HP hard drive self test

[computergeek1]

I have a HP DV6626US, the computer keeps frezing and when i tried to recover the files while in normal mode, the transfer files kept stoping and frezing, and the hard drive would stop spining, at this point i am thinking the hard drive is failing, so i did the onboard test in the bios, HP HARD DRIVE SELF TEST, and the test status says #10009- replace hard drive how reliable is this test also the hard drive no longer shows in the bios. has anybody used this test.

 

[seedubya]

In my experience the manufacturers tests are very reliable in diagnosing hdd's. I'd take the result as gospel and start ringing around real data recovery companies.

 

[ProTech Support]

I have a HP DV6626US, the computer keeps frezing and when i tried to recover the files while in normal mode, the transfer files kept stoping and frezing, and the hard drive would stop spining, at this point i am thinking the hard drive is failing, so i did the onboard test in the bios, HP HARD DRIVE SELF TEST, and the test status says #10009- replace hard drive how reliable is this test also the hard drive no longer shows in the bios. has anybody used this test.

I am not trying to be harsh, but......you have a hard drive....it stops spinning constantly....disappears from BIOS....the self test says replace.....

Isn't it more than obvious the drive is going.

 

[iptech]

The hard drive is kaput. If it still spins there's a good chance you should be able to recover the user's data from it (use the backup check list from Bryce's tookit as a step-through), make that your priority and don't worry about the hard disk health - the manufacturer's software has given you a definitive answer. The more you mess around with a failing hard drive the less chance you have of recoving any data from it, the customer won't thank you for that.

Quote for best-effort data recovery, new hard disk and re-installation.

 

[hondablaster]

Hey Scott like your site keep up the good work!!!!

 

[computergeek1]

Hey Scott like your site keep up the good work!!!!

thank you, i like it

 

[computergeek1]

I am not trying to be harsh, but......you have a hard drive....it stops spinning constantly....disappears from BIOS....the self test says replace.....

Isn't it more than obvious the drive is going.

It gets intresting now because i have just tried it on my portable USB drive, the hard drive shows up and can get into it, but have noticed when the drive was attached to my system, the system locked up, my other drive does not do this.

also i tried to reinstall windows from the HP recovery when you press f11, the system started reinstalling it back to the factory settings and crashed so now there is no operating system on the hard drive at the moment, tried to reinstall vista but come up with a error, [FONT=Tahoma,Helvetica,Sans-Serif]Required cd/dvd drive device driver is missing.
[/FONT][FONT=Tahoma,Helvetica,Sans-Serif]Windows Install could not load the CD/DVD drive that contains the installation media. Please provide the necessary drive or controller device drivers provided by your manufacture.[/FONT]

 

[14049752]

It gets intresting now because i have just tried it on my portable USB drive, the hard drive shows up and can get into it, but have noticed when the drive was attached to my system, the system locked up, my other drive does not do this.
also i tried to reinstall windows from the HP recovery when you press f11, the system started reinstalling it back to the factory settings and crashed so now there is no operating system on the hard drive at the moment, tried to reinstall vista but come up with a error, Required cd/dvd drive device driver is missing.
Windows Install could not load the CD/DVD drive that contains the installation media. Please provide the necessary drive or controller device drivers provided by your manufacture.

I, too, am not trying to be harsh...but....what part of "replace the drive" did you not understand?
Why would you even TRY to reinstall the OS on a failing drive?

I almost can't accept that you're being serious about that entire post.

 

[computergeek1]

the hard drive seems fine now. but the reason i tried to do a reinstall is because i did not know if the drive was to blame at that point or windows was to blame for the frezing, so i tried to do a simple windows installation back to the factory settings like i have done many times without issues. then after it did not complete the installation, i used the onboard harddrive tester. which said replace the drive, is there any good software out there for testing harddrive health.

 

[14049752]

the hard drive seems fine now........ then after it did not complete the installation, i used the onboard harddrive tester. which said replace the drive

Level with me. Are you serious?

 

[abe]

I'm a little confused what do you mean by "simple windows installation back to factory setting"

Abe

a reinstall or a recovery disk.

 

[computergeek1]

There own recovery from the computer, on a hidden partision on the hard drive, you have to press f11 and follow the instrutions.

 

[14049752]

Ok, I'm going to assume you're 100% serious in everything you've asked... I just can't believe after what you've been told by a few different people that you're saying the drive seems to be fine. It's not.

There are a few different drive testing softwares available. Download the ultimate boot cd (ubcd), on it there are several hard drive diagnostic tools.
In addition to that, there are also paid diagnostic suites you can buy that will test the hard drive. I like Eurosoft PC Check, personally, but there are others.
The built in drive test in the bios, or on utility partitions, are reliable. If they say the drive failed, you can take that to the bank.

In my opinion, failing drives should always be replaced....if they're not replaced, they're just being used on borrowed time.

So...replace that drive. Don't screw around with installing an OS on a drive that's bad. Revise how you do things and start doing some real hardware diagnostics instead of just using intuition to determine if hardware is failing.

 

[anonymous Mac Tech]

It gets intresting now because i have just tried it on my portable USB drive, the hard drive shows up and can get into it, but have noticed when the drive was attached to my system, the system locked up, my other drive does not do this.

also i tried to reinstall windows from the HP recovery when you press f11, the system started reinstalling it back to the factory settings and crashed so now there is no operating system on the hard drive at the moment, tried to reinstall vista but come up with a error, [FONT=Tahoma,Helvetica,Sans-Serif]Required cd/dvd drive device driver is missing.
[/FONT][FONT=Tahoma,Helvetica,Sans-Serif]Windows Install could not load the CD/DVD drive that contains the installation media. Please provide the necessary drive or controller device drivers provided by your manufacture.[/FONT]

If you really need to experiment with a failing drive to test its limits, just make sure you get the data before doing so. Playing Russian Roulette with customers data will probably not bring you referrals or returning customers.

 

[computergeek1]

Okay thanks for all the advice, will replace the drive, this is the second hard drive that has failed in a year on this computer. could this be a bad run with hard drives or could there be a problem with the computer that keeps failing the drives.

 

[angry_geek]

2 in a year could be a pattern, but probably not. Probably just coincidence. That being said, the thermal management on that model wasn't the greatest. You may want to make sure it's good and clean and the fans are spinning correctly. Also, make sure to tell your client not to have the machine sitting on the blanket while they're in bed watching T.V. I've had a lot of overheated HP's due to that.

 

[computergeek1]

Thanks ACG, i have accepted what techs have said but i was only trying to get some more information so that i was sure the hard drive was nackered. i had already come to the conclusing that the drive was failing, but the point of the thread was to ask how reliable the onboard hard drive test tool was and about the error code.

 

[iptech]

the point of the thread was to ask how reliable the onboard hard drive test tool was and about the error code.

It's not very reliable at all, the second largest computer manufacturer in the world only put this software out as a joke and just to amuse the kiddies.

There, I think that's the answer you wanted.

Unbelievable!

 

[computergeek1]

Okay i will use google next time i need to found something out, and will stop posting, because i seem to be upsetting a few people. Thanks for the info

 

[iptech]

Instead of relying upon Google to run your business, have you thought about undertaking a recognised computer maintenance qualification?

Sorry if you feel castigated, but from what I read of your posts I think you will struggle to establish yourself as a credible tech until you can feel confident in yourself as to your skills and abilities. Formal learning along with industry experience is really the only way you can become truly competent enough to run your own business. If you feel you need constant mentoring and the somewhat dubious assistance of Google all the time then you're simply not ready for self-employment yet.

Keep at it, you're enthusiastic and at least you're not afraid to ask questions, but don't expect the road to running your own business to be easy and without effort on your part.