Smart Hard Disk Error 301

[Lou43]

I have a Pavilion dv-7-4285dx. My start up says: Smart Hard Disk Error 301. How do I correct?

[DavidPK]

Hi,

The error may indicate that your Hard Drive is failing and needs to be replaced.

First of all, remove and then reconnect the Hard Drive - the procedure is described starting on Page 54 of your Maintenance & Service Guide.

Next, tap away at f10 as you start the notebook to enter the bios menu.  Under the Advanced or Diagnostic tab you should find the facility to run a test on the Hard Drive.  Post back with the details of any error messages.

Regards,

DP-K

[Lou43]

I will try...

[DavidPK]

Hi,

Ok, let me know the result of the test on the Hard Drive after you re-seat the dirve.

Also let me know if your notebook is still under warranty.

Regards,

DP-K

[Lou43]

Thanks Dean, I completed the removal, re-assembly of the drive and completed the test. The laptop opened with the 301 error. I hit the enter key to start up the computer, but it took a long time to completely come on line.

The date of Warrantey is 12-19-2010. I would like to note that the error started just before the one year anniversary date.

[DavidPK]

Hi,

Given the 301 error and the symptoms you describe, I would say that you need to replace the Hard Drive.  If you would like a guide on this, please let me know.

Regards,

DP-K

[Lou43]

Thanks for your feed back. How do I go about getting a replacement Hard Drive? When I bought this unit, it did not come with backup software.Do I have to download all the software that was proprogrammed?

[DavidPK]

Hi,

The drive on the link below is an example of one that would be fine for your notebook.

640Gb Hard Drive.

The procedure to replace the Hard Drive starts on Page 54 of your Maintenance & Service Guide.

As you don't have your Recovery Discs, you can order a replacement set using the link below - use these discs to reinstall the operating system.  They will also reinstall all the original software that was bundled with your notebook as well as re-creating the Recovery Partition on the new drive.

http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/bph07143

If you have any problem with this link, order them directly from HP.

If you live in the US, contact HP Here.

If you are in another part of the world, start Here.

Regards,

DP-K

[Lou43]

Thanks for your response. I have copied the Recovery partition D from the HP hard drive to an external hard drive.Can I use this recovery file to load the new hard drive wilth all of the files needed to bring the new hard drive back to when the computer was originally loaded? If so, in the setup will the computer recognise this external hard drive with the file in it? Please provide specific info on loading this procedure. 

Thanks

[DavidPK]

Hi,

You will not be able to use the copy of the Recovery Partition files to reload the OS from an external drive.

Other than ordering a replacement set of Recovery Discs, it may still be possible to create your own set.  I would try doing this in Safe Mode to minimise the the strain on the Hard Drive.

First, shut down the notebook.  Tap away at f8 as you start the notebook to enter Windows Recovery Console.  Use the arrow keys to select Safe Mode and hit enter.  Let windows fully load in this mode and then follow the steps outlined in the document on the link below to see if you can create your set of recovery discs.

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c01895783

Regards,

DP-K