I am still limping along on this Toshiba Satellite A505-s6980. Has 4GB RAM, 500GB HD, dual core Intel, 16" screen, long-life battery. First, it gave me a warning on imminent hard drive failure couple of weeks ago. Backed it up. I did this and that and about that time, I got a virus. Took me several days to get rid of that. I say get rid of it... not sure I got rid of it totally. It is functioning but upon bootup, it behaves normally and over the course of a day of heavy surfing, which I do continually, it slows to a crawl. Plus, it does weird stuff. Like starting programs that I did not start.

So, what to do. I can buy a 500GB HD for $85. I figure I would get a tech guy to help me. Install the new drive, copy the old stuff from the backup to it. Then, clean it up, removing a ton of stuff that came on here that I don't need and also trying to totally rid it of viruses and spyware. I guess that could cost $200. So, I'd be in for $285.

Or, buy a "new" refurbished one, same model, for $510. Still would have to transfer the contents of the backup to it and then clean it up.

Looks like similar, new computers would cost me $650 or more. What to do! I bought this one about 2.5 years ago.

Any thoughts?

Have you looked into an iMac?

I have used a Mac in the past two years for several months and I am who is in the camp that Macs are WAY overpriced. It just irks me. I can't see how with the PC World being what it is in 2011, how a Mac has such an advantage relative to its price. And, in my day job world, there are services which I use that are PC only.

I may get one someday but not yet. Maybe I will change my mind someday.

Sounds like it could be a virus, trojan or some other type of invasion. However if you received notice of a hard drive warning, then I would just go with the new drive. These warnings are real.

If you have XP, and can afford a new computer, I would opt for a new computer with Win7 64. XP is good, Win7 is better.

If you already have Win7, then I would try restoring from your system image repair disk...that is if you actually made an image system repair disk in the past. (It's quick and simple in Win7). If you did not make such a disk , then other options would be; try a restore, or one (or more) of the many free programs available to 'clean' your hard drive. Among others, a few of my favorite such free programs are Advance System Care, CCleaner and ATF Cleaner

You can try these, won't hurt, but IMHO, it's the hard drive, and if your satisfied with your computer, and system, a new hard drive is the way to go. If you are ADDING a hard drive, and keeping the old in the same laptop, then I highly recommend Western Digital, and the free Acronis WD Edition for a fast, easy way to clone, backup, add a new hard drive, and more.

Good Luck

I am thinking I will keep this laptop, it works fine otherwise. As I said, I did a backup onto an external HD upon getting that first HD warning. Will my laptop boot upon dropping the new drive in? (I do not think this laptop has a place to add an ADDITIONAL HD -- http://us.toshiba.com/computers/laptops/satellite/A500/A505-S6980) I have to transfer the backup to the new HD. I started a thread on here awhile back about the HD warning... I'll read that again, maybe someone told me how to install the backup to the new drive.

More justification for the price of a "Virus free" mac. Add up all the years of McAfee subscriptions and down time ... the mac is priced just right. I have NEVER had a virus or crash in my macs.

SemiLiveMusic,

When computer slows down over the time it might be sign of:

- virus/trojan/rootkit activity, or

- hardware problem (usually with hard disc and then computer slows down because it is used constantly for swap files etc.)

- dust blocking air-flow (specific for some notebook models due to a poor design) when CPU slow down because of detected overheating

- lots of programs installed in SysTray (started during boot-up) or lots of active programs that 'eat' all of the RAM memory so disk get used to often

Let's assume that it's virus (or something similar) in Your case. You might try installing ComboFix (can be found on www.bleepingcomputer.com) and let him do the job. It takes about 15 to 30 minutes depending on the hard disk occupancy, and number of rootkits (nasty 'bugs' that often pass by anti-virus programs and 'infect' PC deeply) detected.

As for the disk replacement, it's fairly easy, although I'm IT specialist for a long time so it might seem too easy for me, and to hard for You. :-)

Hard disk replacing is as easy as:

- unscrewing the screw on the HDD bay door (usually) on the back of the laptop
- pulling flexible plastic (there is even arrow in the direction of disconnecting) connected to the light aluminum frame around hard disk (this actually unplug the hard disc connector from notebook motherboard)
- unscrewing two or four small screws to remove the hard disc from the frame
- put the new hard disc into the frame and repeating procedure backwards

:-)

After physical exchange of the disc, You have to:

- reinstall operating system
- reinstall all the drivers (usually located on Recovery or Install disc of Your notebook)
- reinstall all the application You use
- copying back all user files previously backed up to the external disc: user files (usually at locations of My Documents, Desktop, or some other), e-mails (if You use Outlook or other e-mail program), Favourites, etc.

This might be long, tedious and intimidating process, but I prefer this to using some specialized program for data migration
(usually used to migrate all Your data from one PC to another one).

Also, if you use program that copies your Registry file (in order to 'transfer' all user applications without reinstalling them) You will most likely transfer the part or whole rootkit to
Your new disc.

Another benefit of the upper procedure is the fact that Your laptop will work much faster because You will not reinstall bunch of small (or bigger) programs You installed at some time in the past but You are not using it at all).

But there is also possibility that You forget to install some program, or worst, you loose installation disk.

Anyway, first try ComboFix procedure, and after decide what to do.

P.S. Sorry for the size of the post, but I tried to explain everything and format it for easy reading.

Good luck.

Well, higher price of Apple computers is not related to 'virus free' or 'crash free' privilege, after all, I now many cases of people with 'virus free' and 'crash free' non-Apple PC-s. ;-)

Hi



It is a myth... Sorry to kill a darling...

http://www.antihacksecurity.com/index.php/the-news/121-are-macs-virus-free-answer-is-no-
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12537279/ns/technology_and_science-security/

Regards
Jørgen

BTW: NEVER had a virus at my pc...

Hi Guys,
bit of a dumb question, but, if it is a virus or a trojan of some sort that's causing the problem, if you actually transfer the programs etc from your old drive, to a new drive, could you also be transferring the virus or the trojan, and actually wreck your new drive as well??

I recently had something go wrong with my old netbook. Too dumb to work out what the problem was, but it had the option of formatting & returning it back to factory standard.
Does formatting & returning back to factory standard, kill a virus or a trojan, just in case that was the cause of my problem also.