If your hard drive is damaged, what would you do?

Reba said:
When I reboot, before Windows loads, I get a command line message screen about the HD failure, and to press F2 to continue loading.
Click to expand...

Check the wire connection to the hard drive. I had bad connector at one point and I got a similar error. It's possible the data connector can become lose.

Sounds like you have backed up the data. If you can get it booted, there are utilities that will check hard drive integrity.

Also, I bought a HD replacement kit which allows me to hook up the drive to a running PC. If you can't start at all, this is a way to access HD data without booting from it.

Something like this:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Har...w:l&tbm=shop&start=20&spd=3583069549901306161
 
Update:

We replaced the HD.

I reloaded Windows 7 Pro, Office 2010, MS Project 2013, Access, and IDrive (cloud backup). I used the external drive backup (Windows Easy Transfer) to install the settings and files. Things went OK; it just takes a loooooonnng time for all that stuff to load. Hours and hours . . .

I had backup disks and key codes for the OS and all the other software.

Installed the printers.

When I did the shutdown, there were over 213 updates to install.

So far, so good. Everything seems to be OK. :)
 
VacationGuy234 said:
Check the wire connection to the hard drive. I had bad connector at one point and I got a similar error. It's possible the data connector can become lose.

Sounds like you have backed up the data. If you can get it booted, there are utilities that will check hard drive integrity.

Also, I bought a HD replacement kit which allows me to hook up the drive to a running PC. If you can't start at all, this is a way to access HD data without booting from it.

Something like this:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Har...w:l&tbm=shop&start=20&spd=3583069549901306161
Click to expand...
Oops. I thought I replied before but I guess I didn't. Thanks for the suggestions.

Yes, we did check the connections on the old drive. Disconnected and then reconnected it. I so hoped that was all it was. Sadly, it was not the problem. So, we decided to replace the HD.

Yes, I had everything saved on an external drive backup. However, I learned that in order to do a Windows Easy Transfer (WET), the backup has to be saved specifically as a WET backup, not just any backup. So, I backed up again as a WET backup. For the transfer, I just plugged the external drive into the USB of the "new" computer, and followed the WET wizard.

I do have a WET cable I could have used if I was transferring from one computer to another but I didn't need it for this transfer. I've done a similar transfer before on two iMac's tethered together. It is easy--just time consuming.
 
ChicagoBlue2 said:
Yeah, that's an issue, all right. Let's hope the HD is a simple fix, and you won't need to get a new desktop tower. Getting all of that software you'd need installed in that might be cumbersome?
Click to expand...
I ended up replacing the HD, which is cheaper than buying a whole new tower but it takes a lot of time.
 
Reba said:
Update:

We replaced the HD.

I reloaded Windows 7 Pro, Office 2010, MS Project 2013, Access, and IDrive (cloud backup). I used the external drive backup (Windows Easy Transfer) to install the settings and files. Things went OK; it just takes a loooooonnng time for all that stuff to load. Hours and hours . . .

I had backup disks and key codes for the OS and all the other software.

Installed the printers.

When I did the shutdown, there were over 213 updates to install.

So far, so good. Everything seems to be OK. :)
Click to expand...

Whew!! I'm glad it was a simple fix. It might've taken a while, but I hope you feel much better now that it's been replaced?
 
ChicagoBlue2 said:
Whew!! I'm glad it was a simple fix. It might've taken a while, but I hope you feel much better now that it's been replaced?
Click to expand...
It took two days to do everything. It took many hours to reinstall the OS and all the software and do the WET. Then 11 more hours to do a new backup to the cloud. The 213+ updates took a while, too.

I do feel better but I feel insecure about the "life" of the computer. You just never know when it will croak. :|
 
Based on my experiences HDs last about 5 years for a desktop, and for laptops about 3 years. If you want to feel extra safe plan on a regular HD replacement every 3-5 years.
 
Reba said:
It took two days to do everything. It took many hours to reinstall the OS and all the software and do the WET. Then 11 more hours to do a new backup to the cloud. The 213+ updates took a while, too.

I do feel better but I feel insecure about the "life" of the computer. You just never know when it will croak. :|
Click to expand...

Hopefully it won't be croaking anytime soon. Would be very bad if it did.
 
A Nihilist said:
Based on my experiences HDs last about 5 years for a desktop, and for laptops about 3 years. If you want to feel extra safe plan on a regular HD replacement every 3-5 years.
Click to expand...
The one I replaced was less than two years old. :(
 
Reba said:
It took two days to do everything. It took many hours to reinstall the OS and all the software and do the WET. Then 11 more hours to do a new backup to the cloud. The 213+ updates took a while, too.

I do feel better but I feel insecure about the "life" of the computer. You just never know when it will croak. :|
Click to expand...

Be careful having wet stuff around electronics it could fry them or shock you :giggle:

A Nihilist said:
Based on my experiences HDs last about 5 years for a desktop, and for laptops about 3 years. If you want to feel extra safe plan on a regular HD replacement every 3-5 years.
Click to expand...

I'm using an Acer laptop that I bought in 2008. Its slow at times but still going. Never had any hardware upgrades or replacements done to it. I have another HP laptop I bought 2 or 3 years ago but have only had it on for it to do updates.
 
My first HD in 'Baby Dell' only lasted 1-2 years (can't remember exactly- pretty sure 2...) but the average should be 3-5. 'Creaky Dell' is over 10 years old and still works. There's also even older PCs in my dad's office still chugging along on the same HD but he is not as an intensive user as I am.
 
mine has too plus computer making clunking and vibrating husband say bad noise...got similar message,this bad advice but I turn it off hope for the best next day
 
caz12 said:
mine has too plus computer making clunking and vibrating husband say bad noise...got similar message,this bad advice but I turn it off hope for the best next day
Click to expand...
If it is vibrating that badly it may be the hard drive dying. You need to make a back up of everything right away, then shut down the computer. Do you have a current backup on a disk, or USB device?
 
A Nihilist said:
Based on my experiences HDs last about 5 years for a desktop, and for laptops about 3 years. If you want to feel extra safe plan on a regular HD replacement every 3-5 years.
Click to expand...

Why still buy HD? What's wrong with SSD? SSDs are more reliable than hard disks as you enabled the TRIM so SSD last around 20 years.
 
We both have iMacs. I got tired of coming home from volunteer work and seeing a postit on my door that my partner's Dell tower had an issue. Dell was good but now I'd never touch it. But, the HD never blew. Mine was replaced once and it died again (Seagate was put in it). Then I tried Western Digital from a different Mac shop (the Seagate from a Mac shop was under warranty.

We go two Macs. Just before each of our warranties expired, the harddrive blew. I had part backups (ClickFree). Some info was recoverable, most wasn't. So, I moved to a full system backup + ClickFree on a mini RAID. The problem is it's RAID 0. This means if there's another problem with the RAID, both systems are dead.
 
After using the Chromebox for a while, today I had to use and update Windows today and I found myself starting to hate Windows.

I think I got spoiled by using Chromebox. I actually found myself thinking of getting a Chromebook instead of having to use Windows.
 
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