HD Controller issue?

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.hp.hardware (More info?)

I was kindly "given" an HP laptop from HP themselves to replace my old
failing laptop as it was under warrenty.

Then this laptop started having a few problems, hp gave me another new
laptop. I'm happy with this laptop and thinking I could fix the old
one myself just by installing gentoo (I thought this was basic windows
issues)

Unfortunately, I think the problem is a little more complex than I
first thought. I've tried both Knoppix and Gentoo & both crash
occasionally. I re-installed windows & ran a scan disk which routinely
crashed at 75%. Thinking "I can just replace the HD" I stuck it in a
USB caddy to backup. As an afterthought, I scanned the disk and found
no problems (on my new laptop)

Hmph! So why is it crashing? Could this be a IDE controller issue & is
there any way round it? It's a perfectly good laptop (no scratches &
I've got all the accessories) and I really don't want to just bin it.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.hp.hardware (More info?)

Scandisk is nice, but many people (including myself, obviously) consider it yet
another glitzy Micro$oft toy full of sizzle with no steak. Better to run the
hard drive diagnostics available as a free download from the drive
manufacturer's web site. Run the diagnostics both ways, i.e. with drive
installed in the suspect laptop and in a good laptop. Don't try to run them
with the drive in a USB caddy. Drive diagnostics operate at a software level
well below Windows, and get as close to the bare iron hardware as possible.

.... Ben Myers

On 7 Jul 2004 02:34:50 -0700, dontposthere@hotmail.com wrote:

>I was kindly "given" an HP laptop from HP themselves to replace my old
>failing laptop as it was under warrenty.
>
>Then this laptop started having a few problems, hp gave me another new
>laptop. I'm happy with this laptop and thinking I could fix the old
>one myself just by installing gentoo (I thought this was basic windows
>issues)
>
>Unfortunately, I think the problem is a little more complex than I
>first thought. I've tried both Knoppix and Gentoo & both crash
>occasionally. I re-installed windows & ran a scan disk which routinely
>crashed at 75%. Thinking "I can just replace the HD" I stuck it in a
>USB caddy to backup. As an afterthought, I scanned the disk and found
>no problems (on my new laptop)
>
>Hmph! So why is it crashing? Could this be a IDE controller issue & is
>there any way round it? It's a perfectly good laptop (no scratches &
>I've got all the accessories) and I really don't want to just bin it.
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.hp.hardware (More info?)

On 7 Jul 2004, dontposthere@hotmail.com <dontposthere@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I was kindly "given" an HP laptop from HP themselves to replace my old
> failing laptop as it was under warrenty.
>
> Then this laptop started having a few problems, hp gave me another new
> laptop. I'm happy with this laptop and thinking I could fix the old
> one myself just by installing gentoo (I thought this was basic windows
> issues)
>
> Unfortunately, I think the problem is a little more complex than I
> first thought. I've tried both Knoppix and Gentoo & both crash
> occasionally. I re-installed windows & ran a scan disk which routinely
> crashed at 75%. Thinking "I can just replace the HD" I stuck it in a
> USB caddy to backup. As an afterthought, I scanned the disk and found
> no problems (on my new laptop)
>
> Hmph! So why is it crashing? Could this be a IDE controller issue & is
> there any way round it? It's a perfectly good laptop (no scratches &
> I've got all the accessories) and I really don't want to just bin it.

Maybe it is a memory issue. Try reseating the RAM and/or running
memtest86 overnight. Although, it could be any number of things with the
motherboard if the same model keeps failing (corroded connector or solder
joint fatiguing).

I have a Sony model that commonly has screen scrambling problems due to a
ribbon cable, but fortunately I have been able to fix it when it happens
by pressing the "i" in Vaio on the back of the screen.

--
David Efflandt - All spam ignored http://www.de-srv.com/