Installation of Windows spoil hardisk!?

Recently, my friend try to re-install/restore to default factory my friend's ASUS laptop.
Laptop status, a lot of .dll and .exe files missing so decided to format.
Basically, he put the recovery disc into the laptop and set the boot to DVD/CD.
After that, the installation occurs, followed by installation of driver and utilities(take out the recovery disc and inject Driver & Utilities disc as windows told).
Then, it runs until finish. It reboots, setting up windows and so on.
But, when come to the end(password and username), it said windows installation incomplete(got only OK to press). Pressed the OK button, it restart and show the same message again.

After all, he install the windows again. But the problems exist.
So, he takes his laptop to a shop. They said the hardisk spoil.

A fail installation of windows can cause hardisk failure????
Is this highly possible?

 

No, it is far more likely the harddisk was dying and that is why all the DLLs and EXEs were missing.

A harddrive is made up of magnetic platters that go bad as some parts are no longer accessible. When a sector on a platter goes bad, you can no longer read or write to it. Trying to install an OS on top of a bad disk will often be impossible

 

The .dll and .exe files died because of avira(installed after virus infection) deleted them because they were infected by viruses. Because almost all .exe and .dll files got infected and were deleted by avira. So, my friend decided to format. It is not like dll. and .exe files spoil on their on in the 1st place.

 

Either way, a reinstall will not kill a harddrive that is not already dying

 

Gerryf19 is right (as usual ) - there is no way that installing an OS could damage a hard drive that is not already in the process of killing itself. Do you know for sure that all of the files Avira removed were removed because they were infected, or were some of them removed simply because they were corrupted? A failing hard drive will, sooner or later, start corrupting files as the physical damage on the platter surface spreads; it is therefore entirely possible that your friend had both a malware infestation and a failing hard drive - Avira seems to have cured the first (although by drastic means), but is incapable of addressing the second.

Try this, d/l a copy of the UltimateBootCD, burn it to a CD, then have your friend boot from that CD. Once the system boots, use one of the hard drive diagnostic utilities contained on the CD to test the hard drive and determine if it's out of spec or not. My bet is that your friend will find that the hard drive is in its final death-throes and should be replaced sooner rather than later (certainly before your friend goes to all the trouble of doing a fresh reinstallation of the OS).

 

So, does this mean that the hardisk spoiled is due to malmare/spyware infections???

I guess he won't try it. Since he is a "computer noob".

 

No. Software, by itself, cannot ruin a hard drive (I suppose somewhere there exists something that can get at the drive's firmware, but that sort of malware is about as mythical as unicorns). If the drive is, in fact, failing - which can only be determined by running a diagnostic utility on the drive (unless it's making grinding noises, or simply refuses to spin up) - that is due either to defective manufacturing, or to excessive wear-and-tear from normal usage (along with non-normal events like being dropped, or having the case get banged on - anything that would cause the read/write head to physically strike the disk platter, as well as excessive heat and the like).

 

Urm... If he didn't turn-off his laptop for a few days, could the hardisk spoil that way?
For what I know, he won't turn of his laptop for 1 or 2 days but after that he will turn it off.
I think I'll ask him the detail.

 

If the drive is healthy, then leaving the computer on for several days will not, by itself, cause damage to the drive; however, if the computer is left running with its air vents blocked, or in a very hot ambient environment (like the desert), so that heat builds up and the internal temperature goes above the hard drive's maximum operating temperature, then yes, leaving the computer on for several days in those conditions could damage the hard drive.

On the other hand, if the drive is already damaged, leaving the computer on for several days will aggravate that damage - from the heat generated, from the continual spinning of the internal discs (which might be striking the read/write head more often as they turn), to the additional read or write operations the system sends to the hard drive for background operations and whatnot.

 

Thanks for the information.
My friend laptop has been fixed. Another friend help him format again and it works nicely.
The shop lies. Stupid shop. The shop even take out the hardisk and do some burning effect(sticker melted) on it to show my friend that the HDD is spoil. Said can't be restore to default factory/recovery/format.
When my friend went back from that shop, he was like sad and said we spoil the hardisk when formatting but everyone said that, the shop workers were lying and try to scam you. I told him no such installation of windows/reformat can spoil a hardisk instantly. Lastly, 1 of my friend came and fix the problem.

About the heating stuff, it might be true and logic for almost every laptop/desktop.
But some of my friends use DELL inspiron model(dunno what number), their motherboard got spoiled for nothing.
Those laptops were blowing by cooler in an air-conditioned room all the time.
I wonder why would it spoil in a sudden =.=!? My guess is the model itself/motherboard itself. Just like Nvidia 8600 is a failure card that may spoil anytime.

 

Your friend will still want to run some sort of hard drive test such as HDTune. The problems may not currently be apparent, but they still may exist.

Hard drives have a ton of sectors. When a hard drive is dying, these sectors will stop working properly, and cause loss of data. When installing/restoring Windows initially, you likely skipped the lengthy process of checking each sector before progressing. However, the fellow that helped your friend likely did a full format, which entails scanning each sector for errors. If he did that, then Windows knew not to place files in the bad sectors. This would generate a positive result, as you saw.

If the hard drive is in fact dying, more sectors will go bad. Causing problems to occur again. So check it, sector by sector to be sure.

 

I agreed with you. Since the last format for my friend is just normal format not full format I think.
Because from the starting point, we tried FULL FORMAT twice, the installation complete and things works but in the end windows pop up message said can't access due to incomplete installation.
I can't put an advice on him. He would not understand or listen I guess. This is normal for a "computer noob". Just let it be.