wyantm06 Posted October 11, 2006 CID Share Posted October 11, 2006 First I would like to ask...How does a Hard Drive crap to bed? I left for work today and came home and it showed a black screen sayign Disk Boot Failure, Please Insert System Disc. Did so to reboot/format and said it could not find my Hard Drive. I then put it in my other PC and it did the same thing. How does a Hard Drive blow up? I noticed it starting to get louder a while back, so can someone tell me how they blow up? Thanks, plan on buying a new one, just don't know when. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disturbed Posted October 11, 2006 CID Share Posted October 11, 2006 anything that has moving/mechanical parts is bound to go bad at some point in life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netmasta Posted October 11, 2006 CID Share Posted October 11, 2006 Hard drives are mechanical devices, they have moving parts.You have platters, where the information is stored on, that almost constantly spin around while the computer is on, especially when the drive is in use. There are also read/write heads. They are just above each platter and the swing back and forth when read/writing. Think of a record player and you'll get the idea. Your problem (getting louder and louder) sounds like, to me atleast, the drive was wearing down. The bearings the the platters spin on might have worn out. Less likely but ,it could also have been a problem with the heads. When they wear out, sometimes the heads smash onto the platters, destroying the drive. Replacement is the only option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyantm06 Posted October 11, 2006 Author CID Share Posted October 11, 2006 Hard drives are mechanical devices, they have moving parts.You have platters, where the information is stored on, that almost constantly spin around while the computer is on, especially when the drive is in use. There are also read/write heads. They are just above each platter and the swing back and forth when read/writing. Think of a record player and you'll get the idea. Your problem (getting louder and louder) sounds like, to me atleast, the drive was wearing down. The bearings the the platters spin on might have worn out. Less likely but ,it could also have been a problem with the heads. When they wear out, sometimes the heads smash onto the platters, destroying the drive. Replacement is the only option. What sucks is the HDD is not even a year old...It's a 250 Gig Western Digital. I plan on gettig a smaller one this time aroudn since I never used close to that much space. Sigh...My only worry is investing more money and it breaking again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disturbed Posted October 11, 2006 CID Share Posted October 11, 2006 rma it ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netmasta Posted October 11, 2006 CID Share Posted October 11, 2006 What sucks is the HDD is not even a year old...It's a 250 Gig Western Digital. I plan on gettig a smaller one this time aroudn since I never used close to that much space. Sigh...My only worry is investing more money and it breaking again! Is it under warranty? I bet it is. Also, you never know how quickly you'll use that space. I used to think 1gb was too much. You should buy the biggest drive you can afford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyantm06 Posted October 11, 2006 Author CID Share Posted October 11, 2006 rma it ? RMA it??? Btw how can I check if it's under warranty? I have no papers at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
water Posted October 11, 2006 CID Share Posted October 11, 2006 netmasta got most of it. Hard drives are very touchy beasts and it's actually quite amazing that they last for as long as they do, considering the mechanics behind them. Consider that a lot of newer hard drives are spinning at 7200RPM. If your car ever went that fast, your engine would likely catch on fire. Aside from that, even though hard drives are very carefully sealed to be air tight, the heads that hover over the top of the platters inside your hard drive to read them are actually sitting so close above those platters that a single spec of dust that got in before the hard drive was sealed could be 2 or 3 times the distance between the platter and the head in diameter. To get a full picture of just what this would do if your head happened to hit a piece of dust,... picture what a 747 would look like if its wheels touched down on a 50 gallon metal trashcan that was lying in the middle of the runway. Yeah, can you hear me now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doomsday Posted October 12, 2006 CID Share Posted October 12, 2006 Usually, the little arm in the HD is the issue. That's what happened with those 3 Segates we had in a machine in the house. http://www.astro.ufl.edu/~ken/crash/ IBM DeathStar Platter Crash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cholla Posted October 12, 2006 CID Share Posted October 12, 2006 wyantm06 ;Have you went into you computers BIOS & made sure the your HD is listed & enabled? Then is it in a list like primary boot? You shouldn't even need a HD to check BIOS because I beleive this is all on your CMOS chip. Also hows your battery? Last where did you buy the HD? or do you have a receipt? you can probably check warranty information online if you can prove when you purchased it you may still be able to get it warrantied. btw my HD is a 1999 so they can last a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyantm06 Posted October 12, 2006 Author CID Share Posted October 12, 2006 wyantm06 ;Have you went into you computers BIOS & made sure the your HD is listed & enabled? Then is it in a list like primary boot? You shouldn't even need a HD to check BIOS because I beleive this is all on your CMOS chip. Also hows your battery? Last where did you buy the HD? or do you have a receipt? you can probably check warranty information online if you can prove when you purchased it you may still be able to get it warrantied. btw my HD is a 1999 so they can last a long time. I tried it in 2 computers. When I turn the PC on it doesn't even spin, or vibrate like it kicked on. I don't see how it got to be set off when I left for work my PC was on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
php Posted October 12, 2006 CID Share Posted October 12, 2006 You shouldn't need any paperwork to get it RMAed... just go to the western digital website Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimmer Posted October 12, 2006 CID Share Posted October 12, 2006 It could have just died.. It happens.. WD drives are 3 years I believe.. call them up and they should replace it. It is just a matter of giving them the serial number on the drive itself. However, before you send it back make sure to run a magnet over the top to erase/scramble the data. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyantm06 Posted October 12, 2006 Author CID Share Posted October 12, 2006 It could have just died.. It happens.. WD drives are 3 years I believe.. call them up and they should replace it. It is just a matter of giving them the serial number on the drive itself. However, before you send it back make sure to run a magnet over the top to erase/scramble the data. How big of a magnet? I really don't want them seeing my information. Which I am almost 100% sure you can bring back the information no matter what. I will check their site for a warranty or something. But I have a bad feeling about sending back my HDD. I used to download music illegally, but now use Imesh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyantm06 Posted October 12, 2006 Author CID Share Posted October 12, 2006 First, I would like to say thank you for the people who told me to RMA. My warranty is good until 2008. A. place drive in ESD Bag B. wrap in foam or bubble wrap cushioning C. place in sturdy cardboard box D. write RMA number on outside packaging When shipping multiple items, each item must be packed as above, so they do not touch each other and cannot move inside the packaging. All products MUST be packed in individual anti-static bags and in a sturdy cardboard box. ^^^ Those were the directions giving to me. What is a ESD bag? I need to get one to send it back, if they get the broke HDD and it isn't boxed and wrapped like they say then I am SOL. Btw is this magnet good enough http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/8731/p1010002al5.jpg ? Where do I use it at? Rub it on the whole HDD? Front and Back? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disturbed Posted October 12, 2006 CID Share Posted October 12, 2006 esd bag is a type of a bag that a hard drive usually comes packed in - its an anti static bag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disturbed Posted October 12, 2006 CID Share Posted October 12, 2006 and also that erasing a hard drive with a magnet - you need a very powerful magnet to do so - most magnets ud find around your house likely will not do much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voltageman Posted October 12, 2006 CID Share Posted October 12, 2006 My friend has a magnet that weighs like 30-40lbs You don't want to get anything electrical too close to it, like your cell phone . I've used it sucessfully to wipe my hd's, but it is not a common magnet that everyday people have laying around...Honestly I have no idea why he has it...He is one of those people who have all sorts of crap, but you have no idea why they have it, or if they ever actually use it Go get an MRI, and bring the HD with you That should erase it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cholla Posted October 12, 2006 CID Share Posted October 12, 2006 wyantm06;If you can go to a scrap metal yard I bet the electro magnet crane operator would run the electro magnet over it.That might sound like a joke but I'm serious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyantm06 Posted October 12, 2006 Author CID Share Posted October 12, 2006 wyantm06;If you can go to a scrap metal yard I bet the electro magnet crane operator would run the electro magnet over it.That might sound like a joke but I'm serious. I guess I have to send the HDD in how it is. What will they do if they find music and stuff downloaded through torrents and such? Btw where do I get a anti static bag? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimmer Posted October 12, 2006 CID Share Posted October 12, 2006 you are going to want something will a little bit of power... just run it over the top then along the sides.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netmasta Posted October 12, 2006 CID Share Posted October 12, 2006 I guess I have to send the HDD in how it is. What will they do if they find music and stuff downloaded through torrents and such? Btw where do I get a anti static bag? They probably won't care. They probably get dozens of returned drives each week. Half probably have illegal stuff on therm. Besides, they need solid proof that you stole the music. They can't tell where the files came from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ispgeek Posted October 12, 2006 CID Share Posted October 12, 2006 What sucks is the HDD is not even a year old...It's a 250 Gig Western Digital. I plan on gettig a smaller one this time aroudn since I never used close to that much space. Sigh...My only worry is investing more money and it breaking again! First off...don't buy el cheapo <grin> western digital drives. Their warranty policy is lousy. Spend a little more and get a seagate with 5 year warranty and NEVER have that paranoid feeling in your gut and empty feeling in your checkbook. Seagate has done quite well by their customers over the years and nothing seems to be changing there unlike Maxtor and Western Dig who have substantially cut back their warranty periods (what does that tell you?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disturbed Posted October 12, 2006 CID Share Posted October 12, 2006 western digital are great hard drives - but just like any hd, they all eventually go to data heaven LOL - or hell if you have illegal data lOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netmasta Posted October 12, 2006 CID Share Posted October 12, 2006 I've never had any problems with my WD drives either. I am glad I got my drive OEM though. If I got it retail (with a computer) the warranty would be one year vs. three. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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