Crash/hang/freeze - All Failed: Windows Update, sfc, DISM

I've been struggling with my PC for a few weeks now, and everything I've done to fix it seems to make it worse. First things were just hanging, sometimes with a notice of "Not Responding", but often with no error message at all. (Noticed first on Secunia PSI, Outlook 2010, and Firefox) Windows Updates started failing. I use Advanced System Care Pro and ran all the ordinary scans. I updated and ran Malwarebytes, no malicious items found. Windows Defender updates have been successful, so I ran that a few times, with no issues found. CHKDSK in Admin Command box ran without issue.

Sometimes it takes 10 minutes to open Task Manager or File Explorer. I am trying to make sure I have backups current because I fear I might have to Refresh the system, and I am very concerned about losing Outlook data and losing other desktop program data.

I disabled Windows Updates and switched to Clean Boot, which seems to make rebooting a bit faster (takes about 20 minutes instead of an hour). At the advice of a Microsoft Tech, I ran sfc /scannow in clean boot. First time it finished verifying 75%, then couldn't finish. Next times I tried to run it, it just froze without error messages, even after many hours. So I tried to run DISM (according to tutorial on this website), got Error 1117.

I ran the SF Debug Tool and tried and failed at attaching the .zip file here. The box opened for attaching it, but nothing loaded.

Chrome seems to be working, very slowly, at the moment. Fortunately, I have a smartphone to look up tech help when the computer is not cooperating.

.zip file

Shockwave Flash crashes when I try to upload the .zip file.

edited to add: I think I got it to upload:
View attachment 54130

Please try all of this: Hardware Diagnostics Report back with the results.

Sorry I am a bit confused about the instructions at that link. It's a long list of things to do, the first of which says run overnight, plus run it 7 times. So I will finish the first item on the list in a week? Then I can move on to the second item? Is that consistent with the data contained in the .zip report from the SF Debug Tool?

I only get a few minutes at a time of my computer working well enough to access these message boards, and most of what I try to do freezes after a few minutes.

The "bootable" instructions say to hit Esc (for an HP) to get the BIOS boot screen on startup, but the last time I tried that on Windows 8, it didn't work, and I needed to do something else to get to the alternate boot.

No, you got it wrong. You have to burn this to a blank disc and boot your PC from it. Then run the diagnostic tool for 7 passes, that's a few hours(6-7). Make sure you are testing one stick at the time.

View attachment 54191OK, after 17:45 hours, the first test (Memtest86) had completed 6 passes and was on the 7th, with no error. I stopped it. I found no instructions for testing the sticks separately. I am attaching a photo of the screen right before I stopped it.

The second diagnostic, I am about to perform, but it makes no sense. "Then click on the > sign next to Disk Drives and use Google to search the information listed there. Also check for USB, eSATA, and 1394 devices. In short, you're testing any and all storage devices (remove any flash drives)" My primary hard drive is Hitachi, so that is fine, but everything else listed in my Device Manager is "generic" and I have no idea what exactly I am looking for if I search Google for them, as instructed. The additional drives are:
Generic Compact Flash USB Drive
Generic MS/MS-Pro USB Device
Generic SD/MMC USB Device
Generic SM/xD-Picture USB Device

Please advise.

Test only your primary HDD for now.

OK, I downloaded the disk image ("

Download this image for CD's: http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/downloads/dft32_v416_b00.iso ") ​

and burned it, booted from it and immediately got errors before even getting to the license agreement.View attachment 54194View attachment 54195

Then, after accepting the license agreement, I got this:
View attachment 54196

I tried "help" which was empty, and could not get it to proceed. Eventually it asked me for my serial number, which I didn't have handy. I tried rebooting and running it again, same results. The Hitachi website has a DFT tool that runs in Windows (http://www.hgst.com/hdd/support/downloads/WinDFT Install and User Guide.pdf), would it be worth my time to try that? Or am I doing something wrong with the recommended DFT tool? It seems strange that I can get the machine to do anything if the drive is so badly damaged that the DFT cannot even detect it.

check disk withing Windows using HD Tune. Take a SS of Health Tab.

I have no idea what you mean. Do you mean I should use the WinDFT tool offered at the link I listed above, or do you mean there is something else I should use? I don't know what HD Tune is. Is it part of the WinDFT I am ready to install and run?

No, it is a software that you can download from the internet. By checkdisk I mean: Disk Check - Windows 7 Help Forums

OK, I downloaded and ran HD Tune. Here is the Health Tab:View attachment 54208

I have run CHKDSK in an Admin Command Prompt Window, do I need to run it again? It found no errors two days ago, or do you want a screenshot of the CHKDSK results? I have to run to work now, it will be a few hours till I can perform any more work on this for a bit.

Your Hard Drive is failing. Please backup your data IMMEDIATELY! and replace the HDD.

I bought a new hard drive. Backing up now. Thanks for your help!

I did run chkdsk, again, and it found no errors. Does that mean anything?

Not really. HDD is damaged and there is not much you can do. Please do inform me if BSODs persist.