I have been having the following trouble starting regularly about a month
ago. When I go to start up my computer from cold (after not using for several
hours, like overnight), then, almost as soon as I press the power button, I
hear a sort of click sound from the HDD, like the read/write head is
disengaging (or having trouble first reading), or has skipped, or something.
It may do this two or three times, then it freezes, and I get the message on
a black screen to insert boot media, or to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to reboot.
Other times it will just hang, or freeze when trying to first load Windows XP
(due to not being able to read the HDD for some reason). When I reset or it a
few times, then it will begin to load up normally. Once it can begin loading
Windows XP (Home), then all is fine, and I have absolutely no problem
whatsoever for as long as the computer is on. No further hard drive problems,
either, at all. When I go to warm restart, it also will reboot without any
problems whatsoever. It is only upon cold boot. I did not install any
hardware when the problem began occuring. Just an upgrade to Zone Alarm,
which I undid to test if it had affected my computer, but I still got the
same problem even when going to my original version. My computer is a Compaq
Presario, 3 GHz, 250 GB HD, about 2 years old (and no Windows XP install disk
came with it BTW).

Could any of you give me any suggestions on this problem, and if anything
can be done about it (and how)? Could it be a corrupted boot sector or boot
files? Could it be an error in CMOS or something? Or a HDD problem? Etc.?
Should I just get a different hard drive, or can this be salvaged? Seems it
would be a shame to trash this hard drive since the problem is exclusively
only when I first try to boot up; otherwise it is fine.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Sound like a bad connection. Open the case and ensure all components/cables
are firmly seated.
Also check HD manu web site for a checking utility

"dreamweaver79" <dreamweaver79@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:33DCB83D-ED61-450D-B885-89C2D92F2FBD@microsoft.com...
> I have been having the following trouble starting regularly about a month
> ago. When I go to start up my computer from cold (after not using for
several
> hours, like overnight), then, almost as soon as I press the power button,
I
> hear a sort of click sound from the HDD, like the read/write head is
> disengaging (or having trouble first reading), or has skipped, or
something.
> It may do this two or three times, then it freezes, and I get the message
on
> a black screen to insert boot media, or to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to
reboot.
> Other times it will just hang, or freeze when trying to first load Windows
XP
> (due to not being able to read the HDD for some reason). When I reset or
it a
> few times, then it will begin to load up normally. Once it can begin
loading
> Windows XP (Home), then all is fine, and I have absolutely no problem
> whatsoever for as long as the computer is on. No further hard drive
problems,
> either, at all. When I go to warm restart, it also will reboot without
any
> problems whatsoever. It is only upon cold boot. I did not install any
> hardware when the problem began occuring. Just an upgrade to Zone Alarm,
> which I undid to test if it had affected my computer, but I still got the
> same problem even when going to my original version. My computer is a
Compaq
> Presario, 3 GHz, 250 GB HD, about 2 years old (and no Windows XP install
disk
> came with it BTW).
>
> Could any of you give me any suggestions on this problem, and if anything
> can be done about it (and how)? Could it be a corrupted boot sector or
boot
> files? Could it be an error in CMOS or something? Or a HDD problem? Etc.?
> Should I just get a different hard drive, or can this be salvaged? Seems
it
> would be a shame to trash this hard drive since the problem is exclusively
> only when I first try to boot up; otherwise it is fine.
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
> Thanks
>
>

"dreamweaver79" <dreamweaver79@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:33DCB83D-ED61-450D-B885-89C2D92F2FBD@microsoft.com...
> I have been having the following trouble starting regularly about a month
> ago. When I go to start up my computer from cold (after not using for
several
> hours, like overnight), then, almost as soon as I press the power button,
I
> hear a sort of click sound from the HDD, like the read/write head is
> disengaging (or having trouble first reading), or has skipped, or
something.

Clue number 1.

> It may do this two or three times, then it freezes, and I get the message
on
> a black screen to insert boot media, or to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to
reboot.

Clue number 2.

> Other times it will just hang, or freeze when trying to first load Windows
XP

Clue number 3.

> (due to not being able to read the HDD for some reason). When I reset or
it a
> few times, then it will begin to load up normally. Once it can begin
loading

Clue number 4.

> Windows XP (Home), then all is fine, and I have absolutely no problem
> whatsoever for as long as the computer is on. No further hard drive
problems,
> either, at all. When I go to warm restart, it also will reboot without
any

Clue number 5.

> problems whatsoever. It is only upon cold boot. I did not install any

Clue number 6.

> hardware when the problem began occuring. Just an upgrade to Zone Alarm,
> which I undid to test if it had affected my computer, but I still got the
> same problem even when going to my original version. My computer is a
Compaq
> Presario, 3 GHz, 250 GB HD, about 2 years old (and no Windows XP install
disk
> came with it BTW).
>

Clue number 7.

> Could any of you give me any suggestions on this problem, and if anything
> can be done about it (and how)? Could it be a corrupted boot sector or
boot

Nope. Works when she's warmed up.

> files? Could it be an error in CMOS or something? Or a HDD problem? Etc.?

CMOS nope. HDD maybe. Etc., maybe

> Should I just get a different hard drive, or can this be salvaged? Seems
it
> would be a shame to trash this hard drive since the problem is exclusively
> only when I first try to boot up; otherwise it is fine.

Yep. Sure what I see too.
Symptoms tell me the HD ain't ready at cold boot after bios routine to start
the OS. This is usually because the spinup time is unusually long for some
reason. If the bios summary is accurate of the hard drive's firmware ID
response, its probably the reason.

Some drives make noises that others don't. So, I can't comment on that. If
the noise is relatively new, its probably related to the problem.

Replacing the HD is probably a safe bet. The other obvious alternative is
weak amperage on the +12V leg of the power supply.

>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
> Thanks
>
>

--
Jonny

"dreamweaver79" <dreamweaver79@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:33DCB83D-ED61-450D-B885-89C2D92F2FBD@microsoft.com...
>I have been having the following trouble starting regularly about a month
> ago. When I go to start up my computer from cold (after not using for
> several
> hours, like overnight), then, almost as soon as I press the power button,
> I
> hear a sort of click sound from the HDD, like the read/write head is
> disengaging (or having trouble first reading), or has skipped, or
> something.
> It may do this two or three times, then it freezes, and I get the message
> on
> a black screen to insert boot media, or to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to
> reboot.
> Other times it will just hang, or freeze when trying to first load Windows
> XP
> (due to not being able to read the HDD for some reason). When I reset or
> it a
> few times, then it will begin to load up normally. Once it can begin
> loading
> Windows XP (Home), then all is fine, and I have absolutely no problem
> whatsoever for as long as the computer is on. No further hard drive
> problems,
> either, at all. When I go to warm restart, it also will reboot without
> any
> problems whatsoever. It is only upon cold boot. I did not install any
> hardware when the problem began occuring. Just an upgrade to Zone Alarm,
> which I undid to test if it had affected my computer, but I still got the
> same problem even when going to my original version. My computer is a
> Compaq
> Presario, 3 GHz, 250 GB HD, about 2 years old (and no Windows XP install
> disk
> came with it BTW).
>
> Could any of you give me any suggestions on this problem, and if anything
> can be done about it (and how)? Could it be a corrupted boot sector or
> boot
> files? Could it be an error in CMOS or something? Or a HDD problem? Etc.?
> Should I just get a different hard drive, or can this be salvaged? Seems
> it
> would be a shame to trash this hard drive since the problem is exclusively
> only when I first try to boot up; otherwise it is fine.
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
> Thanks


dreamweaver79:
Notwithstanding the responses you've already received to your query (let
alone others that you'll probably receive), understand this...

A noisy hard drive, for *any* reason, is an ominous sign that the drive is
failing. Yes, there could be other causes - a defective power supply, loose
cable connections, and a few other possible causes. But in nearly every case
a noisy clicking sound emanating from the HD means that that's a troubled
HD.

Will the drive fail today, tomorrow, next week, next month? Who can say? But
it's probably living on borrowed time. You should immediately back up any
files that are important to you. If you have another internal or external
HD, it would be wise to use some disk imaging program, e.g., Symantec's
Norton Ghost, Acronis True Image, etc., to clone the contents of the drive
to another drive.

Virtually every manufacturer of hard drives has a diagnostic utility that
you can download from their website. Ascertain the make/model of your HD and
obtain that diagnostic utility to test out your HD.
Anna

Hi,

Failing hardware, that is typical of a cracked solder - once it warms up and
expands all goes well. I would suspect the hard drive first, but there are
other possibilities including the motherboard. Something best checked by a
technician.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone
www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

"dreamweaver79" <dreamweaver79@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:33DCB83D-ED61-450D-B885-89C2D92F2FBD@microsoft.com...
>I have been having the following trouble starting regularly about a month
> ago. When I go to start up my computer from cold (after not using for
> several
> hours, like overnight), then, almost as soon as I press the power button,
> I
> hear a sort of click sound from the HDD, like the read/write head is
> disengaging (or having trouble first reading), or has skipped, or
> something.
> It may do this two or three times, then it freezes, and I get the message
> on
> a black screen to insert boot media, or to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to
> reboot.
> Other times it will just hang, or freeze when trying to first load Windows
> XP
> (due to not being able to read the HDD for some reason). When I reset or
> it a
> few times, then it will begin to load up normally. Once it can begin
> loading
> Windows XP (Home), then all is fine, and I have absolutely no problem
> whatsoever for as long as the computer is on. No further hard drive
> problems,
> either, at all. When I go to warm restart, it also will reboot without
> any
> problems whatsoever. It is only upon cold boot. I did not install any
> hardware when the problem began occuring. Just an upgrade to Zone Alarm,
> which I undid to test if it had affected my computer, but I still got the
> same problem even when going to my original version. My computer is a
> Compaq
> Presario, 3 GHz, 250 GB HD, about 2 years old (and no Windows XP install
> disk
> came with it BTW).
>
> Could any of you give me any suggestions on this problem, and if anything
> can be done about it (and how)? Could it be a corrupted boot sector or
> boot
> files? Could it be an error in CMOS or something? Or a HDD problem? Etc.?
> Should I just get a different hard drive, or can this be salvaged? Seems
> it
> would be a shame to trash this hard drive since the problem is exclusively
> only when I first try to boot up; otherwise it is fine.
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
> Thanks
>
>

dreamweaver79 wrote:
> I have been having the following trouble starting regularly about a month
> ago. When I go to start up my computer from cold (after not using for several
> hours, like overnight), then, almost as soon as I press the power button, I
> hear a sort of click sound from the HDD, like the read/write head is
> disengaging (or having trouble first reading), or has skipped, or something.
> It may do this two or three times, then it freezes, and I get the message on
> a black screen to insert boot media, or to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to reboot.
> Other times it will just hang, or freeze when trying to first load Windows XP
> (due to not being able to read the HDD for some reason). When I reset or it a
> few times, then it will begin to load up normally.



You are unbelievably lucky not to have experienced a catastrophic
failure before now. While this streak of luck holds, you might want to
contemplate a trip to Las Vegas or purchasing a lottery ticket. ;-}



> Once it can begin loading
> Windows XP (Home), then all is fine, and I have absolutely no problem
> whatsoever for as long as the computer is on. No further hard drive problems,
> either, at all. When I go to warm restart, it also will reboot without any
> problems whatsoever. It is only upon cold boot. I did not install any
> hardware when the problem began occuring. Just an upgrade to Zone Alarm,
> which I undid to test if it had affected my computer, but I still got the
> same problem even when going to my original version. My computer is a Compaq
> Presario, 3 GHz, 250 GB HD, about 2 years old (and no Windows XP install disk
> came with it BTW).
>
> Could any of you give me any suggestions on this problem, and if anything
> can be done about it (and how)?


Your hard drive is failing. Replace it immediately.


> Could it be a corrupted boot sector or boot
> files?


Not as such, although the hard drive's physical problem could easliy
and permanently damage the portions of the drive on which such
information is stored.


> Could it be an error in CMOS or something?


No.


> Or a HDD problem?


Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes! Other than a couple of fans and the
CD/DVD drive, the hard drive is the only computer component with moving
parts. When moving parts start making abnormal sounds, it means that
those parts are no longer moving properly and/or according to design.
It means that those moving parts are hitting or rubbing something that
they shouldn't. In your specific case, it sounds like the armiture that
moves the hard drive's read/write heads in and out are bumping against
the outer edges of the rapidly spinning drive platters. Once the PC
warms up a little, some part expands enough to allow the armiture to
clear the platters. There is no solution for this other than to replace
the hard drive.


> Etc.?
> Should I just get a different hard drive,


Yes.

> .... or can this be salvaged?


No.


> Seems it
> would be a shame to trash this hard drive .....


The hard drive has already trashed itself; it's only a matter of time
before it trashes all of your data, as well. And new hard drives are
awfully inexpensive.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

DL wrote:
> Sound like a bad connection. Open the case and ensure all components/cables
> are firmly seated.


Since when can a bad connection, other than to an audio component,
cause clicking sounds? The problem is clearly a defective hard drive.
The armature that moves the hard drive's read/write heads in and out are
bumping against the outer edges of the rapidly spinning drive platters.
Once the PC warms up a little, some part expands enough to allow the
armature to clear the platters. There is no solution for this other
than to replace the hard drive.


> Also check HD manu web site for a checking utility
>

Which may not detect this specific problem, unless the computer is
allowed to cool down before running the diagnostics. In which case, the
tests won't even be able to run.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

Hello,

"dreamweaver79" <dreamweaver79@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:33DCB83D-ED61-450D-B885-89C2D92F2FBD@microsoft.com...
> I have been having the following trouble starting regularly about a month
> ago. When I go to start up my computer from cold (after not using for
several
> hours, like overnight), then, almost as soon as I press the power button,
I
> hear a sort of click sound from the HDD, like the read/write head is
> disengaging (or having trouble first reading), or has skipped, or
something.
> It may do this two or three times, then it freezes, and I get the message
on
> a black screen to insert boot media, or to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to
reboot.
> Other times it will just hang, or freeze when trying to first load Windows
XP
> (due to not being able to read the HDD for some reason). When I reset or
it a
> few times, then it will begin to load up normally. Once it can begin
loading
> Windows XP (Home), then all is fine, and I have absolutely no problem
> whatsoever for as long as the computer is on. No further hard drive
problems,
> either, at all. When I go to warm restart, it also will reboot without
any
> problems whatsoever. It is only upon cold boot. I did not install any
> hardware when the problem began occuring. Just an upgrade to Zone Alarm,
> which I undid to test if it had affected my computer, but I still got the
> same problem even when going to my original version. My computer is a
Compaq
> Presario, 3 GHz, 250 GB HD, about 2 years old (and no Windows XP install
disk
> came with it BTW).
>
> Could any of you give me any suggestions on this problem, and if anything
> can be done about it (and how)? Could it be a corrupted boot sector or
boot
> files? Could it be an error in CMOS or something? Or a HDD problem? Etc.?
> Should I just get a different hard drive, or can this be salvaged? Seems
it
> would be a shame to trash this hard drive since the problem is exclusively
> only when I first try to boot up; otherwise it is fine.
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
> Thanks

This sounds like the sort of noise that a hard-drive makes before it
drops dead - if the sound you're hearing is between a 'click' and a 'crack'.
Your best bet IMHO would be to obtain a replacement for it right away (not
necessarily a 250 GB drive, but certainly something large enough to hold all
of your existing data plus whatever you project to add in the future), and
then use Symantec GHOST (loaded from a floppy if you can)to clone your
existing drive's (entire) contents across to that new drive.

To do this, you would hook your replacement drive up as PRIMARY SLAVE
before you boot into GHOST, and then watch very carefully what you're doing
once GHOST is running. In your place, I would use the DISK TO DISK option,
unless you have partitioned the new drive beforehand for separate SYSTEM and
DATA storage - in which case, you would use (source) DISK TO (destination)
PARTITION. When you've finished with GHOST and when it's reported a
successful clone, power down the machine, swap the new drive in as PRIMARY
MASTER, leave the suspect drive entirely disconnected, and then try to boot
to Windows and see whether everthing still works OK. If it does, you're off
the hook.

One other word of strong recommendation - DON'T run the existing drive at
all in the meantime; because if it's genuinely near to the end of its life,
there will be no way to say exactly HOW near. My experiences of this sort of
thing have generally run along the lines of 'it dropped dead shortly after
being cloned, thank Providence' - I've been lucky a few more times than I've
failed, but if I go to a customer's PC that's playing up and hear the
'click' from the hard-drive, I now clone that drive's contents onto a spare
hard-drive the very next time that the drive is powered up, just to be on
the safe side. That trick allows me to clone the customer's data onto a
brand-new replacement drive it that becomes necessary, without having to
cross my fingers or pray and make sacrifices to a range of unlikely deities
that it'll work.

If your PC is under extended warranty, you may find that the cost of a
new drive is covered - it's worth a look, anyway, but DON'T let go of the
drive until you've cloned its contents if any sort of repair survey is
involved that means sending the drive away in the post.

Also - what make of drive is it? Personally, I favour Maxtor & Fujitsu
drives and am happy with IBM/Hitachi - but won't touch Quantum, Seagate or
Western Digital with a bargepole because I regard them as being flimsily
engineered. Others may have a different 'take' - mine's based on what I've
had to replace during the last 12 years, and what sort of damage I've seen.

[Out of interest - the actual fault symptoms sound to me as though the
drive's thermal compensation control is on the point of packing up - because
the drive won't run when it's cold, but is fine when it's anything more than
slightly warm. (The disks inside a drive expand as they warm up - to such an
extent that an offset may have to be applied to the read/write heads to make
sure that they remain within the data-track's capture window, i.e roughly
over the centre of where the data-tracks are supposed to be. Failure to do
that means that data will be misread or misinterpreted, and crashes or
non-operation may result. This problem is not fixable, BTW, which is why you
prelace the drive.) ]



As for not having a copy of Windows XP Home - don't worry about that:
the fact that you have the Authentication sticker on the PC's casing means
that you can use any old (borrowed?) copy of Windows XP Home if you should
find yourself having to reload the system from scratch. In that case, all
you need to do is to key-in the number from that sticker (when asked), and
all will be well. Hopefully, if you manage to clone this thing successfully,
reloading Windows from scratch won't become necessary.

Good luck - best wishes for a successful outcome, and no data-loss.

Regards,

Philip

dreamweaver79 wrote:

> I have been having the following trouble starting regularly about a month
> ago. When I go to start up my computer from cold (after not using for several
> hours, like overnight), then, almost as soon as I press the power button, I
> hear a sort of click sound from the HDD, like the read/write head is
> disengaging (or having trouble first reading), or has skipped, or something.
> It may do this two or three times, then it freezes, and I get the message on
> a black screen to insert boot media, or to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to reboot.
> Other times it will just hang, or freeze when trying to first load Windows XP
> (due to not being able to read the HDD for some reason). When I reset or it a
> few times, then it will begin to load up normally. Once it can begin loading
> Windows XP (Home), then all is fine, and I have absolutely no problem
> whatsoever for as long as the computer is on. No further hard drive problems,
> either, at all. When I go to warm restart, it also will reboot without any
> problems whatsoever. It is only upon cold boot. I did not install any
> hardware when the problem began occuring. Just an upgrade to Zone Alarm,
> which I undid to test if it had affected my computer, but I still got the
> same problem even when going to my original version. My computer is a Compaq
> Presario, 3 GHz, 250 GB HD, about 2 years old (and no Windows XP install disk
> came with it BTW).
>
> Could any of you give me any suggestions on this problem, and if anything
> can be done about it (and how)? Could it be a corrupted boot sector or boot
> files? Could it be an error in CMOS or something? Or a HDD problem? Etc.?
> Should I just get a different hard drive, or can this be salvaged? Seems it
> would be a shame to trash this hard drive since the problem is exclusively
> only when I first try to boot up; otherwise it is fine.
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
> Thanks

Backup now, replace the drive now.

--
Rock
MS MVP Windows - Shell/User

when it causes a faulty pwr connection,amongst other things

"Bruce Chambers" <bchambers@cable0ne.n3t> wrote in message
news:uCX3vZiDGHA.2320@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> DL wrote:
> > Sound like a bad connection. Open the case and ensure all
components/cables
> > are firmly seated.
>
>
> Since when can a bad connection, other than to an audio component,
> cause clicking sounds? The problem is clearly a defective hard drive.
> The armature that moves the hard drive's read/write heads in and out are
> bumping against the outer edges of the rapidly spinning drive platters.
> Once the PC warms up a little, some part expands enough to allow the
> armature to clear the platters. There is no solution for this other
> than to replace the hard drive.
>
>
> > Also check HD manu web site for a checking utility
> >
>
> Which may not detect this specific problem, unless the computer is
> allowed to cool down before running the diagnostics. In which case, the
> tests won't even be able to run.
>
>
> --
>
> Bruce Chambers
>
> Help us help you:
> http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>
> You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
> both at once. - RAH