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ThingsGottaChange

(1,200 posts)
Mon Jun 23, 2014, 11:50 PM Jun 2014

Hard drive help needed, please

Had some problems a couple weeks ago with computer not shutting down or starting properly. Ran chkdsk and it found bad sectors and corrected most of them. It's been running pretty good since then. But the last few days there has been faint noise that sounds like when you have a large program running. Hope that makes sense. Today I used Crystaldisk and it gave me a CAUTION for the HD. Temp was 37c. I don't have a clue how to interpret the results from Crystaldisk. I know it's time to do something so I don't lose everything.

What is the best and least expensive way to back up the HD? There's about 70GB on the C drive. I have nothing on any other drives at all. Btw, since the chkdsk was run, about 3 more removable disks are showing in my computer. I was looking at the online storage sites (which is best?) but, won't have money until the 3rd of July. Sincerely hoping nothing Atom Bombish will happen before then. Would an external HD be best? Is there a disk that will hold 70GB of data? If so, what is it called. I really don't know what to do but, am getting very worried.

Here is a link with specs. Wasn't sure what all was needed. This computer is less than two years old. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883103413&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Desktop+PC-_-Acer+America-_-83103413

I truly hope this post makes sense. I need help. Please ask questions. Make the fix as cheap as possible And thanks for any help!

Might not be back here until tomorrow... ETA I did clean out cpu about a month ago. Pretty clean in there.

16 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Hard drive help needed, please (Original Post) ThingsGottaChange Jun 2014 OP
70GB really isn't much these days. Several places online offer free cloud backup storage PoliticAverse Jun 2014 #1
Good deal on the flash drive ThingsGottaChange Jun 2014 #3
I have two external hard drives. ohheckyeah Jun 2014 #2
Thanks ThingsGottaChange Jun 2014 #4
You're welcome. ohheckyeah Jun 2014 #5
So, today it's quiet as a mouse. ThingsGottaChange Jun 2014 #7
I wasn't suggesting you put the other computers hard drive ohheckyeah Jun 2014 #9
Before you do anything else, if possible, STOP using that hard disk! Denzil_DC Jun 2014 #6
Thanks for the input ThingsGottaChange Jun 2014 #8
You're not using ohheckyeah Jun 2014 #10
Used CrystalDiskInfo 6.1.14 ThingsGottaChange Jun 2014 #11
I'll be honest, I know nothing ohheckyeah Jun 2014 #12
For what my opinion's worth, no, I would just leave it alone. Denzil_DC Jun 2014 #13
Flash drive will be here tomorrow ThingsGottaChange Jun 2014 #14
"should be chkdsk instead of scandisk" Denzil_DC Jun 2014 #15
Backup is done! ThingsGottaChange Jun 2014 #16

PoliticAverse

(26,366 posts)
1. 70GB really isn't much these days. Several places online offer free cloud backup storage
Mon Jun 23, 2014, 11:59 PM
Jun 2014

in the range of 5GB to 10GB. See: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2413556,00.asp

USB flash drives are excellent for small amounts of backup. 64GB flash drives are now
about $30, for example:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211764

You may need a new hard drive, which will cost < $50 on sale.

Are all the fans in your computer working?


ThingsGottaChange

(1,200 posts)
3. Good deal on the flash drive
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 12:34 AM
Jun 2014

I usually buy from Newegg anyway. $5 of promo code and I can get it for 24.99! At least the first order of business - backup - will be taken care of. Thanks so much!

ohheckyeah

(9,314 posts)
5. You're welcome.
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 01:02 AM
Jun 2014

Good luck. Wish I had an extra to send to you.

Just had a thought - do you have a hard drive from an old computer? They have cases you can buy to put the hard drive in and you can use it like any external.

The cases are pretty cheap.


ThingsGottaChange

(1,200 posts)
7. So, today it's quiet as a mouse.
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 10:42 AM
Jun 2014

Btw, fans are running. Think it might last a couple more days? I ordered a flash drive last night from Newegg. Should be here tomorrow or Thurs. I do have an extra computer (don't make me use Vista again! ). If I get my stuff off of this HD, it doesn't really matter what happens to this then, does it? I'm pretty pissed that this is happening with a computer less than 2 yrs old. Of course, no warranty. I did run another chkdsk last night. Have no idea if anything else got fixed.

Crystaldisk is still saying caution. Do you know of another way to check HD health? I don't have tons of super top secret files on here. Think I'll throw all my pics on Photobucket today anyway. Hate getting the crap scared out of me with the urgency to do something this very second. I'm on disability. Barely making it. Can't just go out and buy whatever.

So, tell me I'll be ok til my flash drive gets here and I'll set up the old computer when this dies. And get a new HD when I can. Sound good? Thanks much!

ohheckyeah

(9,314 posts)
9. I wasn't suggesting you put the other computers hard drive
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 04:37 PM
Jun 2014

into the current computer. I was saying you could use it as external storage. You can buy cases that you can put a hard drive in and then plug it into the computer via USB to use it as storage.

I certainly hope the computer holds up until you get the flash drive and if it's quiet, quite possibly it will. I agree that it would be better to use it as little as possible.



Denzil_DC

(7,182 posts)
6. Before you do anything else, if possible, STOP using that hard disk!
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 06:45 AM
Jun 2014

It sounds like it's failing, and there's likely to come a point soon where it won't boot up any more, and eventually may become effectively unreadable. Use another computer if you can, go ahead and get a flash drive ASAP and do a full backup, or find a way to scrape up the cash/get credit to replace the hard disk right away.

Even if it fails to boot, there's a good chance you can recover the data from it quite easily, say by using a USB interface to access its contents, like one of these: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=SATA%20IDE%20to%20USB%20Adapter%20Cable As long as the disk spins up (you should be able to hear it whirring, hopefully not too noisily), you can usually get at the data.

But there are no guarantees. The more you use that disk at the moment, the less likely it is you'll be able to do your own recovery, which would leave you the choice between just writing off everything on it or paying big dollars to a pro firm to recover the data.

ThingsGottaChange

(1,200 posts)
8. Thanks for the input
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 10:45 AM
Jun 2014

Not much I can do til I get the flash drive. Hopefully, I'll be ok for a couple of days. Why would it be so quiet today?

ThingsGottaChange

(1,200 posts)
11. Used CrystalDiskInfo 6.1.14
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 05:33 PM
Jun 2014

Am now using SpeedFan 4.49. Errors are Current Pending Sector Count and Uncorrectable Sector Count. It says those have reached their threshold. Numbers aren't going up. Which I've read is a good thing. I really don't know how to read/interpret all this stuff. Basically, just hoping it will hang on for a bit until I can get everything backed up on the flash drive.

Do you think another scndsk tonight would be ok? I'm not running any more tests on it otherwise. Thanks so much for all your help!

ohheckyeah

(9,314 posts)
12. I'll be honest, I know nothing
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 05:55 PM
Jun 2014

about CrystalDisk...I just saw that 6.1.14 had a bug.

I don't think I would run a scndsk myself but maybe someone else can address that.

Wish I knew more to help you.

Denzil_DC

(7,182 posts)
13. For what my opinion's worth, no, I would just leave it alone.
Wed Jun 25, 2014, 09:45 PM
Jun 2014

Running anything like scandisk is going to result in more intensive use of the hard disk and is likely to make the problem worse if the disk is in fact failing.

Use your computer if you really must, but I'd try to do so as little as possible.

ThingsGottaChange

(1,200 posts)
14. Flash drive will be here tomorrow
Wed Jun 25, 2014, 10:05 PM
Jun 2014

The computer is running perfectly. But, I do know from scans that the HD is going. Don't think scandisk might fix that one bad sector, if I give it another run? Maybe I'll try after I get everything backed up. Which, of course I don't know anything about. What makes it so much worse is that I don't have a TV and I am agoraphobic. So, I have been using the computer. Staring off into space just doesn't sound all that appealing

I'll be back with all my questions on getting the C drive on the flash drive. And which HD to buy and how to install it. You folks won't be bored for quite some time. Thanks for your help!

eta: should be chkdsk instead of scandisk. I believe they are two different things.

Denzil_DC

(7,182 posts)
15. "should be chkdsk instead of scandisk"
Wed Jun 25, 2014, 11:57 PM
Jun 2014

Either of those (and any other disk checking or management software) will work the disk harder than I'd be comfortable with if it was my computer in this condition. It's possible that sector isn't being used for anything important (if it's being used at all) anyway, so the risk isn't worth any benefit, I reckon. In the course of using your computer, Windows will move data around on your hard disk, so that could lead to problems. I'd leave well enough alone for now and just use it for what you consider essential.

Good luck with the backup. Ideally you'd keep more than one backup, though that's not going to be possible in this case unless you cherrypick particularly important data and copy that off to, say, a DVD, or maybe email it to yourself (I see above you've already moved photos to online storage). Anyway, it'll be worth verifying that any data that's important to you is accessible on the flash drive before doing anything else. (With any luck your old faulty hard disk will serve as a temporary second backup once you get a new hard disk, but it could fail completely at any time, so I wouldn't rely on it.)

ThingsGottaChange

(1,200 posts)
16. Backup is done!
Thu Jun 26, 2014, 02:23 PM
Jun 2014

Everything is in zip files. Haven't looked at anything yet. But, watched all the files that were backed up as they whizzed by on the backup screen. Looked like it got everything. Going to take a breather from worrying for a bit.

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