[Deon]

Hi there,

my portable Toshiba 11GB Laptop HDD didn't want to read anymore, so I
decided to format it. It only gets to 10% and there it stays, even though
the RED led is on.

Must I throw it away or can I still save it?

--
Regards,

Deon H

[Flemming Guldbæk]

Have you tried to lowlevel format the disk, that might fix the problem

"Deon" wrote:

> Hi there,
>
> my portable Toshiba 11GB Laptop HDD didn't want to read anymore, so I
> decided to format it. It only gets to 10% and there it stays, even though
> the RED led is on.
>
> Must I throw it away or can I still save it?
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Deon H
>

[Deon]

"=?Utf-8?B?RmxlbW1pbmcgR3VsZGLDpms=?=" <Flemming
Guldbæk@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
news:99CDEAB4-9C0D-48A5-B97A-57999A5B2E02@microsoft.com:

> Have you tried to lowlevel format the disk, that might fix the problem
>
> "Deon" wrote:
>
>> Hi there,
>>
>> my portable Toshiba 11GB Laptop HDD didn't want to read anymore, so I
>> decided to format it. It only gets to 10% and there it stays, even
>> though the RED led is on.
>>
>> Must I throw it away or can I still save it?
>>
>> --
>> Regards,
>>
>> Deon H
>>
>

No, how do I do that? If it can help, I will surely do it.
I have done a google search and could only find low level software for
every other make except Toshiba.

--
Regards,

Deon H

[David Vair]

A low level format will wipe out everything on the hard drive. I would look for any diagnostic
utilities that Toshiba might have to use to check the machine out.
--
Dave Vair
CNE, CNA, MCP, A+, N+
Computer Education Services Corp. (CESC)

"Deon" <REMOVEdeon@REMOVEsincro.co.za> wrote in message
news:Xns96606F278DE18REMOVEdeonREMOVEsinc@196.25.240.158...
> "=?Utf-8?B?RmxlbW1pbmcgR3VsZGLDpms=?=" <Flemming
> Guldbæk@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
> news:99CDEAB4-9C0D-48A5-B97A-57999A5B2E02@microsoft.com:
>
>> Have you tried to lowlevel format the disk, that might fix the problem
>>
>> "Deon" wrote:
>>
>>> Hi there,
>>>
>>> my portable Toshiba 11GB Laptop HDD didn't want to read anymore, so I
>>> decided to format it. It only gets to 10% and there it stays, even
>>> though the RED led is on.
>>>
>>> Must I throw it away or can I still save it?
>>>
>>> --
>>> Regards,
>>>
>>> Deon H
>>>
>>
>
> No, how do I do that? If it can help, I will surely do it.
> I have done a google search and could only find low level software for
> every other make except Toshiba.
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Deon H

[Deon]

"David Vair" <dvair@nycap.rr.com> wrote in
news:p5Eke.14737$zd5.11567@twister.nyroc.rr.com:

> A low level format will wipe out everything on the hard drive. I
> would look for any diagnostic utilities that Toshiba might have to use
> to check the machine out.

It's OK if the format wipes out everything. I have got a very recent backup
of the content on the drive.

All I want to do is to "save" the drive.

--
Regards,

Deon H

[Ron Martell]

Deon <REMOVEdeon@REMOVEsincro.co.za> wrote:


>It's OK if the format wipes out everything. I have got a very recent backup
>of the content on the drive.
>
>All I want to do is to "save" the drive.

A low level format is far more likely to destroy the hard drive than
it is to fix anything. Low-level formatting has basically been
obsolete since the advent of the IDE type hard drive in the late
1980s.

Check with the Toshiba web site for any diagnostic utilities that you
can put onto a 3.5 diskette or burn to a CD and then run on your
laptop.

Another option would be to try Spinrite from Gibson Research
(www.grc.com) and see if it can salvage the drive. However the cost
of the program is probably pretty close to the price of a new hard
drive, even allowing for the higher cost of 2.5 inch laptop drives.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

In memory of a dear friend Alex Nichol MVP
http://aumha.org/alex.htm