Is my hard drive failing?

Work computer, self-built:
Windows XP Pro SP1
AMD Athlon XP2000
512MB DDR RAM
120GB Maxtor 7200 hdd (5 partitions - data on G: drive)
Chaintech GForce MX440 AGP
400W power supply
Asus A7V8X-X Via KT400 motherboard (recently installed)
Using onboard sound and LAN

I have had a few problems with this system over the past few months, mainly Windows Explorer crashing and random blue screens, not related to anything in particular, but usually everything gets back to normal and life goes on.

Then, a few weeks ago, we had a bad thunderstorm and I came into work to find that the PC would not start - no power, nothing. So, after some intense testing and moving the drive to another case, I deduced that it was the motherboard that had fried, so a new one was ordered and fitted and I performed a Repair Install of XP. All well again.

A couple of weeks or so later the computer hung as it was booting. I switched it off and on again and had a blue screen stop error message, PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA, which indicated that the error was in partmgr.sys. Eventually the computer started up normally and everything seemed to be OK. I did some investigation into the error and it seemed that it could be the hard drive failing. I downloaded the Maxtor test program and that didn't show any errors on the drive. I also installed HDD Health and this is now constantly monitoring the drive in the background. I was getting warning boxes that the hdd temperature was running high, so, as I was trying to check the airflow inside the case I just slightly moved the IDE cable connecting the drive and immediately got another blue screen - KERNEL_STACK_INPAGE_ERROR. The cable was securely plugged in and the drive is not loose in the bay. After replacing the thermal paste to the CPU (I didn't think I had done this correctly when replacing the mb), the hdd temp is now staying at around 41c. Other than that, HDD Health is not reporting any errors with the drive.

So, it works fine for a little while longer and then, when I get back from holiday they tell me that the PC crashed but couldn't really tell me how they got it back up again, or indeed any error messages, just that the person using my PC was using Notepad.

Anyway, no further problems till the other day, when I was doing some work in Quark and the monitor just went black and the computer switched itself off and wouldn't switch on again - no power again. I was told that this is exactly what happened while I was away. I fiddled inside with the cables, checking connections, etc, and it came back up with a blue screen with the error SESSION3_INITIALISATION_FAILED STOP:0x0000006F, and then came up with "disk boot failure, insert system disk and press enter". Eventually I managed to get back into Safe Mode, did an extra back up and then managed to get into normal mode.

Yesterday it started up again and operated for most of the morning, and then locked up again, without switching off the PC. I had a number of attempts to boot up, with the PC locking up while Scandisk was running, while the XP splash screen was loading, and once when I finally got back in, while Defragmenter was running. Just before it locked up, I could hear a very sight clicking noise, which is not clear where it's coming from - could be the hard drive. Then it was OK for the rest of the day.

This morning my colleague was in before me and my computer had booted up OK. I opened my emails, we then had a short conversation, I heard a little click and a few seconds later a blue screen appeared - STOP: 0x0000007A, Win32k.sys, KERNEL_DATA_INPAGE_ERROR. On trying to reboot I again have the message, "disk boot failure, insert system disk and press enter". Maxtor hard drive test won't run, obviously, as the system is not recognising the drive is there. It's not there in BIOS either. I am running memtest as we speak, as I read that it could be RAM problems, and so far this has not shown any errors.

I'm not sure whether to try Recovery Console, as I don't know whether it's hardware or Windows/software related.

I regularly back up onto an external hard drive so data loss is not a problem.

Hope I've given all the info you need. Any help would be most appreciated.

 

If hearing the clicking, defiantely sounds like the drive is failing. You can freeze the drive in a freezer and attempt to retrieve any files that you need on CD-R, and then install a new drive.

Also if you did not put the Thermal Paste on the processor properly the first time, the temps would of been higher on the CPU not drive.

I have known that when a drive starts failing, it will get hotter due to the friction caused by the bearings going. If replacing, go with something other then Fuji or Maxtor.

 

sounds crunchy-- my money is on the bad hard drive.The error messages you recveive are all within windows(hd failing-windows fails)replace the cables along with the hd just to be sure. Good thing you backup!

Hopeihelped

 

Thanks - you have confirmed what I thought. I just didn't want to go spending money if it was something that could be solved by other means.

I'm taking some tools to work tomorrow in a last ditch effort to see if it can be brought back to life. I also have a spare IDE cable to try.

Freezing the drive - never heard of that one. Will that enable it to boot up to get the files off?

Trouble is, we have a conference in a couple of weeks, and I need to send someone some info and get the delegate information sent out. Of course this is all on my system, although it was on the shared partition.

I use Retrospect back up. Will that easily restore everything to a new drive - putting it in the correct place? I've only had to restore a few files back to this drive - this was a few weeks ago when one of the directors accidentally deleted the files from the shared partition over the network!! His face was a picture when I told him what he'd done. He was more than relieved when I said I had a back up.

 

Freezing the drive in the freezer allows you to bring the bearings down to a temp that is lower the room temp and will allow you a once in a chance backup. Just make sure that you do the work in a way that the drive is not allowed to come up to room temp.

If the files you need are backed up, then you are okay, otherwise freeze the drive, get off what you need and replace with a good drive.

 

Hard drive is in the freezer as we speak.

I tried a spare IDE cable that I had at home, tried the drive in another machine, both to no avail.

I am now failing miserably to get the back up files from the external hard drive onto another computer in the office. I have installed Retrospect, and I can see the disk and its contents in Explorer, but the Restore function doesn't appear to want to bring the files over onto this computer. It can't seem to recreate the catalogue file from the back up media.

Ho hum.

 

Joy oh joy!! Frozen hard drive trick works. If you were here I would give you a big kiss!!

I couldn't actually get the other computer to recognise that there were any back up files on the external hard drive where I do the back up, despite following the Retrospect instructions to the letter, and despite it being visible in Explorer. Anyway, we now have the appropriate important files onto another computer and the external drive.

 

Forgot to say many, many thanks. I can't see where to edit my previous post.

 

Good Trick for the desperate. You should try it with an old Corvus Hard Drive that sucker was huge.

 

Just to update you - the computer froze (pun) part way through the copying as the drive started to come up to room temperature, but it rebooted OK. I then switched it off while we went to lunch and thought I'd give it another try when we returned. Surprisingly, it started and kept going all afternoon.

It did sound as if it was struggling a bit with some slight noises coming from the drive - not quite grinding, but pretty close. I will still be ordering a new drive though. I can't trust this one much longer.

 

Came back to work after the Bank Holiday break and the drive appears to be working fine this morning, although I don't know how long it will last. Is there ANY chance at all that this could have been software conflict?

Assuming that I should still get a new drive, what would be a good brand to get?

 

Seagate or Western Digital.

 

Freezing the hard drive, you say? Interesting. I have bought an XP Pro CD and HDD for my friends PC. I figured it was the HDD when I hooked it up to my PC and got the same results.

 

Same kind of thing here, my Packard Bell iMedia 1307 HD died last year, they (PCW / Tech Guys) replaced the Seagate one with an ExcelStor, it has always been a very noisy HD.

Day before yesterday had troubles, couldn't log in here (under my old name) nor my gmail account, my passwords had gone (I use an app not the form save), it crashed twice then.. BSoD, stop error - 0x00000000 - plus some others which I didn't have time to note as it rebooted.

Nothing, just a blue warning screen (thought it may have been a virus) as one son caught a virus at w/e and we had some home networking troubles. But it wasn't. I went into safe mode and restored to an earlier point - which worked for a few hours then esterday, went to boot - nothing - zip! BSoD asking me to boot into safe mode, BSoD!

No IP/TCIP, no BIOS.

Last ditch attempt - I stuck my PB masater disks in (nothing to loose) and did a full PB restore (then 69 Win updates! lol, that was fun). Didn't need to tattoo it so I know the tattoo on my HD is ok (also one on Motherboard).

After the MS updates it worked, then it BSoD'd *again*, rebooted, dumped it's memory and now it's working (although I have lost many things, passwords, some pics, a heck of a lot of apps & my mind!). I seem to remember it doing that before and MS said it was a confliction between an update and the older version of Real Player toolbar addon (my whole pc and apps are now back to 2004/2005!)

I hear (so i'm told, not an expert at hardware yet) that the ExcelStor HD only last a short time, is that true? Also I no longer (as of last month) have a cover plan from PCW, I cancelled it and signed up at a local computer suppliers / warehouse (cost price stuff) after being here and another place - now can fit my own parts - cheaper and better quality (thankyou to all here! reading many of your articles - you rock!) so I am planning on buying another HD BUT I am now unsure about:

1) How do I test my ExcelStor? My Seagate had a test HD for errors function - nothing for ExcelStor. Been to their website & it's not helpful. I know there are free ones but which work best?

2) When it BSoD, it made a clicking sound from the front - every BSoD as though it was trying but something was stuck, right near the power on/standby/off button - my HD is mounted right behind it upright.

It is working but I am wondering if it will last. Got my PB 5 disk set, want to get Christmas stuff before I get a new HD. May even get a new Motherboard and change OS. HD still very noisy (as it always has been), pc working ok, no clicking noises, no blue screen... any advice about how to test the HD (and whole system) would be very much appreciated, thankyou!
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Also sorry about having to rejoin - losing p/w, many humble apologies - now using pen & paper + hidey hole for p/w's! My autistic son has also just joined Love the MG wallpapers

 

Right it has BSoD's twice today. At a total loss:cry I really need some help please

 

Post the BSOD message.