Did my hard drive die?

[Justinsanity]

So one time my computer froze up. I could move the mouse but literally nothing else responded. Task manager wouldn't open, buttons wouldn't light up when I put my cursor over them, etc. My hard drive light was on this whole time, but the drive wasn't making the sounds it usually does. In fact it was silent.

I restarted the computer using the power button, but when I got to the Windows logo with the spinning dots it stayed there for a lot longer than normal then went to a black screen. Every time I restarted it would either do this or try to do "system repair" which never worked. My hard drive light would always be on but it didn't sound like it was doing anything.

This hard drive is about 6 years old. Does this sound like a hard drive failure and should replacing it fix the problem? Obviously I won't have all my files but you get what I'm asking.

 

[Hellfire13]

is this ur windows boot drive (assuming u r using windows)???...

how many drives u have there in total???

have u checked in bios for boot device priority???

have u tried last known good configuration???

is it booting in safe mode or same problem???

have u tried the microsoft installation disk for startup repair???

 

[Justinsanity]

This is the only hard drive I have, and I can't get into Windows. I've tried booting into safe mode but it just gives me a black screen.

 

[audie-tron25]

Sounds like a HDD failure, it sounds very similar to when mine have failed. Since it sounds serious, I would try to limit your PC use until you can confirm that it is indeed the HDD. Do you have a spare PC/laptop? You should backup your data ASAP before you try to diagnose it because if it gets worse, it'll make it very difficult to back-up later on.

 

[Hellfire13]

did u do everything that i posted above???

also u can try to attach the drive as secondary in another pc...friend/family...

 

[Justinsanity]

I don't have very important files on it, nothing I can't redownload. I can't get into Windows, I'm using my phone to reply right now. I tried everything in your first post Hellfire.

 

[Hellfire13]

then u need to attach it in another pc and see whether it fires up as secondary...if it does, and since u do not have any important data on it, u can simply format it and reinstall windows...
unless the disk is dying...
to check whether it is dying, if it fires up as secondary, check with harddisksentinel for health and smart data...

 

[Justinsanity]

Ok I'm buying a new drive anyway so I'll just reinstall Windows on the new drive and see what's going on with the old one when I can actually go into Windows. What could be the problem if it happens again with the new drive?

 

[Hellfire13]

if it happens on a new drive, then its probably not a hdd issue...rather ur windows might have corrupted...
why dont u stall that purchase for now and straightaway try to reinstall windows on the existing drive and see if it works...
also, did u try switching the cables and/or slots???

 

[Justinsanity]

I'll be reinstalling windows on the new drive. I only have one cable but switching slots didn't fix anything. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't like a motherboard or ram issue or something.

 

[Hellfire13]

gudluck with that...

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there, @Justinsanity!

I'd second Hellfire's suggestion and advise you to test the HDD on another computer with a different SATA cable first. Either way, further troubleshooting is required! However, if you already bought a replacement and installed Windows on it, you should definitely run the old HDD manufacturer's brand-specific diagnostic tool if you manage to get it detected in your system after the fresh install. You could also try using a Ubuntu Live CD as well. Either way, you should troubleshoot your system in order to find the source of the issue. It could be a failed SATA port or a failed SATA cable as well.

I hope your new HDD works great with the PC. In case it doesn't, keep us posted, so we can provide you with further troubleshooting steps and, hopefully, resolve your system issues.

Best of luck!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[Justinsanity]

I already ordered the drive and some extra sata cables. I'll post what happens here when I put everything together and reinstall windows.

 

[Hellfire13]

sure...keep us posted...

 

[Justinsanity]

Everything is working fine on the new drive. I'll see if I can get some files off the old one when the sata cables come in.