"A disk read error occurred Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to

maybe a usb device plugged? if not try in bios\boot sequence to set cdrom - hd - usbdev. then try to boot with the puppy sturdust linux cd. if it work is just the internal hd; format it and reinstall. hope it help bye

Have you checked your bios to see what the system is configured to boot from first? Make sure your hard drive is the first boot device in the list.

open the cabinet and see the cable connections.

set the first boot device as HARD DISK in BIOS SETUP.

I would do a complete operating system reinstall.
The M15x uses a program called Dell Datasafe Local Backup for factory restores. You can access this program from launching the application from within Windows (it is on the Start Menu), or by using the F8 Windows Boot Options menu. Press F8 after the iniital POST screen (Alien Face), but before you see the Windows logo on the screen. There should be an option to repair Windows, which will launch you into a recovery mode that allows you to restore the system. This option is available even if you have uninstalled the Dell DataSafe Local Backup app from Windows (I did, as its constant polling causes stutterin in Blu-Ray playback). Good luck!

Sounds like a problem with your hard drive, you could follow this guide to make a bootable diagnostics CD to try to determine the exact problem.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/224671-having-issues-w-your-thinkpad-diagnostic-guide.html

Press ctrl+alt+del to restart is just an instruction. Did you do it?
What happened? Was it read? Tell us more. Send your e-mail for
us to give you our feedback.
By the way, assuming that it did not work, Your hard disk must be
configured to your PC, by running a software driver for your new hard
disk. You can download it from the internet by running search " hard
disk driver". Just specify the brand.

your boot sequence is changed, put the hard disk to first boot in setup menu, or the hard disk gone bad.

it probibly means your harddrive has bit the dust
it is the most common part to fail on a computer

it could be the hard drive is bad

There are a couple of possibilities.

1. The hard drive is defective.

2. The operating system is corrupt.

The easiest way to test this is to run the restore cd that came with the computer to reload Windows.

If you get this error while running the restore cd then you will need to get a new hard drive.