Long Shot - Laptop help

[Landgull]

Had problems in past overheating but got fixed. Still runs hot but been no prob until other day when it cut out on me when I disconnected from mains. Battery is in good nick. When I switch on I get the standard Dell logo then a "Starting Windows" screen with the MS logo fading in ... then the screen just goes dark grey ... I can see and move my cursor around but that's it. Any ideas ... a Dell about 3 years old and already spent £100 on clean up and fan 6 months ago so wondering if it's kaput?

Any sensible advice/help appreciated

This sounds like a hard disc fault to me.Do you have any CD's that came with the laptop?

 

[Rugrat]

This sounds like a hard disc fault to me.Do you have any CD's that came with the laptop?

No, don't believe it came with any CD 's

 

[blackprince]

If you have connected an external monitor with the same result (i.e. the grey screen) then a trawl of the online techy forums points to the graphics module/card being the problem.

 

[Rugrat]

If you have connected an external monitor with the same result (i.e. the grey screen) then a trawl of the online techy forums points to the graphics module/card being the problem.

Cheers, tbh I wouldn't have a clue what they were on about! Saying that if I see the windows loading screen and logo etc then I'd have thought that meant my monitor and graphics card was OK. Maybe not.

 

[beorhthelm]

Cheers, tbh I wouldn't have a clue what they were on about! Saying that if I see the windows loading screen and logo etc then I'd have thought that meant my monitor and graphics card was OK. Maybe not.

thats my thought too. i was going to suggest graphics card issue, but if you can see the page that offers you the safe mode option, then you should be able to see Windows under safe mode. so may hunch is a duff system file or HD corruption not allowing the boot process to complete. a reinstall will solve the former, a reformat *might* solve the latter (it can mark the corruption as bad and not use it. however, symptomatic of HD on way out).

as before, find out the Dell warranty. you used to be able to put the serial no into somewher on their website and it would tell you the warranty status.

 

[Rugrat]

thats my thought too. i was going to suggest graphics card issue, but if you can see the page that offers you the safe mode option, then you should be able to see Windows under safe mode. so may hunch is a duff system file or HD corruption not allowing the boot process to complete. a reinstall will solve the former, a reformat *might* solve the latter (it can mark the corruption as bad and not use it. however, symptomatic of HD on way out).

as before, find out the Dell warranty. you used to be able to put the serial no into somewher on their website and it would tell you the warranty status.

Cheers ... found it on the Dell website and my warranty expired in March. Might have to give it to a techie fella, just loathe to spend anything if it's on way out

 

[we-8-brighton]

try any of these https://www.google.co.uk/#sclient=p...50,d.bGE&fp=ecc5bb02c6938d20&biw=1440&bih=797
There was one on there about taking out HD and Ram and blowing connecters.

 

[Rugrat]

try any of these https://www.google.co.uk/#sclient=p...50,d.bGE&fp=ecc5bb02c6938d20&biw=1440&bih=797
There was one on there about taking out HD and Ram and blowing connecters.

Cheers ... went through these and found something about an F12 start so tried that and went to diagnostics. Been running that a few hours and the only thing (probably the worst thing!) that came up was

Error Code 2000-0142 - Hard Drive self test unsuccessful Status:79

Then I ran a hardware diagnostics and got these 4

Error Code 0F00:1340 ... Block 480178124 Read Error replace disk
0F00:1348 ... Block 480244773 Drive aborted the command, update firmware
0F00:1344 ... Block 481919601 Can't read, replace disk
0F00:133C ... No suitable disk media present

Not expecting anyone to know these but hoping I can at least call a techie and they can tell me how much and if worth it!!

 

[Landgull]

Cheers ... went through these and found something about an F12 start so tried that and went to diagnostics. Been running that a few hours and the only thing (probably the worst thing!) that came up was

Error Code 2000-0142 - Hard Drive self test unsuccessful Status:79

Then I ran a hardware diagnostics and got these 4

Error Code 0F00:1340 ... Block 480178124 Read Error replace disk
0F00:1348 ... Block 480244773 Drive aborted the command, update firmware
0F00:1344 ... Block 481919601 Can't read, replace disk
0F00:133C ... No suitable disk media present

Not expecting anyone to know these but hoping I can at least call a techie and they can tell me how much and if worth it!!

This further suggests that your HD is the fault.

 

[Itman-dan]

Sounds like your hard drive is faulty. However this can be a separate issue.

What model laptop is it? Around that time Dell released a lot of laptops with a dodgy NVidia graphics chip which eventually and out of the blue died causing a host of weird and wonderful effects.

 

[Rugrat]

This further suggests that your HD is the fault.

Sounds like your hard drive is faulty. However this can be a separate issue.

What model laptop is it? Around that time Dell released a lot of laptops with a dodgy NVidia graphics chip which eventually and out of the blue died causing a host of weird and wonderful effects.

It's an Inspiron 15R ... the thing about the graphics was when it was running the diagnostics it went through a routine of all sorts of coloured vertical and horizontal bars .. so the display seems to be working fine but that might not be what the graphics chip drives anyway

have called a techie and asked "how much?"

 

[burnee54]

Take a look on ebay for a replacement drive.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_o...rd+drive&_nkw=dell+laptop+hard+drive&_sacat=0

Order the one compatible with your Dell Model. (cost around £30 so a fairly cheap option)
Look for the oblong shaped cover on the back usually held down with 2 or 4 screws depends on model.
Take out the old drive and slot in the new one. Replace cover and insert the Windows Disc.
Enter the number on the back of the machine and allow windows to install.
You will have to put all your programs back on but as you say you have all your stuff backed up so should not be a problem.
If you don't have a Windows Disc PM me.

 

[Windows]

It does sound like the hard drive, but I have a sneaky feeling that it may also be your power supply not supplying enough power.

Speak to your later.

 

[Dick Head]

Did you manage to boot into safe mode? If so uninstall graphics drivers, reboot system and reinstall them.

 

[Rugrat]

Take a look on ebay for a replacement drive.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_o...rd+drive&_nkw=dell+laptop+hard+drive&_sacat=0

Order the one compatible with your Dell Model. (cost around £30 so a fairly cheap option)
Look for the oblong shaped cover on the back usually held down with 2 or 4 screws depends on model.
Take out the old drive and slot in the new one. Replace cover and insert the Windows Disc.
Enter the number on the back of the machine and allow windows to install.
You will have to put all your programs back on but as you say you have all your stuff backed up so should not be a problem.
If you don't have a Windows Disc PM me.

PM sent

It does sound like the hard drive, but I have a sneaky feeling that it may also be your power supply not supplying enough power.

Speak to your later.

PM sent

Did you manage to boot into safe mode? If so uninstall graphics drivers, reboot system and reinstall them.

No ... so now I've taken it apart, and given the general consensus is the HD, I'm going with that, otherwise it's getting lobbed!!

 

[Smeagull]

I used to work with Dell computers quite a lot and Dell would replace any hard drive reporting the 2000-0142 error. So it probably is your hard drive. You can confirm this by plugging it into a desktop PC and running tests using the Seatools program which is a free download. If it is faulty then get a new disk and do what burnee54 said.

 

[Rugrat]

I used to work with Dell computers quite a lot and Dell would replace any hard drive reporting the 2000-0142 error. So it probably is your hard drive. You can confirm this by plugging it into a desktop PC and running tests using the Seatools program which is a free download. If it is faulty then get a new disk and do what burnee54 said.

That's actually obscenely reassuring

TBH haven't got a scooby how I'd plug it into my desktop so going ahead and changing the HD anyway ... thanks for the response

 

[matt]

Overheating was a commonplace issue with that model. I bought one for my daughter 2 or 3 years ago and it lasted about 3 days. Took it back and get my money back and bought a Sony Vaio, which has been fine to date.

Good luck...

 

[Rugrat]

Overheating was a commonplace issue with that model. I bought one for my daughter 2 or 3 years ago and it lasted about 3 days. Took it back and get my money back and bought a Sony Vaio, which has been fine to date.

Good luck...

Wish I had spotted when under warranty. Kind of understand why places like Currys knock these things out at discount ... unsuspecting mugs like me thinking Dell = Quality

 

[we-8-brighton]

That's actually obscenely reassuring

TBH haven't got a scooby how I'd plug it into my desktop so going ahead and changing the HD anyway ... thanks for the response

Open up your desktop, I'm assuming you have a sata slot as laptops use sata HD'S (sata runs on cable instead of ribbon with black plug like connectors at the end) hook your HD from your lappy to it and it should boot from it (you may need to change bios settings but I doubt it. It will be looking to boot from HD)
that should put you into the OS of your lappy HD if not then HD is screwed. And like said you can use seagate or easeus to recover data from it, unless you hear clicking noise coming from it then it's utterly buggered.