M1730 can't find bootable devices.

My M1730 can’t boot to Vista. It says in red “FAILED”. Also says It can’t find any bootable devices. I did do the test (The one where you press F8 I think) more than once. I just got my Windows Vista Home Premium OEM disc from Newegg today, I left my original dell one in storage back in NY. It can boot from the disc, but it can’t repair my laptop. So is the HDD dead or what? =/

 

Can you take a pic with a camera phone of the 'FAILED' message. I have not seen this message before and it sounds a bit odd. Is this presented after the Dell BIOS screen?

Also, have you removed the hard drive at all? If so, verify the cable is seated correctly. If you have not removed the HDD, don't worry about it as it will not come loose on its own.

Are you running a RAID setup? Have you changed any of the settings in the BIOS?

 

I changed the CPU speed and that's it. But I've changed it back to default since it happened. I've never removed the HDD.

Here's the picture...Please ignore the dirty screen.

 

RAID 0 failure. Not too uncommon since RAID 0 is touchy.

I would verify the HDDs are ok first.

Once verified, just re-create your RAID 0 array and set the default stripe size and reinstall.

Also, you might want to grab the DCSE manual for the 1730 - it has step-by-step instructions on setting up RAID 0 or RAID 1.

 

How do I do that???

 

The DCSE manual won't download for some reason. When I click the link I get the Open or Save window, I click open and it downloads but it doesn't really download.

 

re: diagnostics, try F5 on the error screen.

re: the DCSE, right click on the link and choose 'save as' and save it to your desktop. It's a .zip archive. Once saved to your local drive, extract it and find the index.htm page. Open with Internet Explorer or Firefox.

 

The diagnostics test went fine, how ever the hard drive DST short test said "Not Applicable" yet everything else passed.

Is that bad or good?

 

Probably ok - I would just follow the process to set up RAID 0 again and install your OS. If it fails then most likely one of the HDDs is on the blink.

 

I did what the gudie told me but when I rebooted it still said FAILED.

The guide doesn't tell me anything about "re-create your RAID 0 array and set the default stripe size".

 

open up the guide and look for the section titled 'Intel Option ROM Utility'. Click that link and then scroll down ad see:

Creating a RAID 0 or a RAID 1 Configuration

If you cant get to this, then the HDD took a crap and will most likely need to be replaced.

 

Do I delete the current RAID and then crate a new one?

 

Yeah - since the initial RAID 0 array has failed, its pretty much shot. Not sure how you can really extract anything from it. If you are in a position where you are able to boot into windows normally, grab what you can and then proceed with creating a new array once you have backed up your docs.

 

I deleted RAID 0 and now I can't create a new one because it says not enough space. I rebooted and now I can't get to the Intel Option ROM Utility. All I have is the 186.3GB, I can install Vista on that.... but what happened to my 372.6GB HDD?

 

Your second hard drive is probably toast. If this is an OEM hard drive and you are still under warranty, call dell and have them send a replacement.

 

When that screen appears, press CRTL+I (in the same time) and you'll see the RAID Panel. Right there you'll delete the actual RAID0 array and then recreate it. After you'll done, you'll try to reinstall the operating system. Please note that deleting the RAID0 array you'll lose all data!

EDIT: I answered too late.

 

My laptop isn't under warranty. So anyone know where a good site to get a new hard drive? Is it hard to take it out and replace it?

 

No. Actually is very easy. Seach on YouTube for some tips and demos.

 

Can anyone recommend any good hard drives?

When I get a new hard drive will I have the option not to do the RAID option?

What are the pros and cons about RAID?

 

You are using raid but have no idea what it actually is? I think you should stop there...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID

Read this first

 

So I'm stuck with RAID....

 

No! you can get a SSD and use your other drive as slave! or 2nd HDD! It's 2-4times faster than raid O and if you want to you can also get 2 SSD's and Raid 0 it, it's even more faster and reliable!

 

The Manual which I suggested you download earlier in this thread includes a decent explanation of what RAID is as well as instructions on setting up the two different types of RAID.

The Manual also includes very detailed procedures with images on removing the HDDs (or anything else for that matter).

I suggest you review it - all your questions will be answered