Help! Problem with system restore and SMART Hard Drive detection

Hi,

I have a Dell XPS laptop which for whatever reason decided one day not to boot. I took the opportunity to do a backup and full restore using Dell DataSafe (?) which crashed and got stuck at 29%. On attempting to restart my computer I receive an error message from SMART that my hard drive is about to fail, and despite me furiously tapping f8 to enter safe mode the error screen always overrides the safe boot menu (which I sometimes see for half a second but never long enough to do anything about it).

The backup I did using DataSafe prior to my first system restore is on a partition went to a partition on my C:\ drive so I'm loathed to switch out the HDD completely at this point.

I just want to boot in safe mode so that I can move my backup to my external HDD but I can see absolutely no way to do so. I have tried using bcdedit in the command prompt but I get the exact same thing when restarting the computer, just this time in safe mode - still no option to attempt to boot. I have no SMART options in BIOS so apparently I'm stuck with the error message!

I'm sure there are plenty of specifics I've missed out that I can provide if anybody has any ideas, just a case of jogging my memory! I've spent all day trying to work this out and it is beginning to drive me insane.

Thanks for your time (and hopefully help).

Will

It is a fake virus and I have it too! Fortunately I have my trusty iPad!
Anyway, do a google search on SMART HDD and you will see what I am talking about.
I ended up having to buy PC Tools ($40 Australian) to get rid of the virus though I am not 100% sure if it is completely gone.
http://http://www.pctools.com/forum/...DD-Smart-Check
I have hopefully pasted in the link I am referring to.
For my particular issue I think I am going to have to reload the OS. At present I am backing up to DVDs because any USBs or external HDD is not recognised.
The good news is that once you follow the instructions and unhide your data should still be there. Good luck.

Thanks for the help - I'll give it a go. Just seems odd that I only receive now after a failed restore.

The problem is is that I can't boot so can't download anything. All I have is BIOS and cmd.exe.

Hi,

I would recommend running Dell Diagnostics. In order to run Dell Diagnostics from Hard Drive, follow the mentioned steps: Restart your computer. When the DELL™ logo appears, tap <F12> immediately. In the boot device list, highlight Boot to Utility Partition and press <Enter>. Under Dell Diagnostics Main Menu (see Dell Diagnostics Main Menu), select the extended test. If you get any error code, make a note of the error code.

Kindly revert and let us know the status.

Debbie B, I did as you said and received error no. 0142, and there was another code which was 2000 0142.

I will try your suggestion when I am home Britton, thanks.

Britton30 said:

S.M.A.R.T. is most definitely not a virus.
Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology

Can you boot to w7 at all, any kind of way?
In cmd prompt type

Code:

 chkdsk /r

And let it run.

I get the following:

Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Chkdsk may run if this volume is dismounted first.
ALL OPENED HANDLES TO THIS VOLUME WOULD THEN BE INVALID.
Would you like to force a dismount on this volume?


Do I!?

Yes, if you want to run Chkdsk. All that means is that the drive in question is being used at the moment.

If you force the dismount, the PC should reboot and run chkdisk before Windows is loaded.

Hi,


According to support website”2000-0142” relates to hard drive issue. You can even try Removing and reinstalling the Hard Drive for this error codes. Ensure to disconnect the power source from the computer while reseating Hard Drive. After reinstalling the hard drive re-run the Diagnostics.

Also, would suggest you to check the hard drive status in system BIOS. If the status is unknown, then I would recommend resetting the BIOS to default.

If you still get the status “unknown” in BIOS and if you still get the same error code, then your computer hard drive might be bad and needs to be replaced.

Hope this helps.