Hard Drive needs replacing, decision time

[Shyria Dracnoir]

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc230/Shyria_Dracnoir/IMG_20130717_174315_2991_zps5a4a3f13.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc230/Shyria_Dracnoir/IMG_20130717_174221_6101_zpsb8e58206.jpg

I can start and run the computer for now, but it does explain where a lot of smaller issues I've been having recently could have come from. I've backed up my files to an external hard drive and I'm in the process of creating recovery disks.

I suppose my biggest question now is 'what would be the better option?' Is my computer old enough that tracking down and replacing parts would be less efficient (cost or performance wise) than simply replacing the entire PC? I primarily use the desktop for general computing, Photoshop, Max/Maya and some gaming (but nothing really intensive).


HP Pavilion p6517c-b PC Bundle
500 GB ST30041 8S SCSI Disk Device
AMD Sempron 140 Processor
ATI Radeon 4670 1GB Graphics Card

Thoughts?

[Bells]

i think you can just upgrade the PC and still salvage most of your stuff, while still getting the benefits of SATA. It's really down to budget really...

[MasterOfMagic]

This look right? (http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c02193879&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&product=4229083#N444)

You can certainly find something faster depending on how much faster you'd want to go, and how much you want to spend. Any new games/software you're looking to use that your current computer can't handle? That'd help make the decision on upgrading vs getting a new comp.

Your computer isn't old enough that you need to worry about finding replacement parts just yet. You can probably find a replacement hdd for 50 to 60 USD without much effort.

[synkr0nized]

The easiest and cheapest solution is to replace the HDD. If the current one reads well enough, you can even clone it to a healthy drive and continue on as if nothing happened.


But I see "Sempron" and cannot help but suggest replacing the machine with a better one.
edit: or at least taking advantage of the AM3 socket and putting a Phenom in there.

Also add memory if you're still at the 3GB listed in MoM's link.


edit2: Even if you pop a new processor and HDD and memory in there, you could still clone the existing drive and let the operating system detect the new hardware (you can provide more accurate drivers if needed later). I did this for a machine I set up in my folks' place -- I took it from a P4 setup to a, hmm, at least dual-core if not quad AMD setup with a new mobo, CPU, and RAM and cloned the OS drive to a larger one. After boot and handling drivers, they went about their business without having to resintall, etc.


edit3: Then again, you have an HP machine, so you might not be comfortable with / experienced with that kind of work, making it more appealing to just replace the drive or replace the system. It depends on what you think you can do.

[Shyria Dracnoir]

The most I've done regarding computers is replacing the graphics card; the computer originally came with an Nvidia GEForce 6150 SE graphics card, but that crapped out about 2 years ago; the PC itself is about 3.5 or 4 years old at this point. I don't have a terrible amount of confidence in my skills, no.

EDIT: This is the first store result I've found for my hard drive model (http://www.superwarehouse.com/Seagate_Barracuda_ES.2_500_GB_SAS_Hard_Drive/ST3500620SS/p/1517955), and it says its been discontinued. How do I determine what replacement model type my current architecture can support?

[MasterOfMagic]

Ah, you don't need to worry about the model number. You need to find something that is the right capacity (>=500GB), physical size (3.5"), and has the right interface (SAS). Weird that its SAS and not SATA though, usually SAS is for servers, and it costs a bit more. I'd double check that.

[Shyria Dracnoir]

I've checked, it's a SATA interface.

---------- Post added at 10:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:42 PM ----------

What do I need to make sure I have in order to properly reinstall Windows 7 after replacing the drive? I have my product code (on the side of my case), but I didn't remember receiving any physical disks when I bought the computer. I've already made a set of recovery disks using the HP recovery utility and I've created an additional installation disk using the method described here (http://www.pcworld.com/article/248995/how_to_install_windows_7_without_the_disc.html) (burning the ISO for the associated Windows version and burning it to a bootable DVD).

[MasterOfMagic]

Installation cd and key is all you need to install windows. After that, you'll need drivers. Look around for a driver cd, or pre-download them to a cd/usb (particularly your network driver, otherwise you'll not be able to download anything :P)

Make sure to remove the old hdd before you install, that way you don't accidentally overwrite your data. Also, if something goes wrong, you can always pull the new drive out, plug in the old drive, and use the internet.

[akaSM]

Oh yeah, have your network drivers handy in case Windows 7 doesn't have any drivers for that.


Replace HDD
Install Windows
Install whatever drivers HP has in your PC's support page
As obnoxious as it may seem, it it asks you to reboot after every install, do it. I had issues because I tried to reboot once after batch installing my laptop's drivers
Install drivers for things that didn't originally come with the PC (like your graphics card)
Install antivirus
Install dem updates
???
STEAM!

[synkr0nized]

If you're still able to start and run the computer with the failing drive:

Load both hard drives into the machine.
Clone the old one to the new one.
Remove the old drive and boot from the new one.

Viola, you've skipped the need to reinstall anything and the potentially long process of getting everything updated. Example software includes Clonezilla, XXClone, or a Linux Live distro and using command tools or the like.

I believe I did it through command line/gparted, but that's probably not as straightforward as something with a GUI.

[MasterOfMagic]

Only reason I didn't recommend cloning is because Windows gets junked up after awhile, and the re-install itself will help with that a bit. Plus, you basically can't fuck up and lose your data if you've only got the new drive plugged in.

But yeah, cloning the drive is pretty easy and would most likely save you time, if you wanna do it.

[synkr0nized]

Only reason I didn't recommend cloning is because Windows gets junked up after awhile, and the re-install itself will help with that a bit.

If Windows your computer is getting "junked up" over time, you are probably doing something wrong.

[MasterOfMagic]

If Windows your computer is getting "junked up" over time, you are probably doing something wrong.
In my experience, its hard to not do something wrong, even if you know what you are doing :)