Member Avatar for jg0426

I have a lap top that will not start correctly, I have windows 2000. I have tried reloading windows 2000 OS and it worked ok for half a day. I'm getting hard drive error, registry errors, partition errors, is there anyway to save this computer. I wondered if I should clean hard drive but I can't see anyway to do it with hard drive errors coming up and it freezes and kicks me out. Can anyone help?

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Temporary successful OS reinstalls plus recurring registry/partition errors usually point to failing storage (sometimes controller or RAM). was right to suspect hardware; was right that testing the drive externally can help. The priority is to preserve data and then run non-destructive diagnostics before any further wipes or reinstalls.

First, image the drive if any files must be kept. Use a block-level tool that tolerates read errors (GNU ddrescue) from a Linux live USB so you capture as much as possible before the disk degrades further. If the laptop drive cannot be imaged in-place, connect it to another machine with a suitable USB-to-SATA/IDE adapter and image from there. (Do not wipe or repartition until an image exists.)

Second, run drive health diagnostics. Read the drive SMART attributes and run an extended self-test to check reallocated-sector and pending-sector counts—high values mean imminent failure. Use tools like smartmontools or CrystalDiskInfo for SMART reads, and the drive maker’s bootable tester (SeaTools, WD Data Lifeguard) for vendor diagnostics. If SMART looks clean but corruption persists, test RAM with Memtest86 for several passes.

If diagnostics show failure, replace the drive and restore from the image. For very old OS installs (Windows 2000 era) be aware of SATA/AHCI driver issues on modern controllers—use BIOS IDE/compatibility mode or drivers appropriate for the controller when reinstalling. If imaging fails and the data is critical, contact a professional recovery service rather than repeatedly running repairs that can make recovery harder.

References: GNU ddrescue, Clonezilla, smartmontools, CrystalDiskInfo, Memtest86.

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Member Avatar for Chaky

Looks to me like a problem with HD. Either it is dying or there is a bad cable connection. I suggest that you check on your drive's cable and plug out - plug in the cable.

If the errors reappeared after that, do this:
Boot with setup CD and choose repair console (I think that's how it is called with 2k... XP calls it recovery console) type in admin password and type

chkdsk c /r

It will scan for errors + look for bad sectors, which you probably developed. This might take hours to complete, depending on the HD size and amount of bad sectors.

If you are still getting freak errors, then your attention should shift from HD to RAM.

Reseating is a first step there.
Second step is (if possible) running with 1 stick at a time, to figure out the faulty one.
Third step is replacing it...

Hope it helps.

Member Avatar for cguan_77

hi jg0426, it could be a faulty HD, or you can try to use some software to wipe out entirely your HD, or you plug your HD to another PC and check your HD through that PC

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