# Does this sound like a dead hard drive? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 20, 2010, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-sound-like-a-dead-hard-drive/547343 "2010-07-20T13:38:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-sound-like-a-dead-hard-drive/547343/1 "2010-07-20T13:38:18Z")
Surprisingly, despite owning many computers, I’ve always managed to avoid a dead hard drive. I’m pretty sure that the HDD is dead on my current laptop, but I thought I’d confirm before buying a replacement. My laptop booted fine this morning, apart from it was running a routine checkdisk which it does every ten boots or so. It got to 30% before I decided it was taking too long and cancelled it. After that wired networking wasn’t working, but wireless was. This sometimes happens, but a reboot will fix. No problem. Upon reboot, GRUB attempts to load Ubuntu, only to stall and eventually return Error 25. Reboot, same thing. And again. Apparently Error 25 is a problem reading the hard disk. So, I borrowed an Ubuntu Live CD off my supervisor to try to run fsck to repair the hard drive. When it comes to doing anything with the LiveCD that involves reading the hard disk, as opposed the LiveCD itself, the whole thing stalls. Many more attempts at getting the hard drive repaired using the LiveCD to no avail. I’m _pretty_ sure this is a HDD failure. Am I correct? I don’t want to spend money on a new HDD if it could possibly be another component that’s failed. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-sound-like-a-dead-hard-drive/547343/2 "2010-07-20T13:46:07Z")
Do you have a HD diagnostic program you can use? These used to come on diskette in the box when you get a new hard drive. IIRC any manufacturer’s program will work. For example, here’s Western Digital’s [free program.](http://www.hddoctor.net/hard-drive-diagnostic-softwarewestern-digital-data-lifeguard-diagnostics/) Might or might not work but I’d be worth a whirl. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-sound-like-a-dead-hard-drive/547343/3 "2010-07-20T14:01:36Z")
This sounds exactly like the behavior of my own computers when their hard drives have failed. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-sound-like-a-dead-hard-drive/547343/4 "2010-07-20T14:03:15Z")
Yeah, I’ve tried using fsck on my LiveCD to check for bad sectors/repair the file system but it stalls when it has to read the HDD :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-sound-like-a-dead-hard-drive/547343/5 "2010-07-20T14:10:21Z")
What brand is it? I know Lenovo, for example, includes a HD diagnostics tool in the BIOS. ---
**Author:** ![GHO57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df788c/32.png) [@GHO57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GHO57)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-sound-like-a-dead-hard-drive/547343/6 "2010-07-20T14:12:56Z")
Sorry… isn’t GRUB loaded FROM the HDD? Like… the MBR has to work to even load GRUB? Wouldn’t that mean the heads are OK, as are the motors and connections of the drive? _shrug_ ---
**Author:** ![GHO57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df788c/32.png) [@GHO57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GHO57)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-sound-like-a-dead-hard-drive/547343/7 "2010-07-20T14:26:03Z")
Not that I know anything about linux boxes… but wouldn’t a corrupt MFT manifest as something like that? ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-sound-like-a-dead-hard-drive/547343/8 "2010-07-20T15:59:34Z")
I’m not sure. It seems to halt prior to stage 1.5. So stage 1 is being run, which is stored in the MBR, but 1.5 fails, which is on the first 30kb of HDD space. I suppose the point is moot though now: I’ve just bought a brand new Western Digital HDD with more storage and a larger cache for £40, which should get here tomorrow. Messing around with GRUB and other utilities to get it working again would probably have taken just as long and sent me insane in the meantime :eek: ---
**Author:** ![GHO57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df788c/32.png) [@GHO57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GHO57)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-sound-like-a-dead-hard-drive/547343/9 "2010-07-20T16:13:54Z")
Tru dat. I remember a while back trying to rescue the SO’s Mac’s HDD and I’m man enough to admit that tears were shed during that ordeal… by all parties, except the Mac, which was obviously enjoying being a bastard. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-sound-like-a-dead-hard-drive/547343/10 "2010-07-20T17:41:21Z")
> [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](#): > > Yeah, I’ve tried using fsck on my LiveCD to check for bad sectors/repair the file system but it stalls when it has to read the HDD :mad: Might I suggest that you download a copy of (Gentoo-based) [System Rescue CD](http://www.sysresccd.org/) and keep it handy, rather than rely on your install disk? Won’t help unless you take the time to familiarize yourself with what’s on it, but it’ll likely have everything you need for almost any diagnosis and maintenance, now and into the future.