I installed Windows XP and after a few months of use, the hard drive got corrupted and I wasn't able to retrieve data. Then I bought a new hard drive and installed Windows again, this time a few months later it happened again. I installed Ubuntu Linux on it this time (full format) and soon after, GNOME would not boot, but I was able to enter a text based safe mode in Linux. Anyhow, I'm wondering if I've been having bad luck with hard drives, or if it could be another problem, such as bad jumper settings on my motherboard or overclocking or what not.
Thanks.
2007-05-16 20:46:41 · 8 answers · asked by epichero22 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
A bad power supply would definitely corrupt your hard drive. What you need to do is to borrow another PS from your friend and test it on a hard drive with a clean WinXP install to see what happen. You also should get all the motherboard setting to the default value, overclock your system with a bad PS is just asking for trouble. The PS may also damage some of the circuitry on your motherboard. You probably also need a new motherboard too. This time make sure you get a reliable PS from Antec or PCPower&Cooling.
2007-05-16 21:08:30 · answer #1 · answered by Ted B 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are alot of cheap power supplies out there so it's definitely possible. Are you sure it's not another component causing the problem? Power fluctuations can corrupt data however frequently this will cause hard drive failures. If you can continue to use the drive after a couple of 'data corruptions' it's not the power supply. If you hard drive gets damaged then it's your power supply. If you need data recovery try CBL, I've used them before.
http://www.cbltech.com
2007-05-17 02:28:28 · answer #2 · answered by JT_8 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You could have a bad power supply, bad memory, or maybe a virus has corrupted your boot files.
The number one way for a virus to travel is through a floppy disk, and in some cases it can setup shop right in your floppy drive. Try setting up your BIOS settings to the following:
Boot drive 1 = CDROM Drive
Boot drive 2 = Hard Drive
Boot drive 3 = Floppy Drive
Also, try not to overclock your PC and see if your system keeps failing.
2007-05-16 20:57:42 · answer #3 · answered by Sandy 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
To stop freezing your computer, do below steps on a regular basis: Defrag the disk drives- 1. Click Start button on the Taskbar. 2. Click All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Defragmenter. 3. Disk Defragmenter will launch on your screen. 4. Select the drives that you wish to defragment. 5. After selecting, click Defragment disks button to start the actual process. Defrag the registry- 1. Download Reginout System Utilities. 2. Install and run it. 3. Close all other programs before continuing. 4. Click Defragmenter tab. [Left hand side on the screen] 5. Click Analyze button. 6. The registry analyze process may take some time to complete. After it is completed, click Defragment button to start defragmenting the registry. 7. When you are prompted to reboot the system, click appropriate buttons. Delete unnecessary stuff- 1. Click Start. 2. Click All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk CleanUp. 3. Select a drive, such as, drive C. 4. Press ENTER. 5. Follow the on screen instructions.
2016-03-19 06:52:59 · answer #4 · answered by Carmen 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A bad power supply can and will corrupt a hard drive, and the test is what you did, get another power supply, reload your maching, and happy playing!
2007-05-16 20:55:36 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
An unstable power supply would usually cause random restarts. It is those random restarts that could cause data corruption. If OS gets damaged, a simple repair will suffice. It should not damage the HDD.
If the hard drive is totally damaged, there could be other problems. It could be running hot due to poor ventilation or there could be a nearby source of vibration. Or PC case could be located at floor level where it is often bumped by the cleaners. One of my 40Gb drive died because of just one strong bump to the case.
2007-05-17 01:20:12 · answer #6 · answered by Karz 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
yes it can because PC spontaneously resets (due to bad power or power supply) In theory, it is possible to interrupt updates to the FAT so that mismatched FAT errors occur, but in practice I have hardly ever seen this - the two FAT copies are updated so soon after each other that the critical window is small. But if you are using NTFS file system then this is not a big issue
2007-05-16 20:53:59 · answer #7 · answered by TheHacker 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ive never heard of it but it might.
If send more voltage or less voltage.
Imagine when you shut down, your hard drive shuts down safely then your power.
Thats why when you just ull the plug its bad for hard drive.
So think of it as that if a lot of power goes into your hard drive or less making it lagg it might mess it up.
2007-05-16 20:51:43 · answer #8 · answered by Saleen VS Corvette 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
first check power supply in your office /home proper ground provided or not, then replace your SMPS
2007-05-16 20:52:04 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well it could be the problem... Try changing your power settings. Click Right Click>Screen Saver>on the Power Management change your profile there.
2007-05-16 20:54:42 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋