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This laptop has 3 years of use. After Windows 7 boots it starts having this freezing "waves" that last for a few seconds to a few minutes. I can use it again for a few seconds or minutes and then it happens again.

During the freezes the mouse still moves, but no clicks or keys are effective. Almost anything I try to do seem to trigger the freeze, like trying to connect wifi, trying to enter the Task Manager, trying to install Google Chrome.

In safe mode with network the problem is still present. I noticed it happening even in the BIOS utility (transitions from menus freezing for 2sec). I already restored de OS to the factory state with a full restore (formatting HDD) and it still happens. Thus, I don't think it's SW related.

I know the fan can still spin because I can hear it and there is hot air flowing through the vent. After the boot it's always making noise. After the first freeze it goes silent and no noticeable air flowing.

It never really freezes in a hard way and never turn off or restart. The HD Led never goes off, it's always on or blinking fast, like there is a lot of HD operations going on.

SMART stats:

enter image description here

DavidPostill
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Gustavo
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    Check your hard drive for SMART errors [How can I read my hard drive's SMART status in Windows 7?](http://superuser.com/q/29240), and [What is the easiest method of checking SMART status for your hard drive?](http://superuser.com/q/14803) – DavidPostill Jan 20 '16 at 15:22
  • Do you have any AV running? – Burgi Jan 20 '16 at 16:57
  • @DavidPostill I used Speccy to check SMART. All the counters are marked good. See the image in the end of the post. – Gustavo Jan 20 '16 at 17:28
  • @Burgi I had, but since I restored the entire OS, not anymore. – Gustavo Jan 20 '16 at 17:29
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    If you can remove the HD and still get into the BIOS, and it still happens, you can eliminate the HD as a possible source of the problem. – Yorik Jan 20 '16 at 17:34
  • @DavidPostill The status of all attributes is "good" but the mais status of SMART is "warning" – Gustavo Jan 20 '16 at 17:38
  • 3yrs is end of warranty for commercial disks, and you've a few re-allocs in there which is a sign of wear. Theres a good chance its the disk. Boot Linux off a USB key, if the problem goes away then its time to replace the hard drive (Preferably with an SSD). – Linef4ult Jan 20 '16 at 17:39
  • @Linef4ult Tried a Ubuntu live CD and it worked fine. Used the browser, internet, some apps. – Gustavo Jan 20 '16 at 19:27
  • Very good chance your HDD is about to roll over and die so. Make sure you're backed up. – Linef4ult Jan 20 '16 at 21:08
  • @Linef4ult I installed the Ubuntu in the Hdd and it worked fine. But the hard drive tool of Ubuntu warned about two SMART counters. – Gustavo Jan 20 '16 at 22:03
  • @Linef4ult HDDScan surface test reported 531 bad blocks. Is this enough to condemn the HDD? – Gustavo Jan 21 '16 at 00:42
  • @Gustavo If you're at that point the drive is heavily worn, re-allocs will continue steadily. 3Yrs is the warranty of consumer drives because thats typically how long they last. Get yourself a nice SSD. – Linef4ult Jan 21 '16 at 11:32
  • @Linef4ult Thanks. I always thought of SSDs as double the price and half the capacity and longevity. – Gustavo Jan 21 '16 at 11:41
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    Prices have fallen dramatically. In tests you have to write petabytes before they fail (You'll have bought two new computers before you wear one out) and the performance is just so much better you'd be crazy not to. – Linef4ult Jan 21 '16 at 11:59
  • @Linef4ult Replaced the HDD and everything is working fine now. – Gustavo Jan 25 '16 at 14:23

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