Crap.

Well today has been just peachy. Turned on the computer today to be greeted with the blue screen of death. Longstory short, I can no longer use my computer AT ALL.
Basically the hard drive isn't registering. I've opened the computer to check the connections, as well as removed and reconnected them, so there is nothing at all wrong there as far as I or my techie housemate can tell.
I've tried using the Windows XP disk to fix the drivers etc, but as the hard drive isn't being recognised it is stopping there and then. I ca't even boot up in Safe Mode because, again, the hard drive apparently isn't there.

For the record, I have a Dell. Getting a new hard drive isn't that much of an option.

I phoned up the tech support and in the end they couldn't really help me either, since they'd suggested all thing things that I'd already tried. I went through the BIOS and various other options that are presented on startup, and nothing works.
So yeah, the hard drive is dead. I haven't backed up my files in a while so I've likely lost a fair amount of work, plus any commissions and other artwork I have started.

Yeah. I'm pissed about that.

It's annoying to realise just how dependent I am on my computer. Can't CG, can't do commissions easily, can't do project work easily, can't listen to music (only my walkman), can't use MSN to talk to people and I really need to talk to some people about some things. I'm on my housemate's computer right now to write this out, so I'm letting you all know that I probably won't be online regularly/much for a while to come until I get all of this sorted out.