Hard drive crashed and burned

[ICIT2LOL]

After some problems yesterday with my laptop doing some really weird stuff I decided to factory default for the 4th time as the drive has played up in the past though the dealers deny anything being wrong with it.

Have tried said factory default this morning and the machine starts up "loads" Windows then goes to a screen that says an error has occurred.

It reads
ERROR:F3-F200-0002 and then tells me to switch of the machine.

I have tried booting with a rescue disk done in January but same thing happens.

So looks like a trip to the dealer on Monday and I am not holding my breath there as I did buy an extra two years warranty.

However Toshiba in Sydney apparently did not get the extra warranty card I sent off when I bought it. So it looks like I shall have to rely on the dealer doing the right thing and contacting them to get my extra warranty honoured.

I suppose if they (the dealer as they have the receipt for the warranty) do not honour the warranty I'll have to buy another drive not that it would be that expensive but also the OS which is of course.

Well thats the plan of action unless someone can come up with a way of getting it to go in some fashion that is beyond anything that I can think of.

Add: If II do have to replace the drive myself that will be a 2.5" one won't it? and do you reckon I could get away with an OEM for the OS?? - Win 7??

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Google generates over 1400 hits on that error:

"ERROR:F3-F200-0002" - Google Search


You might be able to find a solution in those hits.

Yes, an OEM disc should be fine.

Look here in particular:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...attempts/f258734a-c7b3-4a17-ac44-fad23b3a564d

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Thanks mate

Hiyya ignatzatsonic Yeha mate saw the cast of thousands bit like Ben Hur eh??

Well my friend this will be the last Toshiba laptop for me as I said two in a row with hard drive failure - someone's gotta be doing something wrong somewhere.
Trouble is it's like car insurance claims it's just all too much time down and paperwork eh?

The OEM well if it's ok I'll go that way can always say I rebuilt the thing eh?

Anyway will go look in that site and see what I can come up with but I have a suspicion that it is a hardware / physical malfunction.

 

[karlsnooks]

Technically, the OEM thing is NOT OK.

Microsoft has changed their policies on OEM versions.

I'm sure someone else will jump in here with the link to the official MS policy and definition for OEM versions.

However, I'd like to address your problem.

My first question is whether you have gone to the Toshiba website to find info on this problem. Have you asked in the Toshiba forum?

 

[essenbe]

I'm sure ignatzatsonic will correct me if I'm wrong, but you do not have to buy a new OS if you are replacing a hard drive. Just reinstall the original OS and use the number from your Toshiba. I had an OEM disk and replaced a motherboard and reinstalled with my original disk and it was activated by Microsoft.

 

[karlsnooks]

You will find following of interest:

You cannot legally install an OEM version of Windows 7 on your own - Microsoft Answers



http://www.sevenforums.com/installation-setup/128435-clean-install-oem-os.html

Basically, yes you can use the OEM on a machine with a COA sticker.
Please read both articles but especially the 2nd one.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

There may be a misunderstanding.

I assumed that the OP meant "hard disc" when he said "do you reckon I could get away with an OEM for the OS??", figuring he intended to replace the hard drive on a laptop.

I answered yes because I have always used OEM hard drives, by which I mean bare hard drives, not retail packaged hard drives.

If the OP meant OEM OS installation disc rather than OEM hard disc, then Karl is right as far as I know.

Only the OP knows whether or not he meant hard disc drive or OS install disc.

 

[essenbe]

If you have an OEM-coa sticker on the computer, you can install with any disk of the same version and same OS and Activate it. It may require a robo call to MS, but they will activate it. The OEM sticker on the computer proves that you have purchased a legal copy of that OS. It is just the activation process is different for OEM makers than for normal customers.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

No go lads

Have tried all of Brinks suggestions I have two OEM disks here one for a machine I bought pre built and one that I bought for my own build.

Have tried both in this machine plus a rescue disk I made but I think the actual drive hardware ? read write heads, platters - oh whatever have had the Richard, and after paying good money for it 15 months wear isn't my idea of value especially as I got a Toshiba thinking it was a reasonably alright brand.

But after the A200 Vista HDD crapping itself and now this one - this will be the very last Toshiba for me I am afraid.

Personally I think it would be so much better to be able to buy the machine for x $'s and the OS separate for x $'s and not have to bloody well mess around with all this OEM rot. In my mind it is nothing short of a rip off.
If one could do that then it would be a simple matter of just taking out the drive and reinstalling it.

Plus on top of all this there is the down time that it takes to get these things done which again I personally find extremely irritating, and takes away a lot of the enjoyment of using a computer:huh:

I mean what would everyone say if one bought a car and was then told that one could only use Dunlop tyres of a particular tread design on it and be possibly prosecuted for doing otherwise!!

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Try running the hard drive manufacturer's disk utility application on the drive to find out if it is broken or not. If it is broken, you should be able to replace it yourself if your warranty won't take care of you.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Ok mate

Ok ignazatsatsonic I'll see if they have one - Toshiba that is only problem is the machine won't even fire up to do that, so am wondering how I am going to do it.

If I have to take it out problem is they will see that I have and maybe just void the warranty.

 

[karlsnooks]

Burn the Hitachi test program to CD and boot from CD.

Hitachi Drive Fitness Test
http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/downloads/dft32_v416_b00.iso
tests SCSI, IDE and SATA drives without overwriting data

 

[ICIT2LOL]

ok karl

Ok mate I'll give that a go and see.
Thanks

Well we had a a go eh? It starts as if nothing is wrong then the little stars come in > spinning circle > error message.

Meant to say set it to boot from the cd that right or not - it did last bit longer than usual but.....

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I'm not clear on your meaning.

Do you mean that you made a bootable CD as Karl recommended, but could not boot from it?

Or you did boot from it but could not run the hard drive test??

Or???

 

[ICIT2LOL]

IT is back on!

ignasatzatsonic
I stopped for a break and just before I left I opened up the laptop and thought I would try it again.

I held down 0 while turning on power and it went into it's usual starting up Windows and I then hit F8 to safe boot - and it came up with a black screen as it has done quite a few of times before and had some options - safe mode and a few others below. One of them I think was safe mode with debugging at least I am sure that is what it was was. I thought I would try that for something different and hit Enter and the list of files ran down - as before and stopped.
The screen now stayed black - just as it had done before but this time it did not go to that error message, doing nothing.

So I went for something to get something to eat assuming it would then shut itself off.

When I came back from tea the screen was blank and I thought well that was that.
I reached to close the lid down and touched Enter as I did and noticed it make a noise. On pushing the power on button - there it was ready for it's first setup just as it had done on previous factory defaults.

I have now entered through the set up process and am ready to install whatever - updates etc etc.

I don't have the foggiest idea what has happened - did the safe mode start with debugging do something or what? I shall now start attaching the router and do the updates and security.

But I am at a loss as to how this has happened after trying all day using different ways of getting it to boot - safe mode, rescue disk, that has always come up with that error result - any ideas?

But it is booted in Windows!!

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I can't say what happened. I don't know much about laptops and it's tough visualizing what steps you have taken from afar. There's always a bit of unexplainable voodoo involved as well.

I'd run a complete hard drive test as soon as possible and generally keep my eyes open for any hints of problems until you are satisfied all is well.

 

[essenbe]

Congratulations. Who knows what happened. These are computers, sometimes they have a mind of their own and just do what they want to.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Dumbfounded!!

Yeh essenbe I have no idea what has gone on I thought when I moved the highlight to that - I am sure it was the option that had something to do with debugging in it and selected and did what I did I thought what the heck have I got to lose??

After a very frustrating day for not just myself but also all those kind souls on here and my local forum the thing is up and running. However I am not going to hold my breath for too long as this is the 4th factory default and I suspect everyone is right and that my hard drive needs replacing.

However this time I shall be sending it back to Toshiba in Sydney I think because my local dealer is not such an understanding fellow - from past experience.