Hard Disk Needs Replacing?

I've been having some intermittent crashes recently on my computer (Dell Inspiron 4100 notebook), and after checking for malware (nothing there) I suspected it might be a hardware issue. I ran some diagnostics and got this error message for my internal hard drive:

IDE Disk 0 - Confidence Test
Status: Fail Status Code: DOS DDG-D Disk 192 068
Device: IDE_Disk_0 Test: Confidence_Test_Read_Test
Release: 1070 Module(s): Disk
Msg: Block 29294577: Uncorrectable data error or media is write protected

The drive failed to perform the confidence test properly. This may indicate that the drive needs to be replaced.

I'm guessing my hard drive is going out on me and will fail completely soon.

Am I right about this? Should I start shopping?

Thanks!

 

Well...not necessarily. I would first run check disk (my computer> right click on your hard drive, select "properties"> tools tab> check now> check both boxes, follow prompts). It should run at startup so restart computer. It will run and check for errors and repair bad sectors. Next you can also download a freeware program called HDDLife. Don't know if they have it here, but download.com has it. It will tell you how much life your drive has left and will give you exact usage time of the drive, ect. It lets you know if the drive is bad. After those measures, you should probably defrag the drive. If you get HDDLife, please post the specs of the drive it reports, let me know if you can what check disk finds, as well as defrag. Then we can re-evaluate the situation.

 

Thanks for the reply.

I have IObit SmartDefrag installed, so my disk is always in good shape as far as "defragging" goes.

I ran chkdsk, and it did find some errors. I'm not sure how to get a printout of the log from the event viewer (I can't even select and copy the text from the description), so I just typed out the info and put it into a text file attached below.

I also downloaded HDDlife, and the log is attached below as well. It says the hard drive is fine, but I'm not sure what the "44%" means.

I then ran chkdsk again, and it found some errors again (another log "b" attached as well).

Finally, I ran the Dell Diagnostic Utility one more time on the hard drive...and I got the same error as in my original post above!

So one program says the disk is fine, but another says it isn't. confused

Not sure what to do still.

 

Ok. As best as I can tell, you are correct that chkdsk found some bad sectors. Much of the time it just repairs or isolates them. I don't know why the Dell utility keeps giving you trouble, but lets see if chkdsk did fix that problem. With that in mind, the HDDLife report basically is saying that the "performance" and "health" of the drive are both 44%. See, hard drives only last so long by definition and there is built in data that software can access to see how much life it has. Your drive is on the way out. I also noted that the log has your HDD temp at 52C and high of 66C. That is WAY too hot for a HDD! How is your cooling. Are your fans gummed up? A can of air may help free some dust from them. What I am seeing, though, is a drive that is nearing its final days. You may want to backup important files. I think you can still get some use from it if the problems stop, but not much and that's chancing it. Waiting for a HDD to fail isn't the wisest move so if you can, get a new one ASAP.

BTW, I don't know what the "Uncorrectable data error or media is write protected" error is, but it would seem to indicate some bad sectors that are damaged beyond repair. Chkdsk confirmed the errors, but I don't know if they have been isolated. Maybe someone else can make sense of that? Hope this helps.

 

Thanks for your help.

I suspected the same as far as my drive going out. I do back up my files with an external HD (learned my lesson the hard way a long time ago... ), so I'm not losing anything. I don't know why the temp is bad...I tested the fan with the utility and it said it's performing good, but maybe like you said it could be gummed up with dust or something.

What is a can of air? Is that something to blast into the vents to clean the fan? Would I find it at a computer store?

Anyway, I've found a replacement HD on Dell's website for my model, so I'll probably order it and just replace it on my laptop.

Thanks for your help.

 

Hey, no problem. A can of air is merely compressed air in a can used to blow dust off electronics. It is common and can be found at many different places (WalMart, any computer store, ect). If you open HDDLife and look at the temps it reports, you can see if they are high. HDDLife should be able to tell you the normal operating temp of the drive and you can look at your temps. Generally they run up to about a max in the 40's. Anything higher idle is way high. You may want to consider updating your BIOS if you never have. Dell makes it super easy (can run it in Windows), just find the RIGHT BIOS or your computer will be toast.