Hard disk failure. Please help!

[Geoff_M]

I've never created or used an MS account in my life and have reinstalled Windows 10 about a dozen times on about 5 different PC's here at home and for family. The key is now associated with the motherboard on the PC and just checking "I don't have a key" at reinstall let me go through the process where Windows communicated with Microsoft and confirmed it had been activated in the past. The instructions during install even tell you to do this if you've had Windows 10 on this PC before. I've used offline accounts for all my PC's always and have never had an issue reinstalling Windows 10.

Yes, I've read about that, but I've also read that it depends on the BIOS. Newer BIOS supports that and some older ones don't, from what I read. I actually called MS support when I hit the problem with the recovery partition and I expressed concern about not having a key when they recommended that I create and use an install DVD to get Win10 back on the laptop. They said it wouldn't be a problem because the key would be associated with the MS account.

 

[Imzadi]

Only one problem that I see with this one. Today I would only recommend people buy PCs or laptops with solid state drives (SSD) instead of traditional hard drives (HD). You can be assured that budget laptops with HDs will use cheaper ultra-slow 5400 RPM drives. The speed differences between SSDs and HDs is ridiculous. I swapped my 1 TB 5400 HD for a 1 TB SSD and now is only takes seconds to boot up instead of a couple of minutes. On top of that, your battery life will get a very nice boost as it doesn't have to power a spinning hard drive all of the time.

Thanks for the tip. I can't stand how long it takes to boot up a PC. And the more one has on one's computer, the longer it takes to boot up. I actually turn it on in the morning, then go and make coffee. By the time I come back, it's fully booted up. It doesn't really take that long. But, some things stop functioning properly after running for a few hours if I don't wait for it to fully boot up. I thought only laptops like a Chromebook, or tablets or cellphones have the hardware which boot up really quickly. (I love my tablet. Sometimes when I've turned off my laptop and need to get back into an email, I grab my tablet or cellphone instead as they're instantly on and I can get in, get the info and be done before the laptop would be booted up.) I didn't know what to look for.

 

[nd5056]

Another decent deal, Lenovo Laptop for $249, doesn't come with SSD, but you just can't beat the price, especially when comparing to repair cost.

 

[GreatLakes]

One additional note on SSDs, don't buy the cheapest option out there. Write balancing is extremely important in an SSD, especially if you have a large paging file, because every write fatigues the sector being written to.

If you are using a desktop instead if laptop I recommend a dual drive scenario. An SSD with your OS and a traditional spinning HD (extra points for RAID) for data and other swap files.

I also really do recommend running SpinRite on every drive you have quarterly, even SSD. Just use level two on the SSD.

 

[kdonnel]

One additional note on SSDs, don't buy the cheapest option out there. Write balancing is extremely important in an SSD, especially if you have a large paging file, because every write fatigues the sector being written to.

If you are using a desktop instead if laptop I recommend a dual drive scenario. An SSD with your OS and a traditional spinning HD (extra points for RAID) for data and other swap files.

I also really do recommend running SpinRite on every drive you have quarterly, even SSD. Just use level two on the SSD.

The fragility of SSD drives is greatly overblown. The average computer will die long before the average SSD.

https://www.howtogeek.com/322856/how-long-do-solid-state-drives-really-last/

 

[Geoff_M]

The fragility of SSD drives is greatly overblown. The average computer will die long before the average SSD.

https://www.howtogeek.com/322856/how-long-do-solid-state-drives-really-last/

I agree that the fears are overblown from what I've read from multiple sources and seem based on older SSD technology that makers have since abandoned. About the only criticism of SSDs that seem to still be true is that data recovery from a crashed SSD is still harder to perform than from a traditional HDD. But as I backup my data, I've never had to worry about sending off a failed HDD to a data recovery service or try to run file recovery tools. "Hybrid" setups (SSD for OS and HDD for data) in PCs made sense when SSD technology was less advanced and a lot more expensive, but I think we've moved past the cross-over point where that is advisable. SSDs keep getting better better and better and cheaper by the month. The 1 TB Samsung EVO 860 debuted with a MSRP of $330 early this year. When I bought mine about two months ago, I got it for $179. They now go for $149.

If you're reading this and are tempted to try and upgrade you PC/laptop from a slow HDD to a SSD, there's lots of good DYI videos on Youtube to help walk you through the process. In addition to the new SSD drive, all you'll need is a $20 SATA to USB cable and free disk cloning software (Note: Use the same size replacement drive to keep things simple). Here's an example video using the software that I used:

If your laptop doesn't have a special HD access hatch on the bottom like the one in the video linked, look for another Youtube for your specific make and model for drive replacement. Lastly, SSD models are normally SATA III (AKA "6GB") drives, check and make sure that is what your PC uses. Check your laptop's specifications on the manufacturer's site before you try this.

 

[kdonnel]

Once you get your computer working again, it is a perfect time to implement the 3 2 1 backup plan.

https://www.backblaze.com/blog/the-3-2-1-backup-strategy/

I have everything on my PCs, a local cloned copy of each PC, and a remote back blaze copy of each PCs personal files.

I had an upgrade gone bad recently on my home server. It was a non issue as I simply copied the cloned drive back the main drive and rebooted.

 

[_19disnA]

Might try taking it to a place like Best Buy where people who know PC hardware can look at what is wrong and give you an estimated repair cost. I doubt a novice can diagnose/fix their own PC, so there is really little value in opening the case and looking at the various electronics inside. Also wouldn't waste my time calling any PC support associated with your device (if you happen to have their coverage) as you will just waste an hour on the phone with someone at one of those annoying off-shore call centers who read from scripted answers and appear to have NO real computer expertise. I have given up on them with their 'try this/try that' approach. They usually know less than the caller and are a complete waste of time. The type of problem you are describing can't be fixed with someone over the phone, even if they have PC repair expertise.

 

[manning]

Absolutely. But, trying to compare apples to apples, I don't think 18 months old laptop purchased for $500 had a SSD Drive for this money back then. Also, just because there's a brand new HD in there, it doesn't guarantee that it'll last another 18 months.

I had a HD die on me a few months out of the box. It is not will it fail but when.

 

[low-key]

I read your title wrong

 

[bcla]

Might try taking it to a place like Best Buy where people who know PC hardware can look at what is wrong and give you an estimated repair cost. I doubt a novice can diagnose/fix their own PC, so there is really little value in opening the case and looking at the various electronics inside. Also wouldn't waste my time calling any PC support associated with your device (if you happen to have their coverage) as you will just waste an hour on the phone with someone at one of those annoying off-shore call centers who read from scripted answers and appear to have NO real computer expertise. I have given up on them with their 'try this/try that' approach. They usually know less than the caller and are a complete waste of time. The type of problem you are describing can't be fixed with someone over the phone, even if they have PC repair expertise.

Best Buy? I’d sooner deal with an offshore call center. I want someone who can actually fix stuff.