Laptop won't boot properly

[Twinbird24]

When I boot up my Toshiba Satellite C650 (with the HDD removed) I get the following message:

check cable connection!
PXE-MOF: Exiting Intel PXE ROM
No bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key

When I boot up the laptop with the HDD installed I just get a black screen with a blinking cursor in the top left of the screen.

I can't enter enter the BIOS (there is no POST), I try pressing Esc, F2, F12 but when I boot up I just go straight to the error message or the blinking cursor.

Could this be a problem with the CMOS battery or motherboard?

Thanks.

 

[johnb35]

Most likely you have a bad errors on the hard drive or you have been infected with a boot infection. Run a hard drive diagnostic on it. What brand of drive is it?

 

[Twinbird24]

It's a Toshiba MK5075GSX 500GB.

Edit: I just plugged it into my desktop via sata and my desktop just froze (unfroze once I unplugged it). While it was plugged in the HDD was making a clicking noise the entire time.

 

[johnb35]

First thing I would do is run the diagnostic.

http://www.computerforum.com/211596-list-hard-drive-diagnostic-utilities-test-your-drive.html

If for some reason you are having issues with the toshiba program, you can try hitachi's drive fitness test.

You also may need to remove the drive and insert in a desktop system as some software won't detect the drive if its running in ahci mode.

 

[jamesd1981]

Any hard drive making strange noises is likely faulty and freezing a test machine is another sign of a faulty drive.

If the drive is faulty you might not get it to pick up in any machine, you could try a boot program instead of windows.

Something like hiren`s boot cd or ultimate boot cd

 

[Twinbird24]

Thanks for the response, I managed to bring up the boot menu and boot from the disk drive, I'm using Hiren's BootCD (I can't believe I've never heard of it before, thanks for the suggestion!). Just about to run the HDD diagnostic, I'll post back here with the results but it already seems pretty clear that the HDD needs replacing

Edit: I can't run the diagnostic, looks like the HDD is not detected so I'll just get a new HDD and post back here if I still need help.

 

[johnb35]

Before buying a new hdd, remove the hard drive from the system and attach it to a desktop system. Then try running the disk diagnostic. Some programs have issues detecting drives when they the sata controller is in Ahci mode.