HD Failure?

[kosokuadam]

So, in addition to my now-primary netbook, I have an MSI CR600 laptop, which used to be my primary machine. The other day, I was doing some things with it to clean it out, and Windows popped up a notice saying that my hard drive was reporting failure. I downloaded an application to read the S.M.A.R.T. data, and it confirmed that there is a reallocated sector count of 51. I'm not very well versed in dealing with hard disks (that and the thing's only a year old); is this a very serious problem, and is it worth it to look into getting a new hard disk?

 

[sreedhav]

Dear kosokuadam,
First things first! Kindly stop using the laptop with the bad sectors IMMEDIATELY (bold type is purely for emphasis)! Please do not conduct any further tests to confirm that a bad sector exists.

Next,wrap the Hard Drive if you can loosen and remove the nuts from the undersurface of the laptop OR wrap the laptop itself in a towel and place it in the refrigerator for upto FORTY FIVE MINUTES TO ONE hour and i am not joking! It has saved many a HD from ruination! Don't lose hope! WE can recover the magnetized surface(bad sector).

I have chosen a Bad Sector Recovery tool for you: Best Flobo HDD Bad Sector Repair 1.5 - FREE Download Best Flobo HDD Bad Sector Repair - Bad sector repair utility build in Win NT/2000/XP/2003 enviroment

It is a shareware, but an evaluation period is allowed and we can capitalize on that window of oppourtunity!

After the HDD has had a rest in the refrigerator, take it out and then install the program ,the link to which i have given above! Let the program run in a chilled out room, if possible(room temp:23-24 degrees celsius), but with the "throw of the blast from the Air-conditioner right on the problem PC!! The HDD is like a tender baby and the accepted wisdom is, it can fail totally tomorrow (if bought today) or after 5 years! You just can't foretell!

Regards and best wishes,
Sreedhav

 

[kosokuadam]

Interesting, OK. Thank you for the quick response, by the way. What does the cooling in the refrigerator accomplish?

 

[sreedhav]

Dear Kosokuadam,
Kindly tell me the make of the internal HD! Many a time, the cause of such errors are due to over-heating of the HDD and more so in a Laptop or a notebook. The outlet(s) for hot air from a lappy can be either from the undersurface (that's why i call them Lap Heaters) or from the side! You can easily make out the hot air vent.

Now this is important. Just buying a cooling pad with fans for a laptop or netbook is not enough. The cooling pads are designed based on the above info'. If the hot air is ventilating out from the side ,you will have to select a cooling pad which can thrust in cool air from below and vice-versa! I might venture and say "Belkin" has both the versions.

At times, the cooling which occurs in the refrigerator itself has worked wonders! If yours is a Samsung HD, then"Hutil" can be used to diagnose the state of play. I would strongly urge you to backup important files and info', before using Hutil! If your HD is some other model, kindly let me know! |MG| Samsung Drive Diagnostic Utility (Hutil) 2.10 Download

Regards,
Sreedhav

 

[sreedhav]

You may use this updated Flobo Bad sector repair utility instead of the one i gave in my first reply. Link : Best flobo hard disk repair vista downloads. How cool has your Lappy's become? Cold as a C(M)octail?
Sreedhav