DescentBB

Get a blank screen and according to my friend it had quit working and she was trying to re-install Windows with no joy.

When I go into the BIOS into Diagnostics and hit Diagnose the "Test status" says No IDE Device.

Most likely just the hard drive?

Should I be able to see a Windows CD in the ROM drive even if the HD is bad? Can see one although it's spinning.

This is when I'd pull the HDD and try it in a drive toaster.

How about a USB to SATA ?

Same general idea.

I can see her HD and Windows files when I hook it up to another computer with my USB to SATA cable but no personal files and nothing under "User".

Can I deduce that it might just be her OS that's gone south?

I think she was in the middle of re-installing the OS when it went black on her. But I think her backup disk are bad.

Why was she re-installing the OS specifically?

Don't know other than the computer wasn't running correctly so she started to re-install and that's when the re-install quit and it no longer would bootup.

Is she using the re-install discs that came with the laptop? If not, I'd suspect that the install didn't have the right video drivers for whatever chipset the laptop has in it, thus the black screen.

I did get a screen when I went into the BIOS. But when I tried to use the disk it wouldn't run. So I think the OS was acting up and then the disks with were made are no good. I can see her data hooking the HD up to another computer.

I think she would need to install a new OS and if she doesn't have one and if it would cost $200 for Win 7, I'd say buy I new laptop. Although I think this was her son's and not her go to computer.