failed hard drive test

Question

I have a dell insirion 1440 just out of warranty. Everything appears to work as designed. Some days there are long waits for info to load, but most often, pages load well. I ran the PC Doc from Dell today and it indicated three failed tests: Targeted Read test, SMART short self test, Surface scan test. Following the words test failed, is WHD20-QMF. Later it says that sector 485119811 is unreadable as well as other sectors.

I found a question in the forum dated dec 2010 that addressed a similar concern. the response provided was to replace the drive. I'm confused. My laptop appears to work, and it's fairly new. I have had the occasional problem, but no indication that the hard drive needs to be replaced.

Questions: Is there a problem with the test or my hard drives? (I ran the test twice with the same results). Is the only option to replace the hard drive? Cost of replacement? If the computer continues to function, what is the downside risk to continue using it as is? I would appreciate any advice. Thanks

dave

ejn63 · Accepted Answer

You may have a bad sector that's luckily not in use - if the operating system does write to that sector, you could well lose that data. The best approach is to replace the drive NOW, before the bad sectors spread. At minimum, be sure you have a backup of all your data.

The cost of a replacement drive will be well under $100.

ejn63 · Accepted Answer

If you mean the current drive - no, the damage is done. The only way to prevent more bad sectors is to replace the drive.

As for any future drive, the two biggest killers are heat and excessive shock/vibration.

ratherbgolfing · Answer

Thanks for the help and quick response.  Any advice on how to prevent problems with the drive in the future?  I assumed that a two year old computer with all the protections available would not be as vulnerable to this type of problem as the older ones. (My use is generally confined to the easy chair in fornt of the TV.)

ejn63 · Answer

Your post.  If the drive is failing its self test, it needs to be replaced.

ejn63 · Answer

Replace the drive - any new, 2.5'  9.5 mm or slimmer  SATA notebook  drive will work as a replacement.

Sherry_dlg · Answer

Hi enj63, who was your answer directed to???

Sherry_dlg · Answer

I have a Dell Inspiron 1720 which fails the Smart short Test, well it says timed out. Is that the same thing? What do I need to do or what can I do about it? Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated (It's out of warranty) Thanks

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failed hard drive test

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