Hard drive failing - need to replace

[markf]

I have a system that I built myself (with lots of help from this forum) in 2003. It is no longer my primary work station but I use it as my secondary computer for e-mail, financial and lots of non-core stuff. Max, Photoshop etc are installed on separate newer computer that is networked with the older system. It is a dual xeon 2.66, one install of Win XP Pro (all updates and sp's), 2 G ram. It is the only system I have ever built. It went together well and has worked well up till now.

 

The problem is it doesn't boot up very effectively any more. Most times it hangs on boot up and I have to push the reset button. That seems to get it going most times. It seems to be getting worse over time. I can here a clicking noise , like the hard drive seeking. I often get an "insert system disc and boot from cd" type message. It has a Maxtor 80 G SATA drive in it. The drive has two small fans on it. One makes a funny squeling type noise on start up and doesn't sound normal until it warms up. They are noisy in general.

 

All of this makes me think I should replace the hard drive and re-install Windows and all of my other apps and data on a new drive. I'm thinking of buying the drive below

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073

 

Does this seem like a good buy?

 

Would I be able to install a second, new drive and install Windows on it, then move files off the old drive onto the new one? IOW, get the new one set up and then remove the old, loud and maybe going bad one?

 

Thanks for any advice.

[AJLynn]

6 years is very reasonable for a drive, and the one you picked out looks fine, though I might go for a Caviar Green instead of a Blue - the reason being that its lower power consumption will lead to less heat which might make it last longer.

 

You could try the old drive in an external enclosure or dock to see if you can recover your files.

[ihabkal]

you should have backed up that drive and then replaced it at the very first time you heard clicking sounds. 6 years is more than the estimated lifespan of a drive. I think all drives today are good so don't hesitate too much.

[markf]

Thank you Andrew. I was not aware of the Green model. I was just looking on NewEgg and that's what I saw. I'll check out the Green.

 

I don't have an external enclosure or dock. I have not yet lost any files. I'm just thinking the existing drive is going out and want to replace it before that happens. My hope is that I would be able to leave the existing drive in place, install the new drive, be able to boot to the new drive and copy files from the old drive over to the new drive. Hope that makes sense.

 

Thanks again!

[markf]

Thanks Ihab. I have the drive backed up to an external drive and also to an offsite/online backup service. I'm going to order a new drive asap and hopefully get this all taken care of before the existing drive fails.

[kippu]

dont wait....backup the data as soon as possible ...you never know when you might not be able to boot in , then you have to send it to expensive recovery guys

[markf]

I just realized that the fan noise is from an accessory hard drive cooler that I have attached to the drive. I know that I ordered this and installed it but I honestly can't recall that aspect of building the system.

 

Is it typical to have an accessory hard drive cooler? Or, should I just be able to install a new drive without a special cooler?

 

Thanks.

[AJLynn]

You can use it if your case doesn't seem to be able to circulate air past the drives. Mine has the drives right behind the front vent so it wouldn't help much or at all.

[ihabkal]

I think the fan is what prolonged the life of the drive. but as a precaution keep backing up every night. most computers don't have a fan for the drives though.

[shaneis]

Just to throw my 2c in the pot...

 

The squealing noise is most likely the bearings/ bushes in your HDD cooling unit. Nothing too major to worry about. May as well just remove that unit all together. As far as the HDD question goes - yes, you can easily put a new drive into the same case and copy the files from the old drive. Only thing to remember is to plug ne new one in as "master" and the old one as "slave". Pop the XP disc in and boot to it, then install.

 

However...

 

To avoid the most evil situation where you accidentally format your old drive and inadvertently infect your new drive, I'd do it this way:

 

FIRST - Back-up all of your data and settings to your external drive/ cloud space and then Take your PC off-line!

 

SECOND -

a. Remove old drive,

b. Attach new drive,

c. Insert XP disc, boot to it and do a fresh install,

d. Install all of your "anti-everything" software,

e. Jump online and update all "anti-everything",

f. Update Winders,

g. Restore your data and settings from your external backup,

h. Power off, unplug, earth yourself and plug the old drive into the "slave" slot

i. Scan your old drive with your "anti-everything" software,

j. Check that everything is restored correctly on your new drive against your old drive,

k. Once you're satisfied that everything is as it should be, check again.

l. Now you can format the old one.

m. When all is done, do a brand new back up of your new, clean(ish) system

 

The reason I urge to do the bulk of this off-line is illustrated in the graph below... (current survival time for an unpatched Winders install online - 42 minutes - less than the time it takes to install, update and patch an XP install...nasty!)

 

(source: SANS Internet Storm Center, "Survival Time" http://isc.sans.org/survivaltime.html)

[markf]

Shane, good info and great help. I am going to follow the procedure you outline except in the end I will not re-install the old drive. I won't need it after the new drive is installed.

 

Thanks!

[bmcgonigle]

You could also simply install the new drive with the old drive and then clone the old drive over to the new with a free app like DriveImage XML. http://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm

 

Once cloned, remove the old drive and set the new drive as your primary (pins & cable) and your back in business

 

If nothings wrong with the existing OS and program installs you can save yourself the time and headaches just by cloning it to a stable drive.

[markf]

Thanks for your reply Brian. I think I'm going to do a new insatll of Windows. I think part of my bootup troubles may be software related. It seemed to get worse after I got rid of Norton internet security and then installed COMODO firewall and ESET anti virus. It just seems over time that the sytem doesn't work as well as it should. It's definately a big hassle to install windows and all of my apps but that's what I'm planning. I think it's needed and I (unfortunately ) have the time to deal with this now so.....