Please look at this post for a background on my situation: http://computing.net/hardware/wwwbo... So, I've heard it is pretty much NAILED down to being the hard drive, and I am ready to go out and get a replacement tomorrow, but I was wondering what would cause the keyboard to only HALF function? I want to be ABSOLUTELY SURE it's the hard drive so I don't get stuck with restocking fees and lost labor time only to have to eat the cost. That is always the issue with repairs. I have trouble pinpointing hardware issues. I have a good inkling as to what the things may be, but I am always wary of purchasing a replacement for my best guess and it happening to NOT be that and then I'm stuck with a cost that I cannot afford. Any advice? A poor college student sure could use some. Thanks in advance.

I know it's WAY after the fact, but I disagree with the formatting of the HDD in the 1st place. Obviously if you're hearing some sort of grinding noise, you have a hardware problem, not a software problem. Why you would think formatting the drive & reinstalling Windows would cure that is beyond me. There are only a few moving parts on any PC or notebook (basically fans & drives) so it should have been relatively easy to pinpoint the source of the noise. I'm not very familiar with notebooks so I don't have an answer about the keyboard. As for the HDD, if you know the brand name of the drive, go to the manufacturers website & download the diagnostics program, download it, burn it to a disc, then boot off it & run the program.

Is the machine still under warranty? Have you entered the Service Tag on Dell's support site to see if this issue is documented? Life's more painless for the brainless.

I would get a good hard drive diagnostic software and try it. It may or may not report the exact issue. If not that then a diagnostic software will help find the issue. Be sure to start with bios settings set to failsafe or default maybe. I read it wrong and answer it wrong too. So get off my case you goober.

The Dell Diagnostics are on the CD that came with the computer. Life is more painless for those who are brainless.