Posts by DellOutreach

I work at Dell on a team that manages content on our support site for home users. Over the last 18 months we’ve been working hard to make sure the site features tools and content to help you solve technical issues. Now it’s time to give the site a bit of a facelift to make it even easier for customers to use, and we’d love to hear what you’d like to see on the site.
Join our Storm Session to tell us your ideas! It’s easy and is your chance to tell Dell what you want.

Thank you,
Dell Customer Advocate

Unfortunately, it sounds like the hard drive itself may have failed. If that is the case, then recovering your data could be expensive, or even impossible. Connecting the drive to another computer for testing would probably be needed to verify that. If you have another drive to test with, swapping them is another good way to verify whether or not the problem is with the drive. If the drive is bad, you would need to replace it.

The service manual for the D505 has the instructions for removing the hard drive, whether for testing or to replace it.

The drive itself is, if I am remembering correctly, a standard 2.5" EIDE drive with an adapter to connect it to the system. If you purchase a replacement drive from Dell it should come with the plastics and that adapter. If you purchase a replacement elsewhere you would have to transfer the plastics and adapter to the new drive (not difficult with a small screw driver and a few minutes of work). The biggest thing to to ensure you get a drive that fits in the hard drive bay (2.5" drives come in heights between 9mm and 13mm, and I can't find the info on how tall the bay is on this system).

LarryR
Dell Outreach Liaison

Hi Babanath

My name is Jim, I'm with the Dell community outreach team. What model Dell monitor do you have?

Update: motherboard replacement fixed all.

Hello,

This is Richard from the Dell Online Community Outreach group. The previous poster "dez21" is correct that the motherboard has to have a CMOS battery to function properly. If it appears that the old motherboard is missing one then most likely the board itself is not bad.

Regards,

Richard B
Dell Online Community Outreach

No, I get no splash screen. Nothing except the indicator lights above the keyboard.

What sequence are the indicator lights flashing in? Usually they will flash in a certain sequence to display a code. If you can provide me with the sequence they are flashing in we can find out what is causing the system to not boot.

Brad
Dell Customer Advocate

Hi Dana,

My name is John, and I work at Dell headquarters as a support analyst. Sorry for the late reply, as I just found your post. I hope this reaches you.

It sounds to me like an unfortunate coincidence, as no software uninstall will ever cause your system not to POST. It sounds like your power supply or motherboard is on the fritz. If you haven't contacted our support already to get this resolved, feel free to give me a shout:

customer_advocate@dell.com
'ATTN:John'

You didn't do anything to cause this. It just happened.

John
Dell Customer Advocate

Hey all!!!!! It worked!!! I am online right now. I am so happy I want to cry! I have not tired the wireless but at least the ethernet is working. Todd you are amazing!!! Thank you all!!

Alexa

Awesome!!

Great to hear. Let us know if the wireless connection is working correctly now or not and we'll figure that out too if it isn't.

Thank you,

Todd
Customer Advocate
Dell, Inc.

The manual can be found here, if I am not mistaken:

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/acc/P109356/en/intro.htm

Let me know if you need any other help.

John
Dell Customer Advocate

i have tried the system restore and it has yet to work right now I have connected the card is blink both a amber color and green color at the same time. I do not know what that means....When I have tried to uninstall the card and reinstall it did not work.

Hi,

There are normally two lights on the network cards. One simply shows that there is a connection being made, the other tells you how fast it's going. Here is a quick link that explains a bit about the NIC link lights. (it's for a desktop system but the theory is the same for all computers)

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dkill/nic.htm

What error message are you getting when you try to connect?

Do you know which Service Pack level you have with your Windows XP? I'm assuming you have XP Pro since you have a Latitude?

If you are getting a "Page Cannot be Displayed" generic error try the steps off the following link. Note, there are instructions for running this for both Service Pack 1 and Service Pack 2.

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/en/document?c=us&dl=false&l=en&s=gen&docid=D182ADD15C2839C3E030A68F732846D5&doclang=en&cs=

Let me know if that helps at all.

Thank you,

Todd
Customer Advocate
Dell, Inc.

Hi,

My name is Todd and I'm with Dell's online outreach program. What sort of wireless card are you using? One of the internal cards or a PC card that slides into the slot on the side of your system?

If you're having problems with both the wireless and wired network connections that would lead me to think its a software issue. Can you tell me what operating system you're using?

One thing you may also want to look into is using a restore point to reset your system back to before you were having problems. You said it began four days prior to your post so this may be an option.

To restore your system click on START, then All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and System Restore. When you open that utility it will give you the option to reset the system settings to a date on a calendar. Pick one prior to the day these problems began for you and see if that helps.

System Restore is not supposed to do anything with data, but with any changes to your operating system I would recommend you back up any personal data before trying it. The system restore itself will probably not affect the data but if the root cause is a problem with the OS then resetting it could have unforeseen results. Better safe than sorry.

Let me know if this helps. I'll stop back to see if there is anything else …

Hello,

This is Richard from Dell's Online Community Outreach group. I read your post about how you where in the process of reinstalling Windows, but you did not have the Dell installation cd.

I would strongly recommend that you obtain an actual cd from us. We are unable to supply you a cd-key for any Windows XP or Window Vista products. That is something we do not have nor does Microsoft allow. Also, using the product key located on the computer will not work, as that is a volume license that is directly connected with our original OEM installation cd. If somehow the install accepted the key it will not pass the Microsoft’s online verification and you would not be able to download updates.

Please, when you next speak with our technical support ask them to send you the same Windows installation cd that originally came with your computer. You can also PM me if you would like my assistance.

Regards,

Richard B
Dell Online Community Outreach

Hi,

My name is Todd and I'm with Dell's online outreach group. Did you check to see whether your system's BIOS is recognizing the drive? If you restart your system, hit the <F2> button when you see the Dell splash screen (before Windows would normally begin to load) and there should be an option in the BIOS regarding the drives in your system.

If your system BIOS sees the drive it will give you make and model information, in your case Western Digital. If it does not there is an option in the BIOS to reset BIOS to factory defaults. That will force the system to reconnect with all drives and should hopefully allow it to recognize the drive. At that point you should be able to format it and install your operating system.

If that does not help it's possible that either the data cable, power connection on the drive, or the SATA connection on the motherboard have failed. But resetting the BIOS is the first step and will most likely resolve the problem.

Try it and let me know if it works. I'll stop back to see if there is anything else I can do to help you.

Thank you,

Todd
Customer Advocate
Dell, Inc.

http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2006/11/19/3648.aspx

Hi,

My name is Todd and I'm with Dell's onilne outreach program. What you may need to do is reset the BIOS in that system so it will re-read drives and hopefully locate the replacement hard drive you've installed.

Depending on which version of BIOS you currently have on your system, you should be able to tap <F2> during start up to enter System Setup and follow the directions on screen to reset the BIOS to factory settings. It should then attempt to reread any drives, including optical drives, in the system.

Try it and let me know if it works. I'll stop back to see if there is anything else I can do to help.

Thank you,

Todd

Customer Advocate
Dell, Inc.

http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2006/11/19/3648.aspx

Hi,

The backlight is just sort of what it sounds like, it lights up the screen from the back. If the amount of light is dim, but you can still see the data on the screen like it's not "projecting" that would be the backlight. Not sure if I'm explaining it well or not. Imagine a 60-watt light bulb that is only producing 10-watt.

If you would like, email me the service tag of that system (found on a sticker attached to the bottom of the notebook) and I'll take a look at the components and see what I can do to help, if anything. You can reach me via email at Customer_Advocate@Dell.com. Please include my first name (Todd) in the subject line of the message and reference this thread in the body of the email so I can make sure I'm looking at the right issue.

I don't think that the driver is going to do anything, to be honest, but it's something that really can't hurt. It sounds like the LCD is physically failing and having issues when turning on.

Thank you,

Todd

Customer Advocate
Dell, Inc.

Hi,

I'm with Dell's online outreach program. I saw your post and thought I'd stop by to see if I can be of help.

When you were checking the power settings did you try to download the newest driver for that system from our support site, http://support.Dell.com ? If you pull up that site there is a link for drivers and downloads and you can use your service tag (located on a sticker attached to the bottom of the system) to filter the downloads so you only get those appropriate for your model.

It's possible that the driver has been corrupted and isn't loading correctly. That would be my first suggestion to try, if you haven't.

It's also possible that the LCD cable in the system isn't seated correctly, but I'm not sure that is the cause. You can also take a look at the user manuals on our support site to see how to replace LCDs on that system, and it will show you how to access the LCD display cable. You can check it to make sure it's fully connected.

Let me know if any of this helps, or if you have any other questions. I'll stop back later to see if I can help further.

Thank you,

Todd

Customer Advocate
Dell, Inc.

http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2006/11/19/3648.aspx

Hello,

This is Richard of Dell's Online Community Outreach. The Image Restore option (CTRL+F11) is not available for Latitude systems. To correct the current issue it would appear that a complete re-installation of Windows is needed. Unfortunately, that would require the Windows installation cd.

When you return to the US we would be able to ship you Windows.

Regards,
Richard B
Dell Online Community Outreach

Hey Richard, are you perchance in Dell Cherrywood?

My group, Online Community Outreach is located in Round Rock, Texas.

Regards,
Richard B
Dell Online Community Outreach

Hi-

My name is John, and I work at Dell headquarters as a support analyst. I thought I might try to help you out, but given your situation, what I can provide is rather limited.

When a hard drive behaves as you're describing, it is generally a bad idea to try to get the drive to spin up, as by doing so, you may be causing further damage to the platters (where the data is actually stored). Every time you try, you could be destroying more of your data, literally. I would highly recommend you take that drive to a data recovery professional, and hope for the best. The service generally isn't cheap, but if that data is irreplaceable and important, it may be worth the cost.

If you only need to recover a couple of small files, one trick might work: put the drive in the freezer overnight, and try to boot from it when it is frozen. That sometimes works, but I'd only recommend you try it if you only need to pull a file or two from the drive. If you have 10 GB of pictures on that drive, don't even bother. Take it to a professional instead.

John
Dell Customer Advocate
customer_advocate@dell.com

Hello,

This is Richard from Dell's Online Community Outreach group. It looks as though Windows itself has been compromised, or possibly the user account has become corrupted. The issue that you are experiencing, does it occur when trying to log in using the "Administrator" account? I ask this because I read that you were using your user name to login and the issue occurs in both normal and safe mode.

Please reply back after try to login as the administrator. Let’s see if that gets you into Windows.

Regards,
Richard B
Dell Online Community Outreach

Hello,

This is Richard from Dell Online Community Outreach. This link , will provide you the Dell diagnostics, which you can use to test if the hard drive needs to be replaced or not.

Regards,
Richard B
Dell Online Community Outreach

Hello,

My name is Richard; I work for Dell's Online Community Outreach group. Forgetting your computer's bios password is not unusual, so we have a way to unlock that. What we need is the serial system ID number that appears on screen when you are asked to place in the bios password.

You can either call our technical support or you can pm me the information to unlock the bios.

Regards,

Richard B
Dell Online Community Outreach

Hello,

This is Richard from Dell's Online Community Outreach group. I am curious about the 8000 no power issue. Try the following and report back the results.

Unplug the AC power adapter from the computer and the wall. You will notice that the light (LED) on the AC adapter brick will go out (it may have already been out). Now plug the AC adapter back into the wall. The AC adapter brick light should come back on. For the next step, try to keep your eye on that adapter light while attaching the power adapter into the computer. When you perform the steps, check if the adapter light blinks, flickers, dims, or goes out.

If the AC adapter LED light did blink, flicker, dim, or go out and the computer itself has no lights at all coming on, then motherboard most likely needs to be replaced.

Regards,
Richard B
Dell Online Community Outreach

I have a Dell Latitude CPx J series that I have been using until yesterday when it finally decided to give up.

Though I bought a new laptop today, I would like to get my Dell to run long enough to put my pictures onto my flash drive and transfer them over.

The problem is, I push the power button and it sometimes powers up properly but during one of the loading pages, it freezes up. Other times I just push the power button, it sounds like it is going to start but doesn't show anything on the screen... and might shut itself off. Yet other times, I push the power button and the light comes on to show it is starting... but there are no sounds to the motor running and nothing comes up. Soon after it shuts itself off.

I doubt that this is a virus, simply because I would often scan my computer and I have a realialbe Anit-virus program on it (McAfee).
I just think it has something to do with the thing that makes it start.

Help? Advise?

Hello,
This is Richard from Dell's Online Community Outreach group. What we would want to do is first determine if the computer's issue is hardware or software. If has been advised to check the bios startup. This would tell us the status of the hardware. This is a great place to start.

First, make sure the system is completely off. Proceed to power up …

Hi,

My name is Todd and I'm with Dell's online outreach team. You can download the Intel Chipset drivers (and all drivers for that matter) from our support site, .

Did you check the manufacturer of that game to confirm that it will work with an integrated video system? In many cases they may have a patch that you can download to get the game to work correctly. It's possible that the preview version of the game didn't require the same capabilities from the video system that the full game does.

When you download the drivers from our support site you can use the service tag of your system (located on a sticker attached to the computer) to filter the downloads so you only get those related to your model. Try it and see if updating the driver can help.

I'll stop back to see if this helps, or if there is anything else I can do for you.

Thank you,

Todd

Customer Advocate
Dell, Inc.

This is John from Dell headquarters.

Many problems like this are caused by an incompatible or corrupted program. In order to figure it out, I recommend following the steps in the following Microsoft KB article:

How to perform advanced clean-boot troubleshooting in Windows XP

As Serunson said, changing the case wouldn't normally cause the problem you're seeing. Perhaps a corrupted update?

Anyways, give that a shot, and let us know if it does the trick!

John
Dell Customer Advocate

Hello,

This is Richard from Dell's Online Community Outreach group. I regret that I am coming in the tail end of this thread. It appears everything is working properly now.

The reason why I am posting is to provide the latest bios version. The current bios version is A03, you can download it here, http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&releaseid=R129666&SystemID=DIMENSION%205100&servicetag=&os=WW1&osl=en&deviceid=308&devlib=0&typecnt=0&vercnt=3&catid=-1&impid=-1&formatcnt=1&libid=1&fileid=172847.

Good luck!

Regards,
Richard B
Dell Online Community Outreach

Hi,

My name is Todd and I'm part of Dell's online outreach program. The Dimension E310 came with integrated video and does not have a dedicated graphics card. If your system requires a specific card, or minimum card requirements, it may not run that game. I would recommend contacting the support group for that game to see if it can run with an integrated video system. They may have a patch or update that will allow it to run.

That system also came with two PCI card connection slots on the system board. You can purchase PCI based video cards to install and use, possibly, depending on the game requirements.

Here is a link to the online user's guide for that model that shows you what the system has for hardware specifications.

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim3100/en/sm/index.htm

Let me know if that helps you, or if you have any other questions. I'll stop back to see if I can be of further help.

Thank you,

Todd

Customer Advocate
Dell, Inc.

Updating post.

I have a Dell Dimension e510. For the last few weeks, it's been randomly restarting, usually if it's been idle for a while. This morning I turned it on, and it restarted itself after a few minutes. It did this a few times, until the length of time it was actually up and running dwindled down to me pushing the button to turn it on, it lighting up for a few seconds, and then dying again.

Everything else seems to work just fine, I've hooked everything up to my old hard drive.

Hello,

My name is Richard; I am part of Dell’s Online Community Outreach group. How long has this issue been occurring with your computer? Is there anything that was installed software or hardware, on the computer before this problem began?

Try the Windows System restore; select a date before the problem began.

Finally, what does "I've hooked everything up to my old hard drive", mean? How did you hook it up to this computer?

Regards,
Richard B
Dell Online Community Outreach

Hello,

My name is Richard; I am part of the Dell’s Online Community Outreach group here in Round Rock, Texas. Has the printer issue been resolved? If not, please reply back and add any other import information that may help create a solution for you.

Regards,

Richard B
Dell Online Community Outreach

What model system do you have?

Paul,

Did you install the driver for this PCMCIA card, when the card was in or out of the slot? I would suggest uninstalling the driver in the add/remove programs, and then try to reinstall it without the card in the slot.

From what you described, the card should work but it seems like Windows is not attaching the driver to the PCMCIA card. You may want to check the manufacture website of the network card, in case they have some kind of special installation steps.
Reply back with your results.

Regards,

Richard B
Dell Online Community Outreach

Hello Paul,

It appear that this issue has not been resolved for you as of yet. Let’s start with the chipset driver. There is none as the driver is naively intergraded (supported) inside Windows XP. So, you have that part taken care of already.

The PCMCIA adapter; what kind is it and do you know for sure that it is functional? The reason why I ask is that this system has the ability to hold an internal Mini-PCI card, which runs about $25 to $55 dollars. It is far better option to have that then a card sticking out the side of the computer. On the bottom of the system there is a removable cover that contains the Mini-PCI housing. This link shows what I am referring to, http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/latc400/en/sm/wirelesa.jpg.

Another thing to keep in mind, the PCMCIA side slot can not be disabled in the bios. However, an internal Mini-PCI card can be disabled in the bios. You can view this by going to page 4, in the bios.

I hope this helps you.

Regards,
Richard B
Dell Online Community Outreach

Hello,

My name is Richard; I work for Dell's Online Community Outreach here in Round Rock, Texas. I wanted to post to your thread with some information that may assist you. If you go to this link http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/driverslist.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&ServiceTag=&SystemID=LAT_PNT_P3_C400&os=WW1&osl=en&catid=&impid=, you will be able to locate all the drivers related to you C400.

One other thing to keep in mind, it is sometimes best installing the drivers first then install the PCMCIA card into the slot. It is possible that the system can't even see the card and thus why Windows can't detect it properly. To check this go to the device manager, look to the bottom "other devices" category. Look for PCI device, while the card is in the system. Then do this again when the card is outside the system. This will help you determine if the PCMCIA slot is working even if the drivers are not installed.

Please let me know if you have any other questions. I can be reached at customer_advocate@dell.com, place attention Richard in the subject line.

Regards,
Richard B
Dell Online Community Outreach

I’m with Dell's Online community outreach team offering support via forums and blogs. It sounds like you've narrowed it down to a thermal issue but if you still want to rule out other components you can always run diagnostics. As far as the fan goes, if it is still spinning then it isn’t likely that it needs to be replaced. I would try blasting it with canned air like someone else suggested and if there's still a problem then I would go inside it to give it a better cleaning. If you have any questions or would like my help feel free to contact me.

Neil
Dell, Inc.
neil@dell.com

No problem. I would get the keyboard out of the way and reseat the LCD's ribbon cable. It's possible that the LCD is ok and the cable just somehow worked itself loose.

Worthinddave:

I’m at Dell Headquarters in Austin, Texas and I wanted to add to the thread. The previous post is correct that if the video is out and it's integrated then you’re in need of a motherboard replacement but just on the off-chance that it's the LCD or only the LCD cable I would try it with an external monitor.

Neil
Dell, Inc.
neil@dell.com

First, if you haven't already found it you can get the service manual for the system on the Dell support website (http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/pblan/).

Normally, from what you describe, the first thing I would recommend for an Inspiron 5000 would be to check and make sure none of the screws on the bottom are missing or lose. They don't need to be tight, just snug. I have seen one or two screws half to a quarter turn lose causing very strange behavior with the older Dell notebooks. Since you have already taken it apart and put it back together, however, I don't think this will fix it.

The next step would be to remove all of the customer removable parts (media bay device, batter, hard drive, memory, miniPCI modem/network card, PCMCIA cards (if present) and any external devices connected) and see what happens when you try to power it on. With the memory out the lock LEDs (num-/caps-/scroll-lock) should show an error: flashing 5-1-2, 1-0-1 (on-off-on), 0-1-0 or solid 0-1-1. If you get a different error (combination of lock lights) let me know what they are and I will look it up for you.

Assuming you get the error above, the next step is to start putting peices back into the computer one at a time and powering up to see what happens. Once the memory is in the system should complete the Power On Self Test (POST) and say, "No bootable device found" (no hard drive …

From the sounds of it I would have said the inverter board was the problem. Since you replaced that with no change then it has to be the LCD panel itself (since the picture if fine using an external display).

If you had any other questions about the system, or if you wanted me to check the warranty status of the computer, please let me know. I can be reached by email (customer_advocate@dell.com with 'ATTN: Larry' in the subject) or by PM.

Larry
Dell Customer Advocate

I’m at Dell Headquarters in Austin, Texas and I just came across this thread and thought I would comment. The easiest way to find out if the problem is the LCD or the video card/integrated vid/cable is to see if it works with an external monitor. If so you can also open it up and make sure that the LCD cable isn't just loose and needing to be stuck back in place. If it does turn out that a major component is in need of replacement and the system is out-of-warranty then I would definitely consider buying a new laptop if it's only a few hundred dollars more.

Neil
Dell, Inc.

Hello,

My name is Mike, I’m a Dell Technical Analyst located at Dell corporate headquarters in Round Rock, TX. I'm part of an internet outreach team developed to interact with the online community regarding technical questions and issues that customers face with Dell products. In reading your post and the steps you’ve taken to resolve it there are a couple of steps to consider. First, I’m sure the adapter that your mother-in-law gave you was a Dell adapter, looking up the specs for the system online at www.support.dell.com and clicking on the “User Manuals” link you can check to make sure that it is the proper wattage for that system. You may also want to check the power rating on the other adapters you used. If the system uses more power then the bricks you are using it may explain why the LED goes out when they are plugged in. Second, with what you’ve described it may also be experiencing a grounding issue caused either by a damaged or loose charging board as mentioned by JANINE, or it may be as simple as a screw missing off of the chassis. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email me at customer_advocate@dell.com with my name in the subject line: ATTN: Mike B., and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

Thanks,

Mike.
Dell customer advocate

Hello,

My name is Mike, I’m a Dell Technical Analyst located at Dell corporate headquarters in Round Rock, TX. I'm part of an internet outreach team developed to interact with the online community regarding technical questions and issues that customers face with Dell products. I've read your post and wanted to respond with a couple of suggestions. First, the method that was previously mentioned with the online Advisor and the real time System Scanner will give you a good indication of what type of memory you can put in the system. Second, with the comment that your friend replaced the memory and it was still only reading one stick of RAM, you may be dealing with a dead memory module. You can test it by putting a known good stick of RAM in only that slot and trying to boot. If it errors out with no memory detected then you're looking at a bad slot which means the motherboard must be replaced. If you have any questions or comments or just need a little more help please email me at customer_advocate@dell.com with my name in the subject line, ATTN: Mike B. and I'll get back to you ASAP.

Thanks,
Mike.

hi dcc,
well i was told by Dell support that i could only replace by a hdd max 60GB + 5400 rpm.
Since i was looking to replace with a higher capacity and speedy hdd.. i posted this message.

any suggestion are welcome

Checking the parts list there are 4200 and 5400 RPM drives for the Inspiron 500m from Dell. I believe the 7200 RPM drive option was not avail from Dell because of the additional power required for the faster spinning drive. The 500m is aimed at people that want portability over power. With a slower spindle speed the hard drive would consume less power, thus reducing the needed battery requirements.

If you purchased a 9.5mm 7200 RPM IDE notebook drive it would, in theory, work in the Inspiron 500m (as far as I know nothing in the BIOS would prevent it from working) but it would reduce the amount of time the battery would last.

There is also a chance that the additial heat from the faster drive might cause system problems as the chassis was not designed for that level of heat disipation. I do not know for sure if it would be a problem, however, it is not something I personally would want to risk.

The parts list shows the largest drive we shipped for the 500m was a 60Gb drive. Some motherboards are not able to read more than 128Gb of hard drive space due to how the BIOS is …

Liz-

My name is John, and I am a customer advocate at Dell headquarters. After reading the responses to your post, I would have to agree that they're leading you down the correct path. Were you successful in getting this problem taken care of? If not, I'd be glad to help.

You can contact me here:

customer_advocate@dell.com
attn: John

I'll be happy to help you in any way I can.

2 year old dell 1150 shut down on it's own and now there is no power lights and no response from the power button - problem has been diagnosed as a motherboard by online support - dell wants $4450 to ship and fix. I am doubtful that that is the problem and feel its more likely someting with the power supply.
AC power cord is good - tested with another unit.

Any suggestion to identify the issue/problem?

Thanks

My name is John, and I am a customer advocate at Dell headquarters. I would like to speak to you about the problem your system is having, as I think that we may be able to resolve it another way.

If you are interested, please contact me at customer_advocate@dell.com, and place my name in the subject line so I know to grab the email. I think we may be able to have your system fixed at no cost to you.

Thank you,

John
Dell Customer Advocate

I have a older Dell Latitude that won't recognize the hard drive. When I run diagnostics, I get the following:
Start DST Short Test
Test Results: Fail
Error Code: 1000-0141
Message: No Drive Detected

My name is John, and I am a customer advocate at Dell headquarters. The error quoted above indicates that either your hard drive needs to be replaced or your motherboard does. I would be happy to help you determine which is the problem. The results of the chkdsk you ran would strongly suggest the drive and not the motherboard.

Please contact me at customer_advocate@dell.com and include your service tag. I would be happy to look into our support options and assist you in any way that I can.

John
Dell Customer Advocate