Hard drive problem

[catsears]

toshiba satellite laptop: cannot start at all! recently a few sounds from hdd, fan running hot, did win7 updates, acting weird, then it booted but wouldnt open anything. something about revert to self. finally got to toshiba recovery, did full recovery, doing recovery fine, assume it finished then shutdown. now cant start at all, push button, wont stay on. what happened? is hard drive shot? thanks

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey there, catsears.

Well I can't say for sure if the HDD is having issues or not, but it seems like the main problem is not the drive. If it was constantly overheating some of your laptop's components might have been damaged, so it would be best to take it to a computer services center or get in touch with the laptop manufacturer's customer support for more information.

As for the HDD. If you have valuable data written on it, even if you laptop does not start, you should be able to get to those files as long as the HDD is in good condition. Just connect it either externally, or internally to a different computer and try to access it. If you're having trouble with the HDD, you could give it a try with Ubuntu Live USB/DVD, to see if you'd be able to get to your information this way, or by using data recovery software: https://www.lifewire.com/free-data-recovery-software-tools-2622893.

Hope that helps. Please let me know how everything goes.
Boogieman_WD

 

[catsears]

Hey there, catsears.

Well I can't say for sure if the HDD is having issues or not, but it seems like the main problem is not the drive. If it was constantly overheating some of your laptop's components might have been damaged, so it would be best to take it to a computer services center or get in touch with the laptop manufacturer's customer support for more information.

As for the HDD. If you have valuable data written on it, even if you laptop does not start, you should be able to get to those files as long as the HDD is in good condition. Just connect it either externally, or internally to a different computer and try to access it. If you're having trouble with the HDD, you could give it a try with Ubuntu Live USB/DVD, to see if you'd be able to get to your information this way, or by using data recovery software: https://www.lifewire.com/free-data-recovery-software-tools-2622893.

Hope that helps. Please let me know how everything goes.
Boogieman_WD

 

[catsears]

hi boogieman, thanks for the answer. when the laptop wouldnt stay on, I couldnt even get the DVD drive open to put in a startup disk!!!

laptop still running very hot, as is power cord/pack. why? I've cleaned it out with canned air. dont know what else to do; it's still got glitches even tho I've now done a total recovery on it.

any other suggestions? hate taking it repair and having to pay for them to tell me its shot! I'm a senior on fixed income. but guess its better than trying to buy a new one. approximate cost of HDD, fans, etc??? is it worth it for being so old (abt 5+)

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hmm it sounds like the issue might lie elsewhere, as expected. I know that unexpected expenses can often make things harder, but hopefully you're not charged too much for testing your laptop's components. This sounds like the best and most budget friendly option. I wouldn't rush into getting new fans and or HDD as it's not 100% certain that those are the causes for what's going on.

As for the HDD and/or fan cost, it really depends mainly on the drive's size and model, fans shouldn't be too expensive, but you'd have to check with the laptop manufacturer's customer support and ask for the appropriate model.