Need help...computer won't boot?

Question

This has nothing to do with previous questions of mine. This is my friends computer so all the information I have will be in this question.
Hes been having this problem for a while now, but now its kinda permanent. it used to act weird alot, which would result in windows needing to be reinstalled. Then there was a boot.ini problem which I fixed through the windows install CD, which was about 2 months ago. Now theres more problems.

As in, it won't start now. It goes to the bootup screen asking how you want to start windows, and regardless of what you use, it goes to the scan disk section and scans, finding errors in the 2000 sectors and the 15000-16000 sectors each time. Which it then won't start, it just goes to the Stop screen, - Stop oxooooooED Unmountable boot Volume. I looked it up, and the solutions arent going to help. Microsoft said the IDE cable could be the wrong one, or the bios is reading it as the wrong one. But, its from Dell, and it has never been upgraded..

I used the windows cd to do the recover part that microsoft said, using the recovery console, then hitting chkdsk \r, the exit and reboot. But, when I get to the screen where the command prompt should be, it says "log onto which windows?" or something. Above it has C:\ Windows...but I cant type anything except a single letter or number. I tried them all, nothing works.

Then I used the test part of the cd, and it tested things, and failed on the...4th one I believe. Its the Start DSI Short Test - Failed - Error :1000-0146. Then it beeps and has to restart.

Is it a software problem or is it hardware? Like, is the hard drive dying or dead?

I ran the diagnostics...I think...I cant remember now. BUt thats where I got the Start DSI Short test error. It was the 4th test. And I dont know how to test the drive without starting windows. I can't actually load it cause it freezes or I recieve a STOP error.

Answer 1

run the diagnostics and see if there is an error with the hard drive. if there is, don't waste any more time and get a new hd. if everything is ok, transfer his files out by hooking up his hd to an enclosure and format the hd.