Does this sound like the harddrive died

[swannyj]

Sony VAIO, XP Home Edition, Dual Processor, Model #VGC RA840G
The PC is about 5 yrs. old

I walked away from my PC while uploading some pics. When I returned the screen was on the "VAIO" screen (usually is shown a few seconds while booting). When I try to reboot the harddrive working light lights up, there is a beep, the VAIO screen appears and the harddrive working light no longer shows harddrive is working. Does this indicate harddrive failure? I opened the unit and it appears all cables are connected.

How to determine if it is the harddrive......install a new one? If my next step is to install a new harddrive is there any specific specs I need to pay attention to? I know the unit is set up to add additional harddrives so I am hoping this means it is set up to accept pretty much any harddrive.
So, am I on the right track or should I be looking at something else?

Suggestions/guidance will be greatly appreciated!

[classicsoftware]

You need to find out of your drive is IDE or Sata. Once you do, any 2.5" drive should be fine... Then we can try to salvage the data on your current drive.

[swannyj]

Thanks for the reply. I found the specs on line & it is listed as; 250GB2 7200rpm SATA (RAID ready) Evidently it is a 3.5 " drive as the specs indicate it could accept 3 3.5 drives
Any suggestions on a replacement drive (mid price range) . Brand? what to stay away from?
I'll pick one up tomorrow. Glad to hear there is at least a possibility of recovering some data (pics).

[classicsoftware]

Desktop or laptop? I prefer Western Digital...

[swannyj]

Desktop. I'll look for a WD.

[Paul Komski]

Glad to hear there is at least a possibility of recovering some data (pics).I always think the first step is to see if the drive is detected in the BIOS setup. If not then the drive should be confirmed as being non-detectable by being "slaved" into another PC or attached via a USB cable/converter.

If the drive is not detected in these ways there is very little hope of DIY recovery. If it is so detected there is a good chance and a Knoppix Live CD (as in my sig) can be one way of retrieving data from it.

[swannyj]

Paul, thanks for the explanation. Currently I am not able to get to BIOS setup.

I'm a novice, as if you can't tell, but would like to give it a go. After installing, should I proceed on with the system disk to try to install the OS and software or will I need to do something else first?

[Paul Komski]

The usual reason for not being able to get into the BIOS setup is when there is an incomplete or failed POST (Power On Self Test) though the single Beep you hear on start-up implies that the POST is OK. Such failures can be due to ANY faulty piece of hardware and not just a hard drive. That is one of the reasons for suggesting removing the hard drive and trying it in another computer; either directly attached to the motherboard appropriately or by a USB Adapter (http://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-USB-DSC5-3-5-Inch-Converter-Adapter/dp/B000HJ99DI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1253345279&sr=8-1) or an appropriate USB Enclosure.

If you can get into the BIOS with the hard drive removed but not with it attached then that would tend to confirm that the hard drive has failed - but I would still then try accessing it from another PC for confirmation since, for example, it could also be caused by a faulty power supply or cable or an intrinsic fault of the motherboard itself.

It is perhaps worth stating that SATA cable connectors (both power and data) have an intrinsic bad design and very easily work loose - particularly on systems a few years old.

[swannyj]

Definitely hear the beep, then after a second or so a click and the HD light goes off. I have ordered the USB adapter from Amazon. Hope to get it Tuesday.
Is there anything else I can do to check other components or is the HD the first step? In the mean time I will spend time in the forum trying to educate myself.

[Paul Komski]

Is there anything else I can do to check other components or is the HD the first step?A common way to check components is to simply swap them for known good ones. There are some components that can be tested (such as memory and indeed hard drives) but the hard drive must first be recognised by the system to be able to then test it. A Bare-Bones-Boot (http://paulski.com/zpages.php?id=1718) is another standard way of trying to identify faulty hardware.

[swannyj]

O.k., I'm embarrassed but I'm going to fess up in the hopes other novices may benefit. After removing the harddrive I decided to clean the PC and opened the door enclosing the memory readers and realized there was an SD card in the slot. Removed it, put the HD back, and now all is well.

Paul & Classicsoftware, thanks for your willingness to help.....I'm sure at some point I will be back with pleas for help but you can bet I'll do a little more problem solving before doing so. Thank you for putting up with novices.

[Fruss Tray Ted]

That`s very nice of you to reply for the benefit of others. I would have never thought it would be an SD card as none of my PC`s have them built into the tower/case. Thanks and enjoy learning/reading this site. It (well, the gurus here) has taught me p-l-e-n-t-y-! :p

[Paul Komski]

I echo Fruss TT's comments and there is absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about.

Not sure what goes on with flash memory drives but it is certainly true that they can on occasions prevent normal boot ups. I have seen it most often when the drives/readers are attached to a USB hub but even ordinary thumb drives in a normal USB slot can affect things somethimes. Possibly the BIOS attempts to boot from them or gets confused in some sort of way on more modern systems that ostensibly support booting to USB devices. If that were the case it would at least explain the successful POST beep.