no bootable devices!!!1

[mbrad]

Hello again, less than a month later my laptop is giving me grief again, i'm not sure how it happened so i'll just explain the sequence.
Laptop(dell inspiron 1525 windows vista) running great, opened an email from a work colleague (not a saved contact) containing a spreadsheet, laptop froze within a minute, shut itself down and when i try to re start it it is saying no bootable devices.
Not sure if the 2 are related ut i accessed the email through my phone and that has started crashing more than usual , probably just coincidence.
Anyway i was advised to turn off updates after my last issue (see previous post by me ) and did, i had not managed to get back on here so didnt notice the advice given at the end of that thread.
Any help would be greatly appreciated and when i can get back on the laptop i will follow the advice left for meon previous thread.
Many thanks again

 

[joinerjohn]

It sounds like the hard drive has given up the ghost, although I suppose a virus can't be ruled out. Ask your work colleague if he's unwittingly picked up a virus that's accessed his address book and sent itself to you.
You could also try downloading Ubuntu to a usb stick and booting the lappy off that. You'd have to set the bios to boot from usb as the first device though. Then you can possibly access the HDD (assuming it's working)

 

[Maxatoria]

Always worth taking out the hard drive and reseating it as sometimes the connections can get a bit lose.

 

[spinynorman]

If you have access to a PC with spare power and SATA connectors you can connect your laptop's drive temporarily to try to run antivirus and diagnostic programs and backup your personal data. As an alternative method, USB to SATA interfaces are available on ebay for a few pounds.

 

[mbrad]

Thanks for the replies, i tried to boot from a flash drive but nothing worked so off to the shop i went.
Hard drive gone!! I got it replaced for £75 and all the software re-installed and the laptop is running great. Thanks again