How to Troubleshoot a Hard Drive

The mechanism that reads and writes data on a hard disk. If you are having problems with a hard disk drive or want to look into fixing one, here are your first steps.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Be calm, don't panic, and don't overestimate the magnitude of the problem. Don't jump to a solution before you understand the problem. Keep an open mind and allow yourself plenty of time. If you are getting frustrated or fatigued, step away and let your subconscious do some mulling.
2. Consider that sometimes two heads are better than one. If you know someone who is knowledgeable about hard drives, consult with them. Sometimes someone looking at a problem from a different or fresh perspective will be able to set you on the right path to fixing the problem.
3. Think about using some common software diagnostic tools:
4. 1)Power-On Self Test (POST). The POST runs very quickly, and you will normally not even noticed that it is happening -- unless it finds a problem. The POST also uses extended troubleshooting codes that you can use to get much more detail on what problem a troublesome PC is having.
5. 2)MEM.EXE: This simple utility, built into recent versions of DOS and also Windows 95, provides you with details about your memory configuration, as well as what is currently using your memory. It is especially useful when run with the "/C" parameter (use the "/P" parameter as well to make the output pause when it is scrolling).
6. 3)Microsoft Diagnostics or MSD.EXE, this is a small DOS utility that takes a brief inventory of the contents of your PC and shows them to you in a text-based format. This is very useful for seeing what disks are in the system, how much memory is installed, and also for checking system resource usage such as LPT ports and IRQs. MSD.EXE is included in later versions of DOS. Not normally part of Windows 95, you can find it on the Windows 95 CD however and then copy it to the C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND directory to make it work.
7. 4)Windows 95 Device Manager: This is the most useful tool for identifying system configuration and resource usage information under Windows 95. To access it, open the Control Panel and select the "System" icon. Then select the "Device Manager" tab. You will see a graphical "tree" structure showing you all of your PC hardware. If you select "Properties" while "Computer" (the top-level item) is selected, you will be able to see all the IRQs, DMA channels and I/O addresses in use in your PC; very useful for resolving resource conflicts. The same "Properties" button, pressed after selecting a specific hardware device, will show you driver information, resource settings for the hardware item chosen, and much more.
8. 5)Norton System Information: This utility is similar to the Microsoft Diagnostics, only more detailed in its later versions. It goes well beyond what MSD gives you and is part of Symantec's Norton Utilities.
9. 6)Microsoft ScanDisk and Norton Disk Doctor: These programs are used to check for hard disk problems. This includes file system corruption and hard disk read errors and should be used when hard disk problems are suspected.
10. 7)Norton Diagnostics: This utility goes beyond the system information program and actually perform tests on the hardware to identify problems. It includes tests of the processor and motherboard and system memory, and will identify some types of resource conflicts.
11. 8)Other diagnostic suites are available also. Beyond that is diagnostic hardware (loop-back plugs, multimeter/ohmmeter, BIOS POST cards, test bed, etc.)

Tips & Warnings

• Experience is the most important resource you can have at your disposal when you are trying to troubleshoot a problem with your hard drive. Those who have done a lot of work diagnosing and correcting problems with a wide variety of PCs develop a knack for recognizing problem situations that they have seen before. They also learn (and invent) techniques that make it possible for them to get to the root of a problem quickly.
• Don't hesitate to contact your hard disk drive manufacturer's technical support department if you need them. These companies have above-average technical support, and there are sometimes problems specific to certain kinds of drives that are not discussed in enough detail on the Internet or in books.

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