I need a new hard drive for my Sony VGN-FS742 and need help...

go to sony website and download the driver
or use driver pack solution

If it's an IDE? Newegg has a 320GB. SATA can go much bigger, but Sony linked your model to a IDE hard drive.

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/994630300_Rev_D_NO_PHONE.pdf

1. Turn Off the computer
2. Try taking out the hard drive and put it back in
3. Go to the BIOS again... see if the BIOS detected the hard drive otherwise
4. Replace the hard drive

The problem is that XPinstallation CD does not have a SATA driver, unless you have a SATA drive on adisk etc. and can install the driver when XP asks for a hard drive driver then,XP cannot detect the hard disk and therefore won't install XP. The FIX. Go into the BIOS anddisable the SATA drive (enable IDE emulation), this will make XP think it is aIDE/PATA hard disk. Then you can install XP normally. When Windows hasbeen installed then install all the device drivers (including the SATA driver),then shut down and boot up and got into the BIOS and enable the SATA drive.

try to reformat your laptop

Then if you can quarantine that in a folder. Quarantine it. If pccillin have a reporting log with its path. Then copy in a piece of paper the name and path. Then delete that in DOS mode if you are familiar with that only be sure that it is a legit viral file.

Try to remove the battery, remove AC adapter, and press and hold power button for 45 sec. reinsert battery, and Plug and try again, if that doesn't solve it, you may need to try to change memory first, (cheapest) or the motherboard or CPU.

Please give good rating if this helps your issue, Thanks

Here is are disassemble instructions for you,

Good Luck

sorry to let you know sounds like hard drive is shot.........

Sorry the laptops fried, the best thing you can do now is remove the hard drive and get your data from it if it still works.
buy a new laptop and sell yours for spares on ebay

Kind regards