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View Full Version : COMPLETE PC Crash


Wildmog
02-20-2008, 02:17 PM
Hey guys! It's my first time posting, and any help would be greatly appreciated!

Ok, so all of a sudden, my computer starts running poorly. Applications take a long time to load and sound constantly reverberates(like when listening to music on ITunes).

Then, a few days later, I can no longer boot from my harddrive. So I get Windows Vista and try and do a fresh install, just getting rid of everything on the harddrive. It works for a day, but things are very unstable. It constantly locks up. Then, the following morning, I can no longer boot from the harddrive. Booting from the Vista disc gives me the option to repair the drive, which I do and things are back to (relative) normal. Things are unstable, but I'm able to use my computer. Of course, it locks up again and I can no longer boot from harddrive.

So I put in the Vista disc again, hoping to just repair the drive, but Vista no longer recognizes a harddrive. So I can't repair the drive or load an OS

Is this a harddrive issue that can be fixed with just replacing the HD, or is it something else?

My specs are
AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 dual-core processor 3800+

* 2.0 GB
* 2000 MHz front side bus
* L2 cache: 512 KB x2
Hitachi 250 GB 7200RPM PATA Hard Drive
1024 MB 400 MHz (PC3200) DDR memory (two 512 MB modules)

mjc
02-20-2008, 03:21 PM
How old is this machine?

How old is the hard drive?

Does the BIOS recognize the drive?

awaj
02-20-2008, 03:23 PM
You can download a live Linux CD (Ubuntu is usually recomended, and downloaded from here (http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download)) If Ubuntu has problems seeing the drive (If windows wasn't shut down properly, you will have to force mount the drive, but it should still show up) then it is hardware. You do not have to install linux either, it just runs right off of a CD.

Wildmog
02-20-2008, 04:29 PM
The machine shipped in December of 2005. And the BIOS doesn't recognize the harddrive

mjc
02-20-2008, 05:26 PM
OK...if the BIOS is not seeing the drive then it is most likely a dead drive...most drives have a three year warranty. You should be able to get the warranty specs and diagnostics from the manufacturer's website.