Hard drive not allowing boot

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edaniux

edaniux

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Jul 11, 2013
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Hi everyone. So here's my story...

I have 1 ssd (boot) and 2 hdds (secondary install and storage). I've been hearing a clicking sound from one of my hdds but it happens rarely. Like when I open a folder it delays and then I hear a little acceleration sound and a click at the end, like "zzztick", and then the folder opens.

I wanted to check the hard drives to see if the sound meant some damage in one of the disks. So I ran a chkdsk on the secondary install one first. But said that it couldn't check if the drive was mounted and asked if I wanted to unmount it. I said no. Then got the "schedule disk check" message on which I clicked to schedule. I reset my pc and it didn't get past the mobo logo. And I got these weird segmented coloured lines on the top of that screen.

I had to force turn off the pc. Tried one more time, same thing. Next thing that occurred to me was to disconnect that hard drive. To my surprise, it booted normally. Then I tried plugging it in while in Windows but it didn't recognize it. So I reset it again, and again no boot, just stuck in the logo screen with the weird lines. I have already entered the bios and disabled all but the main (ssd) boot devices. But still that he'd won't let me boot.

Is my he'd dead? Why was it working and just by trying to run a chkdsk it broke? And why won't it let me boot if it has nothing to do with where the OS is installed?

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long question...
 
Solution
Boogieman_WD
Looks like you guys did quite a lot in terms of troubleshooting. Great job!

However it's really odd that everything would get fixed that easily (I don't mean that it was easy to find the root cause of the issue). If you think that it's the PSU, perhaps it would be best that you take it to a computer service shop so that you can get it tested. You could also stress test your whole system just to make sure that there's nothing out of the ordinary.

Cheers!
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Phillip Corcoran

Phillip Corcoran

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Sep 7, 2013
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Check disk (chkdsk) is not the way to test a drive for it's physical health, for that you need to use the drive maker's diagnostic software, or you can use Seagate's SeaTools software to test any make of hard drive.

Provided the drive is not the Windows boot drive, you can test it with the Windows version:
http://www.seagate.com/gb/en/support/downloads/item/seatools-win-master/

It's advisable to test the drive with both the "Short" and the "Long/Extended" test for thoroughness, and it's also advisable to back up any data that's on it before testing (just as a precaution).
 
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Boogieman_WD

Boogieman_WD

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Jul 31, 2014
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Hey there, edaniux.

Go ahead and follow Phillip's advice. I'd just like to add that you could give it a try with a different computer or at least with a different SATA port and cables on yours, to see if the same thing happens.

You could also try connecting the drive externally (via a SATA to USB adapter, external enclosure or a docking station). Connecting the drive while the computer is on might not work if the mobo does not support hot-swap.

Please keep us updated.
Boogieman_WD
 
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edaniux

edaniux

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Jul 11, 2013
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Update:
(Phillip thanks for the tip, but the thing was that I couldn't even boot to windows unless the drive was disconnected.)
I went to a friends house (with my tower) and connected the drive to his computer (following boogie's advice). It had no problem recognizing it. So at least I was able to back up some info. Then he suggested formatting the hdd. I reluctantly accepted. But when we reconnected the drive to my pc the problem was still there.

We tried all permutations of power cables, data cables, ports, you name it, still no solution. I finally concluded that I would just have to buy a new one. But then he suggested we tried connecting an hdd he had lying around in place of my "damaged" drive , to at least make sure it was the drive that had to be replaced.

So we did and to our astonishment, the problem was there. No boot to windows. We have no idea what is causing this but it seems that for some reason my pc can no longer have two hdds connected at the same time.

Finally we ran out of ideas to try, so I went home, confused and disappointed. He then texted me that maaaaybe, just maybe, the problem could be the PSU, and suggested I disconnect my GPU and try booting again. I did. Boom, it worked, by some unkown magic of technology, it worked. Not only that, but when I decided to re-test the PSU and reconnect the GPU and turn it on, it booted with no problems.

So you could say that my problem is fixed, but I was the weirdest behavior I have seen in a computer, ever. So thanks everyone for your response. I now have a lot of re-installing to do. Cheers!
 
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Boogieman_WD

Boogieman_WD

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Jul 31, 2014
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Looks like you guys did quite a lot in terms of troubleshooting. Great job!

However it's really odd that everything would get fixed that easily (I don't mean that it was easy to find the root cause of the issue). If you think that it's the PSU, perhaps it would be best that you take it to a computer service shop so that you can get it tested. You could also stress test your whole system just to make sure that there's nothing out of the ordinary.

Cheers!
 
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Solution
edaniux

edaniux

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Jul 11, 2013
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Thanks man! Doing some research I found out there are a great many different stress test programs. So would you have any recommendations?
 
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Boogieman_WD

Boogieman_WD

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Jul 31, 2014
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Unfortunately as an official WD rep I can't really recommend any specific tools and programs which are not under the WD brand. Sorry about that. Perhaps someone else from the community would be more helpful with this request.

Here's another thread specifically on that: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/286006-28-stress-testing-computer. Howeve, its a bit outdated so I don't know if the suggestions are still as good as they probably were back then.
 
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