Unfortunately, no BIOS at all, let alone recognition of the CD...so it's HDD=RIP, as soon as forensic team can get me my unsaved files back (yes, I do backups...just not in last few months---a lesson learned & all that.)

My next decision is to fix or buy: when dropped, upper left corner has slight dent + hairline crack which will most likely expand, meaning at some point lid won't close & maybe other stuff. Repair will probably run around $200, + price of new HDD ($90?). I like the Gateway but not a big fan of Vista, so I'm thinking, maybe just get a new laptop with SSD & Windows XP instead & begin again.