SpinRite won't work.

Hi Syncopator, it looks like SpinRite may not recognise EFI GPT partitions You may need to go to GRC.com to check that.

Fafhrd said:

Hi Syncopator, it looks like SpinRite may not recognise EFI GPT partitions You may need to go to GRC.com to check that.

That may be so Fafhrd but I don't have the patience to struggle with recalcitrant software. As far as I can see SpinRite won't work on this computer.

I was made aware of SpeedFan some years ago but I never gave it much attention. Its S.M.A.R.T. function's Status says no error, both Value and Worst columns have identical values, and the Fitness and Performance bars are both all blue.

That's all very well I suppose, but a few months back I ran Memtest86 which gave some very worrying results. I consulted a local IT specialist. They did some checks said that the hard disk had very serious problems and should be replaced with some urgency.

I'm rather confused now.

addendum: HddStatus is far beyond me I'm afraid.

So far Chkdsk, and SMART are checking out without worrying errors. Good news. I'm glad Speedfan ran OK.

Memtest86, as its name suggests, tests memory, and nothing to do with HDDs.

If you have had memory problems, perhaps you need to attend to them. Have your repeated Memtest recently? Memory problems can result in a range of other problems.

You have no computer specs in your profile so it is difficult to comment on your system and how you should go about testing it beyond running the program again.

So a local IT dealer wanted to replace your hard disk on the basis of a bad Memtest86 report?

Perhaps they wanted to make some money out of you in order to get some basic computer troubleshooting training! Or else they were conning you. I wouldn't quote their website here - I think it may be against forum rule number 3, even if there is no positive comment about the site or business.

HddStatus is far beyond me I'm afraid.

How so? Just click the button on Speedfan SMART page that says "Perform an in depth online analysis..." etc., and a browser window will open with a report on it.

Fafhrd said:

So far Chkdsk, and SMART are checking out without worrying errors. Good news. I'm glad Speedfan ran OK.
Memtest86, as its name suggests, tests memory, and nothing to do with HDDs.

Ok, I'm still living and still learning.

Have your repeated Memtest recently? Memory problems can result in a range of other problems.

No I haven't, but I will start it shortly before retiring to bed.

You have no computer specs in your profile so it is difficult to comment on your system and how you should go about testing it beyond running the program again.

Hewlett-Packard 110-412na Board: Hewlett-Packard 2B28 1.01(ECN1)Bus Clock: 83 megahertzUEFI: AMI A0.11 09/29/2016

How so? Just click the button on Speedfan SMART page that says "Perform an in depth online analysis..." etc., and a browser window will open with a report on it.

I had wrongly assumed that HDDstatus was a separate thing altogether and that the script/s must be installed by the user

addendum: Just booted from my Memtest disk. It doesn't run properly. None of the keys have any effect.

Ok, I'm still living and still learning.

That's what TenForums is all about! You seem to have Quoting on TF worked out - I still manage to mess quotes up on occasions!

Shawn Brink has published a tutorial to run the Windows 10 memory diagnostics here:

Run Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool in Windows 10 Windows 10 Hardware Drivers Tutorials

I am guessing that you have secure boot enabled and that is preventing Memtest and SpinRite disks from booting - another tutorial:

Enable or Disable Secure Boot on Windows 10 PC Windows 10 Security System Tutorials

Or specifically from HP, the section on Disabling secure boot on desktop computers, about 2/3rds down the document:

HP PCs - Secure Boot (WindowsÂ*10) | HP® Customer Support

At the end of Shawn Brink's Tutorial on Windows memory Diagnostics it states:

7. When you sign in to Windows 10 next, you should see the Windows Memory Diagnostic test results as a notification after a few minutes. (see screenshot below)
Tip
If the Windows Memory Diagnostics test results do not show as a notification for you, then you can see them in Event Viewer.

How to Read Memory Diagnostics Tool Results in Event Viewer in Windows 10

Read Memory Diagnostics Tool Results in Event Viewer in Windows 10 Windows 10 Performance Maintenance Tutorials

I am forever crossing swords with this OS and this computer. Iv'e had reservations about the machine for some time.

I might start looking for a decent computer with a 64 bit Win 7 installed.

Not every PC/OS combination works for some folk. I would agree that rather than problems with the machine, you are having problems with the way Windows 10 restricts you to activities that are designed to be secure and safe for the user and the machine.

It happened each time to users moving from Windows 98 to XP, from XP to Vista or Windows 7, and so on up to Windows 10.
It has parallels with our parents and theirs, saying "I remember a time when nobody ever locked their doors, we had nothing compared to today and everybody was happier..."
HP do "control" their Machines harder than some other manufacturers do - I have a Compaq (HP) notebook that I tried to upgrade the supplied WIFI mini-adapter card that seemed to have poor range compared to other laptops I had had before - and the notebook displayed an error on startup, effectively advising me to get the official HP WIFI part because the 3rd party card that I had inserted would not be supported - so I had to change it back.

However you choose to continue (Windows 7, different PC etc.,) for now, there will come a time when the newest release of Windows will be the only option on a new PC, and that PC will have all the up-to date security available, developed in conjunction with Microsoft's vision, and will not be at all like Windows 7.

The learning curve then will be even steeper.