You neglected to mention if it has booted up in the past but considering the age of your computer, I'm assuming that it has.
More than likely your hard drive (HDD) has failed and you'll need to replace it and reinstall XP. The only other option really would be that you've got bad connections or that the interface between the hard drive and the HDD has failed. That's unlikely though because you wouldn't get a message about no OS being installed, you'd get a message about not having a HDD installed because your computer can't see it. A computer can still see a HDD even if its failed providing that it can still receive power and communicate with the motherboard. Before you do anything, though, pull the HDD with the power off on the laptop (one or two screws at the most) and battery and power supply disconnected. Then, power up the computer without the HDD. The System BIOS should recognize that there is no HDD installed and yell at you for it. Power down the computer, disconnect the power supply and the battery again and reinstall the HDD. Then power up the computer. That may solve the problem. If not, keep reading because we're going to need to test it before we make any decisions.
To confirm that it is a dead hard drive, you'll need to test it on another computer, preferably a desktop as it will be the easiest to do and hopefully won't require you to spend any money other than on a SATA cable (unless you already have one) just to test it. I've looked up the technical specs on your laptop and it came standard with an 80 GB SATA 2.5" HDD. Assuming that your using the same hard drive that came with the laptop, and your desktop has a SATA interface and power as well, you'll first need to disconnect the hard drive from your laptop . Now, if your desktop doesn't support SATA or you're using a second laptop to perform the test, stop right here and advance to the second section that covers performing the test on non-SATA desktops and second laptops.
SATA Signal Cable:
SATA Power Cable:
Connecting to a Desktop Computer that supports SATA Interface For the Purpose of the HDD Test:
The easiest way to tell if the computer supports SATA interface HDD is by looking at the HDD currently installed on the desktop. I always use non-conductive (latex, neoprene) gloves when I work inside of a computer to prevent static discharges that can destroy your computer. You should too.
Turn off the desktop, and disconnect power. Open the case. If the connections for that HDD are SATA, the cables that are connected to it will look like the examples above. If they don't, your computer does not support SATA so you'll need to stop and go on to the next section.
Now, you'll need a SATA signal cable (if you don't already have an extra one). You can get a SATA signal cable at any electronics or computer retailer. It shouldn't cost you more than $5.00. Next connect one end of it to the laptop HDD and the other end to the connection on the motherboard that will most likely be right next to where the SATA signal cable for the primary HDD is already connected to.
You shouldn't need to purchase a SATA power cable
(indicated in the second picture) or a SATA to Molex adapter cable because your power supply should have at least one or two extra SATA connectors attached to it. If by some chance it doesn't, you'll need to purchase a MOLEX to SATA adapter cable (see the image below) and connect it to one of the several Molex connectors attached to the power supply (labeled with a "P" and a number. Example: P7). Again, this adapter should be easily acquired at any electronics/computer retailer and should be no more than $5.00 Now, connect the SATA power cable (or adapted cable) to the laptop HDD. You're now ready to do the test. Keep the case open when performing the test to monitor the laptop HDD and because, well... it's a heck of a lot easier than constantly opening and closing the thing and considering you'll have an HDD in there that's not mounted to anything, it's the safer bet. Skip the next section on connecting using a desktop computer that does not support SATA and go directly to the section on performing the test.
MOLEX to SATA Power Adapter Cable (may have multiple SATA connectors as well):
Connecting to a Desktop COmputer that Does Not Support SATA Interface (Supports IDE) or Connecting to Another Laptop For the Purpose of the HDD Test:
If the desktop computer you are using to perform the laptop HDD test does not support the SATA Interface or if you are using another laptop computer to perform the test, you are going to have to connect the laptop to the computer via USB interface. To accomplish this you will need a 2.5" Hard Drive Enclosure. A hard drive enclosure converts an internal hard drive into an external hard drive. They cost between $5 and $25 and you'll get a better deal online. Following the directions for the enclosure, connect your laptop HDD to your test computer. You should be able to easily tell if the drive is spinning up and the LED's on the enclosure should be flashing just like they do on a computer when a HDD is being accessed.
Performing the Test:
This is the easiest part of the whole show. If you haven't done it already, reconnect the power cable to the test computer and power it on. Go to
My Computer on the desktop of the test computer (
Computer if running Vista or Win7), double-click on it and a window will open. Once you find the laptop drive, double click on it and start searching around and see what you've got. If you don't see the drive, we've confirmed that the HDD has failed. If you do see the drive but open it up and there's either nothing on it or you get error messages when you attempt to access the folders, the hard drive has failed as well. In either case, you will certainly need to replace the HDD as I suggested in the beginning however, your data may still be retrievable. You'll need to get it to a local computer repair shop and get a quote.
On the other hand, if you can open up the files and access all of them, your HDD has not failed but, you have a very damaged Windows installation. This also may be reparable, but again, you'll need to get it to a professional to fix it. Before you do that, though, make sure to copy all of your important documents, photos, videos, etc., to the test computer's hard drive or onto the removable media (SD Card, Flash Drive, etc.) connected to the test computer.
Problem soved by a technician. Something to do with disc drivers!
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