No Hard Drive detected

[robrpb]

It must be laptop day. I have another friend with an HP Pavilion N5475 laptop. When it is first turned on it makes a clicking sound and then displays "no operating system." I went into the BIOS and for hard drive it said "None." I am guessing that the hard drive crashed and I am looking for confirmation or help in case it is a different problem.

If he decides to get another laptop, what brands do you recommend? Thanks.

Rob

[Panama Red]

If it's clicking, the hard drive is probably kaput! You can buy replacement hard drives from online etailers like Newegg and use the Restore disk that came with the laptop to return it to the way it was when it was new. Unfortunately, the files are that drive are most likely gone unless your friend wants to spend upwards of $1000 to have them recovered.

If you opt for a new lappy instead, take a look at Dell or Toshiba. Both are decent for price and quality.

[LaptopExtreme]

Has the laptop been dropped? The HD or RAM stick may have been dislodged. That can cause constant beeping and errors. Also what PanamaRed said is a possibility too.

[robrpb]

My friend said the laptop has not been dropped. If is was dropped what would you be looking for? I have some additional information. It has Windows XP Home on it. If the laptop sits for a little while sometimes it will boot up with the hard drive and computer appearing to work properly. After it runs for a short time it then stops working with the screen going black displaying the message "no operating system." My friend said he got it to work 2 or three times by letting it sit with the power off. About 2 years ago he sent it back to HP and they replaced the motherboard. Could this be a motherboard problem again or would it still be the hard drive or something else? Thanks.

Rob

[Panama Red]

The clicking sound may be the key indicator. Hard drives sometimes click just prior to or when failing. Motherboards don't make a sound!

[robrpb]

When the computer displayed the message no operating system I went into the BIOS and for hard drive it said "None." Is this normal for a bad hard drive? Also, can a hard drive work at times like this before it completely dies?

[LaptopExtreme]

Originally Posted by robrpb ...If the laptop sits for a little while sometimes it will boot up with the hard drive and computer appearing to work properly. After it runs for a short time it then stops working with the screen going black displaying the message "no operating system." My friend said he got it to work 2 or three times by letting it sit with the power off...

Yup, it must be the HD failing.

[robrpb]

Since the computer needs a hard drive, what brand do you recommend for an HP laptop? What do you think of Samsung?

[LaptopExtreme]

Any will do. Samsung isn't bad, didn't know they make notebook HD's. Seagate, Western Digital, and Hitachi has been in the game for a while now too.

[robrpb]

Thanks for your help.