Hdd Problem?

My computer has been slow and occasionally locking up. I tried backing up the HD just in case using Windows Backup and it tells me there is a fatal hard drive problem even though the back up is progressing. I ran the disk check and everything was OK. When I tried a reboot I got an error message about a time interval problem. I have a Dell XPS running Win 7. The Dell error code is 2000-0221. Is this a fixable problem? Any help or guidance would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

It depends how old the system is and whether Dell will help.
Using the SERVICE TAG number that came with the system (should be on a sticker on the physical box) go to Dell Support.
That error code may relate to the Motherboard and/or the CPU.
You can also check whether Dell has an update for the BIOS for that very specific model.

You should also be running standard checks like Check Disk https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/2641432/check-your-hard-disk-for-errors-in-windows-7

 

If your PC is running slow or has issues with suddenly freezing, a very common cause, these days, is a failing hard disk drive and a dirty little secret is that hard disk drives are outrageously fragile when they are running. An overly simple explanation is that they are seven times more fragile than a raw egg and even the slightest bump can hurt them. The problem is so rampant that virtually all newer drives have a shock sensor who's purpose is to record excessive shocks so the manufacturer can tell you that your warranty has been voided.

Luckily, there is a relatively easy way to find out if this is what's going on. Go to http://www.hdtune.com/download.html and download hdtunepro_570_trial.exe which is free for 15 days. I'd suggest you save it before you install it; but, either way, you need to install it and run it.

Look first on the Health tab. The most important numbers are what is in the data (fourth) column for (05) Reallocated Sector Count and (C5)Current Pending Sector. If either one of them is not zero, plain and simple, the drive is failing. As long as it's there, you might want to look at (BF) G-sense Error Rate. The number in the data (fourth) column is how many times the drive has detected excessive shocks.

Even if (05) and (C5) are zero, I would strongly suggest for you to go to the Error Scan tab and run it by clicking Start. It may take hours if you have a one or two TeraByte drive; but, that is the surest test to verify the drive's operation. If even one red box appears, you found the reason why your PC is freezing.

 

These programs are mostly rubbish, don't solve any problems more easily solved without them and frequently cause crashes. But even when we do recommend them (in this case I don't) they should be via a Major Geeks link - that supports MG when they are downloaded here.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/hd_tune.html

 

I'm sorry; I post on a bunch of forums and gave that saved as a standard post; but, as a note, the last time I looked, all MajorGeeks had was the free version which is very old.
Additionally, from someone who has been doing computer repairs for 41 years and data recovery for 38+, HDTune is the best and safest software I have found to check the health of both internal and external drives. I especially like that it will not write anything on a drive unless you delete all of the partitions first.

 

As you can see MG has both versions free and pro.
I have never known anyone on MG to recommend that program but I'm sure some have. But also it is possible to diagnose problems on the system in this thread without spending one cent.

 

And HDTune is free for 15 days which ought to be enough time for this user's problem.
I, BTW, have tried over 20 other titles for SMART reporting and hard disk diagnostics. None are as nice as HDTune.

 

If the pro version works for 15 days free that's great.
I just tested the free version and it works just fine. For a HD test that seems fine.