Hd Replacement?

[alienoftyme]

Thought for tomorrow! I have a system and am told the hard disk is defunct! I wonder, all tests show to be perfect, yet erratically the monitor goes blank, switch off the monitor alone for ten minutes and no problem till next time, may be an hour, could be four days!.

Would it be possible to use say a 500GB external USB drive, my 160GB (internal) drive cloned to it and then removed?

Big question, (I am a green-eyed old man) would the system still run from the external drive, if so it adds the extra security of no disk a DEAD BOX? System; Windows XP Home sp3, E4400, Monitor Samsung 720N, 1.5GB 667 Ram.

Any Office 2007 super-brat.

Why does Excel load instantly!

Yet Word does a re-configuration every time?

[Crossy]

Confused here.

Are you saying that switching off your monitor fixes the problem? If so hardly likely to be a drive issue.

You MAY be able to run from an external drive but you're looking at a serious performance hit unless it's an E SATA drive box.

[jdinasia]

sounds like a new monitor or new cables are the pressing issues

[alienoftyme]

Update info'. 1, The hard disk -I was told by an expert in Chiang Mai that if I have a monitor problem it is most likely to be a faulty hard drive. Now what actually happens. For no reason the monitor screen goes blank, I do not touch the system just turn off the monitor, ten minutes later I turn it on again, up it comes and normal again.

2. If it is a hard disk problem, what are my options? I have downloaded several disk utilities, all show perfect, no problems or likely to. To be in the middle of some graphics, and suddenly a blank screen gets somewhat frustrating to say the least...............Robert

[lor]

You DO NOT have a hard disk problem. However if you wanted to change the hard disk then use a proper backup utility and backup all the hard disk. Make sure you have the emergency CD made from the backup utility to restore the computer. Remove the old drive and install the new one. Now boot the computer from the emergency CD and you will be given the option to restore to your new drive. Do this and you will be back were you started. But as I said you will still have the monitor problem. Check your leads, Graphics board and monitor, make sure monitor not overheating.

Please ask your EXPERT how a faulty HD can cause the problems you describe.

Chris

[AnotherATM]

Update info'. 1, The hard disk -I was told by an expert in Chiang Mai that if I have a monitor problem it is most likely to be a faulty hard drive. Now what actually happens. For no reason the monitor screen goes blank, I do not touch the system just turn off the monitor, ten minutes later I turn it on again, up it comes and normal again.

2. If it is a hard disk problem, what are my options? I have downloaded several disk utilities, all show perfect, no problems or likely to. To be in the middle of some graphics, and suddenly a blank screen gets somewhat frustrating to say the least...............Robert

Was the 'expert' in a shop that sells hard drives?

Who called him an 'expert' in the first place?

If it was him, well, this is Thailand and anybody with a business believes themself to be the foremost authority on whatever it is they've decided to sell.

If it was you, I think you will eventually discover that there is no such thing in Thailand.

I went to one of those 'Experts' at Panthip. I asked him for 2GB of DDR2-SDRAM. He laughed and, after shouting something in Thai to his staff, they did too. 'DDR and SDRAM not same" he said through his laughter. I didn't pursue it with him as I thought it pointless.

I think the usual scenario would be for them to take the PC in to replace the perfectly functional hard drive and while they are doing that they will deal with the simple display issue.

I would suggest that it's not a hard drive problem, other than a driver issue which is obvioulsy stored in the hard drive, but unlikely if it performs ok some of the time. Update/re-install the drivers will remove any further posibility that the hard drive is involved.

Monitor, Video card and the cable connecting them are the only components I would be lookig at to solve this problem.

Overheating and poor build quality are usually the issue here, often causing solder joints to fracture. When a fractured solder joint heats up, the contact it is meant to be securing can be broken. When it cools down again the contact can be remade. This can apply to any solder joint in the system. If, as you say, turning off the monitor and letting it cool down for a while brings it back online, you might want to concentrate on that. Bear in mind that once you turn off your monitor there is vey little current running through the oputput stages of the video card, allowing that to cool in the same way, so we can't write-off the video card as the culprit.

I would:

1. Remove the video card, clean the contacts with Isopropol alcohol (IPA) and blow out those on the mother-board. Also, do a visual check of the solder joints before replacing the card.

2. Clean the cable contacts on both monitor and video card and, if possible try a new cable.

3. Try another monitor.

You could take the machine to a shop but you can almost guarantee that you will be buying things you don't need and the original problem will possibly still be there when you get it home.

Regarding starting your PC from a removanle drive. This is possible if your BIOS is modern enough to allow it.

This can be determined by going into BIOS and checking the 'Boot Device' options.

[Guest Reimar]

seems to be that the monitor is on his way to the bin. That effect couldn't come from the HDD!

If I were you I would like to try to borrow some Monitor from an Fried or even an Shop and test the computer with that Monitor. if your Comp keeps working let say 1 or 2 days, you know what's the problem.

Cheers.

[AnotherATM]

I must add that before I upgraded my video card and monitor, the CRT I was using would occasionally blank out for varying amounts of time. Now that I have it connected along with an LCD panel screen, to the new card, it no longer does that.

[endure]

Update info'. 1, The hard disk -I was told by an expert in Chiang Mai that if I have a monitor problem it is most likely to be a faulty hard drive. Now what actually happens. For no reason the monitor screen goes blank, I do not touch the system just turn off the monitor, ten minutes later I turn it on again, up it comes and normal again.

Have you tried moving your mouse or hitting a key on the keyboard when the monitor goes blank? It isn't just going into powersave mode is it?

[alienoftyme]

Well, thank you very much lads. So it seems I should try new leads, as they say Warrant in this part of the Planet is a DIRTY WORD, the entire system is only five months old, and as yet still using the shared graphics, (thinking of the X1550, I am not a gamer, mostly graphic construction and Excel as a hobby), for all that, in constant use 12 to 14 hours every day. Much obliged gentlemen, thanks again.

[AnotherATM]

... the entire system is only five months old, ...

Well, I would certainly be taking it back to the shop. You do still have the receipt?.

[Cuban]

> I was told by an expert in Chiang Mai

X = The unknown factor.

'spert = Drip under pressure.

[Crossy]

X = The unknown factor.

'spert = Drip under pressure.

Thankyou very much for the smile

And sooo true