FAIL...?

[monkentage]

Been having problems with a WD 3200AAKS that i bought in december. The computer has been locking up and sometimes will only restart if i turn the power on and off. If i leave the computer unattended with nothing to do for an hour or so i get either a BSOD or a black screen saying can't detect the hard drive.

Windows says there is a fault with the disk and that i should back up. Everything is working fine except the locking up. I ran WDs diagnostic program and the quick test states a FAIL but the extended one passes. I replaced the SATA cable as suggested in other threads but windows still says its about to fail. Should i RMA it? I don't want to risk it unless i have to as if they find it is working i won't get it back for ages as i'm skint at the mo.

 

[semi-pro waster]

You could try running Speedfan or something else which offers a SMART testing feature but it does sound very much as if it is just a matter of time before it fails properly. In which case you could leave it and see but you might be simply delaying the RMA process since it is unlikely to start working 100% on its own.

 

[rpstewart]

If the WD's short test failed I wouldn't have even bothered with the long one. RMA time.