BIG PROBLEM! Computer won't boot up today!

[Deuce24]

Hey all, I shut down my computer last night (it was working terrific) and then I wake up today and turn it on and find it doesn't boot up! It finds all RAM and cpu, etc, on initial boot then gets a little stuck on IDE device findings, but after about 30 seconds it continues, then it comes up with some random error, like "Disk boot failure, insert system disk and press enter" or "CPU has changed or is no longer workable" (not exact words but I saw one error like that).
I'm running an Intel P4, 1024 Kingston RAM, Abit IS7-E 865PE mobo, and 120GB WD HD 8mb cache. I have reason to believe it is the HD, because it keeps making this really weird clicking sound during boot up (which wasn't there before). It has a high pitched wind, like its about to read, then a sudden *click* and then it tries to wind up again.
If anyone has any suggestions I would so greatly appreciate them. If you need more info, please ask. All suggestions highly welcomed!!

 

[Deuce24]

please help guys, my comp won't start.

 

[Deuce24]

no help today? :-/ Usually peeps are all over helping can't-booters

 

[filmmaker]

What operating system?

 

[WarCon]

The sound is called the "click of death" and you should be backing up stuff off your computer as fast as humanly possible and calling Western Digital for an RMA.

Edit: You should also wait at least an hour to ^bump^ your thread.

 

[Deuce24]

Originally posted by: filmmaker
What operating system?

sorry, I"m running Widows XP Pro, also its a P4 2.4C, and RAM is PC2700

 

[Deuce24]

Warcon, I just put this system together, so can't I just take it back to Officemax (where I bought it) and return it for a new one on the spot? I'm lucky that since I just put this system together, all my info is backed up on cd-rs already, so no sweat there. Just gotta do the damn reinstallation of every damn driver, program, update, etc...so should I just return it?

 

[WarCon]

Yeah, thats the sound of a dead hard drive. Hard drive should make a quiet hum as it spins up and then be virtually silent. (Some people have very sensitive ears and can still hear them, but I can't over my case fans). Clicking sounds in hard drives are never good and the other signs you listed point to a failing hard drive. (New ones can die too)

 

[Deuce24]

Originally posted by: WarCon
The sound is called the "click of death" and you should be backing up stuff off your computer as fast as humanly possible and calling Western Digital for an RMA.

Also, how would I backup my data if the HD won't allow me to boot anyways? It's not like I can burn to a cd, or can I? lol

 

[WarCon]

Do you have a boot disk or something like drive image / norton ghost etc.? (If the drive is already that bad then you might not have any options)

You could also download Western Digital's diagnostic software (boots off floppy) and run it to verify that its the drive.

 

[Deuce24]

yeah, I don't have a way to dl the WD diagnostic tool, cause the only other computer available to me is a laptop w/out 3.5" floppy. My old floppy in my troubled computer doesn't seem to be working anyways. I have an old HD with Win 98 SE on it, and I think it works, can I just plug it in as Master and remove the troubled WD drive and try booting from that? Would that work, or could it harm my system? Thanks.

 

[Anonemous]

From my experience, you should be able to still use it initially, then after awhile if you ignore the clicks, it just dies... try powering off (wait a minute or two) and power back on. if that works, back up as much as you can and just rma (or return to officemax in your c ase). Did you try your drive in another computer? Did you try another drive in your computer?

 

[WarCon]

You can try the other hard drive and it won't hurt the system, but if it wasn't from the same equipment its gonna wanna load a bunch of drivers as soon as you get into windows. If it boots, it will let you know that your other hard drive is bad.

 

[Deuce24]

Originally posted by: Anonemous
From my experience, you should be able to still use it initially, then after awhile if you ignore the clicks, it just dies... try powering off (wait a minute or two) and power back on. if that works, back up as much as you can and just rma (or return to officemax in your c ase). Did you try your drive in another computer? Did you try another drive in your computer?

I don't have another working desktop to try my drive in, but I do have an old 20GB HD with Windows 98 2nd on it. Would it be safe to plug it into my system and try booting with it as Master?

Also, turning it off for a few minutes doesn't work. I went to bed and it was working, and when I woke up, it just wasn't. It can't get out of the BIOS screens, etc, so I guess I just have no options for backing up...

 

[Deuce24]

Originally posted by: WarCon
You can try the other hard drive and it won't hurt the system, but if it wasn't from the same equipment its gonna wanna load a bunch of drivers as soon as you get into windows. If it boots, it will let you know that your other hard drive is bad.

cool, thanks. I'll give it a try right now.

 

[Deuce24]

Good call everyone, it loads my old HD with Windows 98 just fine. I can't believe I got a lemon WD HD that I've only booted maybe 10x since I put this new system together. I will be returning the HD tonight (and hopefully the B&M store takes it back, cause I bought it over the phone). Thanks again for all the help everyone, my fellow AnandTechers pull through yet again. You are much appreciated!!!

 

[capricorn]

Believe it or not, that's typically the way it always works for me. Either the hardware fails pretty quickly (less than a week or two) or it lasts its normal expected lifetime. Sure, I've had exceptions to that rule (one recently brought on by a lightning strike that got on an ethernet cable), but it seems to happen that way quite often. Very few things I buy fail, since I try to buy good stuff and am willing to pay reasonable amounts, but when they do, they fail right away. Anyone else experience that or is it just me?

-cap

 

[NokiaDude]

Originally posted by: WarCon
The sound is called the "click of death" and you should be backing up stuff off your computer as fast as humanly possible and calling Western Digital for an RMA.

Edit: You should also wait at least an hour to ^bump^ your thread.

Have you heard of the freezer trick ? . . . . . . .

 

[WarCon]

Yeah, the freezer trick use to work for sticksion (modern drives don't seem to suffer from that so much, probably because of more powerful magnets). Never used it on the "click of death" though. First time I had a drive do that, I kind of ignored it for awhile and then wham it died, no hope of recovery. It just sat there clicking with a locked up system.