Excessive Read Write overloading HDD

[Megahertz07]

Repair install will reinstall Win 7 and keep all your data, programs and trash. A new Win installation (repair or clean install) has to be updated. Instead of installing by WU (about 200+) you can use the offline SP2. Then I suggest to install the Security ONLY updates to avoid the telemetry etc.
Set Windows updates to manual under services and never check on WU page. Periodically run WU manually to see if there is any updates for Office etc.

Your computer seems to have all Win 7 updates. And some "optional update" can be causing trouble. That is why I suggest to install security only updates.

Why you need to buy a new HDD? Is yours failing?
My suggestion is to replace with a SSD. You have no idea what a SSD can do for your computer. There are two options:
- Replace the HDD with same size SSD.
- Replace the HDD with a small SSD (for Windows and programs) and replace the ODD with a HDD for data.

Any way, a Clean install is ALWAYS the best solution (not the easiest) as you start from scratch and get rid of all trash you accumulated over the years.

 

[Marie SWE]

Thank you !!! everyone for your confidence in me!

Oh here it have happened things while i've been away from the forum.
Long post is okay with me. Since my English isn't the best(But I'm working on it), the forum is automatically spared from my long posts that I usually do on forums, messenger programs and mail. *hahaha*

But you can always use Windows built-in backup. I have used it and restored the entire hard drive. There is a question if you want to back up all partitions and it creates a bootable disc.
"does all my writing BOLD make sense to anyone?" Yes it does to me, otherwise I ask.

1. Recovery (none) NFTS Primary 8.63 GB This partition probably contains the computer's original windows version. Be sure to have a backup on it, because you may benefit from it in the future, as it is optimized for your computer.

"but Marie SWE .. you really have to read my brand new thread." The link was not included, but I will look up your thread a little later. I reinstalling a computer right now.

"using a program called Driver Tuner." I never trust 3rd party programs, I always download drivers from the manufacturer's website.

[now you see how complicated this one laptop is and how connected it is into everything else]. Your computer is more like a server than a laptop.
I understand the word complicated setup very well. You would only know how my network here at home is constructed.

Regarding XP, maybe we should take it in a separate thread or thru PM. Then this thread is only about your laptop.
I'm using xp Pro and I have installed the Wannacry patch, SP3 and all updates. I can check it out later.


Edit:

"Did I miss an important update with SP2?"

No you have not missed something important that will affect your computer negatively.
All updates that are in the so-called SP2, they have been given to you one by one through Windows Update.
I have a long KB list in one of my threads, and I avoid SP2 deliberately as it contains some updates with telemetry.

 

[XP VM User]

Quick reply to Marie SWE!

Thank you for your post! I'll read and respond to it! I see you just updated it 5 minutes ago, so I'll type my response after I do a long long response to helpful Megahertz07's responses to me!

Great! You're learning English! I know someone else from Sweden on another Forum (non-computer) and they express the same complexities with writing English as you seem to have discovered. Learning some Swedish words here and there as I post to them. {added in: They tell us you're experiencing the "Spanish Heatwave" there---hope you have something cold to drink/eat to keep you cool!}

Quick response was to the third party "Driver Tuner" program. Do you have any idea how many drivers I got? Its impossible to trace every one to its manufacturer and finding the one that works with their program on x64 bit computer is tough (if I had known in advance I'd say no to x64 despite all the 1000's of advantages its given me over the years. The Driver Tuner is a third party program that "forces" changes on drivers but always found it to be "correct" until Norton said it was corrupted and hijacked by viruses in its downloader... so its been removed...

Now I have so many old drivers....and no way to determine which ones need improving and which ones conflict against each other...

Yes, Megahertz07 is correct....there is a lot of trash in this laptop...
But also a lot of treasure.... Stupid me.. I liked writing files that are important and I was moving elsewhere with a "Temporary" or .tmp extension!

That is until I discovered that CCC or cleaner disks treat those as GARBAGE and will delete them... and I've been doing it for almost a decade! OH OH I"m going lose tons of data unless I do a scan for .tmp files (which brings up 100000000's of real, computer generated tmp files that SHOULD be deleted but I have no way to manually read every line in the search results box to find which ones I created and wrote purposely with the same exact name as the original file.. I just wanted an extension that I could alphabetically have the two files next to one another for "grabbing" and "comparative" purposes. (no I can't add "2" to the end of the file.... I have file names that are too often told "invalid" as tooo long.. or cannot reach it and everyone here knows how long I write...
Have you actually seen the files I've created over the decades? No? Don't bother... it would make your head spin...

OK that is my quick response to your posting before I post the super
super
long response to the Post #41 of Megahertz07!

Thanks again Marie SWE for helping me!!

* * * * * * * *

Also:

But you can always use Windows built-in backup. I have used it and restored the entire hard drive.

I'm happy you mentioned this!

(but I worry someone here who is a moderator might see that this thread is running too far afield of the title and topic and divide stuff off or tell me I can't post anymore for violating the rules of one subject per thread!) (but I'm hopefull I can get by for now)

I have a constant "1" under my Windows icon on hidden icons... and its been there 8 years!

It is telling me I have NOT YET completed the "windows back up" process.
It says: "insert new blank media in the CD Drive and press "continue" to back up HDD!"

I had telephone support during first two years of life of this laptop with SONY.

I asked them what choices do I have?

NO, they said, I can't save the Windows backup to Drive "C:" it won't let me!
NO, they said I can't save it to [its been too long I forget where else maybe external drive as I had None then]
Yes, I can save it to "CD's"
Yes, they said I had to burn estimated 700 CD's /DVD's to do "one" save
and
Yes, about a month or so later when it changes 10% or whatever its set to....it will display "1" important thing to do.. and ask for another 700 blank "media" to burn CD's DVD's to save them

Oh by the way---I never did it... as I asked the stupid question: What is the life span of one of these internal CD/DVD players? Oh 500 DVD/ burned or so? Wait a minute? I'd have to pay for $100+ USD for 700 DVD's and have a place to store them.. and then half way through that first save.. Buy and install (who ? and how?) another DVD Burner and do another 200 DVD"s and then get a new warning that "windows is not backed up!" and important that I back it up
[I'm in safe mode now so that warning is not displayed so I can't check the exact wording so please excuse me for not being 100% accurate in my telling of this for now until someone gets the regular one to work without BSOD when I use Google Chrome... unless having 20++ tabs open is too much for the Browser! (its updated to latest one)..

So... I built an external drive out of the slower HDD I had removed from the inside of this laptop..
Of course it has a serious problem!
Its only 500 GB and the content in side the laptop (back then) was 300 GB so I could not keep 2x Macrium backups on there..
I was forced to ERASE the last good copy of the Backup! IN order to create a new backup!
(300+300= 600 GB oops too big! for HDD).
And I can't sleep at night
worrying that the last backup I just made might have a BUG in it... and I just destroyed the prior perfect backup that did work in favor of making a newer backup with whatever word documents I'd been working on (of course I know how to create a mini-dump of all "my documents"... in case anyone was wondering I do have at least "THAT"
and it takes up room in the external HD so I never had really a full 500 (I know its less its 489? available GB space).

ok enough! Sending this off to post with the rest (I'll correct it later when I get back to my regular desktop and not Safe Mode I'm working in for now).

(Yes I've not had a free moment to type all this "AND" Post my new writings in a new thread yet..or add to that other thread I keep mentioning if I were to upgrade to Windows 10).

XP VM User

 

[XP VM User]

A long detailed response to Megahertz07 for such great advice I hope I

Yes! I'm replying to Megahertz07 first before I catch up on others.....

I had another crash (see at end I'll attach BSOD screens when I have a free moment--typing this out fast)

Posted whole quote to ask questions and explain your questions to me as well...

So I can take the next step(s) whatever they may be....

Megahertz07 wrote:

Repair install will reinstall Win 7 and keep all your data, programs and trash. A new Win installation (repair or clean install) has to be updated. Instead of installing by WU (about 200+) you can use the offline SP2. Then I suggest to install the Security ONLY updates to avoid the telemetry etc.
Set Windows updates to manual under services and never check on WU page. Periodically run WU manually to see if there is any updates for Office etc.

Good points all.. I have it set to "manual" But certain WU's (Windows Updates I assume) FORCE it to go back to automatic....but I get a notification that my preferences have "changed" and I go look and sure enough its on automatic! So that you know when it says "the computer will restart" "and if you don't press button in 10 minutes computer will automatically restart to finish the installing of WU items.... Please save your work
Well I live hectic life and I can't be starting at the screen 100% of the time....
So I've had and experienced the diasterous forced restarts like those
And serious losses of unsaved word documents as crazy enough as it is (see my 100's of postings on the Microsoft community pages before I came here for level-headed advice).... it seems when you lose the "last" version of a bunch of saves in a row for the same item... you don't revert back to the last saved good copy... they all vanish.
Its a defect in Word, Office, WordPad and NotePad! (so I use other word professors to do most of my draft and saving work for this web site (I'm up to 130 pages for this thread alone!----screenshots are not included in page count as they do not show except as the "[.ATTACH.]4036700[./ATTACH.]" line.

Oh and I did not pay for update for my Office 2007 or 2010
So I'm frozen into 25 "instances" only and only way I use it is to erase the contents of one of the 25 and put new stuff in it as old one vanishes (I'm not totally stupid I managed to copy and paste it in another word processor but if I search for the item I end up with multiple instances that go "no where" so its very complicated.....

And why I keep taking the optional ONLY for Office 2007 and 2010 (hoping one day I have funds to actually purchase the license and then use it ike it should be and re-load back all the damaged files and fix them up so I can access them again... WHEW! I'm certain this was off topic
I'm certain this should be posted in another section of WindowsSeven Forum

But its clearer why I have a messy HDD... and I needed to save all of these items.... Yet get a clean Windows OS in that wont destroy all of my "proprietary" programs and cost me more funds..

Now off to the improvements that I can only dream of...but with your and others help maybe make a reality here and fix the Laptop to work for next two years or so until 2020 forces me to get Windows 11 or 12 or whatever comes next...

Your computer seems to have all Win 7 updates. And some "optional update" can be causing trouble. That is why I suggest to install security only updates.

Why you need to buy a new HDD? Is yours failing?
My suggestion is to replace with a SSD. You have no idea what a SSD can do for your computer. There are two options:
- Replace the HDD with same size SSD.
- Replace the HDD with a small SSD (for Windows and programs) and replace the ODD with a HDD for data.

Any way, a Clean install is ALWAYS the best solution (not the easiest) as you start from scratch and get rid of all trash you accumulated over the years.

* * * *

Your computer seems to have all Win 7 updates. And some "optional update" can be causing trouble. That is why I suggest to install security only updates.

Why you need to buy a new HDD? Is yours failing?

If you read this thread and my prior one or two.. Note title "Excessive Read Write overloading HDD" is why I need a new one... just two bad sectors.. but there are plenty of other signs...

I mentioned "slow" typing earlier see Post #1 for the other example... I wish I could post a "video" here to prove to you guys what I'm talking about... its like proving ghosts exist as I don't know of anyone else having
s
lo
w
[space]
ty
p
i
n
g

like I do when I'm in regular mode. I'm in Safe Mode after two BSOD s in a row and I don't know what's wrong this time so typing fast and its working....
BUT
The orange light is on 90% of the time steady
and occasionally the screen of word processor freezes and then releases the letters that I typed in but did not see appear on the keyboard so I stopped typing...
Its hard to follow one's thoughts doing it that way...



You'll find I'm BSOD far too often to operate computer
I had one today...
After I put in the updated 4 screenshots to the thread..
Safe mode to the rescue?
But it was not to be.. It did not show my edited version of Post #40...
So I spent past two hours re-writing what I have from my notes on computer file to post it in again...
Then When I tried to post it... I checked the attachments and it was full of screenshots!
When I said paste them... the whole page re loaded (I had already tried F5 but in Safe Mode who knows what happens?)

and then I got everything back I had posted and saved too! before the BSOD ended my session earlier today.

Right now the Orange HDD light is back on again.
The problem has returned
HDD is over running too much

One more important reason... Microsoft fans you can skip this Apple conversation and not lose anything of the reasons so jump over this until I say "Ok I'm Done" with the digression below . Thanks!

New iPad... Old iPad died. New IPad is 6 OS's higher and I don't know how to use it yet... so not able to go to Windows Seven and do "anything" other than read stuff... so I'm still learning
Old iPad is using Laptop as Storage backup location as NO OTHER computer device I have will work with the iPads....too old computers.....
And so I ran out of space on the Laptop had only 30 GB free out of 489 GB or so
So I need new HDD that will not only hold the old iPad memory (long story 7 months to get it transferred to a duplicate one gen 1)
And now I have one that is 512 GB potential space... I don't' have 512 GB of course...but since I use it for graphics work I don't do on the Windows computers.... It can fill up fast
I'm forced to pay for the "iCloud" They force you to do that....
I'm faced with having only one location : iCloud to store backup... So I have to have a second one... (That is what destroyed the first iPad not having more than one backup location and the program that does the backup in Apple Land is called "sync"
and as I've complained here before
How do you know when you've successfully saved a backup? The little box says "success!"
Nope! It lied!
They were all bad back a whole year or more! Which I saved and that is why the external drives have AOMEI and Macrium programs on it as they saved the WHOLE HDD including the important (more impotent as there was no iCloud back then) one location only saved backups for the old iPad!
I found ONE that was not "corrupted" saved backup from March of 2016 and just spent two months slowly upgrading that old one through the cloud to the new IOS 11 with al the data saved.
Now I have to double save it.... iCloud for which I have to pay monthly
and backup inside the Laptop! under iTunes (NO I can't save iTunes backups to an external drive...I asked and because I still have the "old" one there I can't do that...
New one maybe.. but I have to "divorce" the two units when I finish copying off all the data item by item...

Now you know why I work very slow on detail stuff.... it takes me forever... All of you could have done this in one day... I am taking months to do it....accurately or at least as accurately as I can

So this is WHY I need a "new" HDD

Hope I made some sense here what the "emergency" is... (i.e. have to divorce the old iPad from the new one as its dragging down the abilities of the iCloud as I can't launch iCloud "Drive" its called with the old iPad IOS5 OS in it... as it can't take the iCloud Drive and operate backups to that one! Whew!

(See below where I do explain to everyone my need for a larger internal HDD for the existing Laptop!)



Ok I'm "DONE" with digression

My suggestion is to replace with a SSD. You have no idea what a SSD can do for your computer. There are two options:
- Replace the HDD with same size SSD.
- Replace the HDD with a small SSD (for Windows and programs) and replace the ODD with a HDD for data.

QUESTION: What is ODD? Outside DD? External DD?? OLED? HDD? IS there such a thing? Reference is not clear and Google it made no sense of results.

- Replace the HDD with same size SSD.

No sorry! (for those who skipped the Apple digression above) I now require inside the laptp at least 1.5 to 2 GB HDD to store "everything " now and into the next 2 years until Widows 7 dies with no more updates from Microsoft...

- Replace the HDD with a small SSD (for Windows and programs) and replace the ODD with a HDD for data.

LOVELY Idea! But can you tell me "today" before I purchase everything and go through the process

which ones of my FREE (paid programs provided to me free of charge for which I do not own the CD or Product key one time only install from a master CD for 1000's of people, get it? I'm sure you're familiar with whatever that is)

so Please tell me in advance "today" which ones of those program will permanently "fail" when I tell them the "data" is now installed in an outside HDD and they can't access it as their programming was never designed to access outside HDD's

(iTunes has the same program with Apples....I can't use an External HDD to store 512 GB of data several times to save space inside the Laptop's HDD)

Love to get a SSD... but they don't have them in the size I want and read reports (I can show them to you!) warning of the flash nature of the storage is "less" reliable than the DD's with moving parts over the long term. [I.e. article made it clear that if a sector of the DD fails... it can go over it or skip it or say its "bad" but according to the c. 2014? 2016 article unless improvements were made...since then.... that the whole SSD as nice and quiet and not hot as it runs.... will totally STOP and you need the same $$$$ for data recovery!
It IS RARE! the article said! But its MORE common than allowing bad sectors to be blocked out or skipped over by a HDD that is failing ... like mine is...

I wish I had copied the article then I could share it and see if I am quoting it right in my memory.
Not to disagree with you.
I like SSD's (iPads/tablets have them).... But that is why I always make now TWO locations for backups as I realize the iPads can be easily "stolen" and easily broken as described in the article....



Which brings me back to Windows 7 and I'm familiar with it.. Don't need to learn IT just to run Windows 10 (as someone said in another thread which I'm going to reply back to them later on so I can paste the link when I do that to them here... (link to "update Windows 10" thread here in Windows Seven ForumOP banned spammer

Any way, a Clean install is ALWAYS the best solution (not the easiest) as you start from scratch and get rid of all trash you accumulated over the years.

YES Thanks .... I know its not the easiest... worst problem is that I need to spend more unknown money when I have no clear source of income...

So my biggest worry. is that I'm not a 100% accurate guy.
I can type in a series of Command prompt codes (image I'm typing 20 + instructions to get the windows to load and not erase data) and one line says Input 34%655_mGe Lk Something like that and you can't use cut and paste as you are NOT in the GUI environment when doing that... and so I type Input 34%65_5mGe Lk and wonder WHY the computer has locked up and totally failed and I have to go back into the registry and find the old one and copy it all over and begin those 10-20 instructions all over again!

See I've been here before with someone giving me the list of instructions how to do this a number of years ago...
so making a one digit error is terrible
and doing it again somewhere else in the 20 + instructions
and doing it in another place...
Yes I'm making a bad case for me to not even attempt this process at all..

Sorry to break the news.... You have to be 100% accurate when doing these things or else you can ruin everything (even if you have backups... you still have to restore the backup and not make another error in doing that!)

* * *

----I gave a long look at: Repair Install - Windows 7 Help Forums

ITEMS THAT WILL BE RESET TO DEFAULT OR AFFECTED:
Sounds
Services
Visual Effects Settings
Device Drivers - Be sure to have these handy to reinstall. They do not always remain after the repair (upgrade) install.
You may lose the ability to sign on to MSN Messenger, to solve this problem have a look at this thread Unable to sign in to WLM.
You may lose your custom themes due to not having permissions set on the old themes. Go to the hidden themes folder at C:/Users/(User-Name)/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Themes, then Take Ownership of the themes folder and you will now have all your themes back.
It has been reported that you may also lose your Media Center gadget after doing the repair install.
Windows Updates will need to be checked and reinstalled again.

Some comments (sorry to be negative about it...then maybe I get simple solutions if I'm negative? I don't mean to be I'm grateful for advice and really appreciate your knowledge Megahertz07 {Wonder what happens if I dial that up on my old (non-working I'm afraid) ham radio ARRL member once )

Sounds? I use the computer with 1000000's of .Wav & MP3 . etc. types of sound files made by various digital devices and programs.

Services (yes I know see Marie SWE's impressive detailed list of services I should take care of but as you see I may have 130 + services running (and that doesn't include any that do not appear as they do not turn on automatically until I use the program!

Visual Effects Settings (I'm of poor vision and make errors... I hated the AERO theme... so I've used a "Windows XP " theme yes.. the old blue screen background only....

Device Drivers (again I'm sorry I'm sooooo sloppy! I've had/have 7 printers available on this Laptop for various purposes and ALL of them have Drivers and ALL of them took hours to load in with phone call help when I purchased the printers...
Now that they are older I'm certain asking for "driver help" (unless I go to the HP Community pages and ask for free help there) I may end up with ZERO working printers or other devices that need drivers (flatbed scanner too) and struggling to find out the magic recipe that someone installed the drivers years ago correctly for me....

Custom themes (Yes is Windows XP but I have background not set to the regular one but one I've had on all my computers for years. I don't know if its "custom" but its certainly not the standard set of wallpaper etc themes) So I lose that and whatever time and effort to figure out how to get it back...

It has been reported that you may also lose your Media Center gadget after doing the repair install
My Media Center Gadgets?? This Sony VAIO is a "media center" Version. I use the HD plug to run to a large screen TV I got in 2010.. all old purchases no more money today like there was back then... So my media "center" is tied up in computer It has old TiVo stuff too.. Do I lose access to that? Is that what it means?


So I repeat what the thread said :

Note
Do a Repair installation if:
A System Restore did not help fix your Windows 7.
There is no other easier option left that can fix your Windows 7.
You DO NOT want to do a Clean reinstall of Windows 7.
You DO want to preserve your user accounts, data, programs, and system drivers.

---and after a successful install... If I follow everything ok (I don't understand why it says "upgrade windows"? I don't want to have to purchase the Ultimate version as I don't' need everything it had to offer just the Professional one with VM was good enough.....

I copied these sections (for example, not all of my questions but at the end I'd better know what trouble I'm getting into for having repaired (not clean installed) my Windows 7 OS:

22. Check to see if you are missing any user files. If you are, then you can copy them from the C:\Windows.old or the hidden protected operating system C:\$INPLACE.~TR and C:\WINDOWS.~Q backup folders. (see screenshot below)
Repair Install-old_install.jpg
23. If everything checks out in step 21, then you can run Disk Cleanup (step 5 at this link). You will need to click on the Clean up system files button first, and then could check the Files discarded by Windows upgrade, Previous Windows installations, and Windows upgrade log files boxes. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: This will delete the C:\Windows.old, C:\$INPLACE.~TR and C:\WINDOWS.~Q folders from step 21 above.
Repair Install-disk_cleanup.jpg

I might have problems!

#22 UNDERLINE user files? I have 3 million files so far.(according to Norton/Malwarebytes scans).
Which ones are lost? How do I determine what "user" files are missing??

Whew!! my head is spinning (no emojii for this one!)

#23

This says how I MUST delete the windows.old UNDER LINE file automatically during the disk clean up?? There it goes?? All the old stuff??

And Disk Cleanup automatically removes anything from desktop it doesn't like or I didn't use this week! Terrible amount of restoration of all those lost icons!

Thanks for sharing the link anyway.... Gives me a closer look at that choice if I try install over the old one without a clean install and losing everything!

(but as I explained.... I might end up with Dead HDD any moment now... and then I lose everything not saved in last January 2018 Macrium Save I did--before the new iPad was purchased while the old one was still taking up lots of space in the HDD...)

XP VM User

 

[Marie SWE]

Tanks oh yes, my spelling is horrible.. so I thanks for the embedded spellchecking in Firefox and google translate when my spelling is so bad that spellchecking dont pick up what i meaning.
But reading, listening and understanding is no problem. I have watched American movies all my life(I don't like swedish movies because the swedish language is too soft and cozy to sound tough in action movies and thrillers) and I have dyslexia so I couldn't read the text as it went too fast for me when i was young... so I learned the language more and more over the years. So two years ago I decided.. nooo now it is time to learn to write in english as well.. and some correct gramatics.
So exsqueezeme (as jar-jar binks says in star wars) if my gramma is a little way of sometimes.
The best way to learn a language is to be forced to use it. So a year or two in the states would probably be a healthy experience for me. But I don't have the funds for it... so here I am on the forum instead.

Heatwave and heatwave, I wouldn't really call it that yet. It was 25℃ today, it should be around 77℉ if my converter is correct, tomorrow they spoke of 17-19℃(62-66℉). The worse is when late summer arrives and it can get up around 28℃(82℉) for several days..
Then it's painful. *hahaha*
Sorry for the OT.. Back to topic again.

Okay. if the "Driver Tuner" program works, it sounds really good.
Do you have a link to the program's website?

no, driver conflicts isn't fun to figure out. I have been spared from that since Win XP.
The long file name error message can be obtained if you have too many folders below each other.
Try taking the files you get too long filename on and put them in the root or in a folder in root named only with "1". Then they will be able to applied with a "2" at the end of the file.

Instead of copying everything now, you would need another hard disk and use windows own backup and save to files. It usually takes a bit less space than you use on the hard drive right now.
So if you use around 400-450Gb then it will probably be around 300-380Gb on an external hard drive.

It's probably no risk that admin or mod thinks the thread is off topic. when we are trying to solve the problem with your computer. That the computer's problem has gone from the hard drive to back up data and reinstallation and some other advice. It's still on topic, your computer malfunction is the topic.

I have an idea. if you get a new hard drive to your computer. (max 2Tb then your bios probably can't handle larger hard disk as boot disk
Then you get a usb cable / adapter usb to sata. Then you create three partitions on the new drive with the names. 1st NEW size600Gb , 2nd Personal data size600Gb, 3rd Backup size800Gb. when you have created them, delete the 1st partition named as NEW.
On the 3rd you will let windows backup program save all backup files and even your other backup program can save the files on the 3rd partition. Then you let windows backup and your other backup program to create a bootable cd/dvd disk.
Then replace the new hard drive with the old one in the computer. Once you have done that, use your botable disk and point to the empty space on the hard disk where it will rebuild windows two partitions.
Once it is restored you can try a repair installation of windows as mentioned earlier in the thread of Megahertz07.
If it fails, you have all the data left on your old hard drive and in the 3rd partition you have your backup files.
On the 2nd partition as is completely empty, then you can copy everything from the windows in peace and quiet if you have to do a clean install of windows if the windows install repair fails.

How does that idea sound?

Now it's time for me to get some sleep.
I will look in tomorrow again.
//Marie

Quick reply to Marie SWE!

Thank you for your post! I'll read and respond to it! I see you just updated it 5 minutes ago, so I'll type my response after I do a long long response to helpful Megahertz07's responses to me!

Great! You're learning English! I know someone else from Sweden on another Forum (non-computer) and they express the same complexities with writing English as you seem to have discovered. Learning some Swedish words here and there as I post to them. {added in: They tell us you're experiencing the "Spanish Heatwave" there---hope you have something cold to drink/eat to keep you cool!}

Quick response was to the third party "Driver Tuner" program. Do you have any idea how many drivers I got? Its impossible to trace every one to its manufacturer and finding the one that works with their program on x64 bit computer is tough (if I had known in advance I'd say no to x64 despite all the 1000's of advantages its given me over the years. The Driver Tuner is a third party program that "forces" changes on drivers but always found it to be "correct" until Norton said it was corrupted and hijacked by viruses in its downloader... so its been removed...

Now I have so many old drivers....and no way to determine which ones need improving and which ones conflict against each other...

Yes, Megahertz07 is correct....there is a lot of trash in this laptop...
But also a lot of treasure.... Stupid me.. I liked writing files that are important and I was moving elsewhere with a "Temporary" or .tmp extension!

That is until I discovered that CCC or cleaner disks treat those as GARBAGE and will delete them... and I've been doing it for almost a decade! OH OH I"m going lose tons of data unless I do a scan for .tmp files (which brings up 100000000's of real, computer generated tmp files that SHOULD be deleted but I have no way to manually read every line in the search results box to find which ones I created and wrote purposely with the same exact name as the original file.. I just wanted an extension that I could alphabetically have the two files next to one another for "grabbing" and "comparative" purposes. (no I can't add "2" to the end of the file.... I have file names that are too often told "invalid" as tooo long.. or cannot reach it and everyone here knows how long I write...
Have you actually seen the files I've created over the decades? No? Don't bother... it would make your head spin...

OK that is my quick response to your posting before I post the super
super
long response to the Post #41 of Megahertz07!

Thanks again Marie SWE for helping me!!

* * * * * * * *

Also:



I'm happy you mentioned this!

(but I worry someone here who is a moderator might see that this thread is running too far afield of the title and topic and divide stuff off or tell me I can't post anymore for violating the rules of one subject per thread!) (but I'm hopefull I can get by for now)

I have a constant "1" under my Windows icon on hidden icons... and its been there 8 years!

It is telling me I have NOT YET completed the "windows back up" process.
It says: "insert new blank media in the CD Drive and press "continue" to back up HDD!"

I had telephone support during first two years of life of this laptop with SONY.

I asked them what choices do I have?

NO, they said, I can't save the Windows backup to Drive "C:" it won't let me!
NO, they said I can't save it to [its been too long I forget where else maybe external drive as I had None then]
Yes, I can save it to "CD's"
Yes, they said I had to burn estimated 700 CD's /DVD's to do "one" save
and
Yes, about a month or so later when it changes 10% or whatever its set to....it will display "1" important thing to do.. and ask for another 700 blank "media" to burn CD's DVD's to save them

Oh by the way---I never did it... as I asked the stupid question: What is the life span of one of these internal CD/DVD players? Oh 500 DVD/ burned or so? Wait a minute? I'd have to pay for $100+ USD for 700 DVD's and have a place to store them.. and then half way through that first save.. Buy and install (who ? and how?) another DVD Burner and do another 200 DVD"s and then get a new warning that "windows is not backed up!" and important that I back it up
[I'm in safe mode now so that warning is not displayed so I can't check the exact wording so please excuse me for not being 100% accurate in my telling of this for now until someone gets the regular one to work without BSOD when I use Google Chrome... unless having 20++ tabs open is too much for the Browser! (its updated to latest one)..

So... I built an external drive out of the slower HDD I had removed from the inside of this laptop..
Of course it has a serious problem!
Its only 500 GB and the content in side the laptop (back then) was 300 GB so I could not keep 2x Macrium backups on there..
I was forced to ERASE the last good copy of the Backup! IN order to create a new backup!
(300+300= 600 GB oops too big! for HDD).
And I can't sleep at night
worrying that the last backup I just made might have a BUG in it... and I just destroyed the prior perfect backup that did work in favor of making a newer backup with whatever word documents I'd been working on (of course I know how to create a mini-dump of all "my documents"... in case anyone was wondering I do have at least "THAT"
and it takes up room in the external HD so I never had really a full 500 (I know its less its 489? available GB space).

ok enough! Sending this off to post with the rest (I'll correct it later when I get back to my regular desktop and not Safe Mode I'm working in for now).

(Yes I've not had a free moment to type all this "AND" Post my new writings in a new thread yet..or add to that other thread I keep mentioning if I were to upgrade to Windows 10).

XP VM User

 

[XP VM User]

Update on condition of my HDD as promised

Just to let everyone know....
While typing using the Word processor in Regular Windows mode and Google Chrome (and/or Pale Moon Browser) all works without running the HDD Orange light excessively as it used to do when I first started this thread....

Now I have a "new" problem!

I got BSOD Crash





And

but most troubling of all is that I've had

[When I stepped away from the computer to "do other tasks" and upon my return:}

I discovered

BSOD (Blank Screen of Death)

What is this called? Should I ask in the BSOD thread and post my "Use DM Log Collector" as required by that part of the Forum instructions here?

Anyway.

Black Screen. No activity on it. Keys light up when touched. Mouse lights up when touched. HDD runs a flicker for an instant when I touch keys but nothing else works!

i.e. computer is "dead" for all intents and purposes. CTL+Alt+Del Does nothing. Do not and can not open a task window or anything.

Only one choice. Hard power button shut down.

On restart I get "Safe Mode" choice.

So what? I choose it! But I'm stupid ..:banghead:... I just sit there looking at all the instructions checking your site. clicking here and there and totally clueless as to what to do. Eventually I tire of not using the "computer" for anything... Do another complete shut down from the "Start" button and Start up computer again.

I did postings for this site and other places. Nothing out of the ordinary...

And again I stepped away from the computer....

When I came back (unknown number of minutes (not even 1/2 hour) later I discovered again it had gone "blank" BSOD and no screen activity.

Went through the same process again of being a stupid computer user and not knowing what to do when given the tools (i.e. Safe Mode) to fix it without asking someone here for every little tiny step to be guided by the hand through all of this...

Thanks for reading a hopefully short post (compared to my others).

 

[TheDeerDude]

I wouldn't worry about the BSODs. I literally have no clue, but I would suspect it's the possibly-failing-hard drive's fault.

 

[XP VM User]

Event Viewer added information

Thanks The Deer Dude, for relieving me. That is why I'm writing a new thread about replacing the HDD and what OS should I install in it? [Left blank space _________for link to title when I finally get it all written up to post it!]

I came back to post this interesting note that in the past few days whatever has been happening is getting worse, with 6 "critical" events. [I have this icon on my desktop---I use it occasionally---unless I can safely ignore what it shows me]

 

[Snick]

BSOD, is Blue Screen Of Death
Run DM Log Collector
Zip/Compress all the files it creates and attach to your next post. I'll take a look see!

 

[XP VM User]

Hi Snick!
DM Log Collector instructions followed from the BSOD pages:

Here it is


Remember... I saw it collecting the "minidump" files. Many many times when I've experienced the BSOD it says its "initializing for dump of memory files" and says that it "FAILED" (See prior post #_____ WILLFILLINLATER) for exact wording wanted to get this out to you today).


Guess what? Its on my "desktop" but the command for it to be opened so it can be made as a file attachment comes back as "file cannot be found" So I tried to delete it! "file cannot be found"

Now I have "another" stuck ICON on my desktop that cannot be moved, cannot be deleted cannot be used.

I'm going to re-run the program and try again...posting this so you know I tried!

Here is the results of the second try:

View attachment COMPUTER-NAME-Sun_04_22_2018_202424_55.zip

Make sure you can read it ok, then I'll try again to move the icon or delete it so I get space for more Icons back on the desktop!

 

[Megahertz07]

From my post Excessive Read Write overloading HDD - Page 5 - Windows 7 Help Forums
HDD = Hard disk drive
SSD = Solid State drive
ODD = Optic disk drive

You're having a sequence of problems that indicates that your HDD is dying. The files on it gets corrupted and you get all kind of problems like BSOD.

My suggestion is to run a disk diagnostic test.
- Testing a drive for problems using Data Lifeguard Diagnostics for Windows | WD Support

- https://www.seagate.com/support/downloads/seatools/

You can also run a Linux from a USB flash drive. If it runs without problems, you'll know that it's the disk.

 

[XP VM User]

I tried!

Hi Megahertz07!

Just wanted to type something "quick" to say thank you Megahertz07 for your advice and clear information!

So I also tried a few of your suggestions (gingerly and carefully).

From my post Excessive Read Write overloading HDD - Page 5 - Windows 7 Help Forums Excessive Read Write overloading HDD - Page 5 - Windows 7 Help Forums
HDD = Hard disk drive
SSD = Solid State drive
ODD = Optic disk drive

Thanks. I don't use all the devices so the Abbreviations can throw me (and Google searching for me is not as fruitful as for others)

You're having a sequence of problems that indicates that your HDD is dying. The files on it gets corrupted and you get all kind of problems like BSOD.

I realize I'm being warned and I have to do something to act!

See my post in _____[bad me! not yet posted!]_________________________ to see an "potential" action plan. What do you think of it. (I posted it there as I know you and several others have said to do a re-install of Windows 7 over itself to correct the corruptions and errors.

My suggestion is to run a disk diagnostic test.
- Testing a drive for problems using Data Lifeguard Diagnostics for Windows | WD Support Testing a drive for problems using Data Lifeguard Diagnostics for Windows | WD Support

- https://www.seagate.com/support/downloads/seatools/

Great idea! I have the WD Data Lifeguard items for my other drives which are NOT in this laptop. So I can't use them.

I think my replaced HDD was a "Seagate" as I removed a junk "Mitsubishi?" or some name like that unknown to me HDD I remounted that one in an external enclosure and was using it for a backup until I ran out of room (horrible choice....erase the backup (only one) I have in order to put in a new backup since its only 500 GB..

I got a larger HDD for backups, but now that is filled up with various backups with problems.

ANYWAY... I don't know what I have inside the laptop!

I think its Seagate...so I went exploring on "Device Manager" for the answer.

I found the model number: ST9500420AS

led me to here: IT is a Seagate Momentus HDD Seagate ST9500420AS 2.5 SATA Hard Disk Drive

So I will run the Seagate seatools you linked to above;

SEATOOLS FOR WINDOWS....

You can also run a Linux from a USB flash drive. If it runs without problems, you'll know that it's the disk.

Ok, here are the Seatools for Windows menus typed in text:

OH OH Here i am again stopped....

I figured out to click the only HDD shown
"Basic Tests"

"Fix All" (not yet!)
"S.M.A.R.T. Check" DID THAT ONE

"Short Drive Self Test"
"Drive Information"
"Short Generic"
"Long Generic"
"Advanced Tests" (New Window: WARNING! Running these tests can erase all data! Seagate not responsible for lost data! Back up all data first (---but remember I can't do that until I buy a new backup HDD! or else I'd have to erase one of my GOOD saved versions earlier in MACRIUM of the contents of the Laptop C: Drive!

So what to do.?

It says: Press F8 to enable [Advanced] tests press Cancel to go back to basic Tests

Guess what? Just what I told you happens to me working all by myself! :banghead:

1. There is no "cancel" button the screen

2. There is no "x" or close menu

As long as the Advanced Tests screen is up....I cnat use the menu on the Basic Tests to Cancel the program and go out of this before I do somethinug bad

AHA! I got an idea!

Rather than wait for help ... I'll try something (usually when I melt down the HDD right?

CTL+ ALT+DEL And Task manager and close "Advanced Tests" so that now I was able to exit normally from the Basic tests and start all over again to do the SMART TEST

===========
Did S.M.A.R.T. CHECK "Easy"

Drive Status: SMART = Pass Test Status = 100%

now what shall I do?


Adventurous! Short Drive Test (sounds Short!)

Drive Status: Short TEST=Pass Test Status= 100%

Ok enough for today!

I hand it over to you all this data.