Bad Harddrive?

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Bad Harddrive?

Name: ChrisG (by ChristopherTGarrett)
Date: October 24, 2007 at 17:49:06 Pacific
OS: Windows 98SE
CPU/Ram: PIII 450 Mhz 192 MB
Product: Dell XPST450

Comment:

Can this drive be fixed? Scandisk could not fix the errors. Here is the scandisk.log.
*******************
Microsoft ScanDisk for Windows
NOTE: If you use an MS-DOS program to view this file, some of the characters
may appear incorrectly. Use a Windows program such as Notepad instead.
Log file generated at 11:27 on 10/24/2007.
ScanDisk used the following options:
Thorough test
Automatically fix errors
Drive (C:) contained the following errors:
ScanDisk could not properly read from or write to cluster 621297.
This cluster is currently unused.
Resolution: Repair the error
Results: Error was corrected as specified above.
ScanDisk could not properly read from or write to cluster 692505.
This cluster is currently unused.
Resolution: Repair the error
Results: Error was corrected as specified above.
ScanDisk could not properly read from or write to cluster 692641.
This cluster is currently unused.
Resolution: Repair the error
Results: Error was corrected as specified above.
ScanDisk could not properly read from or write to cluster 1243348.
This cluster is currently unused.
Resolution: Repair the error
Results: Error was corrected as specified above.
ScanDisk could not properly read from or write to 8 sector/clusters starting at 1246042.
Resolution: Ignore this error and continue
Results: Error was not corrected.
Results: Correction failed. The error is not correctable or involves system files.
ScanDisk found errors on this drive but did not fix all of them.
-------------------

Keyboard not detected. Hit F1 to Continue. BREAKFAST.SYS HALTED Cerial port not Responding!!

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Response Number 1

Name: worldlibrary
Date: October 24, 2007 at 18:21:26 Pacific

Reply:

Well it has been my experience that when clusters start going it is like a cancer.
It also works on the mind. Do I save this file on a failing hard drive or not? The question just never goes away.
Toss it .....Hard drives aren't that expensive.
Just my opinion.

Response Number 2

Name: aegis
Date: October 24, 2007 at 18:49:05 Pacific

Reply:

I agree with Worldlibrary. It appears that the drive is failing. Picking up a bunch of defective sectors is a bad sign. That's almost always a sign of impending doom.
From the message it seems that there are so many bad sectors that there are no more alternate sectors to assign for the bad ones.
You will notice that it fixed the first few, but then evidently ran out of spare sectors.
Try and save whatever data you can immediately.

Response Number 3

Name: CHKDSK
Date: October 24, 2007 at 19:50:27 Pacific

Reply:

Ok well the drive has been bad for about 3 years. It been used off and on not the whole time. It want do a full format without it going to relocateing alocation table. I also ran norton disk doctor on it and thought it fixed it but i guess not. I will try and get a drive soon maybe before it completely fails and i can ghost eveything to the new drive.
Thanks

Response Number 4

Name: rollingboat
Date: October 24, 2007 at 20:28:42 Pacific

Reply:

Hard disk problem is very annoying. You don't know when it is damaged. Any method to avoid the problem of hard disk failure?

Response Number 5

Name: CHKDSK
Date: October 25, 2007 at 02:05:39 Pacific

Reply:

There are programs that warn early of a failer. Also some BIOS'S have what is called
S.M.A.R.T not sure what it stands for but it also will warn the drive is failing. This disk also failed that. Im just waiting to see how long it will hold on. I have older drives that still work i have a 2 gig and a 4 gig also have a newer 20 gig thats already failed.
Thanks

fail on int 24 bad pbr sig SD USB failed: RPC Error: Program not registered scandisk log the domain password you supplied is not correct or access to your logon ser setup was unable to read from or write to drive c norton disk doctor dos keyboard not detected press f1 to continue norton disk doctor dos	DVD soitin USB kovalevy no flash alternative VM_Create on UI failed the thread tried to read from or write to a virtual address is overclocking bad the thread attempted to read from or write to a virtual address s.m.a.r.t. status bad smart disk failure is refurbished bad too many bad sectors detected
See More

Response Number 6

Name: cliffpage
Date: October 25, 2007 at 05:40:18 Pacific

Reply:

In my experience age or amount of use of the drive does not relate to when they fail. Some fail early, some go on and on and on and on .....

Response Number 7

Name: Outlander
Date: October 25, 2007 at 08:06:44 Pacific

Reply:

I would say to zero fill the drive and see if the bad sectors re-appear. Of course if this HD is meant to have sensitive data on it, then I think it's time for a new one.

Response Number 8

Name: StuartS
Date: October 25, 2007 at 08:10:34 Pacific

Reply:

>> Any method to avoid the problem of hard disk failure? <<
There is only one way to completely avoid the problem of hard disk failure and that is to keep it in its box and never use it.
Hard disks are electro-mechanical devices. Mechanical things ware out. Plus they are precision instruments that don't take kindly to any kind of abuse.
Hard disks fail; its a fact of life. Thats why savvy people keep backups of important data and not trust their livelihood to what amounts to a piece of rusty aluminum.
Stuart

Response Number 9

Name: forever
Date: October 25, 2007 at 20:47:29 Pacific

Reply:

If the computer is running the OS in ram under diskless condition, then the problem of harddisk failure can be solved. You may visit http://www.disklessangel.com for information of running OS in ram under diskless condition.

Response Number 10

Name: StuartS
Date: October 26, 2007 at 03:07:37 Pacific

Reply:

Don't get to carried away with the diskless idea. You still need a hard disk to get the process started and you will need a hard disk to store your data.
The only way to completely eliminate a hard disk from a computer is if your are a client connected to a domain controller then you use the domain controllers hard disk.
Stuart

Response Number 11

Name: forever
Date: October 28, 2007 at 22:45:35 Pacific

Reply:

From the information mentioned in website http://www.disklessangel.com, you can find out that the OS can be bootted from CD/DVD, SD, USB Flash etc, so no need to use hard disk to get the process started. Also you can make use of mobile hard disk such as USB Flash etc to store your data in case of need.

Response Number 12

Name: beckrl
Date: November 6, 2007 at 15:42:37 Pacific

Reply:

One more opinion the S.M.A.R.T will let you now that the harddisk is failing, but to continue to use the harddisk it will stop.
I have got smart to test the harddisk after three restarts then harddisk died.
So backup and get new harddisk.

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