"No boot devices were found - system halted"

[ChatiPatti]

"No boot devices were found - system halted" is the message that came up after my eight year-old told me "the computer is making funny sounds and won't turn on."  

I know enough about computers to be dangerous but still need elf supervision.  Did my computer go to pc heaven or is there anything I can do before I throw myself onthe mercy of local IT help (which is iffy at best)?

Scuse if this is already out there...  I'm really new on the site.

Thanks for any help!!!

[homer]

try hearing where the sound is coming from. from what you described, it sounds like a fried hard drive. replacing it before thowing away the whole computer might be a good idea.

[GX1_Man]

Is the hard drive seen in the BIOS? If so, try downloading free diagnostics from the hard drive maker's site.

That message usually comes from a dead or damaged hard drive, so the system cannot boot up.