Dell Inspiron 1300 -- Windows XP will not load

[MaryannaC]

I turned my computer off last night.  When I turned it back on, my desktop wallpaper comes up, but none of my desktop icons appear and Windows XP doesn't seem to load.  I can, by opening Windows Task Manager, start programs, open files, get on line, etc.

I found the manual in the Dell program file and, following the instructions, performed the Short Status Test.  I got the following error message:

     Fail
     Error code 1000-0146
     Msg. Unit 0:DST log contains previous error(s)

After that, I went to the Dell Diagnostics Main Menu and chose to do a Symptoms Test.  Using the symptom tree, I chose the option that checked when the OS would not start.  Here I got numerous error messages in the Read Test and in the Verify Test. 

In the test labeled "IDE Disk S/N=WD-WXI306124481 - Read Test" the error messages were always the same:
    Error code: 640F.0244
    Msg: Block [a variety of over 70 blocks]: uncorrectable data error or media is write protected

In the test labeled "IDE Disk S/N=WD-WXE306124481 - Verify Test" the error messages were, again, always the same for a variety of blocks:
    Error Code 1A44
    Msg: Block [a variety of over 80 blocks]: uncorrectable data error or media is write protected.

Can this be fixed?  As I say, I can get to all my files through Task Manager, and using Task Manager, I was able to save all of my important files to my backup unit.

HELP!

Thanks!
Maryanna

[AgentX]

The read and read verify tests that were run on the Dell website suggest that your hard drive is corrupted and thus will not correctly load your operating system. If you try running check disk, your computer may be able to correct the errors on your hard drive.

Since you can access programs using the task manager, the following steps will help you run the utility:

1) From the task manager, select "New Task"
2) Type "cmd.exe" and press "Enter"
3) On the command prompt screen type "chkdsk c: /f /r"
    *Note: I am assuming that your hard drive is the C:/ drive, but if you have it partitioned, you may need to repeat   
    this process for those partitions (i.e., D:, E:, etc.)
4) A message will appear saying that the program cannot be run and asks you if you want this to be run the next
    time your computer is restarted.
5) Type "y" and press "Enter"
6) Restart the computer and the program will begin automatically. Depending on the size of your hard drive, this
    could take anywhere from 2-6 hours.

Hopefully this resolves your problem. If not, your hard drive is past the point of repairing itself and will need to be replaced and have the operating system reloaded.

[Allan]

Do not follow the instructions above for running checkdisk. The correct method is to boot to the Recovery Console and run: chkdsk /r