# Hard drive failure?
**URL:** https://forums.speedlife.net/t/hard-drive-failure/36017
**Category:** NYSpeed Off Topic
**Created:** [September 26, 2007, 6:53pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/hard-drive-failure/36017 "2007-09-26T18:53:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@intense98rt](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/intense98rt)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2007, 6:53pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/hard-drive-failure/36017/1 "2007-09-26T18:53:21Z")
There is a problem with my dads computer. He has a dell dimension 4600. Yesterday he loaded up pictures from his camera then left the computer alone. I came to the computer and its on a black screen that says
Primary hard disk drive 0 failure
strike the F1 key to continue, F2 to run the setup utility
F1 just shows the same message again.
F2 will go into setup. Under drive configureation it shows the hard drive there. under boot up menu it says hard drive(not installed)
Any clues on how to get this fixed?
---
### Author:  [@intense98rt](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/intense98rt)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2007, 8:30pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/hard-drive-failure/36017/2 "2007-09-26T20:30:29Z")
Dell is going to replace the hard drive. Now I just have to recover any data I can.
---
### Author:  [@Dr.Stevil](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Dr.Stevil)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2007, 5:54am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/hard-drive-failure/36017/3 "2007-09-27T05:54:35Z")
does it make any noises on initial boot?
---
### Author:  [@JustinH](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JustinH)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2007, 1:58pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/hard-drive-failure/36017/4 "2007-09-27T13:58:56Z")
buy a copy of spinrite if you want that data back.
Before you do that get a bootable ultimate boot cd, and boot the hard drive scan tools.
I used to scan broken hard drives for a living 8 hours a day for almost six months, and used that tool exclusively.
---
### Author:  [@sureshot007](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/sureshot007)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2007, 4:21pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/hard-drive-failure/36017/5 "2007-09-27T16:21:45Z")
[quote=“intense98rt”"]
There is a problem with my dads computer. He has a dell dimension 4600
[/quote]
I think you found the problem all on your own there…
---
### Author:  [@JayS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JayS)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2007, 5:17pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/hard-drive-failure/36017/6 "2007-09-27T17:17:58Z")
When you get the new hard drive and get an OS installed on it hook your old drive up as a slave and see if you can at least read some of it.
If not, hope you had a backup.
If not [http://www.drivesavers.com/](http://www.drivesavers.com/)
We send out credit union clients who are too stupid to make proper backups there when all else fails. I’ve seen them pull data from drives that were 100% dead. Mega $$$ money though.
---
### Author:  [@intense98rt](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/intense98rt)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2007, 5:30pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/hard-drive-failure/36017/7 "2007-09-27T17:30:06Z")
[quote=“sureshot007,post:5,topic:36017"”]
I think you found the problem all on your own there…
[/quote]
haha… I was waiting for someone to bash the dell. Its also a maxtor hd.
My dad is going to talk to his IT guy at his work tomorrow to see if he can do anything. He said he mostly wants to get his pictures from it, if he can get more great. I told him to start backing up his stuff.
---
### Author:  [@Locutus](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Locutus)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2007, 5:44pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/hard-drive-failure/36017/8 "2007-09-27T17:44:30Z")
pm sent. send it to me if you want your data back.
---
### Author:  [@intense98rt](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/intense98rt)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2007, 6:11pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/hard-drive-failure/36017/9 "2007-09-29T18:11:47Z")
The guy at my dad’s work tried to get the data off. He said he couldn’t because the motor was completely dead.
How hard is it to swap motors?
---
### Author:  [@sureshot007](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/sureshot007)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2007, 6:37pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/hard-drive-failure/36017/10 "2007-09-29T18:37:19Z")
um…no.
It’s gone. Just let it go.
---
### Author:  [@MaXiMuS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/MaXiMuS)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2007, 5:47pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/hard-drive-failure/36017/11 "2007-10-01T17:47:03Z")
cant swap motors as far as i know, as soon as you open the drive you break the seal and its no longer useable, plus the fact of getting one open is really hard without the proper tools.
---
### Author:  [@FightinMike](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/FightinMike)
#### Post date: [October 2, 2007, 7:27am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/hard-drive-failure/36017/12 "2007-10-02T07:27:42Z")
^^ getting them open is pretty easy (getting the platters out is a bitch, but the magnets are fun)
+1 for sending it to locutus.
Or you could always try putting it in the freezer for and hour or so
---
### Author:  [@dmoffitt](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/dmoffitt)
#### Post date: [October 2, 2007, 9:03am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/hard-drive-failure/36017/13 "2007-10-02T09:03:46Z")
it’s doable… but either risky as to if it’ll ever work again or costly to have it done.
if it’s just personal / family shit, write it off and tell your dad to backup his shit. if it’s crucial, he just learned an expensive lesson (and tell your dad to backup his shit).
---
### Author:  [@intense98rt](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/intense98rt)
#### Post date: [October 2, 2007, 9:55am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/hard-drive-failure/36017/14 "2007-10-02T09:55:31Z")
I guess it’s not that big of a deal.
Dell wants the bad hard drive in exchange for the new one they sent. My dad is kind of worried about the info that is on the hard drive. Such as turbotax stuff. I told him not to worry about it.