Churning Sound on Hard Drive. What Does It Portend?

[MegalosSkylaki]

Laptop started with a churning sound.

Then the screen was grey and an Error Message

OS Correction. May Take Several Minutes. May Start and restart"

Laptop was almost never used.

Few minutes later--without restart--went to USER screen and asked for Password.
[I could not supply acceptable password...DK...several years since last use. Seperate issue.]

Is the Hard Drive on Laptop dieing a slow (or quick) death??

Any other possibilities, including bad sectors?

Is replacement almost immediately inevitable?

MegalosSkylaki

[GroundZero3]

Who makes the hard drive? If you go to the manufactures website, they have some scan tools that will give you a better idea on what the health of the drive is

[Taxmancometh]

Or you can download HDtune and read the SMART data from the drive.

[MegalosSkylaki]

My problem is a bit worse. The laptop keeps rejecting my password. I've even found a written version of password and still "No Joy". Maybe the failed state of the HDD has something to do with it, although I suppose I could try to crack the password just in case I have it wrong. (This was a laptop I left behind in CA as a backup for two years + and went unused.)

I'm thinking of using an "SSD replacement kit" to replace the probably bad mechanical HDD. As you may know, these typically come with an imaging software like Acronis Home or Norton Ghost plus an external device to hold the drive while imaging and transfer takes place. This optimistacally assumes the HDD still will work so I can pull the OS, drivers and proggies off it.

Question: Will a failed Password be a problem in imaging and transfer?

MegalosSkylaki

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