Easy Solutions for Fixing HP Computer’s SMART Hard Disk Error 301 Error

I. What is SMART hard disk 301 error and its reasons?

SMART Hard Disk Error (301) on HP PCs is an error message that typically appears when starting Windows and indicates that the hard disk on your computer has failed. When the HP computer is turned on, the firmware performs a power-on self-test on the system to detect whether there is a problem with the hardware, and if you receive a SMART hard disk error (301) prompt, it means that the hard disk is damaged during the power-on self-test, and the user should back up important data as soon as possible And check and repair the faulty hard disk or replace it with a new hard disk.

The reasons for the SMART hard disk 301 error may be related to computer overheating, physical damage to the hard disk, system file corruption, malware infection, BIOS settings, etc. You can try the following solutions first. If the problem persists, it is recommended that you back up your data before replacing the hard disk.

II. How to deal with the 301 error of SMART hard disk?

1. Restart the computer

When encountering the SMART hard disk 301 error for the first time, it is recommended to try to restart the computer to check whether the SMART hard disk error prompt is a false positive.

You can also try a hard reboot, as follows:

① Shut down your computer completely.

② If the computer is plugged into an outlet, pull out the power plug, and then remove the battery completely.

③ After that press the power button on the laptop and hold it for about 30 seconds, reinstall the battery and try to start the device again to see if the problem is resolved.

2. Enter the BIOS to detect the hard disk

The HP computer BIOS firmware contains the function of detecting the hard disk, and you can enter the BIOS to detect the hard disk status. Proceed as follows:

Step 1: Turn on the power of the computer and immediately press the (F10) key until the BIOS interface appears.

Step 2: Under the Diagnostics tab, select Primary Hard Disk Self Test and the hard disk test will begin. If there is no error message, it means that the hard disk has passed the test. If there is an error message ERROR error or ERROR or FAIL error or failure, it means that there is a hardware failure in the hard disk.

3. Use the Chkdsk command to scan and repair the hard disk

If the BIOS hard disk self-check fails to detect the hard disk problem, you can also use the Chkdsk command to scan and repair the hard disk. The Chkdsk command can repair bad sectors and directory errors that may cause errors.

Step 1: After the prompt of hard disk error 301 appears, please restart the computer. If it starts up smoothly, search cmd in the Windows search bar, right-click command prompt, and select Run as administrator. If you cannot restart smoothly, you can consider using the Windows installation disk to start the computer, select Repair Computer to enter the recovery environment, and run the following command in the recovery environment Command Prompt.

Step 2: After opening the command prompt, you can enter the Chkdsk command, such as chkdsk C: /f /r /x (C refers to the disk number of the system hard disk, which can be changed according to the actual situation, /f will try to repair the disk found on the disk. error, /x to force unmount the drive before starting the scan; /r to scan for and attempt to repair bad sectors), then press Enter.

Step 3: If you are prompted “chkdsk cannot be run because the target disk is in use, do you want to perform the check task next time you restart your computer”, please press Y to agree to run Chkdsk check next time your computer restarts. After the Chkdsk check is complete, restart the computer to see if the problem is resolved.

4. Use the disk check function

The Windows system also provides a disk check function, which can check the file system errors of the disk. The specific steps are as follows:

Step 1: Turn on This PC. Right-click the target disk, select Properties.

Step 2: In the new window, switch to the Tools tab and click on Check.

Step 3: Click (Scan Drive). If errors are found, restart the computer to repair the file system.

5. Replace the hard disk after backing up the data

If none of the above methods can solve the problem, it is recommended that you back up the hard disk data before replacing the hard disk. If your computer can start normally, you can use the professional backup software – Renee Becca to back up the hard disk data in advance, click here to view the specific steps. If you cannot restart the computer to enter the Windows system, it is recommended that you back up the data through Renee PassNow before replacing the hard disk.

Renee PassNow is a professional system rescue software, which can help Windows users clear Windows account passwords, create new administrator accounts; restore disk/memory card data, recover data after hard disk formatting; transfer disk files; erase or scan Disk files, etc. In addition, this software also supports repairing Windows system problems, such as: repairing MBR boot records, DBR error parameters, 0xc00000e, Windows system startup failure, and some problems that cause black screen or blue screen, etc. As a system rescue tool with various functions, it is perfectly compatible with multiple systems including Windows 10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista, and can meet the system rescue needs of different users.

Phase 1: Create a boot disk to start the computer with Renee PassNow

Step 1: Download and install Renee PassNow on other computers that can log in and run normally, then connect the U disk to the PC, run Renee PassNow, and then check in “Step 1: Select creation method” (Create a Live USB) option. (Note: Before performing this operation, please make sure that the important files in the U disk have been saved in other locations, because the operation process will delete all the data in the U disk.)

Step 2: Next, select (x64) or (x86) according to the system type, click the (Download Now) button to download the ISO file, click the (Create a Live USB) button after the file is downloaded, and click the (Eject USB) button.

Step 3: Connect the created boot device to the computer that needs to transfer data, turn on the computer, and then the shortcut key to enter the BIOS will be displayed on the computer screen (the display time of this interface is very short, maybe only one or two seconds), click continuously BIOS shortcut key to enter the BIOS setting interface, and then set the boot U disk as the first in the boot sequence in Boot Priority, then save the settings and restart the computer.

Phase 2: After starting the computer with the boot disk, back up the hard disk data

After successfully starting the computer from the startup disk, you will enter the Renee PassNow function interface. You can select the (Data Backup) function to backup/clone the hard disk, or (Data Transfer) to transfer some data, or use the (Undeleter) function to delete the data in the hard disk. Revert to another hard drive.

Step 1: After booting the computer from the bootable USB flash drive and entering the application, select the option Data Backup. This option is equivalent to completely cloning the hard disk to other hard disks, so the hard disk capacity for saving backup files needs to be larger.

Step 2: Select the hard disk to back up files in the source list, select the hard disk to save files in the destination list, and finally click the button clone and wait for the cloning to complete to successfully back up the computer files.

Phase 3: After the hard disk data is backed up, the hard disk can be replaced

After successfully backing up the hard disk data, you can replace the hard disk. If the computer hardware is still within the warranty period, you can contact the official after-sales maintenance organization for free replacement. If the warranty period has expired, you can replace it yourself or go to a repair agency for a replacement.

When replacing the hard disk by yourself, pay attention to the following points:

● When choosing a new hard disk, pay attention to the hard disk model supported by the computer, which can be queried from parameters such as hard disk interface, hard disk speed, capacity, and size.

● Prepare the required installation tools, such as Phillips screwdriver and rubber gloves.

● Please disconnect the power supply when replacing the hard disk.

● If you don’t know how to disassemble and install the hard disk, please search the Internet for hard disk disassembly and assembly videos corresponding to your computer model to learn.