Re-installing Windows 7

Hi. This is my first time posting here, so if I'm missing any specs, please let me know

I have a Dell E510 with an 80 gig main HD (where Windows 7 is installed) and a backup HD for storage, with 3 gigs of RAM

The other night, Adobe was trying to install an update, and my computer froze. After awhile with no response, the only solution seemed to be a force restart. When I tried booting up again, it detected no OS and brought me to the black screen of death (as some people call this one). After googling the problem, some people said that when something like this happens, just pop in the Windows 7 disk and system restore to a previous time.

I tried this, and it was unable to detect any previous settings, and couldn't find anything to restore to.
After awhile of trying and googling, I figured I might as well re-install Windows 7 (I have everything backed up on an external hard drive, so all my files were safe)
When I tried to do this, Windows was unable to install on the main drive, and was unable to format it to do so. Eventually Windows stopped detecting my main drive and would only detect my other interrnal drive, which itself has big files I keep there. Googling that problem, I've tried rearranging the plugs, seeing if its a faulty cord, but it's not the cord. BIOS stopped detecting it, and I'm told the SATA drive 0 is not found when trying to boot up (not exact words, but the gist of it)


Can anyone help with this? All my files from my main hard drive are completely backed up, so reinstalling Windows isn't a big deal for me.

Could it be that my old hard drive is just fried, and I would have to replace it to re-install Windows on?

Like I said, this is my first post, so if I'm missing any more specs, please let me know

Thanks for the kind welcome :)

Yes, I've opened the computer and made sure that each cable was secure, as well as adjusting with the RAM slots, as that has helped me in problems before.
With the hard drives, I even switched the cables that connected the hard drives to the mother board, to see if it was some problem of that cable, but even doing that, the only hard drive detected was the backup harddrive

As for BIOS, I can get in, but it now won't detect SATA 0. It detects SATA 2 (the 500 gig extra-internal drive) however, just not the drive I want Windows installed on.


When I turn my computer on, the farthest it gets is past the Dell screen, then just telling me that there is no OS detected, but on the Dell screen I'm still able to hit F2/12, so I can get to both BIOS as well as the setup were I can select to boot from a CD first.

I'm pretty sure I have (or rather, had, when SATA 0 was detected) my BIOS setup properly, with the original drive with Windows 7 being the first in the boot up list.



But just as a last resort, if I buy a new internal hard drive and replace the original with this new, is there any reason why Windows 7 won't install on the new hard drive and run again? I'm still determined to keep trying to repair the hard drive I have now, this is just in case all else fails.
I'm buying a Sony Vaio and giving my desk top to my sister very shortly, and of course this would happen to it now So I want to be able to give her a machine that works. I've had my Dell for four years and this is just the first time I've gotten any error about an operation system failure, so it's just very frustrating.

I appreciate your response to this :)

As your BIOS can find your Backup HD, for a test only.
Plug Backup HD to Sata 0 & see if BIOS can find.
If it can, replace your Windows HD.

thanks for that idea

I plugged the backup hd fully into where the windows hd was. BIOS doesn't say anything about any hard drive "(not present)"

But if I don't launch BIOS, and the computer continues to try and boot, it now tells me that "Drive 1 not found: Serial ATA, SATA-2"

BIOS fully detects the backup drive though. It gives me the full readout on the hd's specs.

If BIOS can detect the backup, but not the original, as you said it might, do I just have to replace the original hd? I was looking at best buy and relieved to see that internals don't cost much at all :)

Thanks for your responses

Yes, your BIOS gave you the information your drive is sound but the one with the problem is not, there is an off chance you may be able to salvage it if you use the sound drive to load the OS and place the other in the external enclosure once operational, no guarantee but worth the effort.

How exactly do I install the OS via the sound board?

book1245 said:

thanks for that idea

I plugged the backup hd fully into where the windows hd was. BIOS doesn't say anything about any hard drive "(not present)"

Now change the cables from the backup HD to Win HD, than check in BIOS.

Do you mean to just switch the cables running from the hard drives to the motherboard? I tried that with the same results; my Dell and BIOS recognized the backup but not the original