Laptop is dead, but I think HD is good. Can I..?

[Darin]

The HD died a year ago, so I replaced it. But when it was dead or not installed, the laptop would try to boot and show a screen that said there was no drive, even the fan came on for a moment. Now, nothing. The light comes on, one the power button, and the CD drive spins for 1 sec. then nothing. So I don't think it's the HD. Here's the question. Can I hook the HD to my PC somehow and retrieve information off it. Treating it like an external drive.

[alex10]

You can get cases that you put the drive into and convert it into an external hard drive.

[axemanrio]

You can go with Alex's suggestion or you can hook it up to a Desktop PC, but you'll need a notebook to IDE hard drive adapter in order to do that. The issue with your notebook appears to be a mainboard problem, which you can get replaced if still under warranty.

[Darin]

Originally Posted by axemanrio

You can go with Alex's suggestion or you can hook it up to a Desktop PC, but you'll need a notebook to IDE hard drive adapter in order to do that. The issue with your notebook appears to be a mainboard problem, which you can get replaced if still under warranty.

It's a couple years old. But it's worth fixing if I can. It's a good unit otherwise. How can I determine if it actually is the problem?

[axemanrio]

Alright, I'm assuming it *attempts* to boot and then shuts off right? In this case, it's most likely a jinxed motherboard and I'd recommend contacting the manufacturer about repairs or an RMA.

On the other hand, if your notebook *appears* to be running (lights on) and there's simply no display it could be a faulty memory stick. You can check which memory stick is faulty by simply removing one at a time and booting your notebook. However, you'll have to look up the manual or manufacturer website in order to figure out where the memory modules are located.

[Darin]

whoa! It just booted up. A few days ago, I tried a bunch of time. The power light came on, then nothing. Maybe it a loose "something". I did have to take it apart to change the hard drive and remove and clean the fan out. What we didn't know is the fan is really a vacuum. If you set it on carpet, it sucks up fuzz and stuff and clogs and then doesn't cool anything. Maybe in the whole tear down rebuild process something got loose.

[axemanrio]

That is very much possible... if it mysteriously booted up today, you might want to take it apart and ensure all the little power/data connectors are securely plugged in

[DancingDrake]

Sure you can , just get an external enclosure kit.