What to do when your hard drive is about to fail?

• fan_from_texas

  I just got a message that the hard drive on my Toshiba laptop (Satellite L650) is about to fail.
  
  What should I do to minimize disruption and resolve this as best I can? Are there any experts on here who can advise next steps? All relevant/important documents are already backed up through SugarSync, so that isn't a real concern. But how do I reinstall, swap out, image, whatever to fix this?
• Fred Flintstone

  Do you have the disk(s) that came with the laptop? I would back up the drivers for it just in case. If so, just pick up a new HD for it, reinstall and start over.
• said_aouita

  

  Ya have some sort of disk imaging program?
• Belly35

  

  run to radio shack anbd pick up a HD docking station
  
  
  Pick up new HD install and then download via docking station and usb port the information and images from old HD
• End of Line

  

  Get an external hard drive and move files to that. I had to do it when my laptop went to shit.
• fan_from_texas

  Fred Flintstone;1307136 wrote:Do you have the disk(s) that came with the laptop? I would back up the drivers for it just in case. If so, just pick up a new HD for it, reinstall and start over.

  I don't believe any recovery/reinstall disks came with the laptop. I'll confirm when I get home. I guess I'll order a new HD, figure out how to reinstall (or maybe even upgrade to Windows 8 at this point), and start over.
  
  I don't believe I have a disk imaging program, but I'll poke around. I do have an external HD, so if it has space, I'll copy everything over.
• dlazz

  fan_from_texas;1307147 wrote:I don't believe any recovery/reinstall disks came with the laptop. I'll confirm when I get home. I guess I'll order a new HD, figure out how to reinstall (or maybe even upgrade to Windows 8 at this point), and start over.
  
  I don't believe I have a disk imaging program, but I'll poke around. I do have an external HD, so if it has space, I'll copy everything over.

  Backup any important files NOW. Don't dick around, just do it now before the drive croaks.
  
  If you need it, you can setup Dropbox and upload pictures/important documents.
  
  www.dropbox.com
  
  Depending on the make/model of the laptop, replacing the harddrive can be a complete joke or challenging to do.
  
  If you want, you can pick up Windows 8 for $14.99 by filling out false information on http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/upgrade-offer
  
  If you take a image of the computer, it will stress the HD quite a bit and it might bite the dust.
• dlazz

  Belly35;1307145 wrote:run to radio shack anbd pick up a HD docking station
  
  
  Pick up new HD install and then download via docking station and usb port the information and images from old HD

  and don't run to radioshack and buy one of these because it'll be expensive as hell. if you live near a Microcenter, you can pick up one of these for $20-30
• I Wear Pants

  Although the one pictured is a Monoprice which has a reputation for fantastic prices so if you wanted you could pick it up from their site.
• Belly35

  

  I Wear Pants;1307170 wrote:Although the one pictured is a Monoprice which has a reputation for fantastic prices so if you wanted you could pick it up from their site.

  $27.00 buck
• I Wear Pants

  Belly35;1307177 wrote:$27.00 buck

  You paid $27 for a buck? That seems pretty cheap for a deer.
• gut

  1) Make a recovery disk. Should be able to do this with Windows on your computer, maintenance manager or something.
  
  2) Don't waste your time making an image unless you get a harddrive with identical specs.
  
  3) You could make a back-up to DVD. But you'll need a bunch. Unless you have everything you need on Sugarsync, then maybe just flash the factor image and back-up that (all you care about is the Windows install).
  
  I can vouch not having a back-up is a pain in the ass. I had this happen to me. First I had to find the right Win7 ISO on the internet (bozo at Microsoft tried to tell me I had to purchase a new copy of Windows!). Then I had to find all the right drivers, and the stupid support site snuck in a few that weren't for my machine (and the recovery disks they sent me were wrong - fuck you HP).
• I Wear Pants

  Also, this is why you have a system of constant and automatic back-ups to a NAS or similar or at least a RAID setup.
• fan_from_texas

  Thanks, guys. I'll give this a shot this evening.
• gut

  LMAO, I have to tell you guys about this MS clown.
  
  So I'm struggling to find a good Win7 ISO for my machine. He tells me the OEM licenses are limited, and if I changed the hard drive I would have to buy a new license because those are by hard drive and not machine. I said "WTF?!?!". He tells me "this is why I build my own machines". I told him thanks, that was really helpful for my situation.
  
  Anyway, I told him there's no way I'm paying MS for something I already own. It can't possibly be the case that changing my HD means I need a new copy of windows. He's like "well, the ISO will only work for like a month, since you don't have a license for it".
  
  I wish I could have complained about that guy. Sure, that may be intentional, but you figure someone calls you up looking for a recovery download and asking about ISO's they probably aren't a sucker.
• gut

  I Wear Pants;1307188 wrote:Also, this is why you have a system of constant and automatic back-ups to a NAS or similar or at least a RAID setup.

  I learned that lesson. Two or three times, actually, and maybe I haven't learned. I keep critical things backed-up, and now use Dropbox for working files. But in both cases I've been able to recover any critical missing files with software (waste of money for being lazy - lol probably would have covered a NAS/RAID system but I use strictly laptops).
• dlazz

  gut;1307196 wrote:LMAO, I have to tell you guys about this MS clown.
  
  So I'm struggling to find a good Win7 ISO for my machine. He tells me the OEM licenses are limited, and if I changed the hard drive I would have to buy a new license because those are by hard drive and not machine. I said "WTF?!?!". He tells me "this is why I build my own machines". I told him thanks, that was really helpful for my situation.
  
  Anyway, I told him there's no way I'm paying MS for something I already own. It can't possibly be the case that changing my HD means I need a new copy of windows. He's like "well, the ISO will only work for like a month, since you don't have a license for it".
  
  I wish I could have complained about that guy. Sure, that may be intentional, but you figure someone calls you up looking for a recovery download and asking about ISO's they probably aren't a sucker.

  Guy sounds like he has no idea what he's talking about.
• dlazz

  gut;1307185 wrote:1)2) Don't waste your time making an image unless you get a harddrive with identical specs.

  you can pull this off rather easily, but the new hard drive has to be equal to or greater than the old hard drive.
• gut

  dlazz;1307216 wrote:you can pull this off rather easily, but the new hard drive has to be equal to or greater than the old hard drive.

  I wouldn't call it "easy", depending on his sophistication. Don't you have to partition it the exact same, or can you just flash the recovery image and it will partition (so long as it's bigger?)?
  
  My cheap external bay that I got for $30 from Best Buy does read like an SD, so you could restore an image right from that, but I understand that causes fits for some.
• dlazz

  gut;1307230 wrote:I wouldn't call it "easy", depending on his sophistication. Don't you have to partition it the exact same, or can you just flash the recovery image and it will partition (so long as it's bigger?)?

  The latter part. The imaging tool should redo the partitions automagically.
• QuakerOats

  viagara
• TedSheckler

  

  gut;1307196 wrote:LMAO, I have to tell you guys about this MS clown.
  
  So I'm struggling to find a good Win7 ISO for my machine. He tells me the OEM licenses are limited, and if I changed the hard drive I would have to buy a new license because those are by hard drive and not machine. I said "WTF?!?!". He tells me "this is why I build my own machines". I told him thanks, that was really helpful for my situation.
  
  Anyway, I told him there's no way I'm paying MS for something I already own. It can't possibly be the case that changing my HD means I need a new copy of windows. He's like "well, the ISO will only work for like a month, since you don't have a license for it".
  
  I wish I could have complained about that guy. Sure, that may be intentional, but you figure someone calls you up looking for a recovery download and asking about ISO's they probably aren't a sucker.

  He is right. Sounds like your computer was loaded with a system builders disk. The CD key is tied into the hard drive.
  
  And to whoever posted about the HD dock, if your HD craps out, it craps out. It's not going to work in your computer of in a dock. Tha's why you have to get stuff copied to an external or like someone said, dropbox. But your limited in size unless you want to pay.
• dlazz

  TedSheckler;1307315 wrote:He is right. Sounds like your computer was loaded with a system builders disk. The CD key is tied into the hard drive.

  It really depends. Big-name OEM's inject the key into the BIOS or something so you can use virtually ANY OEM install disk and it'll work.
  
  There is a 99% chance you could use a generic OEM disk and it would work. Activation might give you fits, but you could call it in manually and it would work.
• gut

  TedSheckler;1307315 wrote:He is right. Sounds like your computer was loaded with a system builders disk. The CD key is tied into the hard drive.

  But he just assumed that. He was wrong - I got an ISO and used the OEM key and Windows recognizes it as a valid product key.
• dlazz

  gut;1307331 wrote:But he just assumed that. He was wrong - I got an ISO and used the OEM key and Windows recognizes it as a valid product key.

  Yeah, you fall into that 99%.