Need help, harddrive number 8 mailfunctions!

[andakanda]

I am now clueless about what is the problem about my computer, im no tech-wiz but i have some experience.


My specs :

Amd x2 6400+ processor ,
4gb ddr2 ram
Geforce 8800 GTX graphic card
Windows XP sp3 fully updated
Chieftec 750W power-supply.
MSI DKA790GX Platinum Motherboard

1 Seagate HD external where i keep everything


The harddrives im about to explain have ONLY windows installed on them, no games, no music no nothing, everything else i have goes on my external drive

I have now been through 8 different hard-drives, everytime its the same problem and in the end complete mailfunction.

1 :It starts after about 1 month using a new HD. Small glitches in the sound, sudden high-pitch noises when listening to music ( Smoooooooooke on the waaa*SQUUIIIK*teeeeer )
Then the lights showing usage of RAM on the ddr2 RAM go to a maximum, they always stay on maximum red, like they get to much electricity.

2 : Then the computer starts with alot of strange errors msg's wich make no sense, and i cant restart my computer. i have to manually shut it down , then press the big start button again . If i press the smaller restart button on my cabinet, the pc goes to the picture wich presents the mother-board ( where u can press DEL to enter BIOS ) and it just freezes. I cant go into the BIOS either, the computer will just freeze.

3 : If i press CTRL+ALT+DELETE i will see that the green bar wich indicates how much of the computer is used at any given time it goes from 0% to about 90% , it jumps up and down about once every other second.

4 : Then i cant do two things at once, listen to mp3 and using firefox will freeze the computer immediatly and i have to restart it.

5 : Then my CD-rom will start acting up, it sounds like an old boat, *chugga chugga chuga chugga* and if i put in a new cd it has been severly scratched by the cd-rom drive, wich indicates that the cd rom spinns and suddenly stops, spins and suddenly stops over and over again

6: Then the computer will start with alot of blue-screens, and when this happens the game is over. i will now get either one of these two msg's when i try to restart the computer

a : Error on disk , press CTRL ALT DELETE to reboot

b : Configuration error on HD. Please reboot


Point 1 will happen for about 2-3 weeks, then point 2-6 will happen in about 2-4 days and the HD is history.

At first i thought it was either my motherboard or powersupply wich gave to much electricity, hence frying the HD. so i bought a new one of each ( cannot remember the names of the old ones ) but the problem remained.

Then i put new cooling pasta under the processor, problem still remained.

Then i moved my computer to another room in the house in case there was a problem with the power-outlet in the wall ( have been lightning strikes here before ) , put the computer in a room where several other computers have been for years without any problems , but the problem still remains.

The first 2 HD's were Samsung HD's , same mark and same series so i thought it was a problem with the whole delivery in the store , i got new drives for free.

Then i got 2 Western Digitals from another store, same thing happened to them.

Then 2 more of each brand, and now it has happened to all 4 of them too.

The store tested the drives and found no actuall error msg , just that the HD was not responsive to their testing and so i get new ones for free as they keep no record of me having been in to change my HD's 8 times now ( thank god )

The HD's cannot be detected if you put it in another machine either , so its completely dead. The HD will also in the end make alot of "scratching" noises when i start the machine.

Does anyone have a clue, i have called 2 different tech-supports here in Norway , they claim to never have encountered this problem before or anything like it.

Thank you in advance


Best regards

andy

 

[orangegator]

If that many hard drives fail that quickly, then it's probably your crappy PSU killing them.

 

[hunter315]

To get physical noise out of the hard drive it certainly isnt a software issue, and after 8 of them i think you can rule out firmware issues too. Unless you overclocked and somehow overvolted your HDD you can rule out power issues since you say you switched out your power supply unit. I know modern HDDs are built to withstand some pretty significant stresses and dont fail too often. I still have one in my pentium 2 thats still running strong so i dont know what you did to these hard drives before putting them in but i think this may come down to user error.

 

[andakanda]

Well obviously its not firmware..

I have not clocked my computer at all.

Other than that i dont touch the hard-drives more than open the package and put them in my computer , i dont throw them into walls or anything.

I am now also on my third PSU , same problem

Only logical explanation is that the HD-gnome comes around 04.00 when i sleep and goes to work, corrupting my HD´s.

 

[shabaa]

This sounds like an under volting problem. I did read that you have replaced the power supplies repeatedly and I still believe that it is an undervolt issue. The PS may be providing good voltage / current to the hard drives but do you have anything else connected to the same PS rail? there could be something in the system that is causing an excessive draw. the only way I know to verify this is to check the voltage supplied to the drives using a DVOM. The description of the sounds you experienced are indicators of voltage irregularities and the noise emitted by the HD after failure is the sound that a HD will make if it has a partially burned out motor...... usually the result of prolonged under volting....... been there ... done that..... Check your volts with a DVOM ..... I would bet that there is something in the system drawing too much and causing a voltage drop and reducing the supplied voltage…… you will find your Gnome if you look systematically for the draw.......