Another code now from the long DST test: failure id q0867x-94aasj-gxps2j-61eb03

[Fastfixer]

For some reason, none of the codes I get from HP can be deciphered. Anyone know what this code means other than "my HD is failing"? This happened after I did the update (which popped up on it's own) and rebooted. Unable to restore but I absolutely have to retrieve the data from this HD. failure id Q0867x-94AASJ-GXPS2J-61EB03

[itsmyname]

@Fastfixer -- have you tried downloading/installing/running the free version of the SPECCY software?

Expand its "storage" branch, and expand the "S.M.A.R.T." branch. 

You will see detailed statistics of the self-monitoring that the disk-drive has been performing.

But, the short answer is to backup your personal files, while you still can, and then replace the HDD.

Consider purchasing a fast SSD, rather than a new HDD.

[Fastfixer]

Thanks for the info Itsmyname, but unfortunately, I'm unable to boot up. It says it can't find the operating system, etc. Just a black screen with some options in a blue box. Those options are for diagnostics, which I have already ran that tell me the same thing that "it's failed", as if I don't already know that lol. My biggest concern now is to try to retrieve the data on it. It's a SSD hybrid Toshiba 1T, only 2.5 years old and came with the computer. If I can find a way to mirror that drive, I could be back in business.  The thing that bothers me besides losing such important data, is the fact this happened from a HP Support Assistant update. That's just unreal! I have now found others with the same issues from the same update but I doubt there will be a fix. FYI, I have spent (and paid) for HP tech support yesterday with no answers from them either.

Anyway, sorry for the ramble and thank you very much!

[itsmyname]

@Fastfixer -- can't find the operating system

Possibilities:

1. the file-system on the device is messed-up, such that the mandatory files to start "booting" Windows are damaged, or not present.

2. the SSD cannot read those "boot" files.

3. did the "short" disk-drive test immediately report "no device found" -- as if it was totally dead?

4. did the "long" disk-drive test take a while to run, before concluding that the SSD is "bad" ?

Your only remedy is to:

1. remove the current SSD

2. purchase and connect a new SSD

3. reinstall Windows

4. purchase a USB-to-SATA adapter device

5. connect the old drive to the adapter's SATA port, and connect the adapter to a USB port, and see if Windows finds a proper file-system on this "secondary" device, and assigns a drive-letter

6. try to copy your personal files from the "secondary" to the new disk-drive

Good luck. If you need more details on the above, please respond.

[Fastfixer]

Thanks for the suggestions Itsmyname, but I had to take it to a forensic computer specialist with the hope that he can recover the critical data on that drive. We found that not only did the HP Assistant destroy the hard drive, but the motherboard and CPU too. I've had HP's for decades and it's very disappointing that I received 2 calls today from HP customer service, etc. that wanted to offer me "free" tech support for 6 months, even though I don't have a computer anymore due to them destroying it. The second lady wanted to give me a gift certificate to go towards some "peripherals" on HP.com. This was an attempt to quiet me for exposing a malicious script they sent me, I believe. It makes no difference I have been a loyal HP customer for 2 decades. Very disappointed in HP.

Now out $1500.00 for the computer, minimum of $650.00 for the computer specialist to recover data (which there is no guarantee he can recover anything) and of course the tech support I had to pay HP even though they were the company that sent me the supposed "driver and important info update" that I think was really a script to see if I was using an off brand ink and not HP ink, LOL.

There are others out there who have had this happen to them, so my advise is to make sure that "HP Assistant" junk is shut off! Maybe this post can prevent another catastrophe somewhere else.

[itsmyname]

@Fastfixer --  We found that not only did the HP Assistant destroy the hard drive, but the motherboard and CPU too.

Did a bolt of lightning go through your surge-protecting power-bar and/or your UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) to "fry" your computer's power-supply, motherboard, and RAM? 

My UPS has "saved my bacon" more than once. Well worth its purchase price.

[Fastfixer]

No lightning, the day was clear and my surge protector was in place. The power supply was never harmed but the "update" was corrupt enough to damage the hard drive, etc. I found others with the same issue. That was an expensive and very painful update. Lost years of irreplaceable pictures of lost family , business docs, licenses, etc.

New Dell on the way.

[itsmyname]

@Fastfixer --  Lost years of irreplaceable pictures of lost family , business docs, licenses, etc.

Hang-on to the old disk-drive.  Commercial software, like RECUVA, can "walk" through the disk-drive, block-by-block, to try to "stitch-together" some blocks, to reconstruct some of your files.  Connect the old disk-drive as a "secondary" drive, and run RECUVA on the new HP (?) computer, saving the "recovered" files onto the "C:" on the new computer.

[Fastfixer]

Thanks for the tips but the commercial software couldn't figure it out after 6 hours. We tried everything and eventually went to a guy I know who does forensic recovery work for law enforcement. He is making some headway now but the equipment he has isn't available to the public. It will cost me for sure but he is confident he can recover much of it. He told me last night that he has not seen too many HD's as scrambled as this one. He also confirmed it was the last download the computer did. If readers on this forum ever need a guy that is an expert in this field, contact me and I will offer you his contact info. He's not cheap but if it is something that you must retrieve like lost family members pictures, work data, etc. it's worth it.

[itsmyname]

@Fastfixer -- the commercial software couldn't figure it out after 6 hours.

It's too bad that you interrupted it. There are an astonishing number of 512-byte "sectors" on a disk-drive.

                       One Kilobyte is 1024 bytes.

                   One  Megabyte is 1024 * 1024 bytes.

                      One Gigabyte is 1024 * 1024 * 1024 bytes.

                       One Terabyte is 1024 * 1024 * 1024 * 1024 bytes.

Thus, a 1 Terabyte HDD has 1024 * 1024 * 1024 * 1024  / 512 sectors..  Wow!

So, for a program like RECUVA to read that many sectors, and then to "stitch-together" sectors, to reassemble the sectors into "files", can take a very-long time.