Hard drive controller again

Sounds to me like the hard drive has gone out on it.

If you turn the laptop over you will see a couple panels that can be removed... There will be one that has what looks like a circle type design by it that indicates hard drive access... If you cannot find this icon its not a big deal as the screws are just phillip head screws..
1. Remove panels
2. Verify Hard Drive is seated properly. (Might disconnect then reconnect to make sure)
3. If you can tell the make and model of hard drive this would be a good time to write it down. (I.E. Toshiba, Western Digital, Seagate)
4. Replace panel

Try booting the computer again. If the problem continues then you need to online and do a google search for hard drive diagnostic bootable disc for your hard drive. Most of these programs are universal and can do a cross platform basic checks on hard drives.
To go into more detailed diagnostic you are best to use the software designed by the maker of the hard drive.

1. Download test disc and burn
2. Boot laptop from cd-rom using bootable test disc
3. Run diagnostics.

If it fails then you have a bad hard drive and you will need to replace the drive.

Its illegal for anyone to provide serial keys for programs that have retail values set on them its Pirating
There are lots of freeware alternatives on the internet
You could run the chkdsk disk utility
Click start run type cmd then type chkdsk/r/f which will scan for and attempt to repair any bad sectors and automatically fix any corrupt files on your Hard Drive.
or an easier way to run the chkdsk utility
Windows 7 chkdsk
http://www.w7forums.com/use-chkdsk-check-disk-t448.html
Click start control panel administrative tools computer management ,disk management right click on your drive select properties click tools click check now click start two boxes
automatically fix files and scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors place then a tick in both boxes then select check now, start should schedule this task when restart
have no input while the chkdsk utility is in progress any input may further damage your computers Operating System and Hard Drive
http://download.cnet.com/jetclean/3000-18512_4-75627788.html
JetClean tidies your registry, gets rid of junk files, deletes broken shortcuts, and attempts to give your computer that like-new feel again.
Optimizers and Diagnostics.
http://download.cnet.com/360Amigo-System-Speedup-Pro/3000-18512_4-75332741.html 5E3422139C19CBED35C14826A44D4605
Improve your PC performance and fix errors.
Delete some stubborn files
http://www.malwarebytes.org/fileassassin.php

There is a good possibility that the hard disk drive may be failing, so if you can try running diagnostics and see if you get a failure on the hard drive.
If you can't run diagnostics, then boot to your Windows CD, press R for recovery console, then at the command prompt run the command CHKDSK /R see if you get any errors on files.
If that doesn't resolve, then boot to the windows CD press enter instead of R and repair windows.
If that still fails, then the hard drive is likely bad

This error is related to the hard drive.
It could be a faulty connection on the hard drive - try re-seating the hard drive.
The hard drive may be faulty - go into the BIOS and see if the BIOS detects the hard drive.
If the BIOS cannot detect the hard drive then the hard drive may be faulty ot the laptop's hard disk controller could be faulty.
To determine if the hard drive is faulty, remove the hard drive and connect it into an USB hard drive adapter and plug this adapter into a working compute's USB port. If this computer cannot see this hard drive as an external hard drive then this hard drive is faulty and needs to be replaced.
When the new hard drive is installed in the Compaq laptop, insert your Windows installation CD and install Windows, plus the Compaq's device drivers and your programs to get a working laptop again.

The hard drive has failed. If you're in warranty, contact Dell for a warranty replacement of the drive - it's a customer-replaceable part.
If you're out of warranty, look on ebay for a good deal on a brand new hard drive for your Dell Inspiron 1525

• as you boot the computer, start tapping the F8 keys
• From the boot menu, select Safe Mode

If this seems to work, you can try restoring the computer to an earlier point from Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore.
If Safe Mode also fails to load, you would have to check your disk for errors or you may have to install XP all over again.
Please get back, if you need any further help.

have you try to connect it to a different computer?

if yes and getting the same problem you need to call your WD for the warranty and replace it. if your up to your files inside your storage i guess they will endorse you to their third party company that will recover your data storage and it will cost a lot.

These can be fun and Hdd/IDE/SATA Controllers on Desktops are different than laptops.. Embedded controller chips as well as the Northbridge/Southbridge chips are integrated to everything else and its a nightmare to track down period. (Ive had to replace Integrated Modem chips to cure a Boot or BSOD error that states the Video Adapter needs to be changed) ..(Generally due to Power surge or other).. You are on the right track however and I'd just suggest running Memtest of the Knoppix to start be4 I can say other. Is there Shared or dedicated RAM for the GPU on this one? They manned both ways depending on the specific board revision..

Talk soon, Ken
www.ikenfixit.com

Certain diags only test the diagnostic tracks. That is what's passing more than likely. You should boot the laptop in safe mode (F8) and click start, run, type in cmd, hit enter and type scandisk. This will do a complete scan on the drive. If there are any errors replace the drive.

S.M.A.R.T (system monitoring)is the warning software that detects when a hard drive is about to fail, so i would back up any important docs to a disc or usb drive immediately and replace the hard drive. The hard drive controller itself will not be the problem, it's the controller saying that the problem is the drive, the controller is only a driver and not a peice of hardware, pressing F1 will ignore any faults and continue to boot, but especially if it doesnt always boot it's definately your hard drive.