I think my hard drive is dead

[L337Llama]

On the family computer, I get an error saying system boot failure, insert a disc. And then when trying to use a Windows XP cd to recover or repair, no hard drive is detected. The cables are connected. My guess would be a dead hard drive, and I need to replace it. I want to consult here for any suggestions before I buy a new drive, to see if I am missing anything.
Thank you.

 

[mpilchfamily]

Sure sounds like a dead HDD. Probably nothing you can do about it. Hope you had a backup of your important data.

 

[oynaz]

Try downloading Ubuntu and boot it from a CD. Is it able to detect the HDD?

Also, try the manufacturer's diagnostics (can be found on Ultimate Boot CD as well).

 

[faxon]

if you dont have the skills required to set up a linux boot disk you can also try downloading an ISO of hiren's boot disk. it has a ton of disk utilities as well as a bootable mini XP copy that installs itself to a 200mb ramdisk. i use it to troubleshoot disk detection errors all the time and it does the job pretty well, without having to familiarize yourself with linux. it's available for free from the guy who makes it, just google it

 

[sup3rn0th1ng]

does the hard drive make sounds? platters spin? anything showing the HD is working?

 

[Laputa]

Have everybody in the family to chip in and replace the drive