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 Posted: Sun, 17th Mar 2013 07:57 Post subject: Freezes, unable to boot into the OS. Failing HDD? |
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The laptop in question had Widows 7 x86 installed. For months it used to freeze randomly for a minutes at a time and while I suspected it could be HDD I never gave it much thought. A week ago it started freezing sometimes while booting, other times before the log in. I tried to find out what was causing it while trying to fix the startup problem itself.
I ended up doing a low-level format and reinstalling Windows 7, but this time the x64 version. It was all peachy for a few days, when it froze at the end of a Windows update. After it, it went back to the failing boots and etc. So I tried to low-level format it again so that I could install Ubuntu 12.10 since it gave me a error when I tried to simply install it over Windows.
I used Hiren's Boot for it, just like I did before, but this time it gave me an error while trying to do the format. I tried again, it began doing it but froze at about 45%. I ended up deleting the partitions and tried to install Ubuntu. It worked, and the Ubuntu installation formatted and installed itself into the HDD.
The first time I did it, after installing the official Nvidia drivers it wouldn't boot. So I ended up deleting the partitions and installed Ubuntu again. The second time although it was perfect. I updated the whole OS, didn't installed any Nvidia drivers, went online, watched a few video files and like I said it was perfect. Until I put it to sleep. When I tuned it back on it showed the grub and began again refusing to boot into the actual OS. When I tried again, it booted but froze when I tried to log in. When I tried again, it again refused to boot into the OS.
What baffles me it's how good it was, working properly and all for hours and when I turned it off it went back to being defective. Right now I'm unable to test the HDD on another PC, or vice-versa.
Anyway, I am correct to assume the HDD is failing? And is there anything I can do to mitigate the problem or contain it? Is it for example possible to partition the HDD and only use a small partition hoping the problem the HDD might have only affects other parts of the HDD? Or all I can do is just buy a new one?
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| Posted: Sun, 17th Mar 2013 08:28 Post subject: |
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try the hdd in another pc (as slave), or booting the laptop from a livecd (i think the ubuntu installer cd is 'live' isnt it?) and run some tests on the hdd (look at the s.m.a.r.t logs and scan for bad sectors etc) that way. it really doesnt sound like anything else. multiple attempts to install various operating systems should result in at least one stable installation...and from the sounds of it the rest of the hardware is working fine.
if there are bad sectors, you can partially mitigate the problem by figuring out where they are and partitioning the drive around them sometimes.
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Sin317
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Location: Geneva
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| Posted: Sun, 17th Mar 2013 08:51 Post subject: |
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slave ? didn't they remove that with sata ?
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| Posted: Sun, 17th Mar 2013 09:22 Post subject: |
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| mach1ne wrote: | try the hdd in another pc (as slave), or booting the laptop from a livecd (i think the ubuntu installer cd is 'live' isnt it?) and run some tests on the hdd (look at the s.m.a.r.t logs and scan for bad sectors etc) that way. it really doesnt sound like anything else. multiple attempts to install various operating systems should result in at least one stable installation...and from the sounds of it the rest of the hardware is working fine.
if there are bad sectors, you can partially mitigate the problem by figuring out where they are and partitioning the drive around them sometimes. |
I already did and they came clean. That's exactly what annoys me the most: the HDD works fine one second and the next it decides not to without any clue as to why. I also tried to a DOS bad sectors scan program, but it was taking for ages so I canceled it after around 10 hours, at about 45%, with 0 errors.
I'll probably try either making a small partition of something like 50GB and see if it works like that and work my way up from there, or I'll just be patient and do the bad sectors scan again while hoping it doesn't take more than two days.
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| Posted: Sun, 17th Mar 2013 09:27 Post subject: |
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Might the error be mechanical? I assume it's not making any crunching noises when it tries to do anything, but perhaps there's issues with the platter/needle?
Pixieking
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ASUS P8P67 Evo - Intel i7 3770k - 2X4GB GSkill RipJaws X DDR3 1600 - HIS 7950 IceQ - Creative XtremeMusic Soundcard - NZXT Phantom 530 - Thermaltake Toughpower XT 675 - Win7 x64
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Sin317
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