Hello,

I recently purchased a Dell Inspiron 6400 laptop (working with Windows Vista Home Premium). On Saturday, it started acting weird, as if it had caught a virus or something. I turned the laptop off and on, and all of a sudden, the computer refused to boot. A message appeared saying that there was no bootable device. I ran the diagnostic test by pressing f5, and it said that the hard drive was not detected. The rest of the devices were detected.

I went to two computer stores, and the people there did not even try to have a look at the hard drive. They said that the data was lost for good. One of them suggested that I go to a data retrieval specialist, but that it would cost me 1500 dollars.

The computer being so new, I had not done any back up of my stuff. I lost very important documents, and I would like to know if there is a way I can recover at least part of the data I had.

Does someone have an idea?

Thanks a lot in advance for your replies.

Quiz: Does the notebook come with Dell warranty? If so give Dell a call to ask if it's OK to pull out the hd from the laptop and mount it in a desktop PC as slave in order to try to recover data.

On Saturday, it started acting weird

You need to expand on it - did you see any BSOD (Blue screen of death) with white letter messages that gives tellable signs about what's wrong?

i_XpUser

In addition to the F5 rigamarole, check the HDD's status in the BIOS & if it is states that it is undetected - try reseating the HDD.

Eitherway, the data contained therein should be intact insofar as the drive is still intact.

Since this is apparently a relatively new Dell, I question why you are taking it to "computer stores" or posting in a forum, rather than contacting Dell? Did you buy it used?

Dell neither cares about your data nor how valuable it is. I
can understand whole heartedly why this individual went
to a computer store for advice.

The number one thing this person needs to do is take the
HDD out and mount it via a usb connector or a serial
connector to a working PC with a windows 2000/XP
install.

If the drive can be viewed from within the OS then you
have a very good chance of salvaging your data.

Best of luck with it.

BTW if you have no idea on how to do what has been
mentioned take the notebook to a PC repair guy and ask
him to try. It shouldn't cost to much is suspect.

Then when he is done with it you can call dell and have
the lappy fixed.

Remember Dell does not care about your data! But they
will fix the laptop.

Any Society That Would Give Up Essential Liberty For Temporary Security Will Lose Both & Deserve Neither.