Well I had a second wind hit and went to check it out,

there is an extra DVI connection under the cap, 

I swapped to that port-no change, HD is still thinking away, I think.

Ah, I don't think unfortunately that recovery disk make it. You would need a complete back up which with mine takes at least about 10 DVD disk, for the complete OS. If you can stick in the old harddisk that failed as a second harddisk, perhaps you can get to the files on there and if you have a backup stored there (compressed probably) then perhaps you can get the OS on your new hard drive. Without that, I think you will have to get ahold of Dell and see if they have a backup for your computer that would load the OS and put it on the new harddrive. Without that, I think, you are probably screwe*. That is one reason that I partition harddisk drives. Usually the C:\ partition (the one with the OS) is the one that fails, not the complete hard disk (it's failing because it can not read any info on the disk). With other partitions storing a compressed backup of the OS or even non-compressed (which takes up way more room) then essentially you have no OS files you can access to restore your OS with the recovery disk. Recovery is recovery of a OS that already exists. Backup the complete OS on DVD's or on another partition of the harddrive and put the OS back on the C:\ drive of the new disk because the old disk failed on that primary partition. Sorry about that, but that would be the way that it is.

Before you would get a Windows OS DVD with the computer, with a newer computer, you do not get a disk (as I now have a computer without a Windows OS DVD after buying a Windows 7 computer. But I have partitioned my harddisk drive to several partitions (different Drive letter like F:, G:, H:, I:, and store a complete back up of the OS on one of those partitions. If the hard disk fails, I will perhaps use the recovery disk to read the backup on a partition that still can be read if put in as a second harddrive to mount the OS backup to the new hard drive. Otherwise you need to have all of that on DVD disk (which I still have to do as I stopped at Disk 4, and estimated that it would take around 10 DVD disk and some hours to make a complete backup of the OS on DVDs. I pretty sure that you have something to start up the computer but you are not recovering an OS that is on the hard disk, you are trying to put the complete OS on a new hard disk and with that you do not have it anywhere to do that with. I still would try and read the failed hard disk (by putting it back into the computer as a second harddisk) to see if you can access the files if possible to get the OS on the new hard-disk drive. That is all I can suggest. If you have a sticker on the side of your machine, then the number for the OS may be on that (I don't even think I have one on my new computer though - a Gateway, and I know I have one on my old computer yet to this day). ?? Otherwise it's call or e-mail Dell and see if they can suggest anything.

And actually I just bought a second new hard disk drive just for that main purpose, to store a compressed back up of the OS completely on that drive. If the first hard disk fails, then the second hard disk will be moved to be the first hard disk, but since it has no OS on it and only a back up, then I hope the recovery disk start up the computer and then restore the backup of the OS to what will not be the J:\ drive letter (as the second hard disk partition would probably start at and if a couple of partition be like J:\, K:\, etc.) but now be the C:\ primary partition (because the first partition is always or can be made as the Primary Partition (which is needed - the rest of it if not making the entire hard disk as a partition because if not using all of the harddisk the rest of it becomes a Extended Partition (all formatted) and then that will be the main hard disk until replacing the failed hard disk. Hope that is not all confusing to you.

Oops or actually the second hard disk will have the backup of the OS to put on a new first hard disk then with the recovery disks. Well, however it works which is what one has to do, make it work to restore the OS.

Don't know Mike.. Probably need to call dell. While it might be looking for a recovery partition, 2 DVD's should be enough for a system recovery to factory. What happens when you reboot? 

And just again thinking about it, Dell will probably want you to take your computer to a authorized Dell place or send the computer back to them, and hopefully you registered your computer so they have you are file as registered. I'm done, because that is what companies started doing - not supplying a Windows OS disk with the computer anymore. Blah!

Ah, Windows 7 takes around 40Gb and my back up on my computer (without really any programs there yet, just the OS mainly) is a 61.4Gb file compressed. That was with Windows 7 Backup and also the new Acronis program I got with the Seagate hard drive I just bought, both were a file around 61.4Gb. That is more than 2 DVD's, and like I said before - probably 10 or more DVDs, storing the OS on DVDs and not the hard drive.

It's late so I'm probably misunderstanding, but I believe Mike is trying to run the System Recovery DVD's that the dell utility created for him (basically a recovery partition on DVD's) and not a backup restore (tho that would have been nice to have).
Windows 7 install files easily fit on one DVD. 

But even if the DVD's work you may have a problem in that the partitions might install to be the same size as on the old hard drive
(because they were a partition image) instead of expanded to fit the 1TB new drive.

Let us know what dell has to say.

Mike, you might be faced with having to buy a copy of Windows & and doing a fresh install onto your new HDD

And then reinstall all of your music software - but there's nothing quite like a completely fresh install of everything!