disc drive faliure, help

[kramjam]

EDIT- Hard disc failure (cant change title for some reason)

Screen just popped up on my computer saying that the disc drive is failing and that i need to back up everything and shut it off and buy a new one. I know i may be answering my own question but what is the disc drive and is there a way to fix it? And if not how do i know what kind to buy. Don't really wanna shut my computer off cause its snowing here and i got nothing else to do, also i dont really have anything important on the computer


thanks

[chazus]

I'm a little dubious. Did it actually say "Disk Driv failing. Back stuff up, shut off, buy new one"?

What is telling you this? also, your system info would be helpful determining what to get.

[kramjam]

Yes said everything like that and what told me was a Microsoft window that popped up, also not sure how to post system info

[pepsidrink]

Its probably just spyware. Run windows diagnostic on your drive /scandisk and it will fix any errors. Blank cds or usb drive to backup important files

[Eroginous]

Here's what I would download and run:

http://crystalmark.info/software/Cry...o/index-e.html

This will actually scan your hard drive and tell you what condition it is in. If it comes back as GOOD status, you have nothing to worry about. If it comes back as CAUTION status, then you might want to use the error codes to figure out what is going wrong with it. Some of the issues are fixable, others require replacing the hard drive.

From the information you gave us, it sounds like spyware, which is removable with this:

http://www.lavasoft.com/
https://www.malwarebytes.org/

Either one is amazing at finding and destroying viruses, I'd probably run both just to make sure you get everything.

[bloodrunner]

That is not what usually happens. was this while you were browsing the WEB? usually drive errors will be reported when you boot up, prior to windows starting.

if you think the drive is failing, right click on the drive name in Windows Explorer, chose properties/tools, click "check now" on the Error-Checking frame. it will run chkdsk and report anything it finds. do this on all drives you had attached at the time the message was displayed.

-----EDIT-----
as noted above, there are tools to download, but your drive is failing, adding more to it may send it over the edge. run simple tests first, then move on to the more intensive tests. be prepared to buy a new drive and replicate it if very many errors are found.
Good luck.

BA

[TimDD]

I agree, sounds dubious. Grab AVG Free and install it. Works like a champ.

[Eroginous]

That is not what usually happens. was this while you were browsing the WEB? usually drive errors will be reported when you boot up, prior to windows starting.

if you think the drive is failing, right click on the drive name in Windows Explorer, chose properties/tools, click "check now" on the Error-Checking frame. it will run chkdsk and report anything it finds. do this on all drives you had attached at the time the message was displayed.

-----EDIT-----
as noted above, there are tools to download, but your drive is failing, adding more to it may send it over the edge. run simple tests first, then move on to the more intensive tests. be prepared to buy a new drive and replicate it if very many errors are found.
Good luck.

BA

Crystal disk will literally tell you if your drive is good or bad. It's 60 seconds to tell if the message was bogus or not. Running checkdisk won't do anything to help the situation, as it's a lot of raw technical info, and this isn't really a situation where checkdisk is useful.

This is what he will see with crystal disk: http://imgur.com/WSEA1Wa

[Vermicious]

If you can provide a screen shot, or type VERBATIM what the error message was, we might be able to help better.

Windows can detect SMART drive errors, and will report as such, but the drive may last awhile longer without data loss. Replacing the drive is recommended in such situations. What kind of computer do you have? Make/Model? Homebuilt? Hard drives are relatively easy to replace, unless you're totally a noob at fixin stuff, in which case you probably have a friend or relative who could help.

[Deleted]

virus ftw!!

[kramjam]

hey guys thanks everyone for the help/suggestions

doing a quick virus can brought up about 90 different things on my computer doing a full scan now. However i dont think it is virus related because the message that pops up gives no link and is in perfect English. Also last week i got a the blue screen error. If i do have to buy a new hdd are their any rules to look out for? Have a WD now guessing i could just buy another off of newegg

Here is the picture

[lloose]

Looks like hardware failure. You said you don't have anything important so I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just time to get a new hard drive.

[kramjam]

Looks like hardware failure. You said you don't have anything important so I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just time to get a new hard drive.

can i just ride it out until it dies? Ordering a new one right now kinda really wanna play GW2. Or will it give the rest of my comp long term problems. Also when i get a new hard drive is there anything special i might have to do like reinstall the OS?

[Eroginous]

can i just ride it out until it dies? Ordering a new one right now kinda really wanna play GW2. Or will it give the rest of my comp long term problems. Also when i get a new hard drive is there anything special i might have to do like reinstall the OS?

You need to install and run Crystal Disk. Anyone could make a virus that pops up a 'windows' prompt like that.

[kramjam]

You need to install and run Crystal Disk. Anyone could make a virus that pops up a 'windows' prompt like that.

here is what happened






also could someone tell me the differnece between the 1TB and the 750G HDD? And why the 750g would be more
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822236339

[Eroginous]

From the looks of it, your hard drive has run out of reserved space for reallocating bad sectors. Part of the platter surface may be scratched, compromising data. It could be due to debris on the inside of the drive coming into contact with the platters.

I would say it's definitely a hardware failure and you should order a new hard drive as soon as possible.

The difference between the two drives you listed is just the size. The 1tb has 250gb more space than the 750gb model. Otherwise, the specs are identical. The price difference can only be explained by the popularity of the 1tb model vs the 750gb model. The 1tb probably sells a lot more often than the 750gb one, making them cheaper overall to manufacture than the 750gb one.

That's probably why it's so much cheaper.

Before you sit down to use your new hard drive, make an installation USB stick if you don't have a windows disc or USB already: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/...usbdvd_dwnTool

If you don't remember your key to activate windows, you can get it from your installation using this tool: http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder/

Good luck.