Data corruption on HDD - should I still use it?
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From: John Smith on 16 May 2010 05:01 Hi, I recently began experiencing data corruption errors on my OS SATA HDD (I am using XP Pro sp3). I performed CHKDSK /F and it seemed to have fixed the issue. Then a few days later I couldnt boot into my OS at all. There was an error telling me that C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\system was corrupt or missing. I tried a few things but in the end I just restored my OS image onto a PATA drive instead and all was well again. While I was reconfiguring my system I decided to use the SATA drive as a data drive instead. I performed a quick format on that SATA drive from within XP and copied across a few files onto that SATA drive. I then noticed those data files turned corrupt on that drive.I then performed a CHKDSK /F on it and it was trying to fix the errors for over 15min. I then gave up and stopped the CHKDSK process and did a normal reformat of the SATA drive. Then I did another CHKDSK /F on the drive and all was well. I am a bit sceptical about this drive now and don't know if i should use it anymore due to the issues I had with it. What can I do to test whether this drive actually has something wrong with it or not? Any help appreciated. Cheers, JS
From: SC Tom on 16 May 2010 08:37 "John Smith" <someone(a)microsoft.com> wrote in message news:uxM1rZN9KHA.4768(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl... > Hi, I recently began experiencing data corruption errors on my OS SATA HDD > (I am using XP Pro sp3). I performed CHKDSK /F and it seemed to have fixed > the issue. Then a few days later I couldnt boot into my OS at all. There > was an error telling me that C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\system was corrupt > or missing. I tried a few things but in the end I just restored my OS > image onto a PATA drive instead and all was well again. > > While I was reconfiguring my system I decided to use the SATA drive as a > data drive instead. I performed a quick format on that SATA drive from > within XP and copied across a few files onto that SATA drive. I then > noticed those data files turned corrupt on that drive.I then performed a > CHKDSK /F on it and it was trying to fix the errors for over 15min. I then > gave up and stopped the CHKDSK process and did a normal reformat of the > SATA drive. Then I did another CHKDSK /F on the drive and all was well. > > I am a bit sceptical about this drive now and don't know if i should use > it anymore due to the issues I had with it. What can I do to test whether > this drive actually has something wrong with it or not? > > Any help appreciated. > > Cheers, > JS Go to the drive manufacturer's website, download and run their diagnostics program. Most of them have them. If not, you can try HD Tune http://www.hdtune.com/. I would definitely be making an image, moving anything of importance off that drive, and at least taking it out of service until you can get a new one if the diagnostics show a problem, no matter how slight. As cheap as drives are now (relatively speaking), it's not worth the aggravation or risk to keep it in service. -- SC Tom
From: John Smith on 16 May 2010 11:54 >> Hi, I recently began experiencing data corruption errors on my OS SATA >> HDD (I am using XP Pro sp3). I performed CHKDSK /F and it seemed to have >> fixed the issue. Then a few days later I couldnt boot into my OS at all. >> There was an error telling me that C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\system was >> corrupt or missing. I tried a few things but in the end I just restored >> my OS image onto a PATA drive instead and all was well again. >> >> While I was reconfiguring my system I decided to use the SATA drive as a >> data drive instead. I performed a quick format on that SATA drive from >> within XP and copied across a few files onto that SATA drive. I then >> noticed those data files turned corrupt on that drive.I then performed a >> CHKDSK /F on it and it was trying to fix the errors for over 15min. I >> then gave up and stopped the CHKDSK process and did a normal reformat of >> the SATA drive. Then I did another CHKDSK /F on the drive and all was >> well. >> >> I am a bit sceptical about this drive now and don't know if i should use >> it anymore due to the issues I had with it. What can I do to test whether >> this drive actually has something wrong with it or not? >> >> Any help appreciated. >> >> Cheers, >> JS > > Go to the drive manufacturer's website, download and run their diagnostics > program. Most of them have them. If not, you can try HD Tune > http://www.hdtune.com/. > > I would definitely be making an image, moving anything of importance off > that drive, and at least taking it out of service until you can get a new > one if the diagnostics show a problem, no matter how slight. As cheap as > drives are now (relatively speaking), it's not worth the aggravation or > risk to keep it in service. > -- > SC Tom Thanks for the reply Tom. Yes i think you're right. Not worth the aggravation. This one is going out of service. Cheers, JS
From: Paul on 16 May 2010 12:08 John Smith wrote: >>> Hi, I recently began experiencing data corruption errors on my OS SATA >>> HDD (I am using XP Pro sp3). I performed CHKDSK /F and it seemed to have >>> fixed the issue. Then a few days later I couldnt boot into my OS at all. >>> There was an error telling me that C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\system was >>> corrupt or missing. I tried a few things but in the end I just restored >>> my OS image onto a PATA drive instead and all was well again. >>> >>> While I was reconfiguring my system I decided to use the SATA drive as a >>> data drive instead. I performed a quick format on that SATA drive from >>> within XP and copied across a few files onto that SATA drive. I then >>> noticed those data files turned corrupt on that drive.I then performed a >>> CHKDSK /F on it and it was trying to fix the errors for over 15min. I >>> then gave up and stopped the CHKDSK process and did a normal reformat of >>> the SATA drive. Then I did another CHKDSK /F on the drive and all was >>> well. >>> >>> I am a bit sceptical about this drive now and don't know if i should use >>> it anymore due to the issues I had with it. What can I do to test whether >>> this drive actually has something wrong with it or not? >>> >>> Any help appreciated. >>> >>> Cheers, >>> JS >> Go to the drive manufacturer's website, download and run their diagnostics >> program. Most of them have them. If not, you can try HD Tune >> http://www.hdtune.com/. >> >> I would definitely be making an image, moving anything of importance off >> that drive, and at least taking it out of service until you can get a new >> one if the diagnostics show a problem, no matter how slight. As cheap as >> drives are now (relatively speaking), it's not worth the aggravation or >> risk to keep it in service. >> -- >> SC Tom > > Thanks for the reply Tom. Yes i think you're right. Not worth the > aggravation. This one is going out of service. > > Cheers, JS You can also change the SATA cable, or the SATA port used, and retest. Just in case there is something wrong with the high speed communications, rather than the disk itself. Paul
From: Twayne on 16 May 2010 16:00
In news:uxM1rZN9KHA.4768(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl, John Smith <someone(a)microsoft.com> typed: > Hi, I recently began experiencing data corruption errors on > my OS SATA HDD (I am using XP Pro sp3). I performed CHKDSK > /F and it seemed to have fixed the issue. Then a few days > later I couldnt boot into my OS at all. There was an error > telling me that C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\system was > corrupt or missing. I tried a few things but in the end I > just restored my OS image onto a PATA drive instead and all > was well again. > While I was reconfiguring my system I decided to use the > SATA drive as a data drive instead. I performed a quick > format on that SATA drive from within XP and copied across > a few files onto that SATA drive. I then noticed those data > files turned corrupt on that drive.I then performed a > CHKDSK /F on it and it was trying to fix the errors for > over 15min. I then gave up and stopped the CHKDSK process > and did a normal reformat of the SATA drive. Then I did > another CHKDSK /F on the drive and all was well. > I am a bit sceptical about this drive now and don't know if > i should use it anymore due to the issues I had with it. > What can I do to test whether this drive actually has > something wrong with it or not? > Any help appreciated. > > Cheers, > JS Have you tried the manufacturer's test program? Free and should be easy to download if they're any good at all. At least one of your failures could have been the quickl format you did; nothing gets fixed that way; just the tables get refreshed (cleared). If you have bad sectors and the number of them changes from time to time, that drive is done for; replace it. But if it's a stable, unchanging number, the drive might last for years yet - hard to say for sure. HTH, Twayne` |