How can I tell if my hard drive is still inside the computer

where should it be under if its there

F2 at powerup.  If it's there you'll see it listed in the BIOS setup page.

should be on the Drives listing.

Kay14,

Why are you not sure the hard drive is still in your laptop?  Do you think someone has deliberately disassembled your laptop and removed the drive?

Tony

Kay14, Why are you not sure the hard drive is still in your laptop?  Do you think someone has deliberately disassembled your laptop and removed the drive? Tony

I was wondering the same thing.

It isn't as if the hard drive is a small part that is easily misplaced. It has to be deliberately removed as there are screws which hold the hard drive caddy in place.

My dog ate my homework and dust bunnies ate my hard drive.

Dust bunnies are evil.

tgsmith Yes, I believe  my neighborehood computer store removed my hard drive.

Go to a bookstore and get a Linux Pro magazine with Knoppix 6 DVD in it.

You should be able to F12 Boot from that even if there is no hard drive in the system.

If however it does not boot then there are other issues.

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I explained the problem as well as the full situation in a previous post, only one person replied and that reply did not help so I posted agian with a more general question but if you want me to get percise I will. My computer stopped working after I installed a new game. It would not come on and I thought I had a battery shortage, so I took the computer to my neighborehood computer store they said "My hard drive had gone bad." I paid them to fix it/ replace it and they then told me my processor had also been distroyed and that could not be fixed. My original post asked the question would a over used hard drive and a bad processor show the same symptons. Also I mentioned that I randomly decided to try out that laptop agian and now it is coming on but it is going straight to a screen saying No bootable devices and I do not understand what that means exactly. Also my final question in that post was if I send that laptop to Dell to fix the hard drive and it is determine that my processor truly is destroyed, what would I be charged for?

You made another post which can be found here --> http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19390987.aspx

That is totally different thread than this one. No one can be expected to know that it is there. In that other thread, you also did NOT give any detail about your  exact problems.

First, I wouldn't take the laptop to that same store. They don't appear to know much.

Second, as I told you in that other thread, your hard drive went bad. Another suggestion was to run Dell Diagnostics which you apparently did not listen to either.

I don't know what Dell will charge you. If it is under warranty, then you should contact Dell. If it isn't, I'd find another store.

Yes, I did isten to you but it said everything checked out so I did not understand if the hard drive was bad how everything would chack out.

I will contact Dell and try to get my hard drive replaced. Thank you.

If you are in warranty, do contact Dell.

If you are out of warranty, I recommend finding a hard drive locally or online - that will save you money. Also, when / if you do, repost for steps on what you need to do to get things going.

Also, I am unclear about the processor... Did you say it was bad? Do you have any reason to suspect it was bad other than what the shop said? What symptoms prompted you to take it to the shop in  the first place?

No, I have no reason beyond what the store told me to believe that my processor is bad. However, I don't know what I need to be looking for.

This thread has become off topic.  Locking post.