Overheating? Hard drive nearly dead?

Just a quick question before i go and check what psu i got..

But what if i tryed reformatting the hard drive would that help at all? Or would it still be stuffed(like the chips inside it etc)?

edit~ -------------------------

CJ said:
Seagates are generally very reliable. Is your Power Supply up to scratch? An underpowered rig would cause similar problems. WHat make/model is your PSU and what components do you have in your rig?

I got a 300W Complus...{would'nt have a clue what Complus is, im assuming its the brand}
 
I don't think that would help as, if the problem were your drive, it would be a mechanical problem. If you have somewhere you can backup your data on, then it may be worth a try. Companies are very good with their RMA policies, so getting a replacement shouldn't be a problem.

If you've got more than one hard disk installed, remove the power from all but the one your OS is on. If it runs fine then you can be sure your PSU is underpowered.

300W is not a lot of power. What capacity is the Hard drive? What are the specs of your system? Modern PCs will need more power and it is worth getting a decent PSU that is stable (I can heartily recommend the Tagan 480W (TG480-U01), also look at the SilverPower SP-400P1B or the Akasa AK-P460FG BLV2. The latter 2 are generally more stable and cheaper than the Tagan.
 
CJ said:
I don't think that would help as, if the problem were your drive, it would be a mechanical problem. If you have somewhere you can backup your data on, then it may be worth a try. Companies are very good with their RMA policies, so getting a replacement shouldn't be a problem.

If you've got more than one hard disk installed, remove the power from all but the one your OS is on. If it runs fine then you can be sure your PSU is underpowered.

300W is not a lot of power. What capacity is the Hard drive? What are the specs of your system? Modern PCs will need more power and it is worth getting a decent PSU that is stable (I can heartily recommend the Tagan 480W (TG480-U01), also look at the SilverPower SP-400P1B or the Akasa AK-P460FG BLV2. The latter 2 are generally more stable and cheaper than the Tagan.

Yeah thats true, the thing is the hdd *checks*
Over a year old and by the time i got it and at the time my bros mate put it in it was outta warranty..o well


The hdd i got now thats die'n is a 40gb my pc is old old(Amd K6) Thats why im badly in need of an updated comp lol The comp im starting to get ready now im going to get a 500W(i think thats what the guys said in the thread i made for getting help) of maybe 550W? anyways
 
It would be a good idea to check another hard drive with the operating system on it. Though it would be more accurate if the drive was of a similar capacity to the one you have now.

I was saying that if you have more than one hard drive installed at the same time, then remove the power from all but the one containing your operating system. Even removing the power from the CD-Rom drives (you just need to remove the power cable, not the cable to your motherboard) would indicate if it was a power issue if you stopped getting the errors.

The drive may be clicking because of a mechanical fault or it's not getting enough "juice", and failing. I'd suggest a mechanical fault and replace your drive ASAP after backing up your data as it looks like that PSU should be able to power your system ok (as long as you haven't got a modern graphics card that needs a molex plug, running more than one hard drive, system fans etc).

EDIT Just make sure you don't get a generic PSU or a Q-Tec as they are not stable and falsely advertise their power ratings as 550W but operate more like a 350W PSU. Going for a reputable company is wise because if your PSU blows, there's a good chance you may need to replace your motherboard as well.
 
Ah ok then i get ya, yeah, what i think i better do..
*gasp* I might try and put in my old hard drive, by myself..coz i cant relie on my bro to do it, even tho the hard drive is old a like a 4gb, i spose its better than not having a comp at all till a while yet..

hmmm ill try following what you have explained, see what to do and that..

Hey thats for ya great help! :D

*rep* *rep* rep*
 
300W should be plenty of power for that system. I doubt that's the trouble. Just get a new drive, and you should be set. Reformatting won't help - the drive is just going bad. Not much you can do about it.
 
geek_gal said:
Hey thats for ya great help! :D

*rep* *rep* rep*

Not a problem, hope you get it sorted soon. A replacement hard drive wouldn't cost much. I'd buy at least double what you have now and transfer your data onto it. Just don't use it until the new one arrives ;)
 
Thanks CJ:D

yeah looks like i have to just try that..omy..this is stupid, the hdd has to go and do this right when im saving up for a whole new comp...jeeez! lol
Meh thats life..

How come i cant use this hhd till i get another one in? You dont think ..will it blow up or something? or just do what nearly happend and wont recognize the hard drive and lose all of the files/data on it?
Im finding it hard to backup/save my files and all..omg i dunno
 
geek_gal said:
wont recognize the hard drive and lose all of the files/data on it?

Exactly. No, it won't blow up but it could die, taking all your data with it.

There are various utilities on the net that will check your hard drive such as Seagate SeaTools. There should be one from the manufacturer and I think you mentioned Seagate as the hard drive. Give that a try to check whether it is a hard drive failure.

I would remove the suspected dodgy one. Put the 4Gig in and hope that your operating system will fit on it. Windows 98se would but I'm not sure about XP. You'd have to look at the system requirements. This would also enable you to see if you continue to get problems which would narrow it down to a power issue.

Even if you stuck the suspect drive in as a slave to the 4Gb master, you could use the utilities to check either disk. Just unplug the power cable on the suspect one when not in use to minimise risk of data loss.

If you've got something urgent you need to backup you could use an online storage site such as http://www.ibackup.com/. I'm sure there must be free ones which offer less space such as http://www.xdrive.com/ or http://www.atbackup.com/
 
XP should fit in a four gigabyte drive without any problem. But yeah, it sounds like your drive is dying more and more as this thread goes along, so you should REALLY back up your data as soon as possible. Use the computer as little as possible until you get a replacement drive. It could go at any time. Don't say I didn't warn you. :p
 
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