Wd Hard Disk Data Lifeguard Diagnostics....

[ProDave]

well 6 hours later the download finished and I made my USB ubunta boot stick.

Booted the lappy into ubunta.

Tried the disk utility.

S.M.A.R.T data says the disk is okay.

Self test short test FAILS with a read error.  Just like it did in windoze.

So no further forward other than the disk won't self test, but seems to work regardless most of the time.

headbang   headbang   headbang

 

[Steve3948]

A lot of posts about SMART in pc forums, saying HD's carry on with no issues for years and to turn off in bios.

However there are many posts where they advice that you backup/clone the disk and replace, as SMART indicates something not 100% right.

Given that yours is playing up I would think replacing is the order of the day.

 

[ProDave]

It's the opposite though. SMART says it's okay but then it won't run other tests.

 

[steptoe]

Dave, you may have to 'mount' the disk to do the self test if you are running Ubuntu of a pendrive,

 

[ProDave]

Dave, you may have to 'mount' the disk to do the self test if you are running Ubuntu of a pendrive,

mounting the hard disk made no difference, still fails the self test.

 

[a3]

I suggest you get all the data of the HDD and then buy a new one.

Are they cheaper in Scotland ?

 

[ProDave]

Dave - Open a terminal window and run

ls /dev/sd*and

sudo fdisk -lPost the data back here

ls /dev/sd*  returns:

/dev/sda  /dev/sda1  /dev/sda2  /dev/sda3   /dev/sdb    /dev/sdb1

sudo fdisk -l  

tells me lots about the disk, number fo sectors etc.  too much to write down and I have no way to copy and paste it.

Is there actually a disk test utility built into ubunta rather than trying to invoke a built in self test?

At start up I only get the option to run ubunta live or install ubunta.  No mention of disk test or memory tests as shown in one of paddlers previous links.

File system by the way is NTFS

I suggest you get all the data of the HDD and then buy a new one.

Are they cheaper in Scotland ?

Everything is backed up.

Trouble is, if we just replace the HDD I have no way of re installing Windoze.  It's one of those horrible laptops that came with windoze pre installed. We made a set of recovery disks but the DVD drive on the lappy is dead so could not re install from those, even if they worked.

so if it comes to a new HDD it will be ubunta or some other flavour of linux going on it.

 

[a3]

Does the existing HDD boot and run to a fashion ?

If so turn it off and download Clonezilla.

Buy a new HDD larger than the original and a caddy.

Using clonezilla clone the laptops HDD to the new HDD in the usb caddy, then replace the existing failing HDD with the cloned new one and boot.

Or google windows product key finder and get your windows product key from the laptop (sometimes on a sticker on the laptop) and then find some kind should to lend you the windows install dvd (or find one on ebay) - the version has to be the same - i.e. Win 7 Home etc

 

[steptoe]

Ubuntu,

top left of screen,> CLICK the ubuntu icon

search bar .>  disk utility

>  CLICK your HDD

>  perform whatever tests you need,

do you know what version number of ubuntu you have downloaded?

Im running 12.04  , you may have a newer version, the version is the release date, ie, 12.04 is April 2012

 

[ProDave]

Does the existing HDD boot and run to a fashion ?

A quick summary.

this lappy has been "struggling" for a while.  for a long time it's been very slugish, often grinding to a complete halt for minutes at a time with disk activity at 100% for no aparant reason.  Never did pinpoint the cause.

Just over a week ago, an AVG update requested a re boot and on re boot it crashed with a BSOD every time.

Eventually found it would start in safe mode.  Ran Malwarebytes and that crashed when scanning a particular AVG file.  Ran it again, crasjed on same file.

So something wrong with AVG?  So uninstalled AVG and it booted up fine. It runs like a quick thing going quick Nothing hogging disk access, very responsive and faster than it has been ever.

Thought we had cracked it.

but in the last week it has twice crashed again with a BSOD  First time it just re started okay.  Second time on re start is says "no operating system found" so it can't read the HDD.  Powe off then back on it boots up fine and has been fine since.

So I'm just trying to test the HDD.  the SMART data (which is supposed to warn of impending failure) says it's okay, but if you try and run a self test with the WD diagnostic it fails to read, which is nonsense as windoze can read and write to it without trouble.

 

[a3]

Ok, if you continue to test the HDD - It will fail.

Your best bet is to clone to a new HDD with clonezilla.

The more you use the HDD in a failing state the more likely it is to terminally fail, if its booting and working then it can be cloned.

 

[Steve3948]

Well with the first part that could have been AVG or Vista, both known for running processes in the background.

 

[ProDave]

Ubuntu,

top left of screen,> CLICK the ubuntu icon

search bar .>  disk utility

>  CLICK your HDD

>  perform whatever tests you need,

do you know what version number of ubuntu you have downloaded?

Im running 12.04  , you may have a newer version, the version is the release date, ie, 12.04 is April 2012

Ubunta 14.04LTS

I type "disk utility"

I choose the icon "disks"

Choose my drive.

the options I have are:

Format

Create disk image

Restore disk image

Benchmark

Smart data and self test

drive settings

standby now

power off

It's running smart data and self tests that tells me the SMART data is okay but it fails a quick test.

Just what other disk tests am I supposed to have access to?

Ok, if you continue to test the HDD - It will fail.

Your best bet is to clone to a new HDD with clonezilla.

The more you use the HDD in a failing state the more likely it is to terminally fail, if its booting and working then it can be cloned.

I'm still trying to establish it is the HDD failing. Someone suggested my problem could equally be failing RAM

 

[Sidewinder]

PD Ram is easy to prove, remove on stick, still the same?

Remove the remaining stick and fit the removed one.

Still the same?

As long as you have two sticks!

 

[Steve3948]

Sometimes a Format and Fresh Install is the only way as things seem to build up over time and start conflicting with each other.

 

[Steve3948]

Not on Mac OSX or Linux  :innocent

Well he did mention Vista  :yellow card

 

[ProDave]

As I said before, reinstalling Vista is just not going to happen.

I guess we just keep on using it, see how it goes.  It's not used for anything important.

 

[steptoe]

Testing RAM with Ubuntu is done right at the very start before the pen drive boots,

You should have a list of options, maybe along the lines of,

Default

Install

Try

Memory test

Disk check

Memory test is RAM check,

 

[ProDave]

As I said before. I am only presented with two options

Install

Try

there's no options to test memory or test the disk.

 

[Sidewinder]

Can you burn a CD/DVD of Ubuntu PD?

If so then you can use that, and you will get the options.