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Got an old(2005/6?) laptop here, (Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo Pro v2030D, XP Home) here and it's been hanging, freezing, forgetting it has an operating system etc. Occasionally it will boot, sometimes it gets only as far as not spotting an operating system, sometimes it gets half way and gives up. I'm thinking hard drive is FUBAR'd. Am I on the right lines or is there some way I can confirm. I know it's a five year old laptop, but I'd rather not bin it if a £35 drive will keep it going as with three kids here all wanting to be online, I'd rather not fork out for a new one. Ta for your thoughts.
You could get a memory card or USB stick and install linux on that, no hard drive needed 🙂
Ta for that. schrickvr6, have run the quick test util and it shows no problem, currently running the long test, but that may be a while. Have thought about your workaround, molgrips, and will maybe give it a go if HDD knackered, as it's too late for the shops tonight to buy a new one. I'm really trying to eliminate other possible hardware problems before I buy a new drive.
The symptoms sound disk-related; either corruption, a loose drive, or it's on its way out. Any odd noises?
I'm assuming you've run a disk check within Windows; that's your first port of call if not.
It might be worth pulling out the disk, making sure the contacts are dust-free (can of compressed air if you've got one) and refitting. It could just be a sloppy connection, especially in a laptop that's had kids knocking it about.
Given that it's a Fujitsu, there's a high possibility that it's got a Fujitsu drive in it. If it is a Fuji drive, there's a higher than average probability that the drive is dying. Fuji drives have the capacity to be truly awful, I've binned more of their drives than every other manufacturer put together (and I'm not exaggerating, I've replaced dozens upon dozens of the damn things).