Compaq Presario notebook freezing in normal mode but fairly ok in safe mode

I have a Compac Presario CQ62-306AU, running windows 7 home premium 64 bit with an AMD V140 2.29 mhz processor, 2 GB of ram, and 320 GB hd, which is freezing up when in normal mode.
I have run diagnostics, recovery, and reinstalled windows, and the hard drive fails the short test at 54%. It does run fairly well in safe mode with only occasional freeze when too much open.
Does it mean I need a new hard drive or is there some way to work around it? In older windows versions you could load programs one by one to see what program froze it, but you don't seem to be able to do it now.
Any ideas?
 
..."and the hard drive fails the short test at 54%" Yes, the hard drive is bad. It will need to be replaced
 
Back