Is my hard drive failing?
Tuesday, March 6, 2012 by 2of3 | Discussion: Personal Computing
I've had a problem off and on with my laptop crashing/BSOD when playing flash based content (like youtube videos).
It's been good for about 6 months now so I was surprised when it again happened today. I restarted the computer and was confronted with another bluescreen. After several tries at rebooting and system repairs (failed......."windows could not repair"), I decided to reinstall the OS......clean slate, ya know.
All was fine after everything was installed (drivers, etc) but the computer crashed again when I tried to do the windows rating index (no bsod, just a sudden dump). I tried it twice to make sure it wasn't a fluke.
Did a windows update and the thing crapped out again after the reboot to install. I managed to get the lappy to start again and scheduled a chkdsk. Rebooted.
Waiting for CHKDSK to finish.....
Earlier, I have only had crashes when playing flash based video and I've read online about problems with adobe flash and ATI cards. But this seems different to me.
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Reply #62 Thursday, March 8, 2012 4:50 AM
Also the system just shut down while running the chkdsk.........it got as far as stage 4 of 5. 
Reply #65 Thursday, March 8, 2012 5:09 AM
Restarted and chkdsk ran again. Same as last time.....system shut down before the process was finished.
Gonna let the poor fellow rest until I hear more from yrag.
Reply #66 Thursday, March 8, 2012 5:14 AM
Have you by any chance removed and re-seated the RAM ? Also have you run memtest86 ?
Reply #67 Thursday, March 8, 2012 6:46 AM
Could be it shuts down when the cpu heats up. Stays running for so long then boom.
Reply #68 Thursday, March 8, 2012 9:16 AM
This would also explain why the machine has to "rest" after a shutdown before it will restart.
At the risk of sounding a bit dense here but I fail to see how a bad HDD or RAM would cause an overheating problem with the CPU and GPU.
Maybe yrag can enlighten me. ( or call me an idiot, whichever applies) 
Reply #69 Thursday, March 8, 2012 9:29 AM
I kinda think #2 was on the right track..... maybe not dust...but still a heat issue all the same - thermal paste problem .... same thing...
Heat.
Reply #70 Thursday, March 8, 2012 10:01 AM
Heat.
Totaally in agreement. Tim, leave the thing turned off until you get the thermal paste. I suspect that to be the culprit and if you keep trying to run it at those temps you're gonna fry it for good and have an expensive door stop.
At the temps you have reported, you'll be lucky if you havent melted some solder on the mobo by now.
Quit messing with it.
Reply #71 Thursday, March 8, 2012 10:29 AM
Going to pick up the thermal paste later today. Boy, am I looking forward to opening this thing up again! 
Reply #72 Thursday, March 8, 2012 10:30 AM
BTW, I'm not using my lappy to post here......got the wifey's Eee PC here 
Reply #73 Thursday, March 8, 2012 3:53 PM
Check the heatsink on the processor. If it's hot, it's not the paste. Cold/cool, it's not transferring heat. That would be the paste.
Reply #77 Thursday, March 8, 2012 5:00 PM
That's what I was thinking.
I recently started having my screen go black for several seconds here and there and only when playing STO or WOW. I hadn't cleaned my graphics card in ages.
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Reply #61 Thursday, March 8, 2012 4:48 AM
The one in reply #56 is the only one. All crashes recently have not resulted in a BSOD.
I have reformated (reinstalled the OS) doubtful that there would be any malware.