Need Help Think Hard Drive Is Bad

A

alj1991

Member
I have an Acer Aspire 3680. I think that the hard drive has went bad. The recovery disk download here would not fix it.

This is my problem I need to know where I can get a hard drive for it with an operating system already installed on it. Plus does anyone know what other models of Acer Aspire model hard drives with interchange with mine?

Hope someone out there can help. I really need to get my laptop up and running again.

Thanks
:scared::S
 
You can't buy a hard drive with an OS pre-loaded. You will need your OS installation media when you do get a new hard drive to re-instal the OS. If you're unsure about the specifcs of the hard drive you'll need you should be able to get a new one off Acer's site after giving it your model. Swapping it out should be real simple.
 
Hi Alj, welcome to NST.
Can you be more specific on what your HDD problem is. We might be able to help you fix it, or at least rescue your data.
If you've downloaded our recovery disk, you can use it to enter the recovery console and issue a chkdsk /f command to see if it can find and fix any problem on your HDD.
Then try the "repair your computer" "startup repair" again after chkdsk has finished.
 
I get the following error I have done the chkdsk / f command and this is what I get now

File: \Windows\system32\winload.exe

Status: 0xc0000221

Info: The file is possibly corrupt. Its header checksum does not match the computed checksum.

Question: If I buy a new hard drive can I transfer the Windows Vista Operating System that is on this hard drive to the new one with one of those cables? Or is that not possible because of the errors? I don't have a installation disc of Windows Vista or any other Windows version that is why I am asking. Any help would be appreciated. This is a different error than I was originally getting before doing the chkdsk.

Addendum:

Another thing I just realized I can do. When I get to the System Recovery Options using the CD that I burnt from here I can hit the Load Drivers button and it brings up a window where I can see the files that are on my hard drive c: so does this mean that my hard drive is still readable and fixable or not? I don't know what to click on in that screen that may fix my problem or if there is anything there that will do it or not. Just wondering and wanted to let you know that I can get to that part in case it will help me.
 
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Try clicking "next" when the recovery disk can't find your system to repair instead of going to the load drivers page. Sometimes it starts the fixing process anyway, and you might see your system on the second boot. (You need to run "startup repair" 2 or 3 times before it fixes everything most times).
If you have a second HDD connected, that can also sometimes prevent repair from "seeing" your system, and temporarily disconnecting the 2nd disk until the repair has completed successfully is a workaround.
 
I see the operating system listed on that page. I have ran the repair several times now. Is there anything else I can do or is my hard drive shot? I only have the one hard drive in my laptop.
 
Will try that now thanks for the link.

Addendum:

How do I know if I have bootsect.exe on my computer. I only have the DVD that I downloaded here and the instructions say that it doesn't have it. So where can I get it? I did a search and everything seems to point to a website that offers Vista Boot Pro, but it talks alot about dual booting and I am not trying to do that. Will this download work? Or is there somewhere to get the file for free? Plus if I do get the file bootsect.exe how do I go about using it?
 
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Another Question

First of all I am sorry about the double post.

Question I have downloaded the Easy BCD onto my desktop which is running fine. Do I run the program on it to get the bin folder? Will this make any changes to my desktop because it has Windows XP only. (My laptop has Vista only) Also when I tried to skip step 3 and go to step 4 I had a problem:

When I input del C:\boot\bcd it said that it could not find it.
Is this because I skipped step 3 or is it something else?

Again I am sorry for the double post and really do appreciate all the help that I have gotten here and don't want to waste your time.
 
You don't need to run it. Just install it and look in the folder you installed it to, and you'll se a sub-folder called bin.
You can only run it on XP if you've got NET 2.0 framework installed first, but you don't need to run it to access bootsect.
There's another thread going at the moment where someone has the same error code as you.
When I looked into it for him, the prognosis was not good. Microsoft's advice seems to be "reinstall the OS"
Anyway for the moment, keep trying to fix the boot. Are you sure that the recovery environment is seeing your Vista installation as C:.
The command to delete the BCD must be pointing to whatever the recovery environment thinks is the correct drive letter for your Vista installation.
 
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On the system recovery options screen that comes up after I select repair computer this is what it say:
Operating System : Microsoft Windows Vista
Partition Size: 34318mb
Location: (c):Acer

So does that mean its a c: or that I need to get to it by C:Acer: (whatever)?

Addendum:

This is what I get in the diagnosis and repair details of the startup repair:

Startup Repair Diagnosis and Repair Log

No of attempts-1

Session Details:
System Disk = \Device\Harddisk0
Windows directory = C\Windows
AutoChk run = 0
Number of root causes = 1

Test Performed:
Name: Check for updates
Result: Completed successfully. Error code = 0x0
Time taken = 0ms

Name: System disk test
Result: Completed successfully. Error code = 0x0
Time taken = 0ms

Name: Disk failure diagnosis
Result: Completed successfully. Error code = 0x0
Time taken = 31 ms

Name: Disk metadata test
Result: Completed successfully. Error code = 0x0
time taken 31 ms

Name: Target OS Test
Result: Completed successfully. Error code = 0x0
time taken 109ms

Name: Volume Content check
Result: Completed successfully. Error code = 0x0
time taken 1466ms

Name: Boot manager diagnosis
Result: completed successfully. error code0x0
time taken 32ms

Name: System boot diagnosis
Result: Completed successfully. error code = 0x0
time taken 0ms

Root cause found:
Boot manager failed to find OS loader

Repair action: File repair
Result: Completed successfully. Error code0x0
time taken 4430ms

Upon restarting system still get:
File: \Windows\system32\winload.exe
Status: 0xc0000221
Info: The file is possibly corrupt. Its header checksum does not match the computed checksum.

Any ideas?
 
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You can tell which is your boot drive by using the dir x:\ command to list the directories of disk letter x.
If C: is correct you should see the bootmgr file. Keep changing x till you find the letter with the boot files and you'll know that's the one to use in the commands in the wiki.
It's looking like the problem is not with the boot as such. I know winload.exe is the windows bootloader, so it sounds like fixing the boot should fix the problem, but that's really the end of the boot process and the beginning of the OS starting, and won't be fixed by the "startup repair".
If you have access to a Vista DVD, you could try copying that particular file into the windows\system32 folder and replacing the one giving problems.
You'll need to download a free copy of a bootable live distro of Linux to be able to attempt such a replacement easily if you're not expert with DOS-like commands from the recovery console.
It would be a good idea to acquire one anyway, because you can use it to rescue your personal files and data from the broken system, onto external storage in case you need to reinstall Vista eventually.
 
The only thing that I have been able to accomplish was getting into bcdedit on c drive where it shows Windows Boot Manager and Windows Boot Loader. Also have the same thing on F drive didn't know I had one of those. There is no boot dir on C drive. There is boot.data on F drive.

Addendum:

This is what it is saying in C drive when I do bcdedit if it helps:

Windows Boot Manager
identifer <bootmgr>
device boot
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit <global settings>
default <default>
displayorder <default>
toolsdisplayorder <memdiag>
timeout 30

Windows Boot Loader
identifer <default>
device boot
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Microsoft Windows Vista
locale en-US
inherit <bootloadersettings>
osdevice boot
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject <56be7067-e77c-11db-a5d3-f5b4522e556c>
nx OptIn
detecthal yes

So what does this all mean and is any of it the cause of my problem? If so how do I fix it?
 
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You probably couldn't see the boot folder because it's hidden. (dir x:\ /a should reveal it)
But, as I said before, I don't think you're going to avoid a reinstall unless you're lucky enough to have access to a new copy of the winload.exe, and even that's a long shot.
If you can borrow a Vista DVD, try copying that module first. Otherwise a full reinstall after formatting your HDD using the serial number on your PC, not the one on the DVD, is probably what you're going to need to do eventually.
If you want the PC to look exactly like it was when supplied by Acer, rather than just a Vista install with no bundled extras, you'll need to contact Acer and buy a set of their recovery/restore disks for your model.
 
Asus X83VB-X1

Terry60 said:
You can tell which is your boot drive by using the dir x:\ command to list the directories of disk letter x.
If C: is correct you should see the bootmgr file. Keep changing x till you find the letter with the boot files and you'll know that's the one to use in the commands in the wiki.
It's looking like the problem is not with the boot as such. I know winload.exe is the windows bootloader, so it sounds like fixing the boot should fix the problem, but that's really the end of the boot process and the beginning of the OS starting, and won't be fixed by the "startup repair".
If you have access to a Vista DVD, you could try copying that particular file into the windows\system32 folder and replacing the one giving problems.
You'll need to download a free copy of a bootable live distro of Linux to be able to attempt such a replacement easily if you're not expert with DOS-like commands from the recovery console.
It would be a good idea to acquire one anyway, because you can use it to rescue your personal files and data from the broken system, onto external storage in case you need to reinstall Vista eventually.
Click to expand...


Hi, I hope you can help me out for i have a similar issue. After the Startup Repair, i checked the details and recieved this message after a series of successfull results:

Root Cause Found:
----------------------------------------
Boot manager is missing or corrupt.

Repair action: File repair
Result: Failed. Error Code = 0x2
Time taken = 16ms

Bare in mind that I am using a Windows 7 installation disk even though my laptop came with Vista. I have an Asus X83VB-X1 (but before i had problems with it i had upgraded to Windows 7 and used it for 2 months before dropping my laptop from my bed, which prompted this problem but i doubt anything inside is damaged because i have carpet and its a 2ft drop)
I first used the downloadable recovery disc but that couldnt find my operating system at all so i bought another windows 7 disk cause i lost the last one. I have not tryed the Recovering the Vista or Windows 7 bootloader from the DVD since i started using the Windows 7 disc, should I?

When I click install it stops at the begining of phase 2 and tells me that a file is missing.
So i reset and click Repair my computer. At the System Recovery Options my Operating System is labeled as (recovered), my Partition Size is (119236 MB) and Location is ((C:smile: Vista64)
In the above post you said "you could try copying that particular file into the windows\system32 folder and replacing the one giving problems" how do I do that and how do i know the one giving problems?

Sry I know this is alot of info but I am really desprate and trying to give you as much info as possible to help me out with.

Plz plz plz help me, i would greatly appreciate it. I have finals this coming week and will suffer through it without my computer.
P.S. I do not mind factorying restoring my P.C.
THANK YOU SO MUCH IN ADVANCE
 
If you've already started an install and it failed, there won't be much of a system left to repair.
You're committed to a reinstall in that case.
If you need to rescue personal data
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/wind...backup-files-from-your-dead-windows-computer/
might help if you haven't already lost it, before you resort to a factory reset.

If I misunderstand your
"When I click install it stops at the begining of phase 2 "
and you haven't yet destroyed your system, try removing all other HDDs before trying the "startup repair" if it can't locate your OS.
 
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I have an Asus X83VB-X1 and I've noticed you saying to remove all other HDDs in several posts. I havent attached any addition drives to my pc other than the one it came with; are you suggesting I unscrew the HDD it came with?
 
Spectorz23 said:
I have an Asus X83VB-X1 and I've noticed you saying to remove all other HDDs in several posts. I havent attached any addition drives to my pc other than the one it came with; are you suggesting I unscrew the HDD it came with?
Click to expand...
Simplest answer in the world: No.
Slightly longer answer: "All other HDDs" means any other HDD connected to your system than the one that has the problem OS. Terry was saying IF you had any additional HDDs, then disconnect those and run Startup Repair on the problem HDD's OS, but since you don't have any other HDDs, that advice doesn't apply. :wink:

Cheers.

-Jake
 
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