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    Troubleshooting a problem (guessing)

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by qwester, Jun 4, 2006.

  1. qwester

    qwester Notebook Virtuoso

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    Here is the deal. I got a call from my mom a few days ago, and she said her notebook wouldn't boot. Here is what I got out of her:

    1- It has been REAL slow booting up lately (before the no boot at all).
    2- When it didn't boot there were clicking/grinding noises.
    3- She got thru BIOS post, and then after the grinding and clicking she got the famous "OS not found"

    Clearly at this point I thought it was a dead HDD. BUT then she called me again and said after several tries it booted. I thought ok lets confirm the problem. So I told her to get HD Tune and check the health tab to see what SMART is reporting. Well according the HD Tune the drive is OK and healthy.

    I still suspect the HDD. What do you guys think. Any better guess.

    I am thinking I'll just order an HDD and take with me when I go to visit my parents in a couple of weeks. Worst case I'll have a spare HDD :D

    GUESSES ARE WELCOME !!!!
     
    qwester, Jun 4, 2006
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  2. m_m_utoo

    m_m_utoo Newbie

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    Hi teher! look, I usually after encountering such problems, will throw the problem to uncle Bill. so, tell her to re-setup the OS; or try it yourself. hope to be helpful!
     
    m_m_utoo, Jun 4, 2006
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  3. ejl

    ejl fudge

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    you might also want to check out the ram with memtest86.
     
    ejl, Jun 4, 2006
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  4. drumfu

    drumfu super modfu

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    i'd say HD as well. how old is the computer? there's only two things that actually move on a computer, the HD and the Fans, so if something is making noises, it has to be one of those two.

    she would be well advised to backup her important data asap.
     
    drumfu, Jun 4, 2006
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  5. qwester

    qwester Notebook Virtuoso

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    Exactly my thoughts. and since sometimes it boots and once in windows is all functional and doesn't crash, I eliminated the probability of fan problem.

    It is more than 3 years old I think. And i believe everything is backed up on to a flash drive and the lappy is waiting for me to go and fix it :D. A 5400RPM should also give it a fresh breath of life, compared to the slow 4200RPM 3+ year old drive.

    I just found it weird that SMART is not reporting anything. But it wouldn't be a first!
     
    qwester, Jun 4, 2006
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  6. drumfu

    drumfu super modfu

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    yeah, 3 years is about how long my old 20 GB (hahaha) 4200 rpm drive lasted before making some seriously disturbing noises. the lubrication can only last so long you know?
     
    drumfu, Jun 5, 2006
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