Help: What to do with a wiped hard drive

[girlapaloo]

I have an old Dell Dimension desktop hard drive that was wiped completely some time ago...
it could still be useful but I have no idea how to restore the OS.
I have the discs that it came with. The CD-ROM drive doesn't want to open for some reason.
I do have an external USB CD-ROM I can use if needed, though.

When I power the unit on, it shows the startup screen with a Dell logo, and a progress bar.
Once it hits halfway down the progress bar, nothing happens. I thought I could press F2 for the setup menu but it did nothing.
I am NOT a computer mechanic at all so if anyone has advice or could point me in the right direction I'd really appreciate it

[Gwenno]

No idea, but I hope someone can help

[Psy]

Because it's USB DVDR, you might have to select USB as no.1 boot priority in the BIOS, then CD-ROM, then HDD.

Usually with a drive you should get into the firmware loading screen (the one where it says Press Any Key to Boot From Disc....) If Dell Fast Boot is enabled it might be hidden behind the logo instead of the Motherboard one (like American Megatrends with the Triangle logo)

Then you should be able to go into the Windows setup, format the drive using the Windows Installer and re-write the Master Boot Record. Whilst if you want to use it as an external.

[htrdfrk]

Just connect the hard drive to the computer you intend to use it in. If you cannot get the cd-rom/dvd-rom drive to open or work that is already in it, then yes connect the external one. Place the OS CD/DVD in the drive and power on the system to start the installation.

If the cd/dvd drive is not set to boot, then click F8 to choose what to boot, or enter the SETUP menu (BIOS) and set the cd/dvd drive to boot. Then the disc should auto start installation when booting the machine.

Install the OS as normal following the on screen instructions. Remove disc when finished and enjoy a fresh installation of your chosen OS.

Sorry, had to write it fast due to work, but hope it helps. If not, you can hit me up again and I will do my best to walk you through it. There are many ways to do this, this is just one example.

Good Luck!

[girlapaloo]

I will be attempting this very soon. Just that you all are willing to try and help means a lot to me. Thanks, youse guys