Can a drive that was swiped be operational again?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
By "swiped" do you mean wiped? As in you erased everything on the drive? Because if that's what you meant, then there's almost nothing you can do to get the files back. It's still 100% operational (unless there's something else wrong with it), you will just have to install Windows/ OS X/ Linux on it again.
 

The drive was wiped clean. Now when I turn it on all I get is no boot device available. I've gone through all the menu options with no success.
 


Right. A wiped drive has nothing on it.
Nothing to boot from.

You need to obtain and install an OS on it.
 
I have the cd in the drive and can't get it to boot from it either. I've tried to disconnect the HDD, leaving only the DVD drive available and I get the same message. Thanks for taking the time to help. I am clueless.
 


You need to look in the BIOS as to what the boot order is.
Also, is it a properly burned DVD? Where did you obtain it from?
 


 
It is the original cd that comes with the computer (dell optiplex 380). When I look in the BIOS I can move the cd/dvd drive to the top and it comes back up with the same message. No boot device available. I've tried to uncheck the hard drive, and that made no difference either. We have several computers in our office that were wiped clean by IT. It did not occur to me to ask for one before they were wiped clean, I am just trying to see if one can be repaired in order to give it to a needy student. The CDis the Dell recovery CD with Windows 7. Im not looking to recover any files, just get it back to working condition.
 
You can't load a new OS from recovery disks. You need to purchase a new copy of Windows in order to get it back. That's what happens when you wipe a hard drive: it erases every single thing. A new copy of Windows 7/ 8 is around $90. If you ask your IT they might have an extra copy of Windows that you can buy off of them for less.
 


I cant get it to reponed to any cd i put into the drive.
 


if i buy a new OS on a cd, how can i install it when it will not boot up?
 
It won't boot because there's nothing for it to boot into. The computer turns on right? That's not what you meant by "boot" is it?
What you could do to see if the computer is damaged, is download a copy of Linux and put it on a CD and boot onto that (Linux is a free OS). If it can do that, then you just need a new copy of windows.