[40vern]

how do i know if my harddrive is bad? i have a compaq presario 2700. when i try to use the recovery disk it sais press any key to load from a disk and then nothing happens.

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i ordered a new harddrive off the internet. when i install it do i have to use a disk or anything or will it just start working? i think that i am a little over my limit on this one.

[40vern]

i ordered a new harddrive off the internet. when i install it do i have to use a disk or anything or will it just start working? i think that i am a little over my limit on this one.

[howell414]

how do i know if my harddrive is bad? i have a compaq presario 2700. when i try to use the recovery disk it sais press any key to load from a disk and then nothing happens.

hi there! there are freeware utilities which you can download from the net which will diagnose your HD if its faulty or not. check also if your HD is in fact about to fail.

[howell414]

i ordered a new harddrive off the internet. when i install it do i have to use a disk or anything or will it just start working? i think that i am a little over my limit on this one.

Hello again. did you check your old HD if its bad?? (you can also tell that your HD is gone if youl isten to it and it sounds like the platters are "ringing") does your mobo detect the total capacity of your new HD?? no, you dont have to use a disk when installing your new HD.

[40vern]

thanks for the information i will check this and see what i find.
i have been asking allot of questions lately because as you can tell i am not very good with computers.
best buy told me that my presario 2700 needed a new mother board that was $800 so you know what i did i bought a new computer,
now 2 years later i have descided to see what i could do with it. i spent $100 ON A kit to reattacht the heat sink to the mother board and it booted right up after all this time. i did order a new hard drive because i thought that this was the problem however now it is working.
it is doing a couple of weird things like it want restart when i tell it to restart. i have to use the option to turn off the couputer then turn to back on again. it has done a couple of other things.
i am doing a system restore to november of 2005 and see what happens.
i am hopeing that i can repair the computer myself but i am kinda agrivated that best buy said this. it is going to look kinda bad if i can repair this and they said that they could not.
how can i start the computer to the factory settings. i would like to get ride of norton and everything and then put back only what i want to use?

[Samm]

Hi there

I'm a little confused... does the computer boot up into windows ok? Apart from the reboot issue, does the system seem to work alright normally? If so, what makes you think theres a problem with the hard drive?

Can you go to the Start button, click on 'Run' & type: devmgmt.msc (then click OK)
This opens device manager. In there, expand the Disk drives branch. Your hard disk should be listed there with a manufacturers name and/or model number. Let me know what it is & I'll point you in the direction of a utility for diagnosing/testing that particular drive.

[40vern]

it will boot up now. i will get that information for you and get back with you. thanks for your help.

[40vern]

ok i think that i might have found a number that you can use but i am not sure. the number is where it sais disk drives ic25n030atda04-0

i have notice that when i go to start and click on trunoff the computer will not shut down

[Samm]

OK, your drive is an IBM Travelstar, so use the Drive Fitness Test (click on the link below to download).

http://www.hitachigs...32_v408_b00.EXE

NB this download will create a bootable floppy disk so you need to have a floppy disk drive on your laptop plus a blank floppy handy. If you don't have a floppy drive, let me know.

There will be a few different diagnostic tests available once you have booted from the floppy disk. DO NOT run the 'erase boot sector' or 'low level format' utility.

You still haven't said why you think the drive is the problem though...

[40vern]

honestly i am not sure of theproblem. am will print the page that yousent me and see what happens. i am starting to think that i just need to do a full recovery and restore the computer back to factory settings. i have done this in the past.

the more that i have been playing with the computer it seems to be working very well. just a few minor things like some old programs that i had at one that time that keep trying to start up.

as i mentioned earlier i have not been able to start the computer for about 2 years because i was told that the motherboard was bad

[Samm]

I think in that case, a fresh install of Windows would probably be your best bet, as you suggested. From what you've told me, I can't see any real indication of a hardware issue of any kind. A fresh install should eliminate the possibility of a software issue, so try that & see what happens.

Keep us posted

[40vern]

hey i will so this as soon as i get the disk in the mail. i was a little confused besause of the teck support telling me it was the mother board but since i have reattached the fan to the mother board andi got it to boot i think that it may be useable again.

i have really been thankful for the advice that i have gotten on this sight. seems to be some really nice people that hang out hear. thanks

[Samm]

i have really been thankful for the advice that i have gotten on this sight. seems to be some really nice people that hang out hear. thanks

You're very welcome. Let us know how you get on

[40vern]

sure hopefully i will get the disk in themail tomorrow

[40vern]

hello everyone. just got the computer working about threedays ago. i never could get a recovery disk from hp but i had a friend tha had one. we restored the computer to factory setting andit is working like it did when it was new. i wish i new this about $800 ago.

thanks to everyone for all you adivse.