HELP! Different HDDs keep breaking on same computer

[Questi4110]

A friend of mine has had 4 HDDs break on him within a year on the same computer. The HDDs seem to have that clicking noise sometimes, and sometimes they just die on him without any warning.

When I told him to only have one hooked up at a time, the problem still occurred.

His computer case is open and the temperature in his room and computer is always pretty cool.

Also, the HDDs were of different brands (WD and Seagate) and both SATA and PATA have crashed.

Is there something that could be causing this? He has formatted windows and installed different version with no different results.

Could an insufficient power supply cause a HDD to break down?

Please help because purchasing 500 GB and 750 GB HDDs every 3-4 months is quite costly (for the ones that aren't covered under warranty at least).


THANKS

 

[cubby1223]

Sounds like a crappy power supply. Even if the specs are fine, it could be crappy. Or perhaps a battery backup (UPS) is needed to plug between the computer and the wall. I battery backup is recommended regardless of the condition of the power supply.

 

[VirtualLarry]

If you've bought a 500GB or 750GB drive recently, it should be covered under warranty for a minimum of 3 years, up to possibly 5 years.

 

[robisbell]

also, were they bought NIB retail sealed? I agree with the PSU being the culprit, but also need to know the condition of the drives, and also the condition of the PSU, UPS, and electrical.

 

[Questi4110]

Originally posted by: robisbell
also, were they bought NIB retail sealed? I agree with the PSU being the culprit, but also need to know the condition of the drives, and also the condition of the PSU, UPS, and electrical.

Yes all drives were bought NIB sealed.

Also, he already has a battery backup so I'm also thinking PSU.

What is the recommended PSU wattage (I've heard that all the fuss about these huge 500W PSUs is bs, that you don't need that much)?


THANKS

 

[robisbell]

1. test the PSU with a multimeter.
2. how was the UPS tested and cleared?
3. test the electrical outlet.

 

[Questi4110]

Can anyone explain to me (or provide me with a link that does explain to me) on how to test a PSU, UPS, and electical outlet with a multimeter please?

THANKS for all the helpful responses

 

[Questi4110]

bump

 

[faxon]

you set it to measure voltage, then stick one prong in one side of the outlet and the other prong in the other side. if the voltage for the outlet in the wall and the UPS come back fine, check that all the lines in the hdd connector are comming back with the right voltage, and then amperage (set your DMM to measure the amps of course). there should be a listing on the side of your power supply which will tell you what lines should be giving off what voltage and amperage, compare it to what your DMM tells you. if all of that checks out, get back to us, if one of them doesnt, you should replace it and see if your problem goes away


ed: you can actually buy outlet testers at stores like frys for about 8 bucks. i have one in my "geeksquad kit" that i take with me whenever one of my friends calls me out for a computer related issue. they are easy to use and have a guide painted onto the front so you can read it while you use it

 

[Old Hippie]

Originally posted by: Questi4110
Can anyone explain to me (or provide me with a link that does explain to me) on how to test a PSU, UPS, and electical outlet with a multimeter please?

THANKS for all the helpful responses

Here's one, and here's another.

Pretty pictures and the whole kitchen sink!

Good Luck!

 

[Questi4110]

I checked the voltage value's on my friend's HDD connector power supply and they all came out in the correct range so I guess the PSU isn't the problem.

THANKS

 

[montag451]

It still could be.

When you test the voltage with a 'normal' voltage tester, it gives you the average over a small period - say half a second or even a quarter.
A HDD only needs a spike in voltage for a very short time to fry it. I don't think that your cheapie power/voltage testers can say if your psu is good, they can only tell if it is bad..... see what I mean?

 

[Questi4110]

What is a spike (in terms of voltage...like 5.00 jumping to what value that damages the HDD)?

Also, the best I can do is with a multimeter...I don't have an intel-factory quality tester that probably only professionals use.

THANKS

 

[Dillybob]

If he has a UPS, maybe that's not supplying sufficient power.....if you've ruled that out, then don't doubt that it could be the mobo....though that's pretty unlikely, seeing as you've tried both PATA and SATA to no avail. If you can somehow test with a different power supply, that would probably shed some light on the situation.

 

[montag451]

Originally posted by: Questi4110
What is a spike (in terms of voltage...like 5.00 jumping to what value that damages the HDD)?

Also, the best I can do is with a multimeter...I don't have an intel-factory quality tester that probably only professionals use.

THANKS

I can't give you precise values because I don't know them, but if you imagine that an extra .5v might be ok for some hdd if for a few seconds, but a 2 or 3v spike would most likely blow anything on that rail if it lasted 0.02 seconds (We use 50hz power in uk).
That is not enough time for a normal voltmeter to register any spike.