XPS L502X Pre-boot System Assessment Build 4129 displays hard drive error at each startup

According to BIOS the hard drive is a WDC WD7500BPKT-75PK4T0 -(S0) 750GB which is probably from Western Digital.

Maybe this can be fixed by deleting or changing the self test log?

As I've been using the laptop with the hard disk for months and it works perfectly, despite the error report once at each startup that is really disturbing me, I suspect the drive is not damaged physically or hardware-related but basically due to errors contained in the self test log.

According to Dell's support website the Support Services for the laptop have expired. In a phone call with their support I've been informed even buying support for the XPS L502X is not possible.

Unplug the system and remove the base cover.  Disconnect the main and CMOS batteries from the system for 30 minutes. Reconnect and restart the system.  That will clear the log file.

If you then see the error again, it is current and the system is sensing an issue with the drive.  WD has its own diagnostic utility (Dashboard) you can use to thoroughly test the drive.

@ejn63The website https://support-en.wd.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/12452 that also links to Dashboard, refers to Windows and macOS only but I do not have these OS installed. The DELL laptop is a Linux system. As Linux is not supported, is it possible to run the above tests from another computer that has Windows installed by establishing a WiFi, Bluetooth, Ethernet/LAN/network cable or USB cable connection between the 2 computers and accessing the remote WD drive in the DELL laptop?

No, but you can prepare a Windows bootable flash drive and run Dashboard from that.

@ejn63How can I prepare a Windows bootable flash drive on the other computer running Windows?

Many options here:

https://www.majorgeeks.com/content/page/5_bootable_isos_to_boot_and_repair_your_computer_for_free.html

You now have two completely separate pieces of evidence that the drive is failing -- it's not clear why you think disconnecting the power will solve a hardware problem with the drive, but it's something you're free to pursue.

If you're seeing sectors being reassigned, note that:

1.  There are bad sectors on the drive

2.  Enough sectors have gone bad that all the spares built into the drive have been exhausted, meaning

3.  The damage is propagating inside the drive and leading to the conclusion:

The reason you're unable to install the operating system is the the sector reallocation is playing havoc with the Windows installer.

Bottom line:  you need a new drive.

Hi. I've been able to run WD's Dashboard app from a Windows bootable flash drive. Dashboard displays on its splash screen (Status):

Drive Health: Poor

Poor = A S.M.A.R.T. attribute has exceeded its threshold

After running the S.M.A.R.T. Diagnostic Extended Test from the Tools tab it confirms the test has completed and displays:

Failed with error code: 4

According to the website https://support-en.wd.com/app/answers/detailweb/a_id/32313#subject2 this means:

S.M.A.R.T. Data (also from Tools tab) displays that

ID       Name

5        Reassigned Sector Count

exceeds the threshold by far.

Other hard drive management apps included in the Windows bootable flash drive flagged the Reallocated Sectors Count in their S.M.A.R.T. Data view as "BAD" (Probably the "Reassigned Sector Count" is the same as the "Reallocated Sectors Count").

So I think this entry is basically the problem.

Probably I am going to try to disconnect the entire power supply including the CMOS battery from the laptop for at least 30 minutes, next.

You've recommended two options above in the thread. 1. To disconnect all power supply. 2. To run WD's Dashboard. Because I could not solve the problem with Dashboard, I thought disconnecting power might fix it.

I do not get how it is possible that enough sectors have gone bad that all the spares built into the drive have been exhausted when a full surface test does not even show one bad/damaged sector. All sectors are OK.

I am not unable to install the operating system. I can install an OS onto the hard drive without any issues.

I may have confused your issues in getting a flash drive to boot with having issues loading the OS.  

However, given the quote from above:

"

Hi. I've been able to run WD's Dashboard app from a Windows bootable flash drive. Dashboard displays on its splash screen (Status):

Drive Health: Poor

Poor = A S.M.A.R.T. attribute has exceeded its threshold

After running the S.M.A.R.T. Diagnostic Extended Test from the Tools tab it confirms the test has completed and displays:"

The drive clearly has developed bad sectors and is on its way to duty as a paperweight.  That's what the errors mean.  It may well mean that there are still spare sectors available (which is why it's possible to pass a chkdsk diagnostic), but the drive isn't long for this world.

WD Dashboard is not a fix-it utility.  It's a diagnostic, and "drive health poor" means that it's just a matter of time before the drive, which is on the edge of useable at the moment, tips over the edge to oblivion.  It's also why the Dell diagnostics continue to run -- each boot writes a new SMART error to the log.  Clearing the log will have no effect -- not until the root problem is solved.

If you don't have a backup of the drive, you need one, immediately.

And if you have plans to keep using the system for the forseeable future, it's an excellent opportunity to improve overall performance by replacing the failing, spinning drive with a solid state SATA drive.

Probably age/use/end of life.  The drive was released by WD in 2011 -- so it's well past its expected lifespan (the design life of a hard drive is five years;  that much has not changed in decades).  

There is no way to know definitively -- hard drives are complex electromechanical devices that are subject to wear, and mobile drives lead rough lives between the heat inside the system and being subjected to movement during use.

Just one errant bump is enough to start media damage that eventually dooms the drive.

No, it's not likely to be due to hard poweroffs -- any drive that is as contemporary as this one automatically parks the head stack assembly even with a quick poweroff.  It's unlikely that a few of these would have caused damage to the drive.

Thank you for your reply.

Is the current problem/condition of the hard disk the result of turning the laptop on and off several times in a row simply by pressing the On/Off key instead of shutting down properly or is it a question of age/lifetime?

Are the S.M.A.R.T. data saved on a specific space on the hard drive (that is not erased when the disk is wiped) or are they saved on the BIOS chip?