Thanks to Automatic updates, I have to reinstall windows after just having finished reinstalling winows. Thankfully I have 2 HDDs which allowed me to do this, but the problem I am having now is when I have the 1 HDD plugged in that had all the automatic update's on it, the computer wont boot. I just want to wipe that HDD but I cant seem to get the computer to not hang when I have the other HDD on.

That may sound confusing so i'll put it like this.

HDD 1 had window automatic updates on it

HDD 2 was completely clean

HDD 1 lost it's ability to boot up windows

I unplugged HDD 1 and reinstalled windows on HDD 2.

Now, with HDD 2 plugged in ALONE windows will boot. Even in the order of HDD 2 in the SATA 0 spot and HDD 1 in the SATA 1 spot, the system still will not boot if I have HDD 1 plugged in, period.

Perhaps I am over looking a setting in the BIOS? Just need a little help with this one and then i'll address my Automatic Updates problem later.

go to ur bios and look for BOOT settings...u should see the order in which the bios looks for a boot loader....set HDD 2 to first priority then it should boot fine with both drivers plugged in.

I tried this and it still didnt work. I had someone on the Dell forums read an error code on the HDD that came back from a diagnostic. It seems the code reads back a bad hard drive.

So that's - 1 (250 gig) Hard Drive. Thanks Windows Automatic Updates! Couldnt had kill it without you!

Plug in HDD 1 only and set BIOS to boot from CD / DVD. Insert the Windows disk and format the HDD. Then plug in HDD 2 an set the system to boot from it.

by formatting Ritwik7 means that just format the drive and NOT install Windows on it

This is not an option as when the hard drive is plugged in windows won't boot, even from the CD.

Update : ran a diagnotic, someone who knows what the diagnotic codes mean looked at it and explains the trouble code I got ment the HDD is toast. Feel free to delete this thread moderator.