Bad hard drive?

[passingcomp]

Hi everyone. Got a problem with my Windows ME laptop that I've had now for 3.5 years. Lately my hard drive seems to be making some loud popping noises every now and then. A couple of days ago when I went to turn the computer on, the computer gave me an error message regarding a file...the message flashed so quick that I cannot make out the name of the file except that it starts with 'at' and ends with 'dx', and then the computer shuts itself off. I called Dell since I purchased it from them and they ran a diagnostics on the hard drive and there was an error on the read test. Because of this, they said my hard drive is no longer good, and that I need to buy a new hard drive. When I run msconfig and do a 'selective startup' only unchecking running system.ini files, I am able to start the computer, get into windows, and am able to run some programs, but with only half a screen and 16 colors. I was wondering if I really needed a new hard drive or is Dell trying to get a quick sale from me. I told them that I was very disappointed in that I was not very abusive to the hard drive, and was confused as to why it decided to go bad. They told me that on average a hard drive lasts between 3 and 4 years. Is this true? If there is a problem with the hard drive, can I still use it until it decides to no longer work anymore? Would reformating or reinstalling windows enable me to start the computer once again in 'normal' startup mode as opposed to 'selective' startup mode? How much does a new hard drive go for? If they are expensive, would not like to spend on a new hard drive right now as I'm on a tight budget. Thanks for any feedback on this.

[degsy]

Welcome :)

It would seem that at the point where the drive is corrupted is a VDX file.
They often cause problems if they become corrupted.


Try booting into DOS using a WinME Startup disk and perform a Thourough Scan Disk.

See if it brings up any errors.


If the drive is bad then it could go at any minute so get a backup of any needed files before it's gone.


Theoretically, if there are only certain parts of the disk that are bad then the disk will still work, disregarding those bad parts.
I wouldn't chance it through.

[passingcomp]

Hi Degs...I ran the thorough scandisk and it seems that during the surface scan, it gets held up at cluster 166,583 when it starts to make the same popping noise, and would continue until it passed cluster 166,615. There were no data on these bad clusters and when it asked to fix some of them, I did. Apparently it appears the clusters are bad between 166,583 and 166,615. It fixed about a dozen after the first run of the scandisk, but not all of them as it did not ask to fix them all. It seems to me that if I wanted to fix them all, I would have to run more half hour scandisks (the time it takes to reach the bad clusters) until it decides to want to fix all the remaining bad clusters in that range. After the first complete scandisk was finished, it did mention that the C drive sustained physical damage which might have been caused by a power failure, and that it was a sign of impending hardware failure, and should be checked by a qualified comp technician as soon as possible if more physical errors occur. So I guess it's time to get a new hard drive, huh? Steve

[degsy]

You can get more indepth diagnostics.

Check the HDD manufacturers site for their disk tools.

[passingcomp]

Degs, I spoke to Dell Computer who sold me the laptop and they had me run a diagnostics, an IDE Device test on Disk 0 (whatever that means), where the read test failed telling them that I needed a new hard drive. Is what your suggesting something completely different? Steve

[degsy]

You can get more indepth diagnostics.

Check the HDD manufacturers site for their disk tools.
I simply suggested that you could try a Diagnostic yourself for a second opinion.

It does sound as though the drive is failing though.

[passingcomp]

ok...I think I'm just going to get a new hard drive. Dell was offering a 10gig and 30gig HD for $159. I guess that's a pretty good price.

[degsy]

Do you want two seperate drives?

You can get a 40gb drive for $60.
Probably cheaper from a local store.

[passingcomp]

Degs...not too familiar with hardware...will check out the local store in town before I buy anything else from Dell. thanks for the feedback. Steve

[passingcomp]

Degs or anybody else who wants to comment...there are so many hard drive manufacturers out there...Fujitsu, IBM, Toshiba, etc...is there a particular manufacturer that makes the best as far as performance and life? My current hard drive only lasted 3.5 years and I'm hoping my next one will last twice as long. Can anybody make a recommendation? I shopped around town and the cheapest price I could find was a 20GB for $95. Thanks in advance.

[degsy]

They're all pretty decent.
I used to use Western Digital, but they became too expensive.

I now use Maxtor drives and have had no problems.