Hard Drive Problem.

[bdenner]

I have a NoteBook with a hard disk fault and the likely-hood of me getting a replacement is slim. Back in the DOS days we used a utility that detected the faulty sectors and isolated them, I think it was called ‘chkdsk’. It appears XP uses a similar utility with it’s built in disk error checking program which an be used on boot up. This program is not doing what I expected of it and isolating the bad sectors.

I have spent some time doing a ‘Google’ search for a package without finding what I think I need. Any ideas?

Thank you.

[Crossy]

I have a NoteBook with a hard disk fault and the likely-hood of me getting a replacement is slim. Back in the DOS days we used a utility that detected the faulty sectors and isolated them, I think it was called ‘chkdsk’. It appears XP uses a similar utility with it’s built in disk error checking program which an be used on boot up. This program is not doing what I expected of it and isolating the bad sectors.

I have spent some time doing a ‘Google’ search for a package without finding what I think I need. Any ideas?

Thank you.

From your command prompt try chkdsk /R

[lomatopo]

I have a NoteBook with a hard disk fault and the likely-hood of me getting a replacement is slim. Back in the DOS days we used a utility that detected the faulty sectors and isolated them, I think it was called ‘chkdsk’. It appears XP uses a similar utility with it’s built in disk error checking program which an be used on boot up. This program is not doing what I expected of it and isolating the bad sectors.

I have spent some time doing a ‘Google’ search for a package without finding what I think I need. Any ideas?

Thank you.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

From your command prompt try chkdsk /R

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Do you have boot in "safe mode", or boot directly to DOS, to use this command prompt?

[Crossy]

I have a NoteBook with a hard disk fault and the likely-hood of me getting a replacement is slim. Back in the DOS days we used a utility that detected the faulty sectors and isolated them, I think it was called ‘chkdsk’. It appears XP uses a similar utility with it’s built in disk error checking program which an be used on boot up. This program is not doing what I expected of it and isolating the bad sectors.

I have spent some time doing a ‘Google’ search for a package without finding what I think I need. Any ideas?

Thank you.

From your command prompt try chkdsk /R

Do you have boot in "safe mode", or boot directly to DOS, to use this command prompt?

No, you can do it from the 'run' box, just put 'cmd'

EDIT:- Start -- Run --- cmd <enter>

Edited November 9, 2005 by Crossy

[bdenner]

From your command prompt try chkdsk /R

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks. I have just tried that and as I suspected it is the same program I can schedule to run at boot up from the tools menu on the disk properties tab.

It cruises through the 5 stages of diagnostics and does not detect the problem I know is there.

EDIT; I have tried 'Norton Disk Doctor' in the past prior to total crashes (which will happen again) and it appears to use chkdsk as well.

Edited November 9, 2005 by bdenner

[lomatopo]

Maybe head over to Tucows and search for "disk utilities"? I'm certain you can find something there.

[Crossy]

Better do a backup NOW!

What manufacturer is the iffy drive? Many have 'health check' software on the web, worth a look.

Any reason you can't get a replacement??

[The Coder]

I would replace the drive quickly. Hard drive technology is extremely different than the old Dos days; you can't think in that mindset. Back then if there was a simple media surface imperfection, you got a bad sector and that was no big deal. Today it doesn't work that way. The drives have massive amounts of layered error correcting code and integrated defect mapping. If you have bad sectors, it means there is a very serious problem and whatever is going wrong may exponentially increase without warning.

I experimented with a thinkpad hard drive where some bad sectors appeared. I successfully mapped them out, but then more kept appearing. I worked around this by repartitioning such that the bad area was completely unused. But the unreadable area spread from megabytes to gigabytes and not long after every area of the disk became marginal. The drive lasted about two weeks from the point bad sectors started showing up.

Edited November 9, 2005 by The Coder

[astral]

A new disk will not be expensive and you will probably get more space at

the same time.

Do not delay.

[bdenner]

Better do a backup NOW!

What manufacturer is the iffy drive? Many have 'health check' software on the web, worth a look.

Any reason you can't get a replacement??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks to all.

The machine is a Sony-Vaio FX series I bought in the US some 2 years ago. My fault, I did not check warrenty conditions and NO international warrenty but I tried to get a new drive in Aust. some 12 months ago only to be told that it would take up to 3 weeks. How long here?????.

I finished up buying a new HP Notebook and just pissing around with the Sony to try and isolate the faulty sectors. I have the drive partitioned and the fault has only ever appeared on the C Drive (the smaller of the 2 partitions).

It's not a big deal, something else to keep me off the beer for a few more hours a day.

[Crossy]

I can't imagine even Sony using a proprietry interface for a hard drive, I strongly suspect that any 2.5" notebook drive will fit and work.

Is the drive readily removable? Post a piccie.

Have a word with one of the numerous notebook repair places in Pantip, Fortune Town or Zeer Rangsit (if you're out that way).

[bdenner]

I can't imagine even Sony using a proprietry interface for a hard drive, I strongly suspect that any 2.5" notebook drive will fit and work.

Is the drive readily removable? Post a piccie.

Have a word with one of the numerous notebook repair places in Pantip, Fortune Town or Zeer Rangsit (if you're out that way).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Unlike the battery, floppy and CD the hard drive is hidden in the bowels of the machine and I don't have the tools to open the case. I don't think I would if I could!

We do have a very basic IT complex up here in Udon but I'm not quite ready to let them attack it yet.

[slimdog]

Just in case you do feel adventurous, there is a fairly good write-up on changing a sony hard drive at:

http://www.myplc.com/sony/hard_drive_replacement.htm

[bdenner]

Just in case you do feel adventurous, there is a fairly good write-up on changing a sony hard drive at:

http://www.myplc.com/sony/hard_drive_replacement.htm

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

WOW

Good site! My machine is an FX370 but looking at the pics for the FX210 I see many similarities. Could be encouraged to have a go at it myself with this info.

Thanks.

[bdenner]

After reviewing the link suggested by Simdog I decided “What the he1l, let’s have a go” and borrowed some jewellers tools. Glad I didn’t have the DT’s. Extraction of the drive was as simple as detailed by the instructions, low and behold Crossy was right --- I found an IBM Travelstar (one size fits all) hard drive. Don’t know what sort of crap the Sony Repair agent in Perth was feeding me, anyway at my 1st opportunity I will source a new one hopefully bigger than the 20GB as is.

Special thanks to everyone for the push I needed and getting me to the information.

[Crossy]

Well done that man!!!!

Since it's a Travelstar you could try downloading the IBM Drive Fitness Test from IBM.com.

I think it has a facility for mapping out iffy sectors properly, can't hurt.

[francois]

hi'

as far as I can understand the problem here, it's a faulty hard drive ...

one:make a backup asap!

two:look for a program called copy raptor and check your disk with ...

can take time, plan to do something else during process

once completed, the program will tell if it could restore all files and folders or not, (need an ext drive) if yes you'll find all your disk without fault on the ext drive in a folder that the program will have asked you before to begin the process.

if some clusters or files can't be restored, I guess that you know what it means

so backup first!

francois

Edited November 10, 2005 by francois

[Guest endure]

Well done that man!!!!       

Since it's a Travelstar you could try downloading the IBM Drive Fitness Test from IBM.com.

I think it has a facility for mapping out iffy sectors properly, can't hurt.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If it's a modern IDE drive and it's reporting bad sectors it is NOT salvageable. It's on the way out big time.

[bdenner]

Thanks for the latest input. I’ll just reiterate the machine is not used for serious operations in this condition and has had ‘C’ Drive issues for some 15 months now. Not getting any worse – just intermittent.

An interesting event since yesterdays ‘Heart Surgery’. I’m not saying the problem is fixed yet, too early, but the machine is operating the best it ever has.

It took me 3 attempts to get the Drive back in and operating again. Kept loosing files on boot up and I thought ‘here we go again’ but then I noticed that the Drives Cage edge connector was not perfectly aligned with the mother board plug. A minor adjustment and “presto” we’re off and running, for the last 20 odd hours I’ve been exercising the &lt;deleted&gt; out by filling it up with files and then wiping them (all zeros) then running alternate MS and Norton System Works defragmenting routines. (Ever noticed that the two have different ideas on how your drive should be organised?)

I have downloaded the Drive Fitness Test from IBM but not used it yet. Watch this space!

[francois]

hi'

glad that all came back alright ...

just a very tiny harware problem and one may think that the machine is off ...

that's why techies take sometime to check everything before to say, it's dead!

good shot

francois

[lunatic69]

HDD regenerator will fix your harddrive

Get it on this link

http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Utiliti...egenerator.html

[lunatic69]

HDD regenerator will fix your drive

get it here

http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Utiliti...egenerator.html

[bdenner]

Another 72 hours of saturation testing successfully completed, this time wiping the drive with Hex 0x00, then Hex 0xFF and then Hex 0x55 (alternate one’s and zero’s). Used Norton Wipe Info with the Govt Wipe and verify option.

I guess there is only one more test before I will have 100% confidence. I promise not to drop the machine from any more than about 24 inches and then it will probably be onto my bed.

[kayo]

bump