Drive problems

[self.ed.geek]

Well the Dell I picked up from the University Surplus last September is having A problem. Mainly it won't boot up. I keep getting the following message.

Warning: Dell's Disk Monitoring System has detected that drive 0 on the primary EIDE controller is operating outside normal specifications. It is advisable to immediately back up your data and replace your hard disk drive by calling your support desk or Dell computer corporation.
Strike F1 to continue F2 to run setup utility.
A disk read error occured.
Press Ctrl+Alt+del to start


I do not have any OEM disks. The drive is a Maxtor 6E040L0. This pc is used exclusively for web browsing. It came with a bunch of nasty bugs. After diligently using Mcafee I realized there were more bugs so I uninstalled it and installed AVG, Spyware Blaster, Spybot Search and Destroy, HijackThis and Winpatrol. The box was humming along great until last month when it started making a loud noise and refusing to boot upright. After checking the cables everything was fine until this evening. Money is tight so I would rather try fixing this unit instead of investing in a new unit. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Nodsu]

You can't fix hard drives with a knife and some duct tape. You could test the HD with some manufacturer utility, but most likely the Dell SMART monitor is right and that HD is on its way out.

 

[self.ed.geek]

I don't have any oem disks. Should I get a drive from Dell, pick one up from Fry's Electronics or something else? Any suggestions welsome.

 

[Nodsu]

Well, someone must have OEM disks.. You could "borrow" one that matches your license sticker