Low Level Reformat on T60?

I have had this computer for about 10 months and I have just recently had it freezing up on me several times a day. It freezes, doesn't even give me a blue screen. I thought the registry was messed up so I tried reformatting it, but it had the same issues so I reformatted it again, and it still has the problems. Only recently did I learn that reformatting doesn't quite wipe everything clean off the HD.

So I am wondering if there is any way to do a low level reformat, while saving the partitioned portion of the drive, and if so what software should I use for it?

I may also be going about this the wrong way, so please let me know anything that could help me out! Thank in advance!

 

If you reformatted and the problem persisted, then the issue is either a hardware problem or you are reintroducing the problem when you rebuild the operating system. If you restored from a backup of the problematic system then you likely restored the problem as well.

I would peruse the event viewer logs to see if the problem was in fact detected.

 

I restored to default factory settings every time (from the partitioned portion of the disk) and I still get the issue. I don't know what is causing the problem but how would I go by checking the event viewer logs?

 

Why not try a clean install? Do you have the XP/Vista disc?

 

Locate Event Viewer, often under Administrative Tools, and run it. There are several types of logs, review them and see if there are any interesting events.

 

A clean install will totally wipe out my hard drive and leave the partitioned portion intact? No I do not have the XP disc, but I can easily purchase one if needed. I have heard from a friend that a low-level reformat is my best bet to fix my issue, so I am not sure if a clean install will be good enough.

I just want to totally clean my hard drive of everything, and leave my partitioned portion, or get back the partitioned portion somehow after wiping the HD clean. More in-depth suggestions would really help! I am fairly new to this so if you guys could elaborate a bit that'd be awesome. Thanks a lot dudes!

 

what operating system are you using? a clean install of XP or any operating system will not affect your recovery partition.

have you installed all available service packs/updates and drivers? a common BSOD cause is an outdated chipset driver.

 

If you require a low level format to fix your problems you might want to think about replacing your HDD instead. A low level format re-writes all sectors and tracks on the platter surfaces. When that's required it's an indication the heads have gotten out of alignment or the circuit that ensures that i.e. track 0, sector 0 is in fact the actual location to read and write from could be getting a little flaky. Don't confuse that with a high level format which what you do if you boot from a Windows CD and perform a disk format. That just clears your data but leaves the disk structure in tact. A low level format erases everything.

That's why as others have suggested that you might want to run scan disk (windows app) or even better run Nortons Disk Doctor. It checks and reports on any irregularities found within the HDD.

 

I am using Windows XP, yes I have been very diligent with installing all updates on drivers and the BIOS update. The problem still persists.

Yeah, replacing my HD was another alternative I have thought about, but only as a last resort. I will try Notrons Disk doctor, is there a free version I could obtain? Thanks for the help.

 

Any help appreciated! Thanks.

 

So there is absolutely no way for me to perform a low level reformat? What if I go to the HD company's site, couldn't I obtain an app that will perform the format on the disc for me?

 

As several others have mentioned, I would like to reiterate that if your symptoms are freezing you might be barking up the wrong tree with the low level reformat.

If the issues persisted after a reinstall it's probably a hardware issue (my guess is the most likely culprit is RAM, if you have some spare sitting around you might check that). Most Lenovo PC's come with PC-Doctor 5, you could run this and make sure it is not reporting anything.

 

If you do a low level format, I doubt that you could keep your existing partition table. But if you really want to, there is a free program to wipe your partition/whole harddrive clean. It will fill the drive with 0(zero fill) if you want. It's called Dban http://dban.sourceforge.net/ download the cd/dvd media iso then burn it to a cd/dvd and boot with it.
Under method, choose the method to go by 1 pass only. select the partition to whipe, then wait an hour or 2.

You might risk loosing everything on your harddrive, so backup everything and make sure you have a recovery dvd from the manufacture.

 

Aright, those two explanations really cleared up things for me. Thanks dudes!

 

Well, I installed TuneUp Utilities 2007 ran the disk doctor on it and cleaned some registry errors and since then my laptop hasn't frozen at all. (It usually freezes between 3 - 5 times a day) Do you think that may have fixed my problem?

 

Ok, well the problem only occurs while gaming, so back to the drawing board...

How would I go about this, and what should I be looking for? Thanks.

 

Well... I found the problem. Apparently my system is over heating.

HD0: 47C
Temp1: 93C
Temp2: 54C
Core 0: 85C
Core 1: 85C

And I am not playing any games, all I have open is Mozilla Firefox and Zone Alarm Pro which is scanning for viruses and spyware. When I first opened up Speedfan though, I had 2 virus scanners on (unknowingly) and the temperatures were:

HD0: 44C
Temp1: 98C
Temp2: 54C
Core 0: 94C
Core 1: 92C

Also it states "Found ACPI temperature 98.0C" What is the ACPI?

Yeah, this is really bad. Had no idea my comp was over heating. I will be opening up my computer to install ram within a few days (once it comes) I will clean out dust from my system then. As for now, I am going to check out the Lead Moderator's cooling guide.

Any more tips or suggestions would greatly be appreciated.

 

Wikipedia is your friend

 

Yes, but it describes the idea of it, not the hardware aspect.. In the system temp reading it states that the ACPI is physical since it displays a temperature. I want to know what part of my computer that consists of. Is it part of the CPU, the video card? What?