Last try:
1. Go to http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?modelno=WD1001FALS&x=15&y=11
2. Click on the Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for DOS (CD) link
3. On the next page, click on the Download button next to Diag504fCD.iso
4. Once downloaded, burn the downloaded image using whatever suitable application, such as ImgBurn.
5. Reboot your PC, boot from the CD, run the diagnostics.
If you can't follow the above, then sorry but I really don't have the patience nor the time to explain over and over again such simple instructions like how to click on a link on a website to download a file.
There's no need to be rude. When I clicked on the link you posted the first time, it simply gave me a "Page not found" error. Refreshing it and trying again took me here:
http://support.wdc.com/product/downloaddetail.asp?swid=119&wdc_lang=enObviously that's not the page that it's supposed to link to, but at the time, I didn't realize I WASN'T where I was supposed to be. I clicked on a link, it took me to a page. Clicking on it NOW takes me to the
right place (here:
http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?modelno=WD1001FALS&x=15&y=11). So I don't know what happened before. Perhaps that part of their site was down. Whatever the case, the ONLY things on the page I was taken to the first time (besides a wall of text) were links to download Acronis True Image and the user manual for the program (which, as I mentioned, didn't work anyway).
I appreciate the help, but there's no need for condescending sarcasm. I said I had no experience with recovery software and tools; I never said "I'm an idiot". I downloaded and installed three different programs as suggested by others before you even posted; obviously I know "how to click on a link on a website to download a file." That comment in your last post is unproductive and only makes you look like an ass.
Anyway... I will try using this diagnostic tool, now that I can see where to get it.
@Saito S
Form the drive images you linked to above it is clear that your drives are way over capacity.
Very good rule of thumb.
Limit your disk drive usage to 50% of the logical and physical drives with at least 50% free space. Though some will say that you only need 10% - 15% of free space my experience has been 50% is a safe number. You appear to have about 15% - 20% free, but my personal experience is that at that percentage of free disk space you are going to have some major slow downs in a number of disk intensive programs especially if the C: drive is below 20% which yours appears to be.
Hmm... I don't know about all that. I've been operating this way for some time, and haven't had any problems until now. And the C drive is the one with
less free space, proportionally, yet it's perfectly fine. The only problems are with accessing the H drive specifically. Plus... I know it's important not to jam a hard drive with TOO much data, but to some degree, there is only so much I can do about keeping a minimum of free space around; I have a certain amount of files that take up what they take up. I have slacked off on making sure old files that I don't need anymore are deleted; I'm sure I can free up
some space by going through and taking stock of my files, and deleting what I don't need. But I doubt I can free up 50% of my total HDD space.
Also, if you are using Windows Backup and Restore to backup up the Windows Systems Image you might want to check how much disk space these files are taking. They could be taking up a lot of unnecessary space if you have a lot of them on your hard drive. They could also be defragmented which will make it more difficult to defgrag the rest of your hard drive if you do not have a lot of free space on that drive.
I don't believe I've used such a backup option; as I said, I know very little about disk imaging and haven't ever attempted to create one.