Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - I think my hard drive is dying, am I wrong?

Prophecy · 11-12-2008, 02:33 PM

I've noticed lately sometimes when I try to boot the PC I get the message "Disc read error. Press ctrl + alt + del to restart". Sometimes pressing ctrl + alt + del works and sometimes it doesn't. If it doesn't I'll turn off the machine and come back to the PC later and it'll boot with no issues 70% of the time.

In addition to the boot issues, I've also noticed the PC will hang while doing things that never caused it to hang or lock up in the past, i.e. surfing the web, trying to open play wmv/mp3 files or authoring a DVD. Sometimes this leads to a dreaded blue screen of death.

At first I thought it was corrupt data on the drive since the boot errors and lock-ups don't happen 24-7. In an effort to fix this, I've backed up all my files and restored the drive to factory default. No dice, I still encounter the DRE and random lock ups.

I've run Hardware Diagnostic tools but found nothing wrong. Since, the drive isn't making any noise is it possible something else is wrong? Am I missing something?

If it is the hard drive that means buying a new one. Anything I should know about shopping for a drive? I've already been told I want a drive that spins at or faster than 7200RPM and brands to buy are Western Digital, Seagate, Samsung, and Maxtor. I'll figure out if I have EIDE or IDE once I pull the drive out.

11-12-2008, 02:33 PM	#1 (permalink)
Prophecy Oracle & Apollyon Location: Limbus Patrum	I think my hard drive is dying, am I wrong? I've noticed lately sometimes when I try to boot the PC I get the message "Disc read error. Press ctrl + alt + del to restart". Sometimes pressing ctrl + alt + del works and sometimes it doesn't. If it doesn't I'll turn off the machine and come back to the PC later and it'll boot with no issues 70% of the time. In addition to the boot issues, I've also noticed the PC will hang while doing things that never caused it to hang or lock up in the past, i.e. surfing the web, trying to open play wmv/mp3 files or authoring a DVD. Sometimes this leads to a dreaded blue screen of death. At first I thought it was corrupt data on the drive since the boot errors and lock-ups don't happen 24-7. In an effort to fix this, I've backed up all my files and restored the drive to factory default. No dice, I still encounter the DRE and random lock ups. I've run Hardware Diagnostic tools but found nothing wrong. Since, the drive isn't making any noise is it possible something else is wrong? Am I missing something? If it is the hard drive that means buying a new one. Anything I should know about shopping for a drive? I've already been told I want a drive that spins at or faster than 7200RPM and brands to buy are Western Digital, Seagate, Samsung, and Maxtor. I'll figure out if I have EIDE or IDE once I pull the drive out. __________________ La Disciplina È La Mia Spada, La Fede È Il Mio Schermo, Non salti Ciecamente In Incertezza, E Potete Raccogliere Le Ricompense.