Hi Brit. The warning about the cable not being connected is usually caused by power missing from either the B+ [Pin 16] or Ign Pwr [Pin 9] of the diagnostic connector. That could also happen if the connector terminals are damaged or sprung so there is poor contact. So check that, and also the fuse that powers those pins.
The WDS sounds like you had a hard drive fail. You can hunt on Ebay for a 6GB or 8GB IDE drive, no bigger than that, or search the Forum and you'll find where some have made a solid state drive work in the PTU.

Good Luck!
Steve