Dell Inspiron 3520 Hard Drive—Not Installed error

[earguy]

I have a client who dropped his Dell Inspiron 3520 laptop and now it won't boot into Windows 8. When you power it up the HDD makes a noise (like the hard drive is straining to work) for a short while and then you get a message:

"internal hard disk drive not found, to resolve this issue try to reseat the drive"

I did reseat the drive and the problem still persists. I entered ePSA and ran diagnostic and the HDD is not detected. I assume, then, that the HDD has been damaged and is irreparable. Unless someone in here has another idea, I am going to suggest installing a new HDD and install the OS. My other "dumb" question is, will the client have to purchase a new Windows 8 license to install on the new HDD?

As usual, I appreciate everyone's input and thanks.

 

[ohio_grad_06]

If hard drive is grinding most likely failed. Assuming the motherboard is OK, should not need to purchase a license. The keys are supposed to be built into the bios. If it was windows 8 you can actually install Windows 8.1 with a generic key and use a key reader to read the key from the bios, and then activate the windows 8.1 install with that key.

Do some searching but I think there are some guides on the forums that show how to do this.

 

[jkurgeek]

Yes, the hard drive needs to be replaced. Install Windows 8.1 with this generic key:

334NH-RXG76-64THK-C7CKG-D3VPT

Once installed, you can use Produkey from www.nirsoft.net to pull the BIOS key and activate Windows.

Since the system was dropped, a thorough diagnostic and visual inspection would also be a good idea to cover your butt, if you haven't already.

 

[earguy]

If hard drive is grinding most likely failed. Assuming the motherboard is OK, should not need to purchase a license. The keys are supposed to be built into the bios. If it was windows 8 you can actually install Windows 8.1 with a generic key and use a key reader to read the key from the bios, and then activate the windows 8.1 install with that key.

Do some searching but I think there are some guides on the forums that show how to do this.

Thanks.

 

[earguy]

Yes, the hard drive needs to be replaced. Install Windows 8.1 with this generic key:

334NH-RXG76-64THK-C7CKG-D3VPT

Once installed, you can use Produkey from www.nirsoft.net to pull the BIOS key and activate Windows.

Since the system was dropped, a thorough diagnostic and visual inspection would also be a good idea to cover your butt, if you haven't already.

Thanks for the info. Yes, I looked at the motherboard and there seems to be no other damage than that of the HDD.

 

[earguy]

Quick follow-up question. With a new HDD installed, I would have to install Windows 8 from a disk—correct? Or does BIOS perform factory reset?

 

[Martyn]

Quick follow-up question. With a new HDD installed, I would have to install Windows 8 from a disk—correct? Or does BIOS perform factory reset?

There is no image on the new drive. As @jkurgeek says above, reinstall from a dvd etc.

 

[earguy]

There is no image on the new drive. As @jkurgeek says above, reinstall from a dvd etc.

Thanks.

 

[earguy]

Well, after all the time and effort into resolving this issue, my client called Dell and they outbid me for the work. He is sending Dell the laptop for a new HDD, OS install and updates for about $40.00 less than what I was charging—even though I do not mark-up hardware such as hard drives. Of course, operating systems and hard ware Dell no doubt get at incredibly discounted costs than what I get at Microcenter or Newegg.com. I've decided to start charging for locating-diagnosing the problem. Then, if I get the job, subtract the diagnostic fee from the over all cost. Thanks for all your help. If nothing more, it was a great learning experience.

 

[Porthos]

"OS install and updates"
Dell wont do the updates.

Was it still under warranty? Is Dell paying for shipping?

I would have made those points to make the sale.

 

[ohio_grad_06]

You don't always want clients who are fighting you over price anyway. Clients who only shop price are usually a pain to deal with anyway.