My HD p00ping out?

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el Gato

el Gato

Has-Been
Jan 19, 2000
3,524
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outside Raleigh NC
Sorry #1, gotta rant: fukfukfukfukfukfukfukfukfukfuk)

(Sorry #2, lengthy post...)

OK, I have a 10G EIDE 5400 HD (Drive C) that seems to be $hitting out on me.

Last night I was performing my bi-monthly ScanDisc/Defrag. (I'm currently using Microsoft's utilities.) I ran a standard ScanDisc - no errors found. Ran the Defrag, and at 10% completed, I got this error:

Image1.jpg


Hitting HELP brought up the ScanDisc utility. As instructed, I ran another standard ScanDisc - No errors found. I initiated another Defrag. At 10% in, I got another message:

Image4.jpg


So I ran a thorough scan - no errors found. A third Defrag gave me the first error message at 10% again.

F it. I then tried Norton's Disc Doctor. (I had just installed Norton's Utilities about 2 weeks ago via Norton SystemWorks 2002). Everything OK. Ran Norton's Speed Disc. It stopped with an error, and suggested running NDD again. Same $hit with the ScanDisc/Defrag, NDD did not detect any errors.

Now utterly pi$$ed, I get online to do a little research, to find out about the errors and such. As soon as the first web page started to load, I got the following BSOD error:

Disc Write Error
Unable to write to disc in drive C
Data or files may be lost
Press any key to continue

When I pressed any key, it would momentarily kill the BSOD error, but I'd get it right back again. I finally killed my connection inbetween errors and the errors stopped. I quickly updated my essential files backed-up (Why it allowed me to burn a CD from files on my C drive, I have no clue...) and shut down my system.

My last complete virus scan was last week. Also, my last complete ScanDisc/Defrag was prior to installing Norton's SystemWorks 2002. My wife just called me at work to let me know that all sorts of BSOD errors came up upon startup this morning. Sorry, no details on these.

One other thing: In hindsite, I've noticed the last 2 months or so, my Defrag has hung up at 10% for a few (as much as 4-5) minutes, but it would continue and complete the Defrag.

Any suggestions?

[edit - It's still warranty. I'll be up in June at three years old.]
 
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DeaJae

taking a month's break
May 7, 2001
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www.littleportitservices.co.uk
have you tried a surface scan yet?

im guessing that will bring up bad clusters which would explain Defrag's behaviour, however im concerned if it nots appearing on the normal ScanDisk checks. if it displays the "Write Error" BSoD again id buy a new HD.

Bad sectors are using caused when the machine's power is cut while write to the disk, most typicaly during Windows setups where its encountered a unrecoverable power error or on NT machines where it resets it self when clearing swapfiles on shutdown
 
el Gato

el Gato

Has-Been
Jan 19, 2000
3,524
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outside Raleigh NC
DeaJae, thanks for the response.


(More info - I'm running Windows 98SE)

The "thorough" option on ScanDisc includes a surface scan. No errors are ever identified and/or fixed during the scan. :(

As far as I know, I've never experianced an unrecoverable power error. And both my wife and daughter understand proper Windows shutdown procedures, but I guess it's always possible that the system's power was cut while writing to the disc at some point...
 
Swedix

Swedix

Retired from UT2004
Apr 19, 2000
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If you still have warranty, send the disk back and get a new one.
It can be a mechanically error.
I have seen that several times.
 
C

CRYPTO83

sheer azz kikin force!!
Feb 8, 2002
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WWW.BLACKCODE.COM
allmost sounds like some buggy antivirus goodness:) its all the read/write errors you get and then no errors found on disk... but it still allows you to burn a cd.....very odd indeed...if you had wrecked sectors on your hd drive i do beleive that any reading or writing would error out...nortons is notoriuos for finding viruses and locking down your system when in fact nothing is there...
get a good fire wall , sygate makes an exelent freeware one and a router works to......and use the nortons stuff only if you think you got a virus then uninstall it.......
 
el Gato

el Gato

Has-Been
Jan 19, 2000
3,524
0
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outside Raleigh NC
Originally posted by CRYPTO83
allmost sounds like some buggy antivirus goodness:)
Click to expand...

Give that poster a cookie! :)

Well, it wasn't the drive, but Norton's SystemWorks. I used my restoration disc to perform a gwscan on my HD. It passed the scan with flying colors. Then, in safemode, I did a thorough ScanDisc and defrag. All went well, so it had to be software, and since I had just installed Norton's... Rebooted, uninstalled all Norton/Symantec files, cleaned my registry, did another safemode ScanDisc and defrag. Rebooted. Did a third ScanDisc and defrag. Tooled online, played some games, burned some discs – no BSOD’s. I did reinstall Norton’s Antivirus, nothing else off that SystemWorks CD. So far everything is peachy. :)

I’m glad I got it back up and running properly, but pissed at SystemWorks. Way to buggy for me to run on my system.

Thanks for your help. :)
 
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