If the original hard drive is gone you will have to reinstall with a Windows 7 disc and the drivers downloaded from the Dell downloads.  When I worked on the Dell users support forum this was the procedure that needed to be used, if the user did not create a full hard drive (all partitions) backup with a program such as Acronis True Image. http://techpp.com/2009/11/11/download-windows-7-iso-official-direct-download-links/

You can download an iso version of Win 7 (download the exact same version you have, e.g. Win 7 64 bit) burn an iso DVD.  You can use the Win 7 product key from the tag on the PC.    If you don't have a DVD burning program that will burn an iso, download the free Imgburn.

Win 7 will install many drivers, however with the Dell prorietary OEM hardware some will not be correct, such as you will need the Dell sound driver.  Whatever drivers are needed you can download from www.support.dell.com  use your service tag number to access the downloads.  The "My Dell Downloads" will have any applications or utilities (e.g. whatever CD/DVD burning program that came with the PC).

Good Morning and thanks everyone!!!

Ill get hard at it this morning and keep you posted

Really appreciate the comments and help on this

Good luck Mike!

GREAT NEWS!!!

Not sure what all the sleeping was with the monitor but....

After yesterdays attempts and the final loading of the Recovery DVDs I posted and letting it sit all night, something apparently took.

When I went and checked it this morning it was still sitting there spinning away with the monitor asleep.

I hit the power button to see if it would power itself down, no change.

After watching it for a while after hitting the power button, I killed the main to my power conditioner and let it set until all the LEDs died.

Powered it back on and up came Windows with the First Time Use setup screen.  Followed the on-screen setup and its up and running.

I went in once Windows was back to a fresh clean install and running good and made new discs for Recovery.


The disks I have now

Recovery-2 DVDs
System Repair-1 DVD
System Image-4 DVDs

So in short-NOT sure what was happening but it finally worked out

THANKS EVERYONE for the thoughts and help!!!

Im off to get a second 2TB Barracuda and hopefully its install for extra storage will be MUCH easier

I would get a backup program, such as Acronis True Image (very popular) and first make a full backup of the hard drive (all partitions) to a separate hard drive.  Then do periodic (full) backups.  If the drive would either fail or just corrupt its an easy task to completely restore back to the status of the last backup. No more lost recording sessions, user data, programs, etc.

Thanks Fire!!!

Yeh Ive been seeing alot on here about Acronis.

I believe that exactly what Im going to do.

With the 2nd 2 TB HD installed for all the WAV files, etc...  Would that be a good place to store it or should I do something different.

I do have an extra space for a 3rd internal HD or I have an eSATA port on the back, but if it will work good on my storage one, Id like to stick with that.

Glad you're up and running Mike.

tKx5050


Glad you're up and running Mike.

Thanks & Thanks for the inputs

Good to hear, and yes there are "Power Settings" or sleep mode settings you can get up in Windows. One is "Never Off" or something like that where the monitor never goes off or into sleep mode, like anything else, like moving the mouse to wake up the computer. I never have the computer turn off into sleep mode - I have it "Shut Down" completely. For a hard disk, you can have it sleep say after 20 minutes of non-use to help preserve the hard disk so it is not on all the time. The rest of the computer you can set to never go into sleep mode, but that is me, I turn off my computer when I am not using it by shutting it down and not having anything go into sleep mode except the hard disk which is powered down if not using it.

Acronis (version lite supplied with the new hard disk drive from Seagate I just bought works well enough if not wanting to spring for the full program) works well, but Windows 7 also has a backup program that works about the same to store an image somewhere - second hard disk drive, DVDs and a lot of them, or removeable drive but that would also take up a lot of memory disk to use. D:\ drive is my DVD-rom drive, E:\ drive is the removeable storage USB type drive, and that is why when I make partitions on the hard drive by "shrinking" the original primary partition down in Windows by "Managing" the computer (right click on "Computer" and making sure it is "Defrag" ing the hard drive to "Shrink the hard disk partition in the first place (it may take several times of using Defrag before you can Shrink how they set it up in the first place) then that is the way I handle it, but how you handle it will be up to you. I need some coffee right now to fully wake up, Bye!