Dell Inspiron 2650 boot problem

kopander · 07-16-2007, 03:31 AM

Hi everyone,

I've recently had trouble booting my dell inspiron 2650, under Windows XP. Occasioanlly the laptop will boot normally, while other times it is unable to boot; giving the error "os not found". The boot manager is shown attemting to load an operating system, but finally display's that simple error message. After a random number (sometimes many) of re-boots the system will finally load windows xp normally, as if there was no problems (it even resumes from standby or hybernation mode). The HD indicator light always blinks at startup.

I formatted the entire harddisk and re installed windows xp, however this has not fixed the peoblem, and it still takes many re-boots before the laptop loads the os. Is this just a sign of a failing hard disk? Any ideas as to what the problem could be are welcome? Many thanks in advance.

**Terrister** · 07-16-2007, 05:09 AM

Sounds like a hard drive problem. Find out what brand it is and run the manufactors diag program from the site below.
http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287

DellCA · 07-18-2007, 03:49 PM

kopander, I agree with Terrister that it sounds like a problem with the hard drive. If chkdsk /r doesn't find and fix the problem you may end up having to replace it.

The Dell Diagnostics includes a test of the hard drive which will work with any hard drive we send out. If your system includes the onboard diags (accessable via the F12 boot menu when you first power on) you can run them from there. If you don't have that option, or if the diags partition has been removed from the hard drive, you can also run them by booting from the Dell Inspiron Resource CD or by downloading them from the Dell support website (http://support.dell.com). If you have any problems finding it on our downloads site, let me know and I can send you the link directly to it.

If you are out of warranty (probable, considering the age of the computer) you can get instructions on getting the hard drive out of the computer and the plastic carrier it is mounted in from the service manual (http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...0/en/index.htm).

We use a number of brands for hard drives in Dell computers, so I can't easily tell which specific one is in your computer. That particular notebook uses a standard 2.5" IDE hard drive with an interposer board (adapter) that converts the mini-IDE connection to what the hard drive bay uses to connect the drive to the motherboard. If you do purchase an replacement drive make sure to move the interposer board over or the drive won't work.

If you have any questions about the info here, or other questions about the problem or what drive to use in your 2650, I will be more than happy to answer them for you. Having just lost a drive on my computer at home, I know what a pain this kind of thing can be (luckily, I didn't lose anything important, but it was close ... always make backups of important files!).

Larry

eccchief · 06-03-2009, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DellCA

kopander, I agree with Terrister that it sounds like a problem with the hard drive. If chkdsk /r doesn't find and fix the problem you may end up having to replace it.

The Dell Diagnostics includes a test of the hard drive which will work with any hard drive we send out. If your system includes the onboard diags (accessable via the F12 boot menu when you first power on) you can run them from there. If you don't have that option, or if the diags partition has been removed from the hard drive, you can also run them by booting from the Dell Inspiron Resource CD or by downloading them from the Dell support website (http://support.dell.com). If you have any problems finding it on our downloads site, let me know and I can send you the link directly to it.

If you are out of warranty (probable, considering the age of the computer) you can get instructions on getting the hard drive out of the computer and the plastic carrier it is mounted in from the service manual (http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...0/en/index.htm).

We use a number of brands for hard drives in Dell computers, so I can't easily tell which specific one is in your computer. That particular notebook uses a standard 2.5" IDE hard drive with an interposer board (adapter) that converts the mini-IDE connection to what the hard drive bay uses to connect the drive to the motherboard. If you do purchase an replacement drive make sure to move the interposer board over or the drive won't work.

If you have any questions about the info here, or other questions about the problem or what drive to use in your 2650, I will be more than happy to answer them for you. Having just lost a drive on my computer at home, I know what a pain this kind of thing can be (luckily, I didn't lose anything important, but it was close ... always make backups of important files!).

Larry

eccchief · 06-03-2009, 12:23 PM

Larry, You still out there?

I've read you reply with interest. Now my Travelstar 20 gb hdd (oem) is dead and I'm looking at this replacement:

HITACHI Travelstar E5K160 0A50684 60GB SATA 5400 RPM 8MB Mobile Hard Drive Bulk

Do you see any reason it wouldn't work?

btw, I went to Terrister's suggested website and d/l the Hitachi diagnostics program, butthe problem is the hdd won't spin. It clicks like it's trying, but never gets recognized or boots. Pretty sure it's mechanical failure. The 20 gb and 4200 rpm was always something I wished was a lttle bigger and faster. From some other posts, I searche for a 7K60 and this E5K160 is what came up. Thanks. Herb

07-16-2007, 03:31 AM	#1 (permalink)
kopander Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 1 OS: XP	Dell Inspiron 2650 boot problem Hi everyone, I've recently had trouble booting my dell inspiron 2650, under Windows XP. Occasioanlly the laptop will boot normally, while other times it is unable to boot; giving the error "os not found". The boot manager is shown attemting to load an operating system, but finally display's that simple error message. After a random number (sometimes many) of re-boots the system will finally load windows xp normally, as if there was no problems (it even resumes from standby or hybernation mode). The HD indicator light always blinks at startup. I formatted the entire harddisk and re installed windows xp, however this has not fixed the peoblem, and it still takes many re-boots before the laptop loads the os. Is this just a sign of a failing hard disk? Any ideas as to what the problem could be are welcome? Many thanks in advance.

07-16-2007, 05:09 AM	#2 (permalink)
Terrister Moderator Hardware Forum Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: West Georgia, USA Posts: 7,081 OS: Xp	Re: Dell Inspiron 2650 boot problem Sounds like a hard drive problem. Find out what brand it is and run the manufactors diag program from the site below. http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287 __________________

07-18-2007, 03:49 PM	#3 (permalink)
DellCA Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Round Rock, TX Posts: 89 OS: XP	Re: Dell Inspiron 2650 boot problem kopander, I agree with Terrister that it sounds like a problem with the hard drive. If chkdsk /r doesn't find and fix the problem you may end up having to replace it. The Dell Diagnostics includes a test of the hard drive which will work with any hard drive we send out. If your system includes the onboard diags (accessable via the F12 boot menu when you first power on) you can run them from there. If you don't have that option, or if the diags partition has been removed from the hard drive, you can also run them by booting from the Dell Inspiron Resource CD or by downloading them from the Dell support website (http://support.dell.com). If you have any problems finding it on our downloads site, let me know and I can send you the link directly to it. If you are out of warranty (probable, considering the age of the computer) you can get instructions on getting the hard drive out of the computer and the plastic carrier it is mounted in from the service manual (http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...0/en/index.htm). We use a number of brands for hard drives in Dell computers, so I can't easily tell which specific one is in your computer. That particular notebook uses a standard 2.5" IDE hard drive with an interposer board (adapter) that converts the mini-IDE connection to what the hard drive bay uses to connect the drive to the motherboard. If you do purchase an replacement drive make sure to move the interposer board over or the drive won't work. If you have any questions about the info here, or other questions about the problem or what drive to use in your 2650, I will be more than happy to answer them for you. Having just lost a drive on my computer at home, I know what a pain this kind of thing can be (luckily, I didn't lose anything important, but it was close ... always make backups of important files!). Larry __________________ Dell Customer Advocate

06-03-2009, 12:23 PM	#5 (permalink)
eccchief Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 3 OS: XP	Re: Dell Inspiron 2650 boot problem Larry, You still out there? I've read you reply with interest. Now my Travelstar 20 gb hdd (oem) is dead and I'm looking at this replacement: HITACHI Travelstar E5K160 0A50684 60GB SATA 5400 RPM 8MB Mobile Hard Drive Bulk Do you see any reason it wouldn't work? btw, I went to Terrister's suggested website and d/l the Hitachi diagnostics program, butthe problem is the hdd won't spin. It clicks like it's trying, but never gets recognized or boots. Pretty sure it's mechanical failure. The 20 gb and 4200 rpm was always something I wished was a lttle bigger and faster. From some other posts, I searche for a 7K60 and this E5K160 is what came up. Thanks. Herb