the information in the
device list in the left pane of the screen. The device list
may not display the names of all the components
installed on your computer or all devices attached to your
computer.
Parameters Allows you to customize the test by changing the test
settings.
4. When the tests are complete, close the test screen to return to the Main Menu screen. To exit
the Dell Diagnostics and restart the computer, close the Main Menu screen.

[Happy]

I was able to reseat the harddrive as requested, but the checkdisk utility (I assume that's what is currently on my zipdrive), but the results were the same. So, I ran the Dell Diagnostic utility as you suggested. The only error I received was as follows: Error code 0F00:136C Msg: IDE Device Failed: Blank media or no media is present in optical drive. Test requires media with digital data. (Resource CD, Installation CD) The given error code and message can be used by Dell Tech Support to help diagnose the problem. Do you want to continue testing? So, I said 'yes' to continue. It did, and seemed to complete normally. I'm hoping (or guessing) that the error message means that the diagnostic couldn't make a determination as to the functionality of the CD/DVD because I didn't have a disk inserted... I hope, I hope, I hope. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

[Happy]

Dave? Did I do something wrong?

[Happy]

Anybody? Have I exhausted the available options?