Hard-drive possibly crashing before i can buy one

TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
edited September 2006 in Hardware
I just got a job, worked 2 weeks, should be getting somewhere around 200$ on my first check coming up. i was planning on buying a hard-drive because this 80gb one from like 1999-2000 has been full for like a year

but today i went to click on my pictures and it said a bunch of text but all i remember is "it cannot find the path/directory"

so i clicked on my music and it said the same thing

i then clicked on my computer and it did the same thing,

i immediatly thought it was the hard-drive (never had one dump on me so i dont know how it acts, my old computers crashed but i was like 10 years old and didnt know anything)

but i restarted the computer, and it showed the windows xp loading screen then it went black for like 15 min, before it finally loaded the log-on screen

everything is working again, but im wondering if this could be a sign of the hard-drive about to go, because i dont have the money just yet for a new one and i dont know what to do:sad2: :banghead:

Comments

  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited September 2006
    Run the test from the hard drive manufacturer. Do both the "quick" and the "full" tests.
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    Time is critical, do what Prof said and KEEP THE MACHINE TURNED OFF WHILE IT IS NOT BEING TESTED. It may have minutes left to live.
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    I dont know how to run the tests :confused: its held up so far, but its scary

    and i havnt been able to get on much, school just started, and im trying to not put the comp in much stress
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited September 2006
    You download the program and use it to make a bootable CD or floppy. Boot from the disk and follow the instructions on the screen. :)
  • CMonte420CMonte420
    edited September 2006
    I can tell you what would PROBABLY be a quick fix for this problem. Chances are you have some kind of virus active, or some ad-ware or spyware on your system causing problems I can't begin to describe. If you have a Windows XP installation CD, boot from it and do a "Repair Install" on the current installation. Make sure immediately following that install you run some type of adware/spyware removal tool. Let me know what happens..good luck.
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    i baught a new hard-drive , 250 gb internal with a external casing, it is a wester digital , i baught it from best buy

    i plugged it in and it didnt even show, up on found new hardware, and im not suppose to install anything because im using it as an external, the cds arnt even for the hard-drive set-up , they are for the drivers, and not for xp its for 98

    can anyone help me set this up, thank you
  • SlydogSlydog Bristol UK Member
    edited September 2006
    make sure you have the jumper settings on the back of the hard drive correct for the enclosure. All the enclosures i have used need specific slave or master jumper setting before they will work in the enclosure and get recognised by win XP.

    if it is set to master and wont work then try slave etc...

    what enclosure is it as others may have used the same one and could help?!

    i take it the enclosure is a USB interface.

    Is your internal hard drive that was playing up still causing problems? did the tests prof suggested come up ok or did they say your drive was circling the drain?
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    i got it to work. i took ur advice and it worked. thank u. now i got to figure out what to put on it lol. thanx a lot
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    is there an easy way to safely move programs from one hard-drive to the other,

    like i did a test with the itunes folder in the (program files of my old hard-drive)

    i dragged it to the new hard-drive, and clicked the file and it worked (itunes loaded) but when i tried to delete the itunes folder off the old hard-drive, it wouldnt delete........


    can i sucsessfully move programs/program files folders, like that? or will it not work?
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited September 2006
    If your old drive is still hanging in there you can do an exact copy (known as an "image") of the old drive to the new one. As you have found, simply moving the program folder isn't going to do it. (Except for a very limited number of programs.)

    Something like Partition Magic would work fine. There are several free programs around, too.
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    hmm that kind-of sucks, i wanted to move just the programs off, since thats taking up most the space

    because the old hard-drive has so many folders, and nothing is organized, to the point where i cant even clean it

    so i deffinently dont want to copy the whole drive:confused:
  • NlightNNlightN Planet Earth
    edited September 2006
    Hello Trumandrummer
    Most programs will not work correctly by just copy to another drive. They have links to specific directorys/folders that make them functional. Its location, location, location to keep things working.

    There are some programs that are SAP(Stand Alone Programs) and/or Portable Labeled. These you can move to any drive location and they still work.

    My suggestion would be to save/copy all your personal data and music files to the new USB drive. Check out the first drive, if it tests fine. Format and install a fresh XP. You will find that your machine will run faster without all the bloat that windows programs adds. Many techs do a fresh install annually.

    Good luck in your venture
    N
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