Excessive Read Write overloading HDD

Hi again! So many replies and so nice of all of you to write back to me!

Snick said:

In regards to your safe mode question, I don't know anyone who operates their computer exclusively in safe mode.

Well I guess I'll be the first! I must be taking the course here: "Adventures in Random Computing Processes"

Snick said:

Differences between Normal and Safe Mode in Windows

I said that little joke above so I can get serious here! Thanks for the reference! I appreciate and understand a lot more now. I know the meanings of many of those words, just been so long since I actually used them in a real world example that I miss the ramifications of actually operarting or performing processes while using unusual constraintes on the normal processes as occurs in Safe Mode!

Marie SWE! Great list!

I'll comment on many of them as you requested: (maybe you'll be sorry you did! just kidding):

Marie SWE said:

Never disable anything that you do not know what it is for. Ask if you're unsure.:)

Remember I told everyone (like 10 posts ago) that I shortened stuff so you would not have too much to read though?

Well, this all happened it seemed when I got 1 download "important" it said, from Microsoft so I put it in.....

Then all this crazy stuff happened...

I was going to write to my nice helpers here at WindowsSevenForum (as searching Microsoft in my primitive methods I could not find anything wrong with the update/download to worry me so I took it in...I always wait a while and check to be sure that nothing BOLD bad is happening to others who take the same download)

Anyway... I quickly got I think it was 7 (!) new important downloads from Microsoft. I didn't have the time to research each one....and assumed it was because the one I did caused so much pain and misery with others.... some with me...that they quickly made a patch...so I took all 7 in!

THEN i got messages from places like "Windows Defender" (which I did remember turning off..but the latest patch turned it "on" ? how is that possible ? without asking me first??

So I did not touch it..... did nothing and maybe it ran the HDD or interfered with the Norton and Malwarebytes and that war has been the source of the Orange HDD light?

What do you think Marie SWE? and others?

Thanks for explaining this all in your post above:

Marie SWE said:

Windows Defender. Disable and scan ones a day, or every other day. Or change to 10-15 Minutes inactivity(if you ave an other AV disable this one)

So as a result of reading that I guess I'll disable it the next itme I see it---it comes and goes now causing more activity to ove3rload my regular WIndows sessions (or go into services as you said I can and disable it from there...I hope!

* * * *

Marie SWE said:

Services under Administrator Tools
Microsoft.NET. I have changed it to manual

I have so many different .NET's
Many of the programs I use and frequent have different .NET requirements! Whenever one says its old or outdated I am instructed to follow links to Microsoft and download the latest .NET framework (aha, see? I recalled that word just now) . They use it for something...in GUI not sure what...

I'd like to change it to manual if that helps...but since I have no idea which programs are using it (I can't just type it in the search bar, correct? and ask the computer so which one of you 300+ programs really needs to have the .NET framework on auto and not manual! Until I turn it on a month or three from now and wonder "why" its not working.

Believe me....even with all your wonderful work and assistance to me and remembering your name and what you offered me in that list will be saved in the "to do" section here on my computer... I may forget that I switched it to "manual" ....

So other than yourself Marie SWE...
Here is a general question too for everyone
How does someone determine when you change a parameter like this...which programs actually "use" something that I'm changing the parameter of>?

When I had the "free" 90 days or so of telephone service to install many programs years ago....of course they came into the computer remotely and fast as lightening!
without explaining what they were doing!
set all these parameters and numbers and timers for "me"

The remote technicians from the third party programs :
1. Did not give me a list of the changes.
2. Never told me why they changed things
3. Never told me what I must "never" touch.
4. (one said never upgrade the BIOS on the laptop....but that I'll ask the guy who is actually installing the new HDD unless...unless.. I do it myself... then I have to "figure out" why they cautioned me "never" to upgrade the BIOS and what hardware or software would become obsolete by doing that step!
5. Norton technicians were especially cryptic in what they did and I asked a lot of questions while they did things to make Norton Internet Security "run" well on the laptop when it had problems a few years back...
6. Then again, via Email Malwarebytes...told me to change a lot of these parameters so that Malwarebytes could run

OK Sorry Marie SWE to dump all this so fast on your nice list and great work in trying to help me! I'm not looking a gift ...you know the rest...
I would like to do what you suggest and see if it fixes stuff... but worried about what other effects it has as you are
so
100%
correct when you said:

Marie SWE said:

......since we all have different things installed on our computers. Then look into your scheduled activities if you have other things enabled.

Marie SWE said:

This I wrote stands for me. I have done this because I hate when the hard disk runs constantly in the background

I know what you mean. I swapped out my slow HDD when I purcahsed the laptop for a faster one (7200 was the max at the time) just so that I would not have ti funning all the time as it would do its operations "faster" ......

Oh and yes I read what The Deer Dude said:

TheDeerDude said:

However, after formatting and running chkdsk on the hard drive I mentioned, the bad sectors grew from 200 to 4000.

AND because I got "frozen" so many times
and because
I did Hard Power button off so many times...
in the past three months I must have run "Checkdisk C:" [It is highly recommended that you run this program because there might be inconsistencies in the disk" I dont' have exact quote as I can't screen shot under DOS but you all know what it says I hope!]

So I must have run Checkdisk C over a dozen times.... is that a lot? Did I destroy the HDD by following the instructions????

Will I also go from just 2 sectors to 4000 if I do Checkdisk on a dying HDD??

I know checkdisk runs a long long time (I usually quit and go to sleep....watching a pot boil they say means it enver gets done so I never know "how" long it actually takes).

If anyone is complaining that I left out these important facts (i.e. about the Windows Defender errors and too many Checkdisks C due to my installing and uninstalling iTunes etc apple products 100+ times as they failed under Windows 7 "Professional" version only they tell me and iCloud too failed to coordinate with iTunes).... then this is my fault for trying to write the initial "welcome to my personal problem" message shorter than 10 pages :lol: So sorry....

Now you know I had "more" than just orange light signs there were things cooking in the HDD since "Janaury 2018, which is why I did the Macrium without erasing the older one....in case it already was corrupted and now I have "no" room on the existing backup External HDD so that is why I was contemplating buying a new one just to store this messed up version of the HDD and still keep the "two" maximum that fit ont he other HDD under Macrium without erasing either one... unless I'd like to go backwards to October 2017 or use the messed up January 2018 one!
Whew! Took a lot out of my remembering everything to write that ... I'm sure I messed up the words somewhere.... but you all get the idea.... I don't know which copy of Macrium I need to keep in case the HDD actually does fail in the next day or two..or week...

XP VM User said:

4. (one said never upgrade the BIOS on the laptop....but that I'll ask the guy who is actually installing the new HDD unless...unless.. I do it myself... then I have to "figure out" why they cautioned me "never" to upgrade the BIOS and what hardware or software would become obsolete by doing that step!

I honestly can't be sure, but I believe that upgrading BIOS will not make any of your software/hardware obsolete. It has nothing to do with the software running on your computer - BIOS works between the OS and the hardware (I think, please someone correct me if I'm wrong - I don't wish to be misleading anyone) and the OEM manufacturers are not going to release new BIOS that will make any hardware that previously worked with it, no longer work.

I personally updated BIOSes on two of my laptops, and never had any such problems, I don't know who told you such nonsense..

Say, if the BIOS was the same all these years while the laptop worked okay, could it really be the cause of this problem?

XP VM User said:

So I must have run Checkdisk C over a dozen times.... is that a lot? Did I destroy the HDD by following the instructions????
Will I also go from just 2 sectors to 4000 if I do Checkdisk on a dying HDD??

Oh no, no, you can run CHKDSK all you want, it will not destroy your hard drive - however, it is likely to uncover the damage that has already been done. Well, if the hard drive is slowly destroying itself, it can make it worse - but we don't have to worry about that - since you've already backed up your data?

I think I saw Marie Excessive Read Write overloading HDD - Page 2 - Windows 7 Help Forums suggest you run system file checker and a full chkdsk scan? I'm not sure. Have you done these? (preferably in safe mode)

It would be interesting to see if the S.M.A.R.T. attributes change, after the scan.

XP VM User said:

I responded to The Deer Dude's suggestion separately so he can skip right to here!

No results as:
I finally got screenshot of the --frame-- GUI of the Resource monitor in regular mode overlayed my word processor that is why you see the results of the Safe Mode version in it

So unfortunately, during the regular operation of the Windows 7 OS, I can't observe and copy off a read out for you of what is going on and if anything is not "Normal" as in the Safe Mode above.

I feel both special and rude now, haha, thank you. I don't think (again I'm no specialist) anything looks out of the ordinary, in safe mode's Resource Monitor. That's very interesting. So, we can't check what's using the hard drive when not in safe mode, as Resource Monitor refuses to show anything.

Hi Marie SWE & The Deer Dude!

Again! I bow down to such knowledgeable people helping me in my time of need....

Thank you to The Deer Dude and Marie SWE for your posts and continued interest.

I'll answer two quick items that stood out for me before I go "line by line" through the items and hopefully take a break to go try what Marie SWE suggested I do (since it would do no harm in Safe Mode [fingers crossed---outch! How DO people do that?]

Marie SWE said:

One short question before I get into the rest.
How long time ago did you installed Windows on that computer?

Brief History!
Laptop necessary for "new" iPad to back it up in 2010 (gen 1)
Laptop necessary to have a Windows program on it as everyone else uses Windows and hates our using Apple products for creating items to be shared across platforms (technobabble can be inserted here if you want as to why).

Best Buy had brand new Windows Seven in 2010.
Best Buy had new Sony VAIO at the time... OK got two new items (we like "new technology")
Oh oh... it came with "Windows 7 Home Basic" [rip it out please we said]
Windows 7 Professional x64 version was installed by Best Buy Geek Squad people.
THEY DID NOT KNOW HOW TO DO IT!
I was there for TWO DAYS! [see footnote 1] With a conference call with Microsoft HQ in Redmond, Washington State... instructing them how to do it.
I wanted the VM for XP too... They messed that up royally until they got it to work.
(:lol: now you know the source of my User Name I got stuck with here as I typed my first questions in August 2012 too quickly to notice... "XP VM User" )

So others who have looked at this laptop and operated it in person at various times all have said maybe they [Best Buy w Microsoft on phone!] still installed it "incorrectly".
Advice from far too many people (see my comment directly below as it relates to this long history)... I got was "uninstall" 100% of WIndows. Format HDD. Reinstall Windows and at that time c. 150+ programs I had laboriously transferred over from my older XP program getting new Product Keys for $$$ as now the programs refused to work detecting they were in a "new" person's computer.

Ok? Had enough?

Read below please (not looking for any sympathy...its what happened so I've told it so many times already to real in person helpers at various places).

TheDeerDude said:

I personally updated BIOSes on two of my laptops, and never had any such problems, I don't know who told you such nonsense..

Well, now you know "who" some of these people were.
Geek Squad we had on "contract for first 2 years of service. Then.... SONY tells us to continue for next "year" and thereafter we have to pay
(are you sitting down?)
$200 a year for "Software advice by phone" as many questions as you want.
$300 a year for "Hardware advice by phone" as many questions as you want.
(From owning a Dell that did that same charging (at far cheaper rates!) to me I know I can't just get "one" of them.... as they know which one I did not pay for....and will blame "that" for whatever problems I'm calling about so they don't have to fix it for free).

Anyway...where was I?
$500 a year means in 2 years I could have purchased a brand new laptop with a 2 year warranty (I think it is $100 extra to be truthful) with Geek Squad for carry in service to the store.....
So I asked around at everyone (who I meet physically so I'm certain they are actually running a "computer repair store" and not just someone I meet at a fast food place, etc. offering advice.

There is your answer! I have had sooo many different people with different backgrounds giving me advice on the laptop.
I really want to go back to my Tower (built it myself, sort of). Then I had the company that provided the parts 100% behind me for as long as I owned it.
And I can just read and stick in and out anything I want to solve whatever problem is occurring via hardware or software third party solutions.
Seems to be much more difficult on a laptop. Less options for solutions.

So I'm very pleased to have discovered WindowsSevenForum and will use you whenever I upgrade to Windows 10 and also 15 or 20 :)

-------
Ok, here are some answers to the other questions:

First I'll remind you and myself that after I type and post this long discussion, I'm going to follow Marie SWE's very clear and simple to try suggestions:

Marie SWE said:

I would like you to do the following.
Start the computer in [B]safe mode.[B]
open command prompt as administrator. (right click and run as administrator)
chkdsk c: /f

What does the /f attribute do again? ---guess I'll find out

Google is not much help--referred me to a Microsoft article after this snippet:

chkdsk /r does the same thing as chkdsk /f only it also checks for bad sectors on the disk and recovers any readable information. Running chkdsk /r implies that also chkdsk /f is run. chkdsk /f only checks for disk errors, not bad sectors.

Marie SWE said:

After it is ready run.
sfc/scannow
And after all this is ready As TheDeerDude wrote:[I] "It would be interesting to see if the S.M.A.R.T. attributes change, after the scan."

So I can answer Marie SWE and The Deer Dude's excellent points..
I'm curious too!
Hopefully I'll get some answers and post them in next posting....

Was that messed up copying and pasting the results from using Resource Monitor in Safe Mode that I did in Post # 22 ok to read? Everything said "Normal" which I assumed was the most important item you all were looking for.

* * * * *
I put this all at end in case anyone wants to skip it.

1. And we have a legal footnote here... Two days? Yes, once the purchase was finalized, I lived there at Best Buy store from the moment it opened till the moment the store closed going back and forth asking questions and doing calls. Why? Legal requirement of the store to "rip out Home Basic" was that you had to take "full purchase possession" of the Laptop! OK. Only problem, is that there is a clear 7 day period for return/exchange if there is anything "wrong" with it that only can be revealed when you have the operating OS installed and actually use and test features (and we had to get the SIM card installed too---9 pm on the day I got it they kept the Phone company techs running over time on that one too)
Anyway... Picked wrong day to buy it since store is not open all seven days of the week so we'd lose a day too if we waited to install Windows 7 Professional. And whatever day it was, was the "first" day that they had the blue boxes from Microsoft with the rounded corner (still have box) containing the upgrade versions of Windows 7, including Professional.

There was practically no one to ask before that day. No one had actually used it other than the beta testers on the Microsoft page and the early reports I read in the PC magazines back then, so it was all a guess to get it installed. Definitely, was informed by everyone including Microsoft that taking Home Basic home and doing "anything" other than "looking" at the screen would not be able to be transferred that high and upgrade to Professional. It had to be removed 100% and reformatted drive before we begin again. I put this all at end in case anyone wants to skip it.

The Importance of Updating the BIOS

I followed the following instructions:

Marie SWE said:

I would like you to do the following.
Start the computer in safe mode.
open command prompt as administrator. (right click and run as administrator)
chkdsk c: /f
After it is ready run.
sfc/scannow
And after all this is ready As TheDeerDude wrote:[I] "It would be interesting to see if the S.M.A.R.T. attributes change, after the scan."

Here is a printout of the Command Prompt window (misspelled the first time I typed scanow without extra "n")

* * * * * * *

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\ >chkdsk c: /f
The type of the file system is NTFS.
Cannot lock current drive.

Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another
process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be
checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N) y

This volume will be checked the next time the system restarts.

C:\Users\>

* * * * * *
restarted in safe mode = no checkdisk running!

* * * * * *
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\ >chkdsk C: /f
The type of the file system is NTFS.
Cannot lock current drive.

Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another
process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be
checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N) Y

This volume will be checked the next time the system restarts.

C:\Users\ >sfc/scanow

* * * * * *
THIS WORKED

Here is result of sfc/scannow

* * * * *

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\ >chkdsk C: /f
The type of the file system is NTFS.
Cannot lock current drive.

Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another
process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be
checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N) Y

This volume will be checked the next time the system restarts.

C:\Users\ >sfc/scanow

* * * * * *

Microsoft (R) Windows (R) Resource Checker Version 6.0
Copyright (c) 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Scans the integrity of all protected system files and replaces incorrect version
s with
correct Microsoft versions.

SFC [/SCANNOW] [/VERIFYONLY] [/SCANFILE=<file>] [/VERIFYFILE=<file>]
[/OFFWINDIR=<offline windows directory> /OFFBOOTDIR=<offline boot directory>
]

/SCANNOW Scans integrity of all protected system files and repairs files
with
problems when possible.
/VERIFYONLY Scans integrity of all protected system files. No repair operati
on is
performed.
/SCANFILE Scans integrity of the referenced file, repairs file if problems
are
identified. Specify full path <file>
/VERIFYFILE Verifies the integrity of the file with full path <file>. No re
pair
operation is performed.
/OFFBOOTDIR For offline repair specify the location of the offline boot dire
ctory
/OFFWINDIR For offline repair specify the location of the offline windows d
irectory

e.g.

sfc /SCANNOW
sfc /VERIFYFILE=c:\windows\system32\kernel32.dll
sfc /SCANFILE=d:\windows\system32\kernel32.dll /OFFBOOTDIR=d:\ /OFFWINDI
R=d:\windows
sfc /VERIFYONLY

C:\Users\ >

* * * * * * *
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\ >chkdsk C: /f
The type of the file system is NTFS.
Cannot lock current drive.

Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another
process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be
checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N) Y

This volume will be checked the next time the system restarts.

C:\Users\ >sfc/scanow

Microsoft (R) Windows (R) Resource Checker Version 6.0
Copyright (c) 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Scans the integrity of all protected system files and replaces incorrect version
s with
correct Microsoft versions.

SFC [/SCANNOW] [/VERIFYONLY] [/SCANFILE=<file>] [/VERIFYFILE=<file>]
[/OFFWINDIR=<offline windows directory> /OFFBOOTDIR=<offline boot directory>
]

/SCANNOW Scans integrity of all protected system files and repairs files
with
problems when possible.
/VERIFYONLY Scans integrity of all protected system files. No repair operati
on is
performed.
/SCANFILE Scans integrity of the referenced file, repairs file if problems
are
identified. Specify full path <file>
/VERIFYFILE Verifies the integrity of the file with full path <file>. No re
pair
operation is performed.
/OFFBOOTDIR For offline repair specify the location of the offline boot dire
ctory
/OFFWINDIR For offline repair specify the location of the offline windows d
irectory

e.g.

sfc /SCANNOW
sfc /VERIFYFILE=c:\windows\system32\kernel32.dll
sfc /SCANFILE=d:\windows\system32\kernel32.dll /OFFBOOTDIR=d:\ /OFFWINDI
R=d:\windows
sfc /VERIFYONLY

C:\Users\ >sfc /scannow

Beginning system scan. This process will take some time.

Beginning verification phase of system scan.
Verification 1% complete.

* * * * * *

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\ >chkdsk C: /f
The type of the file system is NTFS.
Cannot lock current drive.

Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another
process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be
checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N) Y

This volume will be checked the next time the system restarts.

C:\Users\ >sfc/scanow

Microsoft (R) Windows (R) Resource Checker Version 6.0
Copyright (c) 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Scans the integrity of all protected system files and replaces incorrect version
s with
correct Microsoft versions.

SFC [/SCANNOW] [/VERIFYONLY] [/SCANFILE=<file>] [/VERIFYFILE=<file>]
[/OFFWINDIR=<offline windows directory> /OFFBOOTDIR=<offline boot directory>
]

/SCANNOW Scans integrity of all protected system files and repairs files
with
problems when possible.
/VERIFYONLY Scans integrity of all protected system files. No repair operati
on is
performed.
/SCANFILE Scans integrity of the referenced file, repairs file if problems
are
identified. Specify full path <file>
/VERIFYFILE Verifies the integrity of the file with full path <file>. No re
pair
operation is performed.
/OFFBOOTDIR For offline repair specify the location of the offline boot dire
ctory
/OFFWINDIR For offline repair specify the location of the offline windows d
irectory

e.g.

sfc /SCANNOW
sfc /VERIFYFILE=c:\windows\system32\kernel32.dll
sfc /SCANFILE=d:\windows\system32\kernel32.dll /OFFBOOTDIR=d:\ /OFFWINDI
R=d:\windows
sfc /VERIFYONLY

C:\Users\ >sfc /scannow

Beginning system scan. This process will take some time.

Beginning verification phase of system scan.
Verification 100% complete.

Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.

C:\Users\ >





---------------------------
Questions!

So it won't let me run chkdsk in Safe Mode.
It only will do it upon restart (which I tried, but I can't get it to run pressing F8 for Safe Mode--that interrupts the command to do chkdsk.

I have no idea what process is running and keeping it from doing chkdsk while the Command Prompt window is open (I remember it can do that while the system is on----or at least it USED to be able to do that)

P.S. Strange event! (I have event recorder on desktop so I checked and nothing special in there)
I shut down after doing scannow as I needed Safe Mode "with networking" on in order to go to the WindowsSevenForum site to post my resuts (above).
I left the computer at 2 am saying "please wait" and the list of drivers being loaded..... It was half and hour and I just would not stay up watching it "wait"

I got up at 6 30 am and FOUND the computer in regular mode!
Now I didn't do that.
How did it switch by itself from Safe Mode to regular mode?
Is there a screen with a timer that automatically launches regular mode if I do "nothing"?
I never saw such a screen.
I see screens when the computer comes out of a crash saying its going to give me a choice of safe mode or regular mode and counts down.
But that is not what I did.
I chose F8
and chose Safe Mode "with networking" so I could use the web to send my results to you.

Oh and by the way...
Orange light is OUT!
Flashes a little as I type and paste! as It should!
What happened?
Thanks for everything?
Lets investigate why is it working "now"? in regular mode ok?

(Norton said it had finished its performance tests (4 am or so) when I got up and activated screen from its dark state and I saw the sign appear and vanish announcing/notifying me about the finishing of Norton. (So I always knew when Norton was "running" in the background and of course I was complaining that the Orange light was still on even though neither Norton AV or Malwarebytes programs were "scanning" the drive.

Someone please explain and let me know how I can check for "what happened?" without damaging the current condition (good) of the computer!!!!!

OK I feel emboldened!
I went WIn+R
typed "resmon" for Resources Monitor and....

It still DOES NOT FUNCTION! Only the empty GUI window frame appears showing whatever is under the window. See Screenshot I did using my desktop as a background instead of the word processor as maybe you didn't understand what I was looking at or wanted to show (see above Resource Monitor screenshot very well hidden in Post # 22 to compare....both show it not functioning! I do have "other" objects doing same thing...

OK so I posted BOTH screenshots here for you to compare as they show same problem!







so it might be signs of something still going very very wrong with my laptop!

So this is not marked "solved" just yet...

But we're really really close!

As I finally am back on regular mode typing on the word processor and posting it when I want to on the WindowsSevenForum!

Separate Message to everyone!

Thanks for making me use Safe Mode 100%

I've had a "broken" Google Chrome and wanted to use only that during my sessions with Safe Mode so I would not break the Browser I use most often "Pale Moon Browser for x64 computers"

So you forced me to go to Google help and knowledge base (no human people there to ask , and no phone number and my typing long messages (as always) on the Google community are never answered like they are here at WindowsSevenForum).

So I was able to "fix" the Google Chrome so that even though I always had the button checked to "restore" last session---it never worked.

Now it does. So I don't have to start off each day's use of Google with a totally empty history totally empty set of tabs. Now it works like the others do.

No idea yet why it was broken....just undid everything and re-instated everything like the knowledge base suggested...and vola! it works again! (for how long I wonder.....)


------------------
Also:

Snick said:

The Importance of Updating the BIOS

Thanks Snick for article about updating of the BIOS and why its done.

I seem to recall some dim memory (or is it my old tower that had this problem?)

Replacing a HD used a different "pin" configuration for some reason. So the reason why I was told NOT to update BIOS was that (just as your instruction #11 says) that you might have to reset the order of the drives. So if I update the BIOS then I would lose the correct order of the drives and would not get back to the correct order and therefore the drives would become inaccessible because the guy did a "workaround" after struggling for hours on it and why the new drive was NOT being read by the OLD BIOS .... so he "fixed" it and informed me... don't update the BIOS as you will lose the correct order and someone (not him!) will have to go through and create the workaround all over again...

SO that maybe why I recall it. I don't remember if it was the Geek Sqaud guy or the Tower Guy who replaced a Motherboard and its onboard BIOS as one chip failed--really rare but had to replace mother board with exact duplicate but it was model D or E and I had Model A earlier one in that long name series.... so I don't touch BIOS of Laptop or Tower just to be "certain"
If it has to be done, I'm certain that someone with hands on experience will just do it and I'll warn them why I was told this... and let them decide at that yet far off date in future or maybe never at all.... if they really need to update the BIOS to provide new features i.e. USB 3? I can't think what else this Laptop is missing....has everything I wanted connectivity with other media devices with lots of ports and choices built in buttons etc....

So thanks for article I'll save it somewhere....

If laptop is OEM win7 install, you CANNOT use M$ download tool to obtain a copy of Win7. M$ removed OEM users from being able to access ISO. Microsoft Windows and Office ISO Download Tool - HeiDoc.net is blocked (windows OS only). Digital River (official M$ download site) is defunct as well.
Go to TechBench All editions ( pro, home premium, etc ) can be made available from any windows 7 iso - either by removing the ei.cfg file from the sources folder, or by using
eicfg_removal_utility.zip
You can use MagicJellybean to locate your 25-character product key, if your laptop sticker is unreadable or missing, which is either on the rear or under battery.
Here's links to WD drive diagnostics video and download
Testing a drive for problems using Data Lifeguard ... - WD Support
I'd run SMART and Short Test, if either or both fail (your drive will soon become inaccessible). You need create a full system image ASAP and install a new drive.