Buy a new CPU, and slave in the old drive to see if you can save your data. I do this each time I buy a new computer, it's a snap.Ping.
After 4 years buy new.
Just install your most recent backup hard drive and go about your business. You do have backups, don't you?
If your computer died, how did you post this? Troll. KIDDING!
I would just go out a get a new one. After three or four years it just is not worth it to fix.
As for replacing the drive. Pretty much all you have to do is put it in the computer, replacing the old one, and power on. You WILL have to reinstall Windows though.
"It's a 3-4 year old Gateway given to me by my son when he bought a Dell notebook."
Ditch it, there are some really nice one's out there dirt cheap these days and you could spend half of what one of those costs and a bunch of time just to get the outdated one you have up and running again.
Unless of course you're the kind that likes to tinker with things just for the fun of it. If that's the case have fun.
Buy new HDD. Set jumper to "Master". Install new HDD at far end of ribbon cable.
You could aslo set the old HDD as "slave" with the new one as master and possibly copy files from old to new if the old HDD isn't too far gone.
If you can afford to, buy new. That four year old Gateway will make a fine doorstop. Check the Thanksgiving ads. There's bound to be some near giveaways as doorbusters.
Mine died earlier this year. It made a clicking noise and then refused to come on. My 23 year old son installed a new one for me, but I lost all my photos that were on that drive. I don't care about anything else that was on it. I kept it hoping that some day I can retrieve the photos. It is nice having a computer wizard for a son!!!!!
If you've got the restoration CD that Gateway sends with each box, just buy a new hard drive. Buy two & use one as a backup.
If you DON'T have the CD, you'll spend several hours configuring a replacement hard drive, then using the computer you're on now to track down drivers for all the boards, then you'll have to download them onto floppy & carry them over to the dead box. Not worth it, unless you're long on time & short on cash.
Personally, I would buy new, but it is simple to replace the drive. I would suggest leaving the old drive in and making it slave and the new drive the master.
Most new drives come with a floppy that allows you to install the drive, partition it (if you wish), format it and transfer the contents of another drive to the new drive, so you might be able to retain your old programs.
But with a new computer you will have the latest OS, a larger hd and probably dvd burner along with a much faster computer. And you can still install the old hd and try to transfer files from it to the new drive.
Buy a new CPU, and slave in the old drive to see if you can save your data. I do this each time I buy a new computer, it's a snap.If you can afford it, it's always better to buy new. As long as you have saved your files and settings you are fine. And if you haven't, there's no way to recover them from a dead drive anyway.
Buy a new CPU, and slave in the old drive to see if you can save your data. I do this each time I buy a new computer, it's a snap.Then I'd buy a new drive and rebuild the system. But then I'm cheap. If you opt for a new drive - you'd have to have the OS and all of the apps. If you have irreplacable data on the old drive you can recover it (if the freezer didn't work) - but it will cost you. Seek professional help.
If money is no object then buy yourself a new box. Clean out the adware and spyware, tighten the default security (firewall and virus protection), and proceed.
There may be a local computer users group where you could get some advice. You're in Texas? What city?