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HP Recommended
Envy Laptop Model 15-u437cl
Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit)

The HDD on my 10 month old Envy has encountered a fatal error.  I chatted with HP and the only recourse I have is to send it in for a warranty repair.

 

I am two concerns regarding the data on the disk.  We have a good bit backed up, but it has been six months or so since we did a backup so there is a good deal of data on there that we will likely lose.

 

First, I would like to try to recover the data (pics, files) but know that HP will simply replace the drive.  I also understand that getting someone to try to revover the data is likely prohibitevely expensive.

 

Second, and most important, I am concerned about private data (tax returns, medical records, etc.).  Is it safe to send the laptop into HP with reasonable assurance that me data will be secure?  Or am i better off trying to replace the HDD myself and somehow reimage the drive with Windows?

 

Thanks for your input and guidance!

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions
HP Recommended

No if the hard drive is unreadable there is nothing you can really do and no way to recover data except by heroic means...one of the clean room tupe hard drive recovery places that charges hundreds of dollars. 

 

Then again, there is also no security concern with an unreadable hard drive. I do not suggest sending it to HP with a blank new hard drive. If the only service it needs is to replace the hard drive that kind of defeats the purpose. I was suggesting that if the hard drive is still good image it wipe it and put it back in the laptop blank, while keeping the image for reinstallation when they send it back but if the hard drive is bad, again, no way to do that. 

 

If this is "the Answer" please click "Accept as SOlution" to help others find it. 

View solution in original post

4 REPLIES 4
HP Recommended

Is the hard drive the source of the fatal error? Or, as far as you know is it still in good condition? Personally I would remove the hard drive and make an image of it and send it to HP with a blank drive. To their techs re-imaging the hard drive is a trivial matter. 

 

You can trust HP with the private data on the hard drive if you do not want to do the above or are leery of opening it. 

 

See p. 34 of the Manual here:

 

Manual

 

Accessing the hard drive is not very easy. I assume the system can no longer be booted to get at the data while the hard drive is still in place? 

 

If you choose to replace the hard drive yourself this is a good oportunity to upgrade to a solid state drive or at least a faster 7200 rpm mechanical drive. The 5400 rpm drive you have is the performance bottleneck of the machine. 

 

If this is "the Answer" please click "Accept as Solution" to help others find it. 

HP Recommended

Thanks for the advice.  I pulled the hard drive and tried to read it with another laptop via USB and that laptop also showed a fatal hard drive error.  I am hardly an expert, but it seems like this confirms that the drive is toast.

 

To be clear, are you suggesting that I just buy a new blank HDD and install it in the laptop before sending it to HP...while keeping my hands on the original HDD?  Would that in any way void the warranty?

 

Thanks again for the excellent suggestion.

HP Recommended

No if the hard drive is unreadable there is nothing you can really do and no way to recover data except by heroic means...one of the clean room tupe hard drive recovery places that charges hundreds of dollars. 

 

Then again, there is also no security concern with an unreadable hard drive. I do not suggest sending it to HP with a blank new hard drive. If the only service it needs is to replace the hard drive that kind of defeats the purpose. I was suggesting that if the hard drive is still good image it wipe it and put it back in the laptop blank, while keeping the image for reinstallation when they send it back but if the hard drive is bad, again, no way to do that. 

 

If this is "the Answer" please click "Accept as SOlution" to help others find it. 

HP Recommended

Thanks again.  Great and thorough advice.

 

Have a great day.

† The opinions expressed above are the personal opinions of the authors, not of HP. By using this site, you accept the <a href="https://www8.hp.com/us/en/terms-of-use.html" class="udrlinesmall">Terms of Use</a> and <a href="/t5/custom/page/page-id/hp.rulespage" class="udrlinesmall"> Rules of Participation</a>.