Win7 destroys hard drive


  1. w7Joe
    Posts : 3
    Windows 7 Pro
       New #1

    Win7 destroys hard drive


    Hi, I'm having a hell of a problem with Windows 7 and need help.
    I received Windows 7 Pro dvd in October 2009 (Corporate retail)
    I have a fairly new PC with 160 gig SATA C: drive and 120 gig IDE D: drive.
    I install Windows 7 on SATA drive.
    I goto all hardware sites and get latest Win7 drivers and install them.
    I am a C/C++ developer so I install Borland Builder5, Watcom and MinGW as I use them all.
    I also play the odd FPS games for relaxing :)

    Now for a period of time week, several weeks maybe, Win7 works 100%, no problems what so ever.
    Then suddenly the PC will freeze, maybe in middle of a game, maybe while browsing the net or just testing a program.
    Sometimes if I press Alt+Ctrl+Del the Task Manager menu appears and from there I get out of the problem.
    BUT.... and this is where the problems come in...
    Most times, after pressing Alt+Ctrl+Del nothing happens, you can press as many times as you like but nothing happens, keyboard and mouse are still active.
    This I now know is disastrous and I know at this point that Win7 has destroyed my hard drive as the only way out is to manually restart the PC using the on/off button.
    Now when the PC tries to reboot it says 'Invalid Media' after a while and stops.
    At this point the Repair disk is useless as it only offers a 3 stage Chkdsk and not a 5 stage as required.
    I install an old 80 gig hard drive with Windows Xp on it, boot that and set a schedule for the faulty hard drive to be chkdsk (scan for bad sectors) on next boot.
    I reboot the PC, and the 5 stage chkdsk runs, takes about an hour.
    Now if I boot this Win7 drive it says 'NTLDR is missing' and now I put in my repair disk and install the image backup I made soon after the original installation.
    At this point everything works 100% again, until next time.

    1. Have have tried a new hard drive.
    2. I have replaced the motherboard.
    3. I have replaced the memory.
    4. I have upgraded to a 650 watt PSU from a 450 watt.

    I do not have too many things installed on this PC as its a work horse.
    I have Avast antivirus which reports all ok.

    This crash procedure has now happened 7 times and if I do not solve it soon, I'm going back to Xp as I tried that during December and January and that worked 100% no problems at all.

    Any idea's or help would be greatly appreciated as I really like Windows 7 and would like to stick to it.

    Joe.
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

  3. baarod
    Posts : 1,519
    El Capitan / Windows 10
       New #2

    Please list the drivers you are installing and complete your hardware profile if you have not already done so. I suspect that you are using an nVidia-based chipset and have installed some chipset software that is incompatible. What you are experiencing is indicative of a BIOS/chipset/driver incompatibility. Removing one of these factors by way of a BIOS or driver update is likely to solve the issue. One last question -- AHCI or ATAPI mode for the SATA drive?
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

  4. w7Joe
    Posts : 3
    Windows 7 Pro
    Thread Starter
       New #3

    Thanks for the reply, looks like there is hope :)

    Please list the drivers you are installing and complete your hardware profile if you have not already done so.
    I did complete the profile when I registered but here it is again:
    Type: Intel P4 - Core 2 Duo
    PSU: 650 watt CoolMaster (original was 450 watt)
    CPU: E6850 - 3 gig CPU
    Mobo: Gigabyte EP43-UDL3 (original was Intel Dragontail Peak)
    Memory: 4 gigs Samsung 800mhz (original was Kingmax)
    Graphics: nVidia 8800GT512
    Mouse: Logitech G5
    Monitor: Acer 19" LCD
    C: Drive: 160 gig SATA Seagate (original was Samsung)
    D: Drive: 120 gig IDE

    Drivers.
    Mobo: As recommended by gigabyte site. (did not use cd supplied)
    nVidia: 196.21
    Mouse: Logitech_G5_Setpoint480.exe

    One last question -- AHCI or ATAPI mode for the SATA drive?
    ATAPI

    Just want to add also that the first 3 or 4 times it crashed, I did complete new installations from scratch.
    It was only after December that I was informed about the image option and went back to Win7.

    [edit]
    LOL, just seen the 'My System Specs' at the bottom - nice touch :)
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

 

  Related Discussions
I am pretty good at Windows and have decades of experience. But this, is a super difficult issue that has me stumped for days. There is a lot to read, I am sorry, but the issue is: I cannot remove an old hard drive without destroying the media libraries for Media Center and Media Player. Windows...
I can populate the dive in device mgr, but I cant get a format command anywhere... How can I reformat it so that I can use it as an external storage drive. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!
I have a Dell Laptop which came with XP, last year I purchased Win7 Home Premium Upgrade and installed it on the Laptop. I let my stepson use it until today, the User files have been messed with and there is more junk on it than I am willing to work around. I would like to format the hard drive...
Format hard drive win7 64 bit
in Hardware & Devices

Would formating my hardrive and reinstalling win7 speed up my laptop? Which way will be the best to do it? Do i create a partition not to lose all graphix and sounds software? Thanks
Hello, First time here, first post. This looks like a great forum. I think I'll be visiting a lot. :D So here's my issue: I boot off of a SATA drive but use an IDE for a second drive for backups. On some boots it sees the drive and on other boots it doesn't. It seems to be running 50/50....
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 7 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 7" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

 © Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 17:32.
Find Us