You can get a new HD and just setup a single partition.
If you really want to setup the new HD as Dell did, you can probably download a bootable CD image from their website.
Don't forget to have a BFH handy.
Before doing anything drastic, as the machine boots, at the Dell screen, hit F8 repeatedly. Hopefully you will get a menu, choose "Safe Mode" and let us know if it starts up....
Bump because I might need this advice soon too.
Curious... have seen quite a few computer related posts recently here at FR-
When did this become the national computer helpdesk??
Sorry to be harsh but this is a news/political forum.. correct??
I ran SpinRite on a couple of my Dell computers, and discovered that there was a small partition on each of their hard drives that that is dedicated to Dell, possibly for purposes of remote access if you choose to give their techs access. At least that's about the only use I can imagine it has.
I don't know if it would work, but you might try having a look at GibsonResearch's SpinRite. It looks at the hard drive at a deep level and can detect and isolate problems before they lead to disk death. I don't know if you can recover a disk with it in the state you describe it, but I have found it to be a pretty good program, and like most of Gibson's programs it seems to be elegantly written.
On the left side of your laptop, where you would place a PCMCIA card is a caddy for your hard drive. It is attached by two screws. You unscrew them and pull it out. Fairly simple, hardware wise. Then you boot from CD onto the hard drive and reformat and reinstall Windows.
Why can't you do that with the existing hard drive?
The problem, in this case, was a fellow said the HD appeared to be just a bit too large for the case.
The computer expert advised him that he should coat it with some of that Y2K jelly and then he should be able to just slide it right in!
Hope this helps ;-)
My question is about the warranty, though - a refurb should have come with a 1 year warranty standard. The only thing you might have had to buy would be an extended warranty beyond the 1 year. If you're less than one year from purchase, you can still get service under warranty. If you're not sure, go to the Dell website and plug in your service tag - it'll tell you if you're still covered or not.
First, completely power off the computer, then then power it back on. As soon as you see the "Dell" logo simultaneously press the Ctrl + F11 keys ONE TIME ONLY. If it's a very fast machine your window to do this can pass quickly, so press them as soon as you press the power button.
This should boot the computer to the System Restore screen. Just follow the prompts to reinstall a clean install of Windows and the bundled programs which originally came with the computer.
If the drive is bad, you'll have to replace the hards drive and reinstall from a Windows disk.
Had a similar problem w/a toshiba. Check to make sure the RAM module is firmly seated.
replaced the HD on my Inspiron 8000 about a year ago after it went bad. Not so bad in setting it up and setting up the partitions. Worse getting the bad drive working well enough to back up the critical data I needed.
Took a few calls to Dell's Indian tech support to talk me through it, but in the end it was not so bad.
I wouldn't be 100% sure it's the disk yet. Consider getting an after-purchase service agreement. In case it's memory or something different, it would be good not to have to play 20 questions with the hardware, looking for the real problem.
Dell does the same thing as Compaq; partitions for setup, diagnostics, etc. along with restore cds that will pretty much restore to factory condition. You can stick a new drive in there and install whatever you want, make it a whole ntfs if you wish, but the restore cd may not allow that option, so you would need regular installation cds.
As for the physical installation of the hard drive, laptops can be a PITA. My Dell's hard drive was completely internal, so I had to disassemble it to the point of opening the case halves to get it replaced. Some can be removed externally almost as easy as cd drives, etc. If you need to open the thing, the best bet is to go on to Dell's site and find the support pages for your model/service tag. They should have manuals online, including a service manual which should have replacement instructions so you don't have to tear the whole thing apart unnecessarily.
Good luck!
You didn't make that bad of a choice. However, I know you are bothered by this now.
If you just bought your computer, you should be able to return it for repair or replacement.
As for the partitions, you don't need them. Fortunately, you still have a good option. Load up your Windows XP CD and choose the Repair option. I would first go to the command prompt and do a CHKDSK c:/f/v/x on your drive. Let it run through and do a reboot when done. If that didn't work, reboot with the CD and do another Repair, but this time let it reinstall the core files without formatting the hard drive. Pay close attention to the prompts Windows gives you through that Repair option and you should be fine.
Do you have any USB devices plugged in?
I have a Gateway notebook that does what yours does unless I unplug the USB plug going to a USB hub (4 items connected). Once it get to the welcome to windows I can plug it back in and it boots normally.
I've sent it back to Gateway and it worked fine for about a week and then went back to the "bug". I have a feeling it may be battery related. My workaround works so I decided not to send it back again.