View Full Version : Hard Drive, A complete failure
I was away from the computer after lightly using it on the web, I came back several hours later to find the computer sitting on the desktop, I went to click on the start menu and everything on the desktop disappeared, then it just froze, im using XP Pro and the computer has never froze so I knew somthing was up, I turned it off and I turned it back on and i heard weird noises coming from inside the case, and it POSTed and went to boot and it found nothing to boot to, so i turn it off again and turn it back on and press F10 and i find that there is no long any HDD at all in BIOs even, I called up Compaq/HP and they said that it sounded like an Electrical/Mechanical Error, what can i do to prevent this???? I defrag almost every other day, i Run Norton Disk Doctor about once a month, What do you think actually happened to the HDD???? It was like loud clunking noises! Well Thanks in advance for any help you can offer! Until then I got 3-5 business days to wait for my new HDD
Whyzman
08-29-2002, 10:50 AM
Every once and a while there seems to be a HDD with aspirations to become something more...like perhaps a saw blade. Purring along nearly vibrationless just doesn't seem to "cut it" anymore. :rolleyes:
Sounds to me like your assessment of a faulty HDD is accurate. What to do for 5 days...hmmmm, read any good books lately! ;) :D
Budfred
08-29-2002, 10:53 AM
If it was a mechanical error, there probably isn't much that you can do to prevent it. HDs are remarkably reliable these days, but they do fail sometimes. The best bet is to keep backups of important files so that you can recover when you get your new HD.;)
You can take the deceased HD to some shops where they can recover lost data, but they tend to be expensive.
Good luck,
Budfred
Sylvander
08-29-2002, 10:55 AM
Hello Elad
Go into the BIOS setup and set your hard-drive to "Auto" [i.e. to "Dynamically Auto-Detect"]. In fact, set ALL your drives to "Auto". Then save & exit setup and during the re-boot look carefully to see what details are displayed on-screen about the drives which the BIOS has found. This is a much better way than manually specifying your drive parameters or even "Static Detection" of the drive parameters [BIOS "IDE HDD Auto Detection" section]. At every boot the drives will be detected and the findings displayed and you can see that all is well [or not].
If your system is presently not working because the drive parameters kept memorised in the CMOS have been lost this may fix it.
How old is your CMOS battery? Does it need replaced?
I said elswhere on the forum that I thought I'd read somewhere that having incorrect drive parameters set in the BIOS could do physical damage [to the drive perhaps?] and some doubted that but your loud noises may be confirmation of that.
Thanks for the replys, the CMOS battery is less than a year old, along with the whole computer, I checked the IDE Cables/Power Cables I checked to make sure it was attached to the mobo as well, but it came out of nowhere, I didnt mess with any of the default Compaq settings and it just "blew up" not really it just started making a ton of noise and it wont even load up windows its like COMPLETELY DEAD! :( :( :( :( :( :(
Sylvander
08-29-2002, 04:30 PM
Hello Elad
Of course your computer is not "COMPLETELY DEAD!"
You said "there is no long[er] any HDD at all IN THE BIOS EVEN".
So of course "it POSTed and went to boot and it FOUND NOTHING TO BOOT TO".
If there are no [correct] HDD parameters listed [in the BIOS setup] or it is not set to auto-detect the parameters, then as far as the PC is concerned the HDD does not exist, and of course it cannot boot from a drive that does not exist!
SO DID YOU CHECK FOR THEM! IN THE BIOS SETUP.
This, of course, is done at a stage during startup, before the PC tries to boot from the HDD.
Yes I checked in BIOS and my OEM MOBO does not come with very in depth BIOS settings, so I found none
gwallen4
08-30-2002, 11:04 PM
Yep. Your hard drive is dead. You may have killed it with too many defrags (just kidding).
You really don't need to defrag at all unless your computer slows down while you're trying to play some new game. I have a Win98 comp with hundreds of programs loaded, including some pretty intensive games, that I've used solidly for two years without defragging.
Defragging has been recommended by gaming enthusiasts if a game is running slow. You defrag, then reinstall the game, so that all parts of the game are located on the same area of the HD (faster access).
Some HD's just die for no reason - don't blame yourself.
Sylvander
08-31-2002, 05:20 AM
Hello Elad
Are you saying that you went into the BIOS setup, "IDE HDD Auto detection" and tried to "Statically Auto Detect" the hard drive and no parameters were displayed for the "Primary Master" [or whichever position the jumpers have it set to] in "Standard CMOS Setup"?
You say you checked that all the cable connections were good.
Did you check that the jumper was in place?
May hap you should try switching power cables with another device and try a new signal cable? Try connecting a borrowed hard drive [but don't allow it to boot] and see if it can be detected in the BIOS. If it is then your power and signal cables are ok.
jabarnutcase
08-31-2002, 06:25 AM
Don't you hate that sound. :eek:
I have had a few hard drives go in my day. I even learned to be better about backing up my important data! (After the first couple! :D )
Sometimes, there were warning signs..Strange noises before it died, slow data access, bad sectors, etc. Hmmm...Yep, the "loud clunking noise" comes to mind on one of them!
Other times, they just got up one day and decided life wasn't worth living anymore...No warning whatsoever.
BTW- The warranty on hard drives is usually pretty long. Did you ask about that? You could get a freebee.
Anyway, enjoy the book! :)
About that Book!!!! Thanks to compaq I didnt have to resort to reading a book :D, (I do enough of that in school), The whole computer was still under warranty and Compaq sent me the HDD for free. The Rep said that it would take 3-5 business days, so im figuring atleast 5 days (no faith). Heres a little background first, The HDD Failed around 6 P.M. on Wednesday, I didnt get around to calling Compaq till around 11, they took my adress and everything. I went to school that day, came home and went fishing (keep mind off of computer). Went to school the next day (friday) and came home and dad informed me the HDD showed up around 10:30 that morning, I was like WOW! It was awesome i figured i still had atleast 3 days left of waiting. GOTTA LOVE COMPAQ!!!
jabarnutcase
08-31-2002, 04:48 PM
Man! I just love a story with a happy ending! :D
Budfred
08-31-2002, 04:52 PM
I used to have a Compaq and I learned to hate them. It was one of their techs that told me to reformat and reload to correct a problem that was later fixed quite easily. (I didn't do the reformat/reload). I have learned that the quality of customer service has more to do with the luck of the draw than the company. If you get a good rep, you'll get your HDD the next day. If you get the more typical rep, you may get your HDD after several more calls. Congratulations on winning the rep lottery!!:D
Having said that, some companies are better than others. The best rep can't do much in a company that doesn't really support good service.
Budfred
Whyzman
08-31-2002, 04:58 PM
Do they tell you who the original manufacturer of the HDD is, or does it just have HP stamped all over it?
jabarnutcase
08-31-2002, 05:14 PM
"I know what you're thinkin...Was it a Maxtor? Well, to tell you the truth, I kinda forgot myself in all this excitement. But being this here's a Compaq, one of the most powerful companies in the world and could blow your computer clean apart...you've got to ask yourself one question, Do I feel lucky? Well do ya???"
:D
HeHe- Hi WYZMN-Just couldn't resist. You always seem very interested as to the brand when someones hard drive fails. :D
Whyzman
08-31-2002, 05:25 PM
jabar,
Yep, you're reading my mind...a very scary thought indeed!:rolleyes: :D
Another Maxtor gone South...Hmmmm, or East would do with that line! hehe
jabarnutcase
08-31-2002, 05:36 PM
Don't worry, I'm smiling about the "East would "....But resisting. :D
I still haven't gotten over the egg fiasco. :p:D
Whyzman
08-31-2002, 05:50 PM
Goochie goochie goo! ;)
You guys are hilarious! Yup it was a Maxtor. Now i have some HDD that i've never heard of before but it has this cool little rubber sleeve around it to prevent vibration and "chatter", I thought it was a prettty cool inovation, and it seems to make the computer a little quieter.
What are the chances of winning the Rep Lottery??? I've called twice, once for a modem issue and once for the HDD. The Rep didnt help at all with the modem but the HDD was great.
Now for some horror stories. Ok on my friends Dell loaded with ME we needed to do a format. (this is before i knew how to)So we called them up and we got some middle eastern guy (Im not predjudiced), but he should atleast be able to speak decent english before they let him become part of the "elite" Dell rep community. So im trying to decipher what this guy is saying, im serious guys I had to tell him "umm could you repeat that please", and some things I couldnt figure out even after him repeating it 2-3 times so I would just say Ok. Then we had to call about his Floppy drive dying and I swear I got another one that couldnt speak english very well, so it was another struggle It was horrible, So far with Compaq i've gotten all-american reps!
jabarnutcase
09-01-2002, 10:39 AM
Hear that WYZMN? -It was a Maxtor!!! :eek:
Elad- Glad you got it sorted out. Boy, sure wish I had your luck when it comes to reps!
I'm lucky if I get to speak to a human , let alone someone that I can understand! :D
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