I suspected that the operating system has crashed, and I tried formatting and re-installing Windows. However, during the re-installation of my programs, the computer hung again. After some trial and error, I reckon that the hard disk may be the culprit for the problems. I used HD Tune Pro to check, this is what I got:
Reallocated Sector Count, and Current Pending Sector.
In simple terms: Bad Sector on the Hard Drive.
As I didn't want to squeeze with so many people at Sitex, I decided to go Sim Lim Square to buy my replacement. The bad news is, all the shops brought their hdd to Sitex, and I had no choice but to buy at Bizgram at S$85, note: I did not even bargain, as I don't usually do.
This is where the interesting part starts. Being a geek, I checked the hdd on the spot using my laptop.
Using PC Wizard, I can check the total boot, and power on count.
It looks something like this:
For a brand new hdd, the power on count should not be there, as any usage below 1 hour will not be recorded, and total boot should be less than 10x. However, the one I got from Bizgram had 119x, 42 hours, so obviously, it is NOT a brand new one.
(Note, the above is an example image, I forgot to take Screenshot of the scam hdd as i was so mad)
I confronted the salesperson, to no surprise, he claims that the hard disk is SEALED and thus must be a brand new one. For non-technical people, it would probably have worked, but unlucky for him, he tried to smoke the wrong guy.
A little background info: HDDs which for whatever reason RMA'ed (Return Merchandise Authorization ie sent for repair) will come back sealed in plastic wrap. RMA repairs whatever that has failed, but the SMART statistics still remains. Based on my estimation, 119 boot count and 42 hours would mean the drive was used for at least 2 months.
So next, Bizgram person tried to push the blame to Seagate, telling me to contact Seagate, I almost fell for it, luckily my sister was there. Because if I stepped out of the shop, Bizgram will definitely deny responsibility and Seagate of course would also not accept any responsibilities, as the fault is not theirs. So luckily my sister insist that we get an exchange on the spot. After making a ruckus, and scaring most of their customers away, they gave up, and changed a new one for me. That new one, had only 4x boot count, and no power on count history.
Imagine how many people was scammed by Bizgram international? Even among my engineer friends, I am the only one who know how to check for boot count etc, needless to say non-engineers. Selling RMA'ed HDDs as brand new is obviously a bloody scam. I don't know how Bizgram get their hands on RMA'ed HDDs, and how much profit they make, but I do know that this scam shop is a Star Retailer, certified by Sim Lim Square. To the think of it, the Star Retailer title might actually be bought with money, money they got from scamming people.
*edit 15/06/2011*
I just recalled that Bizgram always have one of the biggest booth at the PC/IT shows which occurs once every 3 months. I am not saying that all of their products have problems, but I'd not buy from them anymore, especially since they have a long track record of bullshit issues such as this one.
