Hard Drive Failure?

trvmcnevan · Dec 2, 2007, 08:09 PM

Hey all,
Hope this is the right forum.
I believe one of the household pc's hard drive is failing. Here are the symptoms:

Lately it has been slowing down considerably
Occasionally it will emit a clicking sound
It has been displaying different errors

All symptoms seem to be occurring more frequently. My only problem is the family doesn't believe that the hard drive is failing since the computer is only a few years old. So, I thought I'd ask if there is anything else that could be going wrong here. The desktop is a HP Media Center PC m127n. Check disk has been run. Thanks in advance!
- TM

cozumel · Dec 2, 2007, 08:35 PM

Hi

A clicking hard drive is nearly always an omen of what is to come. If I was you I would get a new HDD asap.

Before you do though restart your computer in safe mode and choose run from the start menu. Type in "CHKDSK C: /F /R" (omitting the two quotation marks) and press return key. While it is running it may ask you something like "convert lost links to files". If it does so then accept. After it finishes running restart your computer and if it is still clicking get a new drive.

To be honest though, I would probably be getting a new hard drive regardless and running my system from there or using it as a backup drive.

Edit: Oops. Just noticed you already ran chkdsk.
This brings me to back-ups. It is always good practice to keep a backup hdd drive, either internal or external, to safeguard against any catastophic failure that ultimately loses all your important data and documents.

Hope this helps and well spotted. Tell your family that HDD's do not have an indefinite life and that you did indeed notice the impending doom.

BlueMak · Dec 2, 2007, 08:41 PM

LOL. An HDD can fail at any time in its life, be it a few years a few weeks or a few minutes.
Better back up anything you are going to need asap.

**kris23** · Dec 2, 2007, 09:13 PM

3rd party computers are crap man.... they get OEM models of hard drives, some aren't models that are available in a regular store, got no individual parts warranty either...

back up the drive, get a new one, don't let people steer you into the wrong direction and let you lose all your data.

if a drive gives off errors, its bad.... simple as that. some dont even gotta make noise to die.

Skull · Dec 2, 2007, 10:21 PM

The noise you describe is a good indication of the first signs of a platter dying, back up all the important content on the drive ASAP (to another drive or DVD if you dont have another drive).

They really aren't that expensive now so its not a huge outlay, even if it is inconvenient. Unfortunately there is no set time on when a drive will die, some have popped their clogs in a few weeks, others have lasted 10+ years.

I do suggest you keep the drives cool, excessive heat can cause issues, as the moving parts inside them expand and contract more.

mike2h · Dec 2, 2007, 10:33 PM

not much to add, pretty much covered above. just get that new drive asap. if its been more than 3yrs a clean install wouldnt hurt either - nothing to do with your hd probs, just a good thing to do when you have several peeps on one comp.

H3X4D3C1M4L · Dec 22, 2007, 11:55 PM

Ugh, if it was run 24/7 style in a cramped, hot, not well ventilated media center PC then the fact that it lasted a few years for them should be good enough.

Hard drives are much more of a commodity these days so they're not built to last quite as long as the good ol' days.

Being that hard drives are so cheap (I just got a 500GB WD Caviar SE16 for $98 CDN - less than 20 cents per gig!) its easier to replace it than to lose the data

**Mousey** · Dec 23, 2007, 12:02 AM

It doesn't matter how old a computer is, the parts are always susceptible to dying, often spontaneously and with not a lot of warning.
It just so happens that HDDs don't like to die quietly

Buy another hard drive, slap it in and start the machine, back up the documents/pictures/music ect then take out the existing one and install windows on the new one, this will allow you to use the dying hdd as a secondary which won't be too much of a disaster when it does die.

anyways i've had too much sugar and it's 00:02, good luck

Dec 2, 2007, 08:09 PM	#1
trvmcnevan DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 14 Rep Power: 0	Hard Drive Failure? Hey all, Hope this is the right forum. I believe one of the household pc's hard drive is failing. Here are the symptoms: Lately it has been slowing down considerably Occasionally it will emit a clicking sound It has been displaying different errors All symptoms seem to be occurring more frequently. My only problem is the family doesn't believe that the hard drive is failing since the computer is only a few years old. So, I thought I'd ask if there is anything else that could be going wrong here. The desktop is a HP Media Center PC m127n. Check disk has been run. Thanks in advance! - TM __________________ "In this world you can be oh, so smart or oh, so pleasant. For years I was smart. I recommend pleasant."

Dec 2, 2007, 08:35 PM	#2
cozumel I'm dangerous but cute... Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Under the waves... Posts: 3,577 Rep Power: 60 System Specs	Hi A clicking hard drive is nearly always an omen of what is to come. If I was you I would get a new HDD asap. Before you do though restart your computer in safe mode and choose run from the start menu. Type in "CHKDSK C: /F /R" (omitting the two quotation marks) and press return key. While it is running it may ask you something like "convert lost links to files". If it does so then accept. After it finishes running restart your computer and if it is still clicking get a new drive. To be honest though, I would probably be getting a new hard drive regardless and running my system from there or using it as a backup drive. Edit: Oops. Just noticed you already ran chkdsk. This brings me to back-ups. It is always good practice to keep a backup hdd drive, either internal or external, to safeguard against any catastophic failure that ultimately loses all your important data and documents. Hope this helps and well spotted. Tell your family that HDD's do not have an indefinite life and that you did indeed notice the impending doom. __________________ Don't worry about money - Be a beach bum! Scuba Rocks Last edited by cozumel; Dec 2, 2007 at 09:00 PM.

Dec 2, 2007, 08:41 PM	#3
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,465 Rep Power: 349 System Specs	LOL. An HDD can fail at any time in its life, be it a few years a few weeks or a few minutes. Better back up anything you are going to need asap. __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

Dec 2, 2007, 09:13 PM	#4
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,018 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	3rd party computers are crap man.... they get OEM models of hard drives, some aren't models that are available in a regular store, got no individual parts warranty either... back up the drive, get a new one, don't let people steer you into the wrong direction and let you lose all your data. if a drive gives off errors, its bad.... simple as that. some dont even gotta make noise to die. __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Dec 2, 2007, 10:33 PM	#6
mike2h DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: norcal Posts: 6,483 Rep Power: 91 System Specs	not much to add, pretty much covered above. just get that new drive asap. if its been more than 3yrs a clean install wouldnt hurt either - nothing to do with your hd probs, just a good thing to do when you have several peeps on one comp. __________________

Dec 2, 2007, 10:21 PM	#5
Skull Boney Admin Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: somewhere over the rainbow Posts: 659 Rep Power: 59	The noise you describe is a good indication of the first signs of a platter dying, back up all the important content on the drive ASAP (to another drive or DVD if you dont have another drive). They really aren't that expensive now so its not a huge outlay, even if it is inconvenient. Unfortunately there is no set time on when a drive will die, some have popped their clogs in a few weeks, others have lasted 10+ years. I do suggest you keep the drives cool, excessive heat can cause issues, as the moving parts inside them expand and contract more.

Dec 22, 2007, 11:55 PM	#7
H3X4D3C1M4L DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 6,794 Rep Power: 0	Ugh, if it was run 24/7 style in a cramped, hot, not well ventilated media center PC then the fact that it lasted a few years for them should be good enough. Hard drives are much more of a commodity these days so they're not built to last quite as long as the good ol' days. Being that hard drives are so cheap (I just got a 500GB WD Caviar SE16 for $98 CDN - less than 20 cents per gig!) its easier to replace it than to lose the data

Dec 23, 2007, 12:02 AM	#8
Mousey Synth's Long Lost Bro Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Web Design Hell Posts: 7,189 Rep Power: 245 System Specs	It doesn't matter how old a computer is, the parts are always susceptible to dying, often spontaneously and with not a lot of warning. It just so happens that HDDs don't like to die quietly Buy another hard drive, slap it in and start the machine, back up the documents/pictures/music ect then take out the existing one and install windows on the new one, this will allow you to use the dying hdd as a secondary which won't be too much of a disaster when it does die. anyways i've had too much sugar and it's 00:02, good luck __________________