inspiron 2500...grandpas computer

S

stigmata253

New Member
Without telling a long story...i have an inspiron 2500 in my possession that is my grandfathers. The hard drive could not be formatted after it crashed and it is broken. Tried formatting it while reinstalling windows and it said it could not be formatted. (and it wont boot windows) So I assumed the obvious and purchased a new hard drive for it. Same size that it came stock with 20g. It looks the same and all the wires match up perfectly. So i plugged it in and tried loading windows me on it. It gave me the same message in the windows setup (booting from cd rom). Which basically said the hard drive cannot be formatted. Could this be a problem with something other than the HD or am i doing this wrong. Any help would be appreciated.
 
hmmmmm....

its a laptop if that matters...where would i purchase one of these ide connectors...is it possible to hook it up to another computer and load windows from there or at least format it...? (with an ide connector)
 
Ah yes inspiron is Dells laptop line, for some reason I always forget that.

You can't load windows but you can hook it up to another computer to get the files off or format. You'll need an enclosure or adapter though.
 
enclosure...

So something like an "enclosure" or an adapter. Not sure what kind i need.
But Since the first and 2nd harddrive couldnt be formatted...would that signal something wrong with another part of the computer? Starting to think i should just junk the idea of fixing it...however...my manhood suggests that i should be able to fix it. I will research..."enclosure"
 
An enclosure is something that turns it into an external hard drive. Like this, though yours one probably isn't SATA:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817729011


Cromewell said:
Ah yes inspiron is Dells laptop line, for some reason I always forget that.
Click to expand...

Actually, there are Inspiron desktops as well. It's like their mainstream line...they label it "everyday essentials" on the website. Kind of confusing, because they were all laptops at one point, I think. :/
 
But Since the first and 2nd harddrive couldnt be formatted...would that signal something wrong with another part of the computer? Starting to think i should just junk the idea of fixing it...however...my manhood suggests that i should be able to fix it. I will research..."enclosure"
Click to expand...
I agree, it does suggest that the problem is else where. However, from the diagram I'm seeing on Dell's site it looks like you'd need to replace the motherboard which is no small task (http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins2500/en/sm_en/remove.htm#1089642). You may be better off getting any files he needs and then a new system.
Actually, there are Inspiron desktops as well. It's like their mainstream line...they label it "everyday essentials" on the website. Kind of confusing, because they were all laptops at one point, I think. :/
Click to expand...
That's probably why I always get confused then.
 
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