Jayzx Posted August 3, 2014 Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 Does anyone know anything about it? A solution perhaps? Opening the computer(laptop) displays: "A disk read error occurred. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart." -have tried rebooting using Ctrl+Alt+Del and power button (plugged and unplugged) with the problem still occurring continuously. -- Did some research about it and read in some random forums that the 2 main cause of this is the os or hdd. OS corrupted. (fix: recovery or re-installation) HDD not connected properly. (fix: open computer and place correctly) . . I don't know what the exact problem is but I think it's the HDD. It had fallen before, a very light fall actually. I haven't done anything just incase there is a better and safe solution. I feared re-installation will format computer and opening computer might set more critical problems. -- NOTE: -this is my friend's pc problem. (Acer, Windows 7) -there is no installation disk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garioch7 Posted August 3, 2014 Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 I am suspicious, from what you have stated about the computer having sustained a fall, that the computer may have a damaged disk (head crash into the HD platters). Personally, I have used SpinRite (Google it) to diagnose such errors and confirm or deny damage to partitions. This is purchased software only and it is not cheap ($89.99 US from Gibson Research). SpinRite will attempt recovery of damaged/faulty sectors, but it is not always successful. I recently had to use it on an ACER netbook for a friend and it did indeed find unrecoverable damage to the recovery partition and to the system partition, which is why the recovery to factory settings failed and the computer would not boot. I wound having to purchase recovery disks from ACER for my friend because most of the data partition was undamaged and I was able to restore back to factory settings and the netbook could boot. Regrettably, all of her data was lost in the recovery. Goes to show the benefits of regular system images with reputable backup software. I would first carefully check that all HD cables are properly seated, or the drive itself, depending upon the hardware configuration, before spending money on HD diagnostics software. There are others out there other than SpinRite, but I know that product and have used it several times with varying degrees of success. It is considerably better and more aggressive than the free diagnostic software provided by the HD manufacturers, though you could give those a try as well if you are unwilling to pay for SpinRite. Hope this helps. Have a great day. Regards, -Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayzx Posted August 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 Thanks for the reply Phil, I would also really consider to check it first before spending on repairs. Glad I know someone who can help in opening and checking the computer. If ever there was nothing wrong with placement of HDD and the problem still occurring, should I recommend my friend replacing the computer?My friend told me that the laptop is 5-6 years old now. Thanks again, Have a great day also Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilolee Posted August 5, 2014 Report Share Posted August 5, 2014 Was he trying to install another (Windows) OS? tomshardware.co.uk - Solution for "A disk read error occurred." raymond.cc - 8 Solutions to Troubleshoot A disk read error occurred. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart Error Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garioch7 Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 Jayzx: Five or six years for a laptop is getting on in years; HOWEVER, if the laptop still meets the needs of your friend, then nothing would be lost by, at the very least, determining the make of the hard drive and running the manufacturer's diagnostics, which are free, to determine if the hard drive has been damaged by the fall. Xilo's links also would be worth checking out. Have a great day. Regards, -Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayzx Posted August 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 Was he trying to install another (Windows) OS? tomshardware.co.uk - Solution for "A disk read error occurred." raymond.cc - 8 Solutions to Troubleshoot A disk read error occurred. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart Error No she wasn't. From her statement before it happened it was working fine with complete no problem at all. It just happened all the sudden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayzx Posted August 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 Jayzx: Five or six years for a laptop is getting on in years; HOWEVER, if the laptop still meets the needs of your friend, then nothing would be lost by, at the very least, determining the make of the hard drive and running the manufacturer's diagnostics, which are free, to determine if the hard drive has been damaged by the fall. Xilo's links also would be worth checking out. Have a great day. Regards, -Phil Yes, I will consider checking the hard drive. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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