Prev: chirp from motherboard speaker
Next: wireless headsets
From: code_wrong on 5 May 2008 05:51

"Pokerskatershark" <pokerskatershark(a)yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:e5be84ca-6792-4eef-b9b7-48b781878425(a)y18g2000pre.googlegroups.com...
> Hello All,
>
> I have a feeling my hard drive is on its last leg. When I turn it on,
> it makes a VERY loud grinding noise. I could be wrong, but it
> certainly doesn't sound like it's too happy! It is almost two years
> old and is a Dell XPS 400. (Not sure if that info is needed)
>
> I have backed up everything on an external hard drive. The problem I
> am having is, when and if the HD does crash, is it possible to just
> slap a new internal HD in my computer?
>
> I realize that I will have to have an OS on it. My computer did not
> come with any recovery CD's. I followed Dells' "recovery" process....
> 1) Go to the Start menu 2) All Programs 3) Dell Accessories 4)
> Recovery. Problem is, there is no #4 option in my start menu.
>
> I called Dell and I am not joking when the tech said to me "It should
> be there" I purchased the computer via the Dell website and not
> through a retailer. After a long discussion (1.5 hours) the tech's
> final response was "I'm not sure what happened, but it should be
> there. I am not sure where it is" I told him that this was the very
> first time I had tried to do a recovery and where could "it" have
> gone. No answer.
>
> They are refusing to send me any recovery CD's and obviously I don't
> have an XP disc lying around. Is there anything I can do? I am VERY
> frustrated right now.
>
> Thanks so much for any help.

first thing to do is look inside the case and identify the source of the
noise ... maybe a wire is touching a fan .. maybe a fan is worn .. you can
certainly, by listening and observing carefully, eliminate these
possibilities..

If your hard drive was about to fail I would think you would experience
problems using the computer .. slow system for example, BSOD


From: kony on 6 May 2008 15:00
On Tue, 6 May 2008 11:39:21 -0700 (PDT), Pokerskatershark
<pokerskatershark(a)yahoo.com> wrote:


>Well, it is definitely the hard drive. I just hope I can get a new HD
>ordered and installed before the bomb goes off!

The odds of success improve if you don't use (keep it
unpowered) the drive until you are ready to copy it. Keep
old drive unplugged, receive new and confirm it works in the
system before hooking up old one again.

>
>When I put the new drive in, will I still have all my old programs or
>do I have to reinstall? The reason I ask is a few of my programs
>require activation codes and I know that one program for sure (Final
>Draft) does not have any activations left.
>

Usually everything will work still, but it is possible
(though unlikely) an application could use any variable it's
coded to, including drive size, to limit/fail a license
validity challenge when it runs. That one requres an
activation code is not in itself evidence of this and I
would think it very rare for an app to be that picky.

From: Rod Speed on 6 May 2008 15:18
Pokerskatershark <pokerskatershark(a)yahoo.com> wrote
> Rod Speed <rod.speed....(a)gmail.com> wrote
>> Pokerskatershark <pokerskatersh...(a)yahoo.com> wrote
>>> Rod Speed <rod.speed....(a)gmail.com> wrote
>>>> code_wrong <t...(a)tac.co.uk> wrote
>>>>> Pokerskatershark <pokerskatersh...(a)yahoo.com> wrote

>>>>>> I have a feeling my hard drive is on its last leg. When I turn
>>>>>> it on, it makes a VERY loud grinding noise. I could be wrong,
>>>>>> but it certainly doesn't sound like it's too happy! It is almost two
>>>>>> years old and is a Dell XPS 400. (Not sure if that info is needed)

>>>>>> I have backed up everything on an external hard drive.
>>>>>> The problem I am having is, when and if the HD does crash,
>>>>>> is it possible to just slap a new internal HD in my computer?

>>>>>> I realize that I will have to have an OS on it. My computer did
>>>>>> not come with any recovery CD's. I followed Dells' "recovery"
>>>>>> process.... 1) Go to the Start menu 2) All Programs 3) Dell
>>>>>> Accessories 4) Recovery. Problem is, there is no #4 option in my
>>>>>> start menu. I called Dell and I am not joking when the tech said
>>>>>> to me "It should be there" I purchased the computer via the Dell
>>>>>> website and not through a retailer. After a long discussion (1.5
>>>>>> hours) the tech's final response was "I'm not sure what happened,
>>>>>> but it should be there. I am not sure where it is" I told him that
>>>>>> this was the very first time I had tried to do a recovery and
>>>>>> where could "it" have gone. No answer.

>>>>>> They are refusing to send me any recovery CD's and obviously
>>>>>> I don't have an XP disc lying around. Is there anything I can do?
>>>>>> I am VERY frustrated right now.

>>>>>> Thanks so much for any help.

>>>>> first thing to do is look inside the case and identify the source
>>>>> of the noise ... maybe a wire is touching a fan .. maybe a fan is
>>>>> worn .. you can certainly, by listening and observing carefully,
>>>>> eliminate these possibilities..

>>>>> If your hard drive was about to fail I would think you would experience
>>>>> problems using the computer .. slow system for example, BSOD

>>>> Not if its just bearing noise, that can go on for years just being noisy.

>>> The noise has only been going on for a few days.
>>> I haven't noticed in slowing of speed or any error
>>> messages coming up. It's not noisy after it boots up either.

>> Thats much more likely to be a fan than the hard drive.

>>> I will open the case and see if I can figure out where the noise is coming from.

>> The simplest way to do that is to put something insulating thru the
>> fan on the power supply, before turning it on. That stops that fan
>> rotating, so you can see if the noise is coming from that fan.

>> Dont leave that stopping the fan rotating for long, just long enough
>> to check if the noise still happens as the system is turned on.

>>> Is it all right to have the case open when I turn it on?

>> Yes, but you dont need to open the case to
>> check the case fans, just do what I listed above.

>> Dont do that with the cpu fan, even a short
>> time stopped can kill the cpu on turnon.

>> The best check for whether its the hard drive is to unplug the
>> power to the hard drive and see if the noise still happens at startup.
>> You should get no noise and an error message saying that no
>> bootable drive is available if the noise is due to the hard drive.

>>> Thanks again for all the help!

>> No problem, thats what these technical newsgroups are for.

> Well, it is definitely the hard drive. I just hope I can get a
> new HD ordered and installed before the bomb goes off!

If its the hard drive bearing, it should last that long fine.

If the noise is the drive recalibrating, it may not.

> When I put the new drive in, will I still have all my old programs

Yes, if you use Acronis True Image etc to clone the old drive to the new one.

> or do I have to reinstall?

Only if you choose to go that route.

> The reason I ask is a few of my programs require activation codes and I know
> that one program for sure (Final Draft) does not have any activations left.

Then clone the old to the new drive. You should make the image now,
before the new drive shows up, in case the old drive dies before then.

> Keeping my fingers crossed that I can actually pull this off!!

You have to grovel to some god or other too. Just dont do that in
public tho, they might decide that you are a muslim or something |-(

> Thanks again everyone!!
> Justine


From: Rod Speed on 6 May 2008 15:26
Pokerskatershark <pokerskatershark(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
> On May 6, 11:39 am, Pokerskatershark <pokerskatersh...(a)yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>> On May 5, 2:45 pm, "Rod Speed" <rod.speed....(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>> Pokerskatershark <pokerskatersh...(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>> On May 5, 11:39 am, "Rod Speed" <rod.speed....(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> code_wrong <t...(a)tac.co.uk> wrote:
>>>>>> "Pokerskatershark" <pokerskatersh...(a)yahoo.com> wrote in message
>>>>>> news:e5be84ca-6792-4eef-b9b7-48b781878425(a)y18g2000pre.googlegroups.com...
>>>>>>> Hello All,
>>
>>>>>>> I have a feeling my hard drive is on its last leg. When I turn
>>>>>>> it on, it makes a VERY loud grinding noise. I could be wrong,
>>>>>>> but it certainly doesn't sound like it's too happy! It is
>>>>>>> almost two years
>>>>>>> old and is a Dell XPS 400. (Not sure if that info is needed)
>>
>>>>>>> I have backed up everything on an external hard drive. The
>>>>>>> problem I
>>>>>>> am having is, when and if the HD does crash, is it possible to
>>>>>>> just slap a new internal HD in my computer?
>>
>>>>>>> I realize that I will have to have an OS on it. My computer did
>>>>>>> not
>>>>>>> come with any recovery CD's. I followed Dells' "recovery"
>>>>>>> process.... 1) Go to the Start menu 2) All Programs 3) Dell
>>>>>>> Accessories 4) Recovery. Problem is, there is no #4 option in
>>>>>>> my start menu. I called Dell and I am not joking when the tech
>>>>>>> said to me "It should be there" I purchased the computer via
>>>>>>> the Dell website and not
>>>>>>> through a retailer. After a long discussion (1.5 hours) the
>>>>>>> tech's final response was "I'm not sure what happened, but it
>>>>>>> should be there. I am not sure where it is" I told him that
>>>>>>> this was the very
>>>>>>> first time I had tried to do a recovery and where could "it"
>>>>>>> have gone. No answer.
>>
>>>>>>> They are refusing to send me any recovery CD's and obviously I
>>>>>>> don't
>>>>>>> have an XP disc lying around. Is there anything I can do? I am
>>>>>>> VERY
>>>>>>> frustrated right now.
>>
>>>>>>> Thanks so much for any help.
>>
>>>>>> first thing to do is look inside the case and identify the
>>>>>> source of the noise ... maybe a wire is touching a fan .. maybe
>>>>>> a fan is worn .. you can certainly, by listening and observing
>>>>>> carefully, eliminate
>>>>>> these possibilities..
>>>>>> If your hard drive was about to fail I would think you would
>>>>>> experience problems using the computer .. slow system for
>>>>>> example, BSOD
>>>>> Not if its just bearing noise, that can go on for years just
>>>>> being noisy.
>>>> The noise has only been going on for a few days.
>>>> I haven't noticed in slowing of speed or any error
>>>> messages coming up. It's not noisy after it boots up either.
>>
>>> Thats much more likely to be a fan than the hard drive.
>>
>>>> I will open the case and see if I can figure out where the noise
>>>> is coming from.
>>
>>> The simplest way to do that is to put something insulating thru the
>>> fan on the power supply, before turning it on. That stops that fan
>>> rotating, so you can see if the noise is coming from that fan.
>>
>>> Dont leave that stopping the fan rotating for long, just long enough
>>> to check if the noise still happens as the system is turned on.
>>
>>>> Is it all right to have the case open when I turn it on?
>>
>>> Yes, but you dont need to open the case to
>>> check the case fans, just do what I listed above.
>>
>>> Dont to that with the cpu fan, even a short time stopped can kill
>>> the cpu on turnon.
>>
>>> The best check for whether its the hard drive is to unplug the
>>> power to the hard drive and see if the noise still happens at
>>> startup. You should get no noise and an error message saying that
>>> no bootable drive is available if the noise is due to the hard
>>> drive.
>>
>>>> Thanks again for all the help!
>>
>>> No problem, thats what these technical newsgroups are for.
>>
>> Well, it is definitely the hard drive. I just hope I can get a new
>> HD ordered and installed before the bomb goes off!
>>
>> When I put the new drive in, will I still have all my old programs or
>> do I have to reinstall? The reason I ask is a few of my programs
>> require activation codes and I know that one program for sure (Final
>> Draft) does not have any activations left.
>>
>> Keeping my fingers crossed that I can actually pull this off!!
>>
>> Thanks again everyone!!
>> Justine
>
> One other quick question. I have narrowed down these three drives.
> How do I know which one I need for my system?
>
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=103530113+1035320984&Description=Western+Digital+Caviar&name=750GB

I prefer
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152100

> Thanks again for all the help!!


From: Rod Speed on 6 May 2008 15:29
Rod Speed <rod.speed.aaa(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> Pokerskatershark <pokerskatershark(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
>> On May 6, 11:39 am, Pokerskatershark <pokerskatersh...(a)yahoo.com>
>> wrote:
>>> On May 5, 2:45 pm, "Rod Speed" <rod.speed....(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> Pokerskatershark <pokerskatersh...(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>>> On May 5, 11:39 am, "Rod Speed" <rod.speed....(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>> code_wrong <t...(a)tac.co.uk> wrote:
>>>>>>> "Pokerskatershark" <pokerskatersh...(a)yahoo.com> wrote in message
>>>>>>> news:e5be84ca-6792-4eef-b9b7-48b781878425(a)y18g2000pre.googlegroups.com...
>>>>>>>> Hello All,
>>>
>>>>>>>> I have a feeling my hard drive is on its last leg. When I turn
>>>>>>>> it on, it makes a VERY loud grinding noise. I could be wrong,
>>>>>>>> but it certainly doesn't sound like it's too happy! It is
>>>>>>>> almost two years
>>>>>>>> old and is a Dell XPS 400. (Not sure if that info is needed)
>>>
>>>>>>>> I have backed up everything on an external hard drive. The
>>>>>>>> problem I
>>>>>>>> am having is, when and if the HD does crash, is it possible to
>>>>>>>> just slap a new internal HD in my computer?
>>>
>>>>>>>> I realize that I will have to have an OS on it. My computer
>>>>>>>> did not
>>>>>>>> come with any recovery CD's. I followed Dells' "recovery"
>>>>>>>> process.... 1) Go to the Start menu 2) All Programs 3) Dell
>>>>>>>> Accessories 4) Recovery. Problem is, there is no #4 option in
>>>>>>>> my start menu. I called Dell and I am not joking when the tech
>>>>>>>> said to me "It should be there" I purchased the computer via
>>>>>>>> the Dell website and not
>>>>>>>> through a retailer. After a long discussion (1.5 hours) the
>>>>>>>> tech's final response was "I'm not sure what happened, but it
>>>>>>>> should be there. I am not sure where it is" I told him that
>>>>>>>> this was the very
>>>>>>>> first time I had tried to do a recovery and where could "it"
>>>>>>>> have gone. No answer.
>>>
>>>>>>>> They are refusing to send me any recovery CD's and obviously I
>>>>>>>> don't
>>>>>>>> have an XP disc lying around. Is there anything I can do? I
>>>>>>>> am VERY
>>>>>>>> frustrated right now.
>>>
>>>>>>>> Thanks so much for any help.
>>>
>>>>>>> first thing to do is look inside the case and identify the
>>>>>>> source of the noise ... maybe a wire is touching a fan .. maybe
>>>>>>> a fan is worn .. you can certainly, by listening and observing
>>>>>>> carefully, eliminate
>>>>>>> these possibilities..
>>>>>>> If your hard drive was about to fail I would think you would
>>>>>>> experience problems using the computer .. slow system for
>>>>>>> example, BSOD
>>>>>> Not if its just bearing noise, that can go on for years just
>>>>>> being noisy.
>>>>> The noise has only been going on for a few days.
>>>>> I haven't noticed in slowing of speed or any error
>>>>> messages coming up. It's not noisy after it boots up either.
>>>
>>>> Thats much more likely to be a fan than the hard drive.
>>>
>>>>> I will open the case and see if I can figure out where the noise
>>>>> is coming from.
>>>
>>>> The simplest way to do that is to put something insulating thru the
>>>> fan on the power supply, before turning it on. That stops that fan
>>>> rotating, so you can see if the noise is coming from that fan.
>>>
>>>> Dont leave that stopping the fan rotating for long, just long
>>>> enough to check if the noise still happens as the system is turned
>>>> on.
>>>
>>>>> Is it all right to have the case open when I turn it on?
>>>
>>>> Yes, but you dont need to open the case to
>>>> check the case fans, just do what I listed above.
>>>
>>>> Dont to that with the cpu fan, even a short time stopped can kill
>>>> the cpu on turnon.
>>>
>>>> The best check for whether its the hard drive is to unplug the
>>>> power to the hard drive and see if the noise still happens at
>>>> startup. You should get no noise and an error message saying that
>>>> no bootable drive is available if the noise is due to the hard
>>>> drive.
>>>
>>>>> Thanks again for all the help!
>>>
>>>> No problem, thats what these technical newsgroups are for.
>>>
>>> Well, it is definitely the hard drive. I just hope I can get a new
>>> HD ordered and installed before the bomb goes off!
>>>
>>> When I put the new drive in, will I still have all my old programs
>>> or do I have to reinstall? The reason I ask is a few of my programs
>>> require activation codes and I know that one program for sure (Final
>>> Draft) does not have any activations left.
>>>
>>> Keeping my fingers crossed that I can actually pull this off!!
>>>
>>> Thanks again everyone!!
>>> Justine
>>
>> One other quick question. I have narrowed down these three drives.
>> How do I know which one I need for my system?
>>
>> http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=103530113+1035320984&Description=Western+Digital+Caviar&name=750GB
>
> I prefer
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152100
>
>> Thanks again for all the help!!

The old drive should still have the warranty on it.


First  |  Prev  |  Next  |  Last
Pages: 1 2 3 4
Prev: chirp from motherboard speaker
Next: wireless headsets