Black screen- "operating system not found" Sony Vaio VPCEH

[Nathan11]

Sat watching SkyGo and the screen freezes. I couldn't click anything or restart the computer. I powered down and when I turned it on I get a black screen with operating system not found!

I have read a few threads with support but I am really struggling to follow them. A few bit of information that will help though from what I have read...

I don't have a windows 7 disk, it came already installed.
I have downloaded partition wizard bootable CD as suggested in another thread but I don't know how to boot it up on my broken machine. The disk doesn't read/ I still get the black screen.
I'm resigned to the fact that I will probably lose all my data and need a new hard drive but I'm willing to try everything and anything before going down that route as I really can't afford to buy anything for a month or so and my laptop is essential to my job.

Please help and be as condescending and patronising as possible. I'm not ashamed to admit I'm way out of my depth here!

Thanks!

 

[Nathan11]

Oh and when I f2 it on start up the screen says Hard Disk Drive- None

Has it completely gone?

 

[arvin0807]

black screen? and your hard disk is not read? hmm what is type of your hard disk? sata or ide?, hmm try to plug your vga port in pc to check your screen is ok, if not buy another lcd or led in a computer store near you.

 

[Nathan11]

appologies, I mean the screen is black but at the top left it says... "operating system not found". The screen is not the issue.

When I press any button on this screen it repeats the phrase.

The hard drive is hitatchi 750GB that came with the Vaio

 

[arvin0807]

try to pull it out your hdd and plug in again i think it loose the connector. if not help. Run a hard drive test in DOS HIRENS CD etc, it sounds like a failing hard drive.

 

[arvin0807]

if it is not try to reformat your laptop.

 

[Nathan11]

Hirens- boot from hard drive wont work. Keeps resetting to menu.

Is the hard drive burnt out then if it wont register ?

Is all of my data lost now?

I feel I'm close to the answer I don't want to hear...

 

[arvin0807]

@nathan11 oh sorry to hear that.. i think yeah try to reformat it and use any recovery tools. and we can communicate to mvp here..