My dell latitude c400 was working fine one day and the next day when i tried to turn it on i heard the hard drive click a couple of times and then the computer displayed "primary hard disk drive 0 not found- no bootable devices-strike f1 to retry boot, f2 for setup utility"

Problem with Dell Latitude C400 PC Notebook
rhinceguadez Asked on Jul 21, 2012:

1 Views
i want to reset my dell latitude C400 because i forgot the hard disk password how can i open it without typing the password

Hard drive passwords are embedded in the firmware of the drive itself. You need to try to find out what the password was.

There is an article about this at this site.

repair the windows or reload the windows. use the os recover disk that came with your system. insert the disk and follow the prompt.

Unfortunately, I have seen this many times. One of the major problems with the C400 model was the USB port failing. I have had many of them replaced under warranty, and I have repaired some. The USB port breaks loose from the mother board and stops working. It is possible to SOMETIMES disassemble the laptop enough to get to the port and re-solder the USB port connections. But is is a slow process for experienced people. And it does not work all of the time. i know that this is not the answer that you wanted.

Good luck with it.

~ Spoem

Go into the setup menu on boot (before the windows screen appears) by pressing F2 or F10.
Go to the Boot Options and check that the CD-ROM/USB Device boots before the hard disk drive. Save and Exit.

Yes, you can use the c600 if you wish.

Correction on myself: There is 1 screw on the bottom left right above the Windows XP OEM Sticker. Remove that, the hard drive slides out.

Hope this helps.

Jordan

you may need a separate hard drive, you could try to boot off of that

simple prombelm of this is this computer wasn't made to start from xp ,it need start from a ealier system like windows 95/98 see the 386 file is prombally missing that why it wont boot up. lala linda

Hi, This sounds like a dead hard drive. Still, you may want to try: 1. Enter your CMOS/BIOS and verify that your laptop can detect the hard drive. Further check if it is configured to boot first from the HD; 2. Slip in your XP or Recovery CD and boot from that. It may be that the boot section/files of your HD got messed up. When prompted, instruct the CD to repair; 3. Remove your laptop's HD and connect it to a 2nd PC as an external/removable drive using a 2.5 enclusore with USB attachment. Thereafter proceed to diagnose, check and hopefully recover your important files; 4. If confirmed of a defective HD, replace and reinstall your OS. Hope this be of some help/idea. Post back how things turned up or should you need further information. Good luck and kind regards.