Solve : Harddrive Read Error. cannot get HDD physical info?

1.	Solve : Harddrive Read Error. cannot get HDD physical info?
Answer» Hey guys, I know it's been bloody AGES since I've posted here. But I've had more problems in my life than I care to count, and I am kept more than busy this year. I'm sorry. Anyway, I need some help with my laptop, which has developed a terrible problem without any sort of warning, and as of right now I cannot get on my PC at all. My Laptop is a TOSHIBA Satellite X205-S9810 (specs available at the link). I put my machine on Hibernate yesterday, when I went to the theatre. After returning, I resumed Windows Vista Home Premium, and logged on as normal. However, after the login, I noticed my PC behaving slowly, and the mouse cursor would not respond (this is the touchpad that came with the thing). Vista is not KNOWN for its reliability, so I logged out and back in. The symptoms persisted, so I opted to reboot the machine. After getting the TOSHIBA screen, normally I'd see the Vista loading bar. However, After a flashing underscore for about a minute, I got this error message: Disk Read Error Detected Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart As you may know, I've worked with computers almost my entire life. And I know, from experience, that this is #3 on my list of Five Things I Never Want To See when working with computers. I rebooted, and got the same RESULT. After a while, I resigned myself to troubleshoot and repair, even at the cost of my data. Like most pre-fab computers, this one came with a Recovery Disk (I've used it once before, right after I got the machine, thanks to a timely virus), and the Recovery Disk has worked well to correct software issues. I was hoping that the issue was a boot-sector problem and that I could easily, if destructively, fix my PC. However, I've had no such luck. The Recovery CD's stages took ages to load, showing behaviour much like it was when this whole thing started. Instead of a Recovery Window popup immediately after the Vista load bar, it took about 5 minutes. Immediately after starting the Recovery process, however, I was greeted with this: ERROR: 01-0134-0000 The tool could not get HDD physical information. Please Press [OK] to turn off the computer. That is where my computer sits now. Now, as for tracking down the actual problem, which I am convinced is a HARDWARE issue, I have this to offer: Although it would be obvious to say that the HDD is fubar'd and needs replacing, I am unconvinced that these hdd problems are not a symptom of something more sinister, and what I hear is actually more common than should be for a computer: This particular model's CPU has a history of overheating. Easily, even. I'm thinking it possible that somehow, the CPU has been damaged by excessive heating. Not enough that nothing works at all, just that it can't access the hdd anymore. This theory, though pure conjecture, is based on two central facts: 1) On the Boot selection screen of my computer, the hdd is still listed. If the hdd were toast, I don't think it would not only appear on the list, but even have the Serial Number. 2) When booting the computer via the CD, the computer still behaves very slowly, which was the main reason I rebooted the computer in the first place. One last note before I leave the floor open to all suggestions: I have NOT attacked my PC in frustration; physical damage is not the cause of failure. (The same cannot be said for several other items in my room ) Also, at some point, I'm taking the thing back where I got it for a troubleshoot. However, I thought I'd get some expert opinions on possible causes. Just like telling a doctor what you think the disease you have could be, it helps the tech to know what to look for. Cheers all, Timothywelcome back dilbert, its nice to see you again. Quote I'm thinking it possible that somehow, the CPU has been damaged by excessive heating. Not enough that nothing works at all, just that it can't access the hdd anymore. possibly, but at the same time, anything is a possibility because the hardware itself has not been troubleshot (i hope thats a real word). the first thing i would do is clean out the heatsink because your going to have to open your laptop and you might as well give it a clean. the first piece of hardware i would troubleshoot would have to be the harddrive. try another brand new harddrive in your laptop and see if you can format it.Well, I'm also having a big HDD problem, but MINE isn't even recognizing my HDD, so you are one step ahead of me! This website might help you: http://www.nliteos.com/ I read about it in forums while trying to diagnose my own problem. It may be worth a shot. Mine crashed while I was trying to recover it as well. 'Write error' of sorts during the reformat... Assumed it was hosed. Now it doesnt even recognize the new HDD. Mine overheats alot, too. May need to replace heat sink and it'll take care of that. Those things seem to blow easy. Hope that helped. Dilbert... I know i don't need to tell you that you can probably test to see if the HDD is toast by running diagnostic software on it, supplied by the manufacturer...either through a floppy or CD, for that matter. While the theory of it being a processor issue may be causing the issue...I'd rule the drive out completely. Most HDDs, nowadays are "smart" and the OS will pick up on it...that doesn't mean the drive is not faulty. It just means the system recognizes the drive. The drive could have other defects preventing it from working...such as the media itself. Anyway...I'd perform the HDD diagnostics, first, to rule out the drive. If you had a replacement drive...it would be a cinch to test. I know...that's a big "if". Keep us posted...Thanks. You'll be happy to know I actually can get to 4 of these machines. My sisters each have 1. My only concern is that I have NEVER operated on a laptop, and quite frankly, I'm a little worried about doing it. However, if I can find info online on how to do it, I'll be happy to try borrowing a hdd. I'll keep you all posted.See if you can find PoweMax HDD utility (CD format) and run it on the laptop...just to check the drive. I think it may now be called SeaTools from Seagate, but you can try this diagnostic software to see if it recognizes the drive and can then run them. I think the drive may be Toshiba...or Hitachi for that matter. Do you know? Other than that... If the laptops are the same...and all have the same OS installed...you may get away with removing a couple of screws...and swapping out the drives. I'll keep my fingers crossed for ya...First suspect...HDD as saviour and Homer have already pointed out. 2nd suspect...before the CPU and board...power. How old is the battery ? Has it shown any power issues before this latest snafu ? ? Against my better judgement, I decided to wing it, and swap hdds with my sister's. You can imagine my crushing disappointment when, with my sister's hdd, my PC booted flawlessly. Which means the hdd is at fault, 100%. I replaced the hdds to their original setting, only to find the condition of my harddrive has deteriorated. Now, it gets stuck at the TOSHIBA screen, and there is what can only be described as a "clicking, rattling" sound coming from the hdd. I've shut down the thing, and I refuse to boot it back up. I don't think there's much hope for data recovery; all the same, I'm going to get the hdd replaced under warranty, buy a SATA/USB adapter and try to recover data. Either way, I'm investing in an external hard drive - a large one - ASAP.Quote from: Roxy on May 27, 2008, 04:12:11 PM This website might help you: http://www.nliteos.com/ Completely irrelevant. nLite is a program for cutting down the size of a Windows installation. It has no use in this situation. Quote from: Dilbert on May 27, 2008, 03:11:01 PM 1) On the Boot selection screen of my computer, the hdd is still listed. If the hdd were toast, I don't think it would not only appear on the list, but even have the Serial Number. Just because the computer can recognize that something is there and what it is doesn't mean the device is working entirely properly. The BIOS will tell you if it's there or not, but it won't tell you if the motor is spinning it or if there's a problem with the reading mechanism. Well...at least you know for sure now.Sorry, the reason I mentioned nliteos was because there was a process called slipstreaming and creating a new bootable disk with updated drivers that is supposed to help recognize harddrives when harddrive errors hose a computer. I apologize for it seeming irrelevent or not going into detail. There are some other posts that actually go into the steps of creating the disk using nliteos to diagnose harddrive issues.Well, I've sent the PC to the manufacturer under warranty. I'll get it back in no more than 6-8 weeks with a new hdd. In the meantime, I'm on the net with my PS3 and a broken old Zboard keyboard. Somehow, this feels old school. Anyway. as soon as I get my PC back I'm buying an external hdd and keeping regular backups. I didn't have a hdd like that before; I wish I had. I highly suggest Acronis True Image for backups with images burned to CD/DVD.... External HDD's fail also. Good to seeya again Dilbert !alalikum salamQuote from: senthilvalli on September 05, 2008, 03:57:48 AM alalikum salam Excuse me?

Answer»

Hey guys, I know it's been bloody AGES since I've posted here. But I've had more problems in my life than I care to count, and I am kept more than busy this year. I'm sorry.

Anyway, I need some help with my laptop, which has developed a terrible problem without any sort of warning, and as of right now I cannot get on my PC at all.

My Laptop is a TOSHIBA Satellite X205-S9810 (specs available at the link). I put my machine on Hibernate yesterday, when I went to the theatre. After returning, I resumed Windows Vista Home Premium, and logged on as normal. However, after the login, I noticed my PC behaving slowly, and the mouse cursor would not respond (this is the touchpad that came with the thing). Vista is not KNOWN for its reliability, so I logged out and back in. The symptoms persisted, so I opted to reboot the machine.

After getting the TOSHIBA screen, normally I'd see the Vista loading bar. However, After a flashing underscore for about a minute, I got this error message:

Disk Read Error Detected
Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart

As you may know, I've worked with computers almost my entire life. And I know, from experience, that this is #3 on my list of Five Things I Never Want To See when working with computers. I rebooted, and got the same RESULT. After a while, I resigned myself to troubleshoot and repair, even at the cost of my data. Like most pre-fab computers, this one came with a Recovery Disk (I've used it once before, right after I got the machine, thanks to a timely virus), and the Recovery Disk has worked well to correct software issues. I was hoping that the issue was a boot-sector problem and that I could easily, if destructively, fix my PC.

However, I've had no such luck. The Recovery CD's stages took ages to load, showing behaviour much like it was when this whole thing started. Instead of a Recovery Window popup immediately after the Vista load bar, it took about 5 minutes. Immediately after starting the Recovery process, however, I was greeted with this:

ERROR: 01-0134-0000
The tool could not get HDD physical information.
Please Press [OK] to turn off the computer.

That is where my computer sits now. Now, as for tracking down the actual problem, which I am convinced is a HARDWARE issue, I have this to offer: Although it would be obvious to say that the HDD is fubar'd and needs replacing, I am unconvinced that these hdd problems are not a symptom of something more sinister, and what I hear is actually more common than should be for a computer:

This particular model's CPU has a history of overheating. Easily, even.

I'm thinking it possible that somehow, the CPU has been damaged by excessive heating. Not enough that nothing works at all, just that it can't access the hdd anymore. This theory, though pure conjecture, is based on two central facts:

1) On the Boot selection screen of my computer, the hdd is still listed. If the hdd were toast, I don't think it would not only appear on the list, but even have the Serial Number.

2) When booting the computer via the CD, the computer still behaves very slowly, which was the main reason I rebooted the computer in the first place.

One last note before I leave the floor open to all suggestions: I have NOT attacked my PC in frustration; physical damage is not the cause of failure. (The same cannot be said for several other items in my room ) Also, at some point, I'm taking the thing back where I got it for a troubleshoot. However, I thought I'd get some expert opinions on possible causes. Just like telling a doctor what you think the disease you have *could* be, it helps the tech to know what to look for.

Cheers all,

Timothywelcome back dilbert, its nice to see you again.

Quote

I'm thinking it possible that somehow, the CPU has been damaged by excessive heating. Not enough that nothing works at all, just that it can't access the hdd anymore.

possibly, but at the same time, anything is a possibility because the hardware itself has not been troubleshot (i hope thats a real word). the first thing i would do is clean out the heatsink because your going to have to open your laptop and you might as well give it a clean. the first piece of hardware i would troubleshoot would have to be the harddrive. try another brand new harddrive in your laptop and see if you can format it.Well, I'm also having a big HDD problem, but MINE isn't even recognizing my HDD, so you are one step ahead of me! This website might help you: http://www.nliteos.com/

I read about it in forums while trying to diagnose my own problem. It may be worth a shot. Mine crashed while I was trying to recover it as well. 'Write error' of sorts during the reformat... Assumed it was hosed. Now it doesnt even recognize the new HDD. Mine overheats alot, too. May need to replace heat sink and it'll take care of that. Those things seem to blow easy.

Hope that helped. Dilbert...

I know i don't need to tell you that you can probably test to see if the HDD is toast by running diagnostic software on it, supplied by the manufacturer...either through a floppy or CD, for that matter.

While the theory of it being a processor issue may be causing the issue...I'd rule the drive out completely.

Most HDDs, nowadays are "smart" and the OS will pick up on it...that doesn't mean the drive is not faulty. It just means the system recognizes the drive. The drive could have other defects preventing it from working...such as the media itself.

Anyway...I'd perform the HDD diagnostics, first, to rule out the drive. If you had a replacement drive...it would be a cinch to test. I know...that's a big "if".

Keep us posted...Thanks.

You'll be happy to know I actually can get to 4 of these machines. My sisters each have 1. My only concern is that I have NEVER operated on a laptop, and quite frankly, I'm a little worried about doing it. However, if I can find info online on how to do it, I'll be happy to try borrowing a hdd.

I'll keep you all posted.See if you can find PoweMax HDD utility (CD format) and run it on the laptop...just to check the drive. I think it may now be called SeaTools from Seagate, but you can try this diagnostic software to see if it recognizes the drive and can then run them. I think the drive may be Toshiba...or Hitachi for that matter. Do you know?

Other than that...

If the laptops are the same...and all have the same OS installed...you may get away with removing a couple of screws...and swapping out the drives.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for ya...First suspect...HDD as saviour and Homer have already pointed out.
2nd suspect...before the CPU and board...power. How old is the battery ? Has it shown any power issues before this latest snafu ? ?
Against my better judgement, I decided to wing it, and swap hdds with my sister's. You can imagine my crushing disappointment when, with my sister's hdd, my PC booted flawlessly. Which means the hdd is at fault, 100%.

I replaced the hdds to their original setting, only to find the condition of my harddrive has deteriorated. Now, it gets stuck at the TOSHIBA screen, and there is what can only be described as a "clicking, rattling" sound coming from the hdd. I've shut down the thing, and I refuse to boot it back up. I don't think there's much hope for data recovery; all the same, I'm going to get the hdd replaced under warranty, buy a SATA/USB adapter and try to recover data.

Either way, I'm investing in an external hard drive - a large one - ASAP.Quote from: Roxy on May 27, 2008, 04:12:11 PM

This website might help you: http://www.nliteos.com/

Completely irrelevant. nLite is a program for cutting down the size of a Windows installation. It has no use in this situation.

Quote from: Dilbert on May 27, 2008, 03:11:01 PM

1) On the Boot selection screen of my computer, the hdd is still listed. If the hdd were toast, I don't think it would not only appear on the list, but even have the Serial Number.

Just because the computer can recognize that something is there and what it is doesn't mean the device is working entirely properly. The BIOS will tell you if it's there or not, but it won't tell you if the motor is spinning it or if there's a problem with the reading mechanism.

Well...at least you know for sure now.Sorry, the reason I mentioned nliteos was because there was a process called slipstreaming and creating a new bootable disk with updated drivers that is supposed to help recognize harddrives when harddrive errors hose a computer. I apologize for it seeming irrelevent or not going into detail. There are some other posts that actually go into the steps of creating the disk using nliteos to diagnose harddrive issues.Well, I've sent the PC to the manufacturer under warranty. I'll get it back in no more than 6-8 weeks with a new hdd. In the meantime, I'm on the net with my PS3 and a broken old Zboard keyboard. Somehow, this feels old school.

Anyway. as soon as I get my PC back I'm buying an external hdd and keeping regular backups. I didn't have a hdd like that before; I wish I had. I highly suggest Acronis True Image for backups with images burned to CD/DVD....
External HDD's fail also.

Good to seeya again Dilbert !alalikum salamQuote from: senthilvalli on September 05, 2008, 03:57:48 AM

Solve : Harddrive Read Error. cannot get HDD physical info?

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