Is my HDD dying?

[sumerinyan]

Your HDD is indeed dying. As soon as you get your new hard drive you need to get the files off the dying one. Hard drives can take hours to months to die. Don't bother using the dying HDD as a backup for any of your personal files. You'd be better off buying a high capacity USB thumb drive for backing up personal files.

 

Don't buy an SSD for the OS unless you want to learn a good bit of information about optimizing Windows for an SSD. Without the optimizations, the SSD could die off within 2 years. Rayblue is correct about defragmenting an SSD. Unlike HDDs, SSDs don't die from being used. They die from large amounts of data being written to them over time. Defrags move small file parts or fragments closer together on an HDD platter. That makes the access time faster. Because SSDs are solid state they access data much quicker, negating the need for file fragments to be "closer" to eachother. Also Intel has a technology for SSDs called TRIM. Windows normally activates that tech when the OS is installed on an SSD. TRIM prolongs the life of an SSD.

 

There are a lot of benifits to using SSDs for the OS, but it requires a certain amount of knowledge about computers. In short, If you can build a computer by yourself you can learn the nuances of having your OS on an SSD. If you don't know how to build a computer don't bother. The good news is that you can use an SSD for games without any of the complicated stuff.

 

I know all this because I build computers and have interest in the underlaying tech that makes them work.

[Mana Yakushima]

I was surprised that you're still using a very old 80gb, and it's IDE.

Lol, yeah I actually have SATA inputs but the HDD's always break. I've had a 320GB, 500GB, and a 250 I believe, and they've all broken, usually before I decide to reinstall windows on the new HDD.

[Guest carywinton]

This CrystalDisk program looks interesting, but from a factory and authorized OEM builder and dealer stand point I always go to the manufacturer for their test software. Both Seagate and Western Digital offer it for free, I would think other vendors would also, I would run a test with their proprietary diagnostics software. The reason I say this is due to the hard drive firmware, even a slight difference in the code can cause those numbers to be totally wrong. Anytime you are referring to "Sectors" You are referring to the actual "tracks" in the platters, this is referred to a "Sectors per Track" and it also accounts for how many "Heads" a drive may have. Generally speaking all hardware made today, regardless of what type has a much shorter life span than those of only 5 years or more ago. This is why the vendors only offer 1 year warranties on most of their components when only a few years back it was 3, and prior to this 5. I can recall Motherboards being several mills thicker than the current ones today and would last nearly 10 years or more, now you are fortunate to get more than 3.

[Guest corespore]

Yeah but luckily PC are one of the few remaining consumer products that still allows for end user repairs and alterations. Other products like TVs and microwaves are throw away appliances, they break you toss them without ever cracking open the cover......well, actually i gut all that stuff for parts but most people don't. 

PCs are the last holdout of the do-it-yourself way of doing things.

[Rayblue]

 

I was surprised that you're still using a very old 80gb, and it's IDE.

Lol, yeah I actually have SATA inputs but the HDD's always break. I've had a 320GB, 500GB, and a 250 I believe, and they've all broken, usually before I decide to reinstall windows on the new HDD.

 

 

Hmmm.... If you're getting problems with hard drives, then:

1. How many hours per day do you have your PC turned on?
2. What kind of Power Supply Unit (PSU) you're using?
3. And is your PC connected to a UPS or a surge protector or directly to the outlet?
4. Do you make backups of your important files?
5. Do you regularly clean and defrag your hard drives?

The reason why I ask those questions is that -- unprotected -- you're probably being hit up by power surges, which really do damage to hardware and thus causing data corruption over time, and the more you experience hardware breakdowns, the more you'll be shelling out money to replace them, especially if it's a PC intended for both work and gameplay.

 

Also, a bad SATA or IDE cable, or poor hard drive maintenance will cause data problems.

[Mana Yakushima]

 

 

I was surprised that you're still using a very old 80gb, and it's IDE.

Lol, yeah I actually have SATA inputs but the HDD's always break. I've had a 320GB, 500GB, and a 250 I believe, and they've all broken, usually before I decide to reinstall windows on the new HDD.

 

 

Hmmm.... If you're getting problems with hard drives, then:

• How many hours per day do you have your PC turned on?
• What kind of Power Supply Unit (PSU) you're using?
• And is your PC connected to a UPS or a surge protector or directly to the outlet?
• Do you make backups of your important files?
• Do you regularly clean and defrag your hard drives?

The reason why I ask those questions is that -- unprotected -- you're probably being hit up by power surges, which really do damage to hardware and thus causing data corruption over time, and the more you experience hardware breakdowns, the more you'll be shelling out money to replace them, especially if it's a PC intended for both work and gameplay.

 

Also, a bad SATA or IDE cable, or poor hard drive maintenance will cause data problems.

 

They've been mechanical, actually . I've had cues to them beginning to break, like clicking, and the actual 'disc' in side the speeding up and down constantly, or literally spinning at full speed even with the PC off. I really have the worst luck with HDD's.

[Kaz Aanh]

So I did a test run in OCCT that lasted 20 mins.

 

If anyone could analyze this I would appreciate. Core's tabs looks very strange . . .

 

I might do a longer test later.

 

Also here is an *removed *to the online album if someone doesn't like to download random stuff.

 

 

 

[Kaz Aanh]

Mhm a little update. 

 

I've replaced my radiator + recleaned and applied again thermal paste on my processor .

 

Overall temp went down by 15, at 100% CPU usage I still got 70 celcius max but its a big step forward. ( from 85 before replacement ).

 

@Aaand another update

 

Thats kinda weird but I went into the bios settings and guess what. EIST settings were disabled so my CPU ran at the half power ( It was set on the 6x multiplier ) ALL the time (1200hz instead of 2400 ).

 

So I've changed multiplier for test to 10 ( max was 12 ) and it boosted my FPS in games by 20 huh. 

 

Strange I wonder what/who has disabled this thing. 

 

Well now I should set it to the automatic I guess.

 

[Guest corespore]

Mhm a little update. 

 

I've replaced my radiator + recleaned and applied again thermal paste on my processor .

 

Overall temp went down by 15, at 100% CPU usage I still got 70 celcius max but its a big step forward. ( from 85 before replacement ).

 

@Aaand another update

 

Thats kinda weird but I went into the bios settings and guess what. EIST settings were disabled so my CPU ran at the half power ( It was set on the 6x multiplier ) ALL the time (1200hz instead of 2400 ).

 

So I've changed multiplier for test to 10 ( max was 12 ) and it boosted my FPS in games by 20 huh. 

 

Strange I wonder what/who has disabled this thing. 

 

Well now I should set it to the automatic I guess.

So you think that might have been part of the problem? And there's no real knowing what might have set your BIOS so low unless someone else uses your machine as well, they might have played with the settings for some reason or another. Atleast you're making progress   

[Mana Yakushima]

Could be the battery on the mobo...possibly...