My computer suddenly started having a couple of problems. The cursor started selecting things on its own, as if the left mouse button was being clicked, even though it wasn’t. The AC adapter also stopped consistently charging the computer. As I was on the phone with Dell trying to work through the mouse problem, the computer shut down, as the already low battery ended up completely drained. So the technician said that they were going to replace the battery, hard drive, AC adapter and motherboard.
I know nothing about fixing computers, but the hard drive hasn’t been making any strange noises, the computer hasn’t been shutting down on its own, except when the battery died, so I’m wondering if, and hoping that the hard drive is okay, and looking for a second opinion. It should have been backed up, but I didn’t do that, and A. I need my files, and B. I don’t want to start from scratch if I don’t have to, but C. I know that if it has something wrong with it, it’s best to take care of it now, instead of having it suddenly stop working. So with the background information out of the way, can anyone recommend some good programs to make sure the hard drive is okay? Are my computer’s symptoms signs that I should just get all the parts replaced, and start over?
Speedfan can also report S.M.A.R.T. data.
So, Dell is going to take the case off your computer and put it on a new one? 
Not much left after replacing a battery, motherboard and drive…
The answer to your question, though is now. **Right now. **If you can fire up the laptop long enough to start copying your files to CD/DVD, USB sticks or an external hard drive, do it now.
Once you send it off to Dell for repairs, it’s gone.
I think the computer has Speedfan, now, so that would be a convenient thing to use. Thanks.
The AC adapter has started working only when it wants to, so there won’t be any turning it on until the adapter gets here (I placed the order for the adapter yesterday, then it started working again, and I turned the computer on and called to get help with the other problem today, so the adapter is coming on its own). If there’s a good chance that the hard drive is fine, I’m planning to ask Dell to leave it alone, and just replace the other things. If there’s a good chance these problems could be tied to a hard drive issue, I’ll let them put my case around something new. 
Thanks for the replies.
Questions
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How old is the laptop?
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What is the system (Windows or whatever and version)
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Have updated all your security and done virus checks
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DO YOUR BACKUPS NOW.
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Get an external hard drive (they’re relatively cheap) and back up things NOW
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BACK YOUR COMPUTER NOW before it fails.
7a) What kind of hard drive do you have? (Go to Start -> Type “Device Manager” (without quotes) and then hit click on that -> GO to Disk Drives. You can right click on that to get the properties.
7b) You may have to enable SMART data in your bios depending on which brand of hard drive you have.
- Did I mention BACK UP YOUR DATA NOW
Seriously if Dell is gonna replace the the battery, hard drive, AC adapter and motherboard, and if the computer is still new, start making a fuss and tell them you want an new computer
1) How old is the laptop?
Seven months old.
2) What is the system (Windows or whatever and version)
Windows 7 (64 bit)
3) Have updated all your security and done virus checks
Yes, all those things were scheduled to happen automatically.
4) -6 DO YOUR BACKUPS NOW.
I’m going to do it as soon as I can, instead of simply thinking about how I should do it sometime.
**
7a) What kind of hard drive do you have? (Go to Start -> Type “Device Manager” (without quotes) and then hit click on that -> GO to Disk Drives. You can right click on that to get the properties.
7b) You may have to enable SMART data in your bios depending on which brand of hard drive you have.**
I don’t know, but thanks for the steps on how to find out, once the adapter arrives.
**
Seriously if Dell is gonna replace the the battery, hard drive, AC adapter and motherboard, and if the computer is still new, start making a fuss and tell them you want an new computer
**All the things they plan to replace do make me wonder about the overall stability of the system.
Most newer Dells have a built in harddrive diagnostic program. When you first turn the computer on (which maybe you can’t do if the AC adapter is dead) you can go to a boot menu and from there to harddrive diagnostics. On the Dell system I have here, I press F12 after turning the computer on to get to the boot menu. Other Dells might use a different button. If you don’t get an option to press anything, try pressing ESC and then you might get some more options. These can flash by on the screen very quickly, so don’t worry if you have to restart the computer and try to hit the right button the next time.
Another option is to find out what brand of drive you have (Seagate, Western Digital, etc.) and download their drive testing utility. This is often a Windows program which you install and can then test your drive.
Whether you use the Dell tester, or the manufacturer’s tester you will probably get the option to do two tests, a short test and a long test. The short test will only take a few minutes. The long test takes several hours and reads the entire drive. I usually run the short test first, and then the long test, because if the short test fails, there’s no point in doing the long test.
A failed test means the drive is bad. A successful test does not mean anything at all, because the drive could still be dead, but not due to a reason the diagnostic is able to find. Your description of the problems doesn’t make me think “bad drive,” but there’s no way for me to know.
Q: How can you recognize a Dell technician with a flat tire?
A: He's changing one tire at a time to see which one is flat.
Q: How can you recognize a Dell technician who is out of gas?
A: He's changing one tire at a time to see which one is flat.
That joke was a originally about DEC, but they’re long gone. It applies just as much to most computer manufacturers these days. The phone rep is just replacing all the tires at once (and hoping your problem isn’t being out of gas).
Anyway, make sure you backup your data somehow before Dell gets their hands on the computer, because once they swap the drive, your data will be gone.
Here is my favorite tool for checking on SMART data: CrystalDiskInfo
I’ll give the disclaimer that a healthy drive can still fail, and an unhealthy drive doesn’t necessarily fail, but it is a good indicator of risk.
Thanks again, all for the information.