• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

I need to kill my hard drive!

A

Adn4n

Golden Member
I can hear the distinct sound of a dying hard drive inside my laptop. I have a warranty on it, but naturally the thing needs to be dead before I can send it in. Now, failure is inevitable but school starts in a week and I need a functional laptop. How can I accelerate the impending failure? The sound is high pitch, and I believe that is due to a spindle problem.

EDIT: Actually I think it's a head problem.
 
"How can I accelerate the impending failure?"

>> Don't try and solicite help here to defraud a company. <<


Sign up for an ethics course at your school, if they offer any. :roll:
 
You mean I can't run my hard drive non-stop in the hopes it would die?

EDIT: I'm not asking for ways to bypass the warranty, I just want to know what stresses a hard drive the most(i.e. defragmenting etc)

Now if running a hard-drive is at max capacity is against the law, then I'll pack my bags and move back to the Communist regime I came from.
 
Originally posted by: Blain
"How can I accelerate the impending failure?"


Sign up for an ethics course at your school, if they offer any. :roll:
Click to expand...

Thank for the edit, always helpful aren't you?

I forgot that ethics is telling the customer over the phone that significant performance decrease due to hardware problems is a valid cause for a claim before the customer signs up. But when my hard drive is obviously dying and my performance is obviously decreased from it I can be told to fuck off by that company.

And read my previous comment if you misunderstood my request. Obviously you are the one thinking of illegal ways to accomplish these things, I wasn't.
 
If its making sounds that a normal hard drive does not make, thats grounds for a warranty replacement.
I have replaced a few hard drives under warranty where they were making a high pitched noise.
Both western digital and maxtor replaced the drives without problems.

 
Do drive makers even care if your drive has failed before they'll send you a refurbished replacement? I know that Seagate doesn't care. I haven't tried the other makers lately.

But unless your laptop is under warranty, you may find the most expedient thing is to buy a brand new hard drive from Newegg.com and install it yourself. That'll be less than $100. You can then RMA your current hard drive at your leisure. When you get the "new one", put it into an external USB housing and use it for making backups of your laptop.
 
Originally posted by: RebateMonger
Do drive makers even care if your drive has failed before they'll send you a refurbished replacement? I know that Seagate doesn't care. I haven't tried the other makers lately.

But unless your laptop is under warranty, you may find the most expedient thing is to buy a brand new hard drive from Newegg.com and install it yourself. That'll be less than $100. You can then RMA your current hard drive at your leisure. When you get the "new one", put it into an external USB housing and use it for making backups of your laptop.
Click to expand...

Yeah I really don't need much capacity on it, this one is only a 40GB. But I can't even start the replacement process until it's dead. It's frustrating, the noise is very loud and I really thought the thing would have kicked it by now.
 
Originally posted by: Adn4n
Originally posted by: RebateMonger
Do drive makers even care if your drive has failed before they'll send you a refurbished replacement? I know that Seagate doesn't care. I haven't tried the other makers lately.

But unless your laptop is under warranty, you may find the most expedient thing is to buy a brand new hard drive from Newegg.com and install it yourself. That'll be less than $100. You can then RMA your current hard drive at your leisure. When you get the "new one", put it into an external USB housing and use it for making backups of your laptop.
Click to expand...

Yeah I really don't need much capacity on it, this one is only a 40GB. But I can't even start the replacement process until it's dead. It's frustrating, the noise is very loud and I really thought the thing would have kicked it by now.
Click to expand...

How about yo try listening to the other poster here. You do not need to wait until it's dead to start the rma process. Either RMA it now, or sign up for that ethics class.
 
It's not a warranty on the hard drive specifically, but on the entire laptop. I can't open it, ethically(no seal), so removing it would actually void my warranty. I can read just fine, and your last sentence is stupid.
 
Why not ask the company that makes the laptop if they have a hard drive diagnostic program? Sometimes Hard Drive Manufacturers have these programs also.

This could be a sign that the Battery System is not working properly. An unsteady supply of power can drastically effect a hard drive.
 
Originally posted by: piasabird
Why not ask the company that makes the laptop if they have a hard drive diagnostic program? Sometimes Hard Drive Manufacturers have these programs also.
Click to expand...

You should be able to identify the manufacturer of the hard drive from info in the CMOS or in Device Manager. Go to their site, and download their diagnostic program.

If your CMOS has an option to sense SMART drives, enable it. It's an extra level of problem detection built into newer drives that will report any problems it finds on boot up.
 
Back up your stuff and declare it as dead and start the process of RMA or what ever.

Do you think that when it gets to the tech. people they would send it back to you telling you that it is just making terrible noises and it is Not dead?

Actually I doubt that there is the definition of Dead for hard drives?

 
I have a Toshiba 3gb hard drive on an AMD k6/333 notebook that has whirred, clacked, whinned and groaned - for almost 10 years without failing
 
Originally posted by: Adn4nBut I can't even start the replacement process until it's dead. It's frustrating, the noise is very loud and I really thought the thing would have kicked it by now.
Click to expand...
Did your laptop's tech support actually tell you this, or are you making an assumption?

The hard drive is not supposed to be making loud ticking or squealing noises. That alone should be sufficient for warranty replacement.


EDIT: if that really is their (sucky) warranty rule, then can you tell us what company it is so we can avoid them in the future?
 
Yeah all my calls were answered this way. It's through SquareTrade, got it from a Gateway retailer on eBay. Gonna try my luck again now.
 
They told me they'll tell me on Monday whether or not I have to mail it in or whether they'll send someone locally. I'm hoping for the latter option.
 
Originally posted by: Adn4n
They told me they'll tell me on Monday whether or not I have to mail it in or whether they'll send someone locally. I'm hoping for the latter option.
Click to expand...

Sounds like they're just giving you more runaround 🙁
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top