Nonwithstanding that it was the 3rd hard drive to die in a month, when I went to buy a new one, the car broke down on the return. And by broke down I mean the gear got stuck in 2nd. Fortunately it is a stick and I could safely stop the car to get it towed by the roadside assistance. I'll know more Monday when the dealership is actually open: the car is still under warranty.

Since you can read this, that means the hard drive is back in and he machine back up.