[RKinner]

Speccy says you have two problems.

 

First it's getting too warm:

 

CPU

Intel Core i3 2350M @ 2.30GHz 72 °C

Sandy Bridge 32nm Technology

RAM

4.00GB Single-Channel DDR3 (9-9-9-24)

Motherboard

Dell Inc. 01HXXJ (CPU 1) 73 °C

 

Ideally this should be in the 50s.  73 is close to the temp where it will freeze up or where the video will go crazy.

 

Make sure you have it on a flat hard surface.  Putting it on something soft like a bed can block the air vents and cause it to overheat.

 

Try speedfan

http://www.filehippo...nload_speedfan/

 

Download, save and Install it (Win 7 or Vista right click and Run As Admin.) then run it.

 

It will tell you your temps in real time.

 

 

Normally what happens is the interface between the fan and the heatsink gets clogged with dust.  On most Dell's you can remove the panel that covers the fan with about 8 screws.  Then unscrew the fan (but not the heatsink) and you can then use a small brush and a vacuum cleaner hose to remove the dust.   If you need to remove the heatsink you will have to replace the thermal paste.  

 

 

 

Second the hard drive is dying:

These attributes are not good even if they say Status Good.  Seagate drives just don't hold up.  I would clone the drive before something else happens.  I recommend Western Digital (Black if you can afford it).  Avoid Seagate - they are getting a horrible rep.  

01

Attribute name Read Error Rate

Real value 0

Current 116

Worst 99

Threshold 6

Raw Value 0006B170A8

Status Good

 

07

Attribute name Seek Error Rate

Real value 0

Current 81

Worst 60

Threshold 30

Raw Value 0009D07BD3

Status Good

 

BB

Attribute name Reported Uncorrectable Errors

Real value 123

Current 1

Worst 1

Threshold 0

Raw Value 000000007B

Status Good

 

C3

Attribute name Hardware ECC Recovered

Real value 0

Current 116

Worst 99

Threshold 0

Raw Value 0006B170A8

Status Good

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Ok, so you mean I will have to replace my hard drive soon?  Is it worth it to do that, or should I just by a new laptop. 

 

And I have no idea what the other stuff means that you posted underneath that, 01, 07, BB, & C3?

 

I tried to run a defrag, and after it says, 0% defragged?  Is it not working or is that good?

[pharper]

Ok, so you mean I will have to replace my hard drive soon?  Is it worth it to do that, or should I just by a new laptop. 

 

And I have no idea what the other stuff means that you posted underneath that, 01, 07, BB, & C3?

 

I tried to run a defrag, and after it says, 0% defragged?  Is it not working or is that good?

[RKinner]

Yes, your hard drive is failing.  The attributes (from the S.M.A.R.T section of the Speccy log)  I listed should all normally have 0 as a raw value.  I think what happened to mess you up is that a sector of the drive failed and you lost some system files.  Also your laptop is getting too hot.  If you can do the work yourself it's probably about $60 in parts but getting someone to fix it might be more than its worth.  To do it yourself you would need a small Phillips screwdriver, a USB-SATA adapter, a new hard drive.  Following are Amazon prices without taxes or shipping.

 

Stanley 66-052 6-Piece Precision Screwdriver Set = $4

Lumsing High Speed Adapter Cable USB 3.0 to SATA 2.5'' 22Pin (7Pin + 15Pin) HDD SSD, 50CM PVC Black = $8

WD Black 500GB Performance Mobile Hard Disk Drive - 7200 RPM SATA 6 Gb/s 32MB Cache 7 MM 2.5 Inch - WD5000LPLX = $53

 

 You also need a cloning program but usually the hard drive maker will supply one that you can download and there are also lots of free programs available.  

 

You plug the new drive into the adapter then plug the adapter into a USB port on your PC.  Then you run the cloning program and tell it you want the drive in the PC to be the source and the one on the USB adapter to be the destination.    Takes several hours to complete (sort of like running a disk check).  Once it's done you shut the PC down and flip it over and unscrew the panel that hides the hard drive.  You may need to remove a screw or two to get it out and if they use a carrier you will need to remove the 4 screws that hold it in the carrier.  Keep track of which screws went where and how the drive sat in the carrier.  Put the new drive in the carrier and replace the screws.  Put the carrier in and tighten it down and replace the panel.  Power it up and you should have a good system (assuming you took care of the dust between the fan and the heatsink per my earlier instructions.)  If you Google the make and model of your laptop you will usually find a Youtube video showing how to do it.

 

Did it say 0% Defragged or 0% fragmented?  Defragging can take hours.  

[pharper]

0% fragmented.

 

Wow, thanks for all the info.  If once I replace the hard drive, it's like a new computer, then I don't see why not?  It's less expensive than buying a new one.

 

What would you do?

 

Yes the reason it gets hot, is I keep it on my lap, lol.  I have started using my lap desk again as of today, lol.

[RKinner]

I'm cheap so I would replace the drive.  People give me dead laptops all of the time and I bring them back to life and give them away to friends and relatives.  

 

Yes laptops should not be used on the lap (or on the bed).  The air intake vents are almost always on the bottom and if they get blocked it will heat up quickly.  There have been cases where someone fell asleep while using a laptop on the bed and it got hot and caught fire and killed them.  

[pharper]

Lol, I knew that answer before I asked you!  I think I can get it done very reasonably. 

 

I don't use my laptop in bed, but that's really terrible that happened. 

 

Is there any other maintenance that's necessary? 

 

Thanks for all your help!  I really appreciate all the information!   Can I bless you with a gift card to Starbuck's or something?

[RKinner]

If it says 0% fragmented then that means it doesn't need to be defragged.

 

I would like to get SFC to work and let it check your system files.  It would also be a good idea to see if it is capable of doing Windows Updates.  We can wait until you get the hard drive replaced.  I never close out my topics so just reply whenever.