Is this the end, can I recover from this ?

Gina M

Gina M

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Well I got a nice surprise this morning. I was working away on my laptop when suddenly it started making some funny noises then the screen went blank then this message came up "The smart hard disk check has detected an imminent failure" thinking it was a scam like the one I had before, I Just switched it off then on again 30 minutes later but the same message was still there. Is this the end for my laptop? It is 5 years old. Please can anyone help ??

Gina
 
Ginam said:
Well I got a nice surprise this morning. I was working away on my laptop when suddenly it started making some funny noises then the screen went blank then this message came up "The smart hard disk check has detected an imminent failure" thinking it was a scam like the one I had before, I Just switched it off then on again 30 minutes later but the same message was still there. Is this the end for my laptop? It is 5 years old. Please can anyone help ??

Gina
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The hard disk can normally be replaced. I hope you have back-ups of anything important.
 
tonyidle said:
The hard disk can normally be replaced. I hope you have back-ups of anything important.
Click to expand...
No back ups. I am in trouble !! This has never happened to me before. My puppy chewed my memory stick only last week and I thought not to worry about it for now 🤬

Gina
 
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Yes I agree with Tony above, switch it back on and back up all files to separate drive ASAP.
Then try and do a Disk Defrag, plus clean up, see if removing some junk files helps.
Do a Virus/Malware scan, then if you haven't already install "CC Cleaner" Free Version will do, that checks for basic registry errors and removes broken links etc, plus any nasties that clog up the disk.
Good Luck.
LES
 
Brief (very) outline of the process required.

If it's a clunking \ grinding \ whirring type noise it sounds like it has an hdd (mechanical disk drive) as opposed to an ssd (solid state drive).
  1. Get an external hdd and copy all your data from the internal ssd \ hdd that's giving the error message to this.
  2. Assuming it's Windows 10 or 11 clone the operating system to the same external hdd.
  3. Get a new internal ssd \ hdd, open up your laptop and replace the failing one.
  4. Restore your cloned copy of the operating system from the external hdd.
  5. Copy all your data back from the external hdd.

Be aware running various "fixing tools", etc could be the final straw that tips the disk over the edge so make sure you have backup and clone done before running them.

As an alternative to #2, 3 and 4 replace your laptop (do steps 1 and 5).
This might be the better solution as at 5 years old what might go wrong next?

Ask away if you want detail behind the outline points above.
 
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Get a guy to recover files, just hope there’s nuffing naughty in there 😀😇😇😇

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Back up, back up, back up. Then, if in doubt back up again. Have more than one back up memory stick or HDD. I know, it's a chore.

I had no prior warning when my old Thinkpad running Win 7 simply refused to boot up. Dead as the proverbial. Luckily everything that mattered was backed up on an external HDD.

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Always best to back up everything, having lost almost everything on the 1990's I now hav a memory stick in a usb socket permanently, and I save every document, picture or anything else to both the hard drive and the stick. I have had a hard drive fail but was able to restore from the stick. I also do another backup once a month to an external hard drive. But I am paranoid 😃
 
The Ex-Gasman said:
Always best to back up everything, having lost almost everything on the 1990's I now hav a memory stick in a usb socket permanently, and I save every document, picture or anything else to both the hard drive and the stick. I have had a hard drive fail but was able to restore from the stick. I also do another backup once a month to an external hard drive. But I am paranoid 😃
Click to expand...
Yip a backup of a backup is the optimal solution.(y)
 
Justus3 said:
Its stuffed sound like the hard drive had had it. At 5 years it's had its day get the files off it if you can.
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Yes, going to try everything I have been advised to do on here to retrieve my files (got distracted haven't had chance yet) then order a new Laptop, this could be the start of more problems with the old Laptop. Although this old notebook I am working on has saved my day and is older !!!

Gina
 
The Ex-Gasman said:
Always best to back up everything, having lost almost everything on the 1990's I now hav a memory stick in a usb socket permanently, and I save every document, picture or anything else to both the hard drive and the stick. I have had a hard drive fail but was able to restore from the stick. I also do another backup once a month to an external hard drive. But I am paranoid 😃
Click to expand...
Yes I am going to do the same with my new Laptop. This has taught me a lesson.

Gina

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Hope you get sorted. If you've got Microsoft Office, One Drive is cloud based so isn't reliant on your laptop, plus with the right App you can access it from anywhere. Other products are available.
 
Don't try and use a recovery disk / utility on the current laptop against the current drive. As others have said if the drive is failing you don't want more strain on it.

There are utilities, Acronis perhaps the most popular, that will boot up from it's own USB drive without needing the laptop drive. You'll need another computer to make that USB boot drive, and no doubt mess in the BIOS of the failing laptop to get it to see the USB and boot from that. Hopefully the USB boot would enable the current laptop drive to be read and you can copy the data to somewhere else - yet another big USB stick or even a drive, and then possibly clone the laptop drive for a new one. If the rest of the laptop is still doing everything you need it to, a replacement drive for the laptop is relatively inexpensive and easily available from the likes of the rainforest. There will be plenty of You Tube type videos showing how to replace the drive in the laptop, seems scary to take the back off, but it's a lot cheaper than a PC World type bodge.
 
Ginam said:
Yes I am going to do the same with my new Laptop. This has taught me a lesson.

Gina
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Stop looking at porn helps :LOL: :LOL::LOL: Gina sweetheart! You'll go blind and lose your data!
I have Knowhow cloud. backs up everything, well worth the cost as can access from anywhere in the world 27 PC's
 
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Kannon Fodda said:
Don't try and use a recovery disk / utility on the current laptop against the current drive. As others have said if the drive is failing you don't want more strain on it.

There are utilities, Acronis perhaps the most popular, that will boot up from it's own USB drive without needing the laptop drive. You'll need another computer to make that USB boot drive, and no doubt mess in the BIOS of the failing laptop to get it to see the USB and boot from that. Hopefully the USB boot would enable the current laptop drive to be read and you can copy the data to somewhere else - yet another big USB stick or even a drive, and then possibly clone the laptop drive for a new one. If the rest of the laptop is still doing everything you need it to, a replacement drive for the laptop is relatively inexpensive and easily available from the likes of the rainforest. There will be plenty of You Tube type videos showing how to replace the drive in the laptop, seems scary to take the back off, but it's a lot cheaper than a PC World type bodge.
Click to expand...
Yes YouTube is good, had the back of it a couple of years ago to change the battery after watching how to on there. Although the dvd player never worked again :giggle:

Gina

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Well, I have decided to leave it till tomorrow now when my memory stick arrives, as I have no idea/other way to back up and don't want to switch it on. If all else fails I have a nice computer man who will come and sort me out.

Gina
 
Ginam said:
Well, I have decided to leave it till tomorrow now when my memory stick arrives, as I have no idea/other way to back up and don't want to switch it on. If all else fails I have a nice computer man who will come and sort me out.

Gina
Click to expand...
It sounds like its goosed. Let the computer man clone and clean the drive. Also buy a new laptop that you get the info back on....
 
Ginam said:
Well, I have decided to leave it till tomorrow now when my memory stick arrives, as I have no idea/other way to back up and don't want to switch it on. If all else fails I have a nice computer man who will come and sort me out.

Gina
Click to expand...
I assume the 'nice computer man' isn't from one of the videos you've been watching? :oops: :blusher:
 
Ginam said:
I only watch it for research guys, it's for my dissertation :rofl:

Gina
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Yes, but the magistrate wasn’t so impressed…….


P.S. Absolutely love your sense of humour (y)
 

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