3 FAT32 partitions damged, NTFS okay

[Clyde]

ShuttleX mini system
Windows 2K SP4
WD Caviar SATA 200GB

C: FAT32
D: NTFS (OS)
E: FAT32
F: NTFS
G: FAT32
H: FAT32

System was running overnight. Clicked on a program icon and got the
"This application is not a Win32 app" message. Rebooted box then got
the NON SYSTEM DISK error.

Running Win98 boot disk, scandisk shows C, E, and G drives came up as
bad.

So many errors on C that I had to reformat C. Reinstalled Win2K
(install did not see the existing Win2K installation).

My question: is this indicative of a problem with the hard drive or
something far more sinister.

 

[Al Dykes]

ShuttleX mini system
Windows 2K SP4
WD Caviar SATA 200GB

C: FAT32
D: NTFS (OS)
E: FAT32
F: NTFS
G: FAT32
H: FAT32

System was running overnight. Clicked on a program icon and got the
"This application is not a Win32 app" message. Rebooted box then got
the NON SYSTEM DISK error.

Running Win98 boot disk, scandisk shows C, E, and G drives came up as
bad.

So many errors on C that I had to reformat C. Reinstalled Win2K
(install did not see the existing Win2K installation).

My question: is this indicative of a problem with the hard drive or
something far more sinister.

In w2k look in Event Viewer (My Computer -> Manage > Event Viewer ->
System) to see if there are any errors.

Look at the manufacturers web site and see if they have a diannostics
tool for your disk. If they do, run it.

If you see error check the serial # and warranty. If you see error try
to get it replaced while you can.

Run NTFS wherever possible.

 

[Clyde]

No suspicious events in log.

WD diagnostic shows no errors.

 

[Alexander Grigoriev]

Does BIOS support BigATA? If not, Windows may run the disk in 28-bit LBA
mode, and you get 137 GB problem.

 

[Al Dykes]

Does BIOS support BigATA? If not, Windows may run the disk in 28-bit LBA
mode, and you get 137 GB problem.

The OP didn't say, that I noticed, but a pre-USB NT machine could have
2GB d or 4GB disks.

Once the OS is running the BIOS limits don't apply. Soem LBA or
CCHHSS calculation does, but I can't work it out now.

When NT boot partition was limited to the first 1000 cylinders we
could buy 4GB disks that far exceeded the boot limitation. IMO as
soom as disks hit 1GB they were way a head of the boot limitations of
the installed base of systems.

The machine I bought a year ago has a boot limitation of 137GB
but I've got a 200GB disk (single partition) as a secondary.

 

[Alexander Grigoriev]

The problem seems to be that Windows 2000 SP4 still requires EnableBigLba
registry setting, otherwise shit happens.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;305098