Laptop "Windows Auto Repair Drive" running; "Bad block(s)"

[jammin67]

Hi, 

I have been experiencing some slowness, like when computer starts or loading browser pages, but not necessarily anything that indicates malware/virus/etc.  Then, a week ago or so, when the computer started it went through an auto drive repair.  So I ran some scans last week, which didn't find anything unusual.

However, I am concerned about the "bad block(s)".  Last evening I backed everything up on an external hard drive.  I'm attaching reports done last evening.  Also, if this HD is on its way out, I'd like some information on what specs to look for in a new laptop.  I know my current laptop does not meet requirements for Windows 11.  I am not a gamer, but do want good graphics (not integrated, if possible) and I like to store/view  photos/videos.  Also, not interested in top of the line, but something that will last a while.

Thank you, Julie

Malwarebytes 220221.txt FRST 220221.txt Addition 220221.txt

[David H. Lipman]

I suggest you replace the failing 100GB  1,000GB with a 250GB 500GB or 1TB SSD and increase your RAM to 8GB.

Otherwise, I suggest a new PC.

Edited February 22, 2022 by David H. Lipman
Edited for content, clarity, spelling and/or grammar

[Porthos]

 

[AdvancedSetup]

Do you actually need a Laptop? 

One can typically get better performance and cheaper price from a desktop unit. But if you don't already have a monitor that can add an expense as well.

One could easily get this laptop working better for a much lower price than a new computer but being six years old it's performance index will be lower than a new unit from today

 

 

[jammin67]

AdvancedSetup-  When you say I could get this unit going, I still will have to get a different computer eventually...because of Windows 11, right?  Yes, I will replace with another laptop.  If it is time to start looking, I would appreciate any guidance you have that might help me purchase wisely.  And, I do do more than the pictures/videos...I'm very active on the computer.  Whether it be internet, or my own productivity (Word, Excel).  In my opinion, I guess I'd be looking at basic to mid-level.  I had a bad experience with the integrated graphics in a previous laptop...so I'd like to shy away from that. :)

 

[AdvancedSetup]

Really difficult to say. There are only a handful of larger vendors these days.

 

Dell and HP Inc. dominate the industry here in the USA. There are others though.

Lenovo (is a Chinese based company, Lenovo acquired IBM's personal computer business in 2005, including the ThinkPad laptop and tablet lines)

Acer is a Taiwanese computer-manufacturer with a global clientele.

Asus is a Taiwanese computer-manufacturer with a global clientele.

Micro-Star International Co., Ltd (MSI) is a Taiwanese computer-manufacturer with a global clientele.

Samsung - a Korean manufacturer

Many other much smaller brands too...

 

Some people love Dell and some people hate them.

Dell is an American company that develops, sells, repairs, and supports computers and related products and services, and is owned by its parent company of Dell Technologies.

HP Inc.  is an American multinational information technology company headquartered in Palo Alto, California, that develops personal computers (PCs), printers and related supplies, as well as 3D printing solutions.

 

If cost alone is the major factor then perhaps an Acer or Asus or MSI might fit your needs. I used to really like Asus and in fact I recently purchased two of their higher end routers. But for the computer I don't think I'd buy one from them myself. I did buy a more higher end laptop for my wife from MSI a couple of years ago and it's still been an excellent workhorse. However, I'm not so sure how Support would be if I did have something go wrong. Dell and HP Inc. both have a long history of reasonably good support. No company is perfect and I'm sure you'll see or find many horror stories about support from either company, but that holds true for any company out there.

When it comes to ongoing support I think the Dell Support site is well above anyone else out there (in my opinion) they make it very easy to find your drivers, manuals, etc. they also provide automated updates (most vendors do today) that works reasonably well.

The issue you find with Dell though is that to get some of the newer, faster technology you have to pay a premium price as they have many base models with current or slightly older technology that they sell. That's why I say the others Acer, Asus, MSI might be a better choice. If you liked your laptop from Asus then check out their other offerings and as with any computer, buy the best that your budget can afford, but don't go overboard or let them tempt you to buy beyond your budget (very easy to do).

There are also custom shops out there that build high-end specialized laptops but they're very expensive typically and often come with the very latest technology but shops like that probably don't have a good record of long term support down the road.

 

Basic specs if you  can afford it

NVMe SSD hard drive of at least 512GB (Do not get a mechanical hard drive, don't think many come with mechanical anymore)
8GB of RAM (if you really truly do a lot of video work then you might want to consider 16GB of RAM)
i5 minimum CPU if you're going to go with Intel - AMD Ryzen though has been a very strong competitor, even beating Intel in some areas (either CPU will work well)
Independent video card in a laptop is a premium feature that you will pay a much higher price to obtain. They are available but are not cheap (current high-end video cards are nearly impossible to get at the moment)

 

If you find something you think you like and is in your budget then post a link back or provide more details and I'm sure someone here can help provide more assistance.

 

 

Edited February 23, 2022 by AdvancedSetup
Updated information

[jammin67]

AdvancedSetup- Thank you for all that info.  I'll do some comparison shopping this weekend, and if I find something I'm interested in will definitely see what you think.  Also, are you able to predict anything from the reports I attached with first post, as to how long I might have with a drive that has bad blocks? Thank you!

 

 

[AdvancedSetup]

No, unfortunately hard drive forensics takes quite a bit of effort and not an area we really delve into here.

 

[jammin67]

AdvancedSetup-

Thank you for giving some info about the various companies.  I've always wanted to try a Dell. 

So, I was just doing a quick search.  I know this one has the integrated graphics.  I do not do much with videos, just store and watch home videos or on internet.  What do you think of this laptop?  And do you have opinion on whether I'd have problems w/ integrated graphics or not likely?

https://deals.dell.com/en-us/productdetail/cxm3

okay, going to bed now.  I'll check your answer tomorrow.  Thank you!

[AdvancedSetup]

If you're not an online heavy gaming type player this system will be more than sufficient for you. The Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics is new on this generation of processors from Intel and it seems to have good reviews for it so far.

It's also using a 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive which is even much faster than the 2.5" SSD that were standard for a few years.

Intel® Wi-Fi 6 2x2 which is the latest Wi-Fi that supports speeds faster than most service providers offer.

 

As long as you can afford it I think you'll be more than happy with the system. They're offering a 2 year warranty add-on for the price of 1 year which is a good deal too. Hard to say if you should get or not. Often as long as you take good care of the unit it will last a few years without an issue, but if something were to happen then you might find yourself stuck with an expensive bill.

Also, don't forget you'll want some type of external drive to backup your data to so that you can recover it later onto the new laptop. If you know what you're doing and have access to a USB to SATA connector you may be able to pull the old hard drive out and connect it to the new computer via USB and copy files that way.

 

 

Edited February 24, 2022 by AdvancedSetup
Updated information

[Porthos]

8 hours ago, jammin67 said:

What do you think of this laptop?  And do you have opinion on whether I'd have problems w/ integrated graphics or not likely?

https://deals.dell.com/en-us/productdetail/cxm3

I think this will be fine. I do prefer the Latitude line of Dell laptops but the average user does not like the price.

I would suggest the extra warranty as well.

[jammin67]

AdvancedSetup-

I've already got an external hard drive and backed up all files the other day.  The ext. HD (Seagate Free Agent Go) is probably ten years old now.  Is that a problem? 

Also, currently have a CD/DVD drive and I do like to make music CDs with ambitions of transferring home movies to digital eventually.  Any recommendations on an external CD/DVD drive?

Thank you

[jammin67]

It actually looks like Dell has a DVD+-RW drive on their website.  

[AdvancedSetup]

No problem on the drive. Just checking to make sure you have a way to transfer files. Good job.

Yes, a USB external drive is the way to go nowadays. I have an external Blu Ray burner myself that works off of USB.

 

[jammin67]

AdvancedSetup-  Is there a way to ensure private/business/banking data is removed from old laptop, without wiping the hard drive?  Reason I'm asking, is because the old laptop can be used for email/facebook/other minimal browsing by a friend.  The laptop came with Windows 7, then I upgraded to Windows 10. Not sure if there would be problems installing Windows 10 from factory settings?

Thank you, Julie

[Porthos]

20 minutes ago, jammin67 said:

Is there a way to ensure private/business/banking data is removed from old laptop, without wiping the hard drive?  Reason I'm asking, is because the old laptop can be used for email/facebook/other minimal browsing by a friend.

See option 1 here https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-ways-factory-reset-windows-computer/