My question is threefold: first, I would like a casual assessment of whether you folks think that the issue I am describing is most likely indicative of a hard drive problem or if I should still try other means of troubleshooting; second, I would like a recommendation of what hard drive to get; and third, I would like to know if anyone can recommend a way to transfer my OS and data in a less laborious fashion than the one I am considering.
So my first question is this. In the beginning, my computer first alerted me to troubles through some kind of Dell hardware test that runs automatically every so often. It told me that a Targeted Read Test and a SMART Short Self Test had both been failed, the latter of which, according to a helpful hint, "indicates that a failure may be imminent. Backup all important files and replace your drive." And so I ordered myself an external hard drive, which I'd been meaning to do for ages, and upon its arrival turned my computer on for the day, intending to run the Windows Backup program while I was at class. However, upon booting up, I was unable to connect to the internet (it shows me having full signal bars to the router, but I get a message that I have limited connectivity, and I can't actually do anything), was told by the action center that the firewall is turned off (and it won't let me turn it on), and was unable to run Windows Backup. The backup wizard on the Seagate external hard drive wouldn't run either. Chkdsk found at least one bad cluster, I think, but I can't refer to the logs because, of course, the event viewer is giving me trouble as well.
So that's basically a long-winded rant that leads to me asking: Is this most likely a hard drive problem, or ought I look for other causes before shelling out for a new piece of hardware which I can ill afford?
If the former, then let's get on to question two. Operating under the premise that I do, in fact, need a new hard drive, what would be a good one to spring for? My current HDD is a Samsung HD103SJ, according to System Information. It's part of a pre-built system I bought in spring of 2010. So I need something at least equivalent to that. I was looking at the Seagate Barracuda 1TB and also a similar product from Western Digital. Is one of those significantly better than the other? They look comparable, to my inexperienced eye. How can I determine compatibility with my system? Is there anything else I should look at or keep in mind? I really, really can't afford to go over a hundred bucks on this, and even that will cost me dear, so keep recommendations around that range, please. If I should provide more info, let me know that too. I'm a newb to dealing with computer hardware.
And my third question regards transferring my data. Windows Backup just isn't working, so I've manually transferred my songs, vids, images, and text documents to my external hard drive, as well as Calibre, game stuff, Steam files, what browser data I could find, and iTunes info. I used Magical Jellybean Key Finder to find my Windows and Office product keys, and I have the install discs and product keys for at least one version of Adobe Creative Suite, so I'm set there. At this point, do I need to fuss over trying to make a full system image thing, or should I just download legit copies of Windows and Office (which some of my searching tells me I can do, since I have product keys) and make my own install discs for those?
Tl;dr: does my problem require a new hard drive, what hard drive should I get, and am I going about transferring my data in the right way?
Thanks in advance for any help!
So my first question is this. In the beginning, my computer first alerted me to troubles through some kind of Dell hardware test that runs automatically every so often. It told me that a Targeted Read Test and a SMART Short Self Test had both been failed, the latter of which, according to a helpful hint, "indicates that a failure may be imminent. Backup all important files and replace your drive." And so I ordered myself an external hard drive, which I'd been meaning to do for ages, and upon its arrival turned my computer on for the day, intending to run the Windows Backup program while I was at class. However, upon booting up, I was unable to connect to the internet (it shows me having full signal bars to the router, but I get a message that I have limited connectivity, and I can't actually do anything), was told by the action center that the firewall is turned off (and it won't let me turn it on), and was unable to run Windows Backup. The backup wizard on the Seagate external hard drive wouldn't run either. Chkdsk found at least one bad cluster, I think, but I can't refer to the logs because, of course, the event viewer is giving me trouble as well.
So that's basically a long-winded rant that leads to me asking: Is this most likely a hard drive problem, or ought I look for other causes before shelling out for a new piece of hardware which I can ill afford?
If the former, then let's get on to question two. Operating under the premise that I do, in fact, need a new hard drive, what would be a good one to spring for? My current HDD is a Samsung HD103SJ, according to System Information. It's part of a pre-built system I bought in spring of 2010. So I need something at least equivalent to that. I was looking at the Seagate Barracuda 1TB and also a similar product from Western Digital. Is one of those significantly better than the other? They look comparable, to my inexperienced eye. How can I determine compatibility with my system? Is there anything else I should look at or keep in mind? I really, really can't afford to go over a hundred bucks on this, and even that will cost me dear, so keep recommendations around that range, please. If I should provide more info, let me know that too. I'm a newb to dealing with computer hardware.
And my third question regards transferring my data. Windows Backup just isn't working, so I've manually transferred my songs, vids, images, and text documents to my external hard drive, as well as Calibre, game stuff, Steam files, what browser data I could find, and iTunes info. I used Magical Jellybean Key Finder to find my Windows and Office product keys, and I have the install discs and product keys for at least one version of Adobe Creative Suite, so I'm set there. At this point, do I need to fuss over trying to make a full system image thing, or should I just download legit copies of Windows and Office (which some of my searching tells me I can do, since I have product keys) and make my own install discs for those?
Tl;dr: does my problem require a new hard drive, what hard drive should I get, and am I going about transferring my data in the right way?
Thanks in advance for any help!
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