Archived from groups: microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion (More info?)
Thanks for your advise. I guess it would be rather tricky for a piece of
software to predict end of hd life so I will stop worrying for the
moment. Also I am aware of people who have even older pc's than mine
and who haven't yet replaced their hd. I think I will purchase a new hd
from compaq and when things get ropey then I will replace it. To be
honest I haven't backed up everything on my pc 'cos the vast majority I
have the cds for. I gather the software I was using was considering my
hd to be a bit ancient due to it's 3 years then and basing it's
prediction on that(question mark) I am not totally knowledgeable about
back up so what is the best device to use to back up the whole system
cheaply. Clearly I would still have to clean install my windows xp
though and then give my excuss to the activation people via the
telephone like before(question mark). Thanks
Gary S. Terhune Wrote:
> I'm not aware of any decent predictors of HD lifespan other than
> statistical ratings based upon age. I would take such things with a
> grain of salt. My experience is that you can't know *when* a drive is
> going to go bad, but that once it starts going bad, it becomes
> *really*
> bad in short order.
>
> Swapping your system to a new hard drive isn't difficult at all. Most
> hard drives either come with tools to do this or you download them
> from
> the manufacturer's site, or there are several free or trial apps you
> can
> use. Takes anywhere from an hour to several hours, depending on the
> tool
> and the size of the original HD.
>
> But if you wait for a drive to go bad, you are almost guaranteed to
> lose
> personal data or require repair to the system files. *Something* will
> get messed up. Getting another HD, now, is not a bad idea, in order to
> use it for image-style backup. Then if your main drive goes south, and
> presuming you are keeping the backup up-to-date, you just pull the bad
> drive out, swap a jumper or two, swap a cable or two, and restart.
>
> --
> Gary S. Terhune
> MS MVP Shell/User
> http://www.grystmill.com/articles/cleanboot.htm
> http://www.grystmill.com/articles/security.htm
>
> "PSYCHOPIXIE" PSYCHOPIXIE.1ms0zz@news.win98banter.com wrote in message
> news😛SYCHOPIXIE.1ms0zz@news.win98banter.com...-
>
> I was wondering do people generally give the likes of HDD health and
> such like any merrit with regards to predicting the Hard drive life-
> end-
> date? I installed the above and the conking out prediction date
> tends-
> to-
> jump around a bit between July and November this year which I of-
> course-
> found concerning. The pc is 3 years old and has never had disk errors
> ever, merely only the odd lost cluster which after upgrading to xp it
> tends to sort out. I ran the self test on the set up screen a couple-
> of-
> times and it gives a perfect zero which is fine.I could quite easily
> purchase a replacement from Compaq for about £20 but it will be so-
> much-
> hassle reinstalling all my junk not to mention having to install-
> windows-
> again etc. What do you guys think? Is it tricky to fit a new HD?-
> Should-
> I do it in advance? I have experience in fiddling around within the
> system unit but haven't ever had to rip out and bung in a new hd.
> Thanks
>
>
> --
> PSYCHOPIXIE-
--
PSYCHOPIXIE
Thanks for your advise. I guess it would be rather tricky for a piece of
software to predict end of hd life so I will stop worrying for the
moment. Also I am aware of people who have even older pc's than mine
and who haven't yet replaced their hd. I think I will purchase a new hd
from compaq and when things get ropey then I will replace it. To be
honest I haven't backed up everything on my pc 'cos the vast majority I
have the cds for. I gather the software I was using was considering my
hd to be a bit ancient due to it's 3 years then and basing it's
prediction on that(question mark) I am not totally knowledgeable about
back up so what is the best device to use to back up the whole system
cheaply. Clearly I would still have to clean install my windows xp
though and then give my excuss to the activation people via the
telephone like before(question mark). Thanks
Gary S. Terhune Wrote:
> I'm not aware of any decent predictors of HD lifespan other than
> statistical ratings based upon age. I would take such things with a
> grain of salt. My experience is that you can't know *when* a drive is
> going to go bad, but that once it starts going bad, it becomes
> *really*
> bad in short order.
>
> Swapping your system to a new hard drive isn't difficult at all. Most
> hard drives either come with tools to do this or you download them
> from
> the manufacturer's site, or there are several free or trial apps you
> can
> use. Takes anywhere from an hour to several hours, depending on the
> tool
> and the size of the original HD.
>
> But if you wait for a drive to go bad, you are almost guaranteed to
> lose
> personal data or require repair to the system files. *Something* will
> get messed up. Getting another HD, now, is not a bad idea, in order to
> use it for image-style backup. Then if your main drive goes south, and
> presuming you are keeping the backup up-to-date, you just pull the bad
> drive out, swap a jumper or two, swap a cable or two, and restart.
>
> --
> Gary S. Terhune
> MS MVP Shell/User
> http://www.grystmill.com/articles/cleanboot.htm
> http://www.grystmill.com/articles/security.htm
>
> "PSYCHOPIXIE" PSYCHOPIXIE.1ms0zz@news.win98banter.com wrote in message
> news😛SYCHOPIXIE.1ms0zz@news.win98banter.com...-
>
> I was wondering do people generally give the likes of HDD health and
> such like any merrit with regards to predicting the Hard drive life-
> end-
> date? I installed the above and the conking out prediction date
> tends-
> to-
> jump around a bit between July and November this year which I of-
> course-
> found concerning. The pc is 3 years old and has never had disk errors
> ever, merely only the odd lost cluster which after upgrading to xp it
> tends to sort out. I ran the self test on the set up screen a couple-
> of-
> times and it gives a perfect zero which is fine.I could quite easily
> purchase a replacement from Compaq for about £20 but it will be so-
> much-
> hassle reinstalling all my junk not to mention having to install-
> windows-
> again etc. What do you guys think? Is it tricky to fit a new HD?-
> Should-
> I do it in advance? I have experience in fiddling around within the
> system unit but haven't ever had to rip out and bung in a new hd.
> Thanks
>
>
> --
> PSYCHOPIXIE-
--
PSYCHOPIXIE
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