System ain't seeing your hard drive. Since it is a removable module (on the left side of your system, usually held in by one, or two screws at the bottom of your machine), why not remove it, reinsert it, and see what happens?

Tried it, didn't work

That was quick. The next thing I'd try would be to remove the CD/DVD module, but keep the hard drive module installed, and start the machine - just to make sure that the hard drive error ain't coming from somewhere else (the CD/DVD being that somewhere else). I doubt it, but since its SOP, I'll try it anyway.

Could be just a simple case of hard drive failure. Got any backups?:o

lol definitely not, but do you think it sounds like I need a new hdd?

Reckon so ... I'd always stick it into another laptop just to make sure - 'cause when a hard drive goes down there's either a lot of gigabytes to recover, or a lotta gigabytes of software and crap to reload - or if you have one of 'em 2.5" to 3.5" ide kits, you can hook it up to your desktop. Too important to not do...

well... what do I do if it isn't the hdd lol

Think it is just a loose connection just pull the cables out and put it on again if that doesnt work do check whether any bios configuration has changed.
if all these dont work Im sorry check ur hdd

LOL.. Dunno. The hard disk controller functions inside these systems are ... minimal - if anything's gonna fail, it oughta be coming from the circuitry on the hard drive itself. There's no HDD cabling inside this machine, and the main board's HDD connectors are overengineered to the hilt. The reason why I'd want to pull the hard drive to test in another system is... get this: I have actually seen more than one instant of a bad hard drive caddy, where the cabling/connector from the caddy's end had gone bad - they won't ever come loose, but they can go bad.

Do you still have a service contract on that system?

If so-- call Dell-- don't screw with it anymore. Tell them what's happening, and if it is a bad hard drive, they can send you a replacement hard drive, if you're still under contract.