Reallocated Sectors Count: impending hard drive implosion?

[Cudzoziemiec]

When starting up my laptop, I get two warnings: one about the state of the internal (primary) battery, which I've shamefully neglected to do anything about for several months, and a more worrying one about a hard disk drive error. Looking at the "Disk Health" analysis on the defraggler thing (Piriform) it's now highlighting one line in red:
Reallocated Sectors Count - Real Value 1,983 - Current 4 - Threshold 4 - Worst 10 - then a long string of numbers and letters in a column labelled Raw Count.

So what's actually going to happen to my computer? And when? I've been happily procrastinating this for a while, but now it's taking longer to start up and generally behaving a bit slowly. Yes, I have got things backed up, somewhere, but I might need to actually use this thing like, next week or something...

[Jaded]

Now. Do it now.

A back up and a hard drive transplant. Then you can try formatting hte old one (in a caddy or similar) and seeing what results you get. Hard drives are disposable nowadays.

[Cudzoziemiec]

But how? And what? And other questions of shameful ignorance.

Doesn't it have to be the right sort of hard drive? How easy is it to transplant one - is it simply unscrewing the old one and bolting a new one in, or something more? Better to get someone who knows?

[Jaded]

Simple answer: Yes.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Just yes, or yes, yes, yes, and yes? at the risk of sounding like the man from Del Monte... 

[ian]

Google your model + replace hard drive, there's always instructions on-line (in many cases it's simple), plus it'll tell what kind of drive connection (SATA 2/3) etc. You can easily then find a suitable replacement. I'll add my customary plug for SSDs here, unless you need the raw storage, the speed boost is something to behold.

[Biggsy]

Most likely, all you'll need to know about the existing drive is whether it's SATA or PATA, and the capacity.  The capacity of the new drive can be larger than the old.  Consider paying extra for more speed.

SATA III (AKA 6Gb/s) drives are compatible with SATA II (3Gb) sockets (though you won't get all the speed of a SATA III SSD with SATA II).

For the cloning process, get a USB external enlosure or docking station, and free software online.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Found a youtube video that makes it look really simple! 

[Biggsy]

ps.  Especially if the laptop is super-slim, check the maximum depth of drive it can take.

Recommended: OCZ Vertex or similar SSD.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Ok, I've got a SATA 2.5" HDD with, it says, 582.3GB. A very quick gooooooogle shows prices depend on capacity - what about quality though? In other words, why do these things break? I've never had this happen on a previous computer, all of which have lasted quite a bit longer than this one. It's an HP, btw. I thought that was a reasonable brand but I do not know!

[ian]

Drives can go at any time. QC is exceptionally good, but at the end of the day they have lots of high precision, low tolerance, very rapidly moving parts. They're quite a technological marvel. The industry had consolidated, so despite brand names, they all come from a small number of fabrication plants (hence the price spike during the Thailand floods). I wouldn't worry too much about brand name, just choose the one with better specs (read/write speed). Bear in mind that 7,200 rpm models can be a little hotter and more noisier (and a tad bigger), and the speed gain is all that awesome in practice.

[Biggsy]

pps.  Alternative to cloning: restore an image backup.  This allows the new drive to be of a smaller capacity than the old - which you might want if getting a high-speed SSD (because they're a lot more expensive per GB than HDD).

[Cudzoziemiec]

What about back up from discs?
I really don't know how any of this works. I can see how that restores data, but software?

[Biggsy]

A cloning or image backup & restore program can copy EVERYTHING from one disk to another: operating system, software and bike pr0n.

Note.  "Image" here doesn't mean picture, it means getting everything from a disk or partition.  A cloning program is easier to use, but requires the new drive to be at least as big as the old.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Thanks.

I'll probably have to revisit this thread when I actually get around to getting a new drive, but for now I'm feeling as if I know what to do, which is half way to doing it!

[Biggsy]

Meanwhile, you should backup your system to an external drive or load of blank DVDs.  I've had drives work for a long time after bad sectors, but don't bank on it!

Try free Macrium Reflect (if you don't want to pay for Acronis True Image).

[Cudzoziemiec]

I have back up discs made with the HP installed program. I can't work out what's actually on them though! Theoretically it should be everything but looking at the disc contents I can't see anything looking like the OS. At least I don't think I can. What does Macrium Reflect do that this wouldn't?

Anyway, tomorrow I'm picking up a new drive. Ooo. I guess if it all goes wrong I can just reinstall the original one. Maybe. 

[Biggsy]

I don't know what the HP program does.  Anyway, you won't need it or Macrium Reflect if the new drive has at least as much capacity as the old.  Instead, Google for disk cloning software.  Use it with a USB enclosure or docking station to temporarily contain the new drive.

[Biggsy]

I have back up discs made with the HP installed program. I can't work out what's actually on them though! Theoretically it should be everything but looking at the disc contents I can't see anything looking like the OS. At least I don't think I can.

The OS, if included, wouldn't look normal because it would be compressed.

What does Macrium Reflect do that this wouldn't?

Nothing if the HP program really does backup everything.  But maybe it just makes a copy of a rescue partition that could only restore the computer to how it was when new.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Right, here goes.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Qualified success so far. I've got the new drive up and running in the machine and I've recovered pretty much all my documents, but no software. Which means no programs like Word, which I use rather a lot. (using a different machine right now - which also doesn't have Word  )

[Biggsy]

Right, so forget the HP program and clone the disk.  Then you'll have EVERYTHING EXACTLY how as it was before.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Aaagh! Doh! Double doh!     
Guess what I finally found, at about midnight. That's right, it was the receipt. It's still, just, in guarantee - two years not one and I haven't had it as long as I thought.     
So I think I'll put the original drive back in, hope they don't notice - there are no seals or anything - and get them to sort out the disk and replace the internal battery.

And even if they refuse cos they can tell I've been fiddling with it, well, it's been educational - I've kind of learned the difference between back up, restore, image and cloning. At least enough to know that I could do with knowing more!

 

[frankly frankie]

Then you'll have EVERYTHING EXACTLY how as it was before.

... except the Disk Id.

I dunno about anybody else, but I have several items of software installed that stop working when the disk Id changes.  Requiring (at best) re-activation, (at worst) a new license.

Don't get me wrong - full backup & restore is still the least worst option - but not always entirely trouble-free.

[Biggsy]

I dunno about anybody else, but I have several items of software installed that stop working when the disk Id changes.  Requiring (at best) re-activation, (at worst) a new license.

I've never had that happen, and I've done a lot of disk upgrades.  I know it can occasionally be a problem, but I didn't want to worry Cudzo!

What programs have been trouble for you?