ERROR LOADING OPERATING SYSTEM

All you've got to do is:

1) Insert the new hard drive.
2) Press the F8 key as the laptop boots. This will take you into the BIOS.
3) Locate the disk drive priority setting in the bios.
4) Set Priority 1 to your CD/DVD drive and priority 2 to the 320GB hard drive.
5) Save settings and exit the BIOS. This should reboot your laptop.
6) Insert the Windows XP CD.
7) It should not start the setup as it recognises the CD.
8) I will recommend that you format the drive before you install, go along with the format (make sure it does a full format).
9) After the format it will reboot your system.
10) You will be prompted with a message like "Press any key to boot form CD", DON'T press anything otherwise it will start all over again.
11) Now it should start the install. Follow the on-screen instructions.

1. you will need to know 1st that the hard drive you are installing is compatible with the desktop.
2. Is the hard drive compatible with the new Operating system (VISTA).
3. Check to see if you have the hard drive properly inserted that is properly cabled and connected.This will render error in installation.
4. Make sure you are installing the Operating system correctly.
5. Some boot sectors become corrupt during a change in Operating system if the hard drive is not properly formatted.
6. Try formatting the hard drive again and re-installing.

It sounds like there is a critical error in loading the operating system, most likely caused by a corrupted file or key in the registry. Your options are: A) Spend countless hours[days] troubleshooting and experimenting trying to repair, or B) back up your drive, wipe, and re-install. I would obviously go with option B, as it will save hours, if not days of your life. Here is the easiest route to solve. (Note: you sound like you know your way around computers, so I am assuming you've already tried booting into safe mode.)
Here are the steps to getting your files off and re-installing a fresh version of Windows 7 RC (it's free to test, remarkably stable, and will continue to work until June 2010)
1. Power off computer, unplug, remove battery. 2. Remove hard drive (here is a how-to: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins6400/en/sm/hddrive.htm#wp1128924) 3. On a separate computer (obviously) download and burn Windows 7 to a DVD (get it here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/download.aspx ) 4. Hook the hard drive you took from the e1505 to your secondary computer. It should be a SATA connection, which most newer computers i've seen contain those connections. So you should be able to plug it directly into a desktop PC. If not, dig out an external hard drive, pop out the screws, and hook up your SATA e1505 hard drive to the SATA connection in the ext hard drive, power the ext hard drive and plug the USB into your secondary computer. Either way you connect it, the computer will recognize it as a storage drive and you can simply copy the whole thing to your computer for sorting out later. 4. Once backed up, and your Win7 DVD is burned, pop that harddrive back into your e1505. 5. Turn on the laptop and put in the Win7 disk and start the install process. 6. Enjoy your fresh OS (and yes, it is compatible with windows xp programs -- just check the box for Compatibility under the right click-->properties) 7. transfer your back-up files to your e1505 8. crack open a beer and laugh at the hypothetical you that would still be beating his head in trying to figure out wtf file is missplaced or corrupted.
cheers!

Need new hard drive. If that fails then the controller on the motherboard is shot and its time to buy a new computer.

Try pressing F8 on startup to start the computer in safe mode.

If it does not restart in safe mode, then you need to reinstall Windows using the recovery CD or a Windows setup disk.

If you do not format the hard drive , and do a windows upgrade setup on top of same system folder, you will preserve your data.

Hi,

I think that is the data cable problem,
if Fat32, you would have 32Gb,
So, your on NTFS file system,
Data cable issue this.
Regards.

If you are getting bad block reports on your hard drive, it means that your hard drive media has suffered some degradation. It could very well be that some system files are being affected by this, thus continually triggering the problem. You may not like the suggestion I have, but it looks to me like the most solid solution (saving you hours and hours of troubleshooting).

Backup all files from your hard drive, save all of your browser shortcuts to backup files, then perform another Windows XP installation with a low level format of the hard drive. I know a PC specialist with many years of experience that says hard drives develop faulty areas over time and that every 5 years or so, it's just best to back up data from the hard drive and perform a low level format. This resets the device completely. If there are any faulty areas on the disk, they are skipped over--to the operating system, the drive will be perfectly fine.

This is not a guaranteed solution, but it sounds to me like it will eliminate a lot of possible culprits for you. Good luck.

This is most likely going to be a failed hard drive. Since it won't load the system, by general rule, If the hard drive won't format, or if you have any issues during or after the set up of a new operating system, then the hard drive is shot, and needs replaced. Replace the drive and you should be just fine.

If you have it available, boot to the Dell DImension Resource CD and run the diagnostics on the hard drive. From the description of you problem, you may have a failing hard drive.

Other things to check:

1. Ensure the system BIOS (F2 at boot) sees the hard drive and has the correct date and time. If the motherboard battery is failing, the time and date will not be retained when system is powered off.

2. If you are able to format the hard drive, but the windows XP installation process gives you file copy errors, then you may have a bad RAM module. If the system has 2 or more modules, take out all but 1, retry the install. If you get file copy errors again, try a different module.

3. If the Hard drive passes dieagnostics, but fails to complete a format, replace the hard drive.

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