Advice on Bad Disk

[Pete]

I have noticed that I am getting lots of Errors in the Event Log(System)
which relate to a disk problem.
In the event log, it says the category is None and the Event is 7 (whatever
that means!)
When I double click on the error(s) it states:

The device, \Device\Harddisk0\D, has a bad block

I have 2 drives on the PC.
Drive 1,a Maxtor, has 2 partitions labelled C and E
Drive 2, a WD, had 1 partition labelled D

It sounds like, due to the number of errors, that I should consider
replacing the drive.
But which one is faulty?
The error states Harddisk0 which leads me to think it is the Maxtor.
However, the D in the error messgaes points me to the WD.

Anyone know how to tell? Or can someone suggest a utility to run to check
the disks health?

Pete

 

[José Gallardo]

Try Start>Execute and type without quotes "chkdsk /f" and scan in the next reboot.

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi,

The maxtor is the problem. Click start/run, type cmd and hit <enter>. From
the prompt, run "chkdsk C: /r" (without the quotes), follow the prompts for
it to occur on a system restart (you cannot dismount the drive while it is
in use and as long as Windows is running it will be). Repeat this for drive
E: (which, if it's a data-only drive, may be able to be dismounted and run
in normal mode). This will allow the system to mark any bad sectors as
unusable.

You may also want to download and run a drive diagnostic from maxtor's web
site. These free utilities will run from a bootable floppy or CD and will
run some tests to tell you if the drive is a candidate for replacement. Be
cautious, as some of the tests will wipe the drive clean, make sure you read
the descriptions of what each one does. It is also possible that the bad
block error is being caused by a faulty IDE cable, so you may want to
consider replacing it (and for most hard drives nowadays, you need to use an
80 wire cable, not 40).

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Kenny]

Related question. I recently ran checkdsk. It ran after a reboot then
booted into Windows normally. It didn't give me any info on what, if any,
errors were found and what action was taken to correct them. Where can I
find this info, does checkdsk keep a log and if so where?

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Kenny,

No log is kept.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Steve N.]

Related question. I recently ran checkdsk. It ran after a reboot then
booted into Windows normally. It didn't give me any info on what, if any,
errors were found and what action was taken to correct them. Where can I
find this info, does checkdsk keep a log and if so where?

Right click My computer, Manage, Event Viewer, Application, look at the
Winlogon entries.

Steve

 

[Steve N.]

Hi Kenny,

No log is kept.

What about event viewer?

Steve

 

[Pete]

Thanks for the advice.
I ran the chkdsk command and (touch wood) it seems to have done the trick.
I also replaced the IDE cable just in case.

Am I right in thinking that XP will keep re-trying to use bad blocks which
will then cause me to see lots of errors even if there are only a few bad
blocks?
The chkdsk has marked the bad blocks as unusable so XP won't even try to use
them again?

Pete

 

[Steve N.]

Thanks for the advice.
I ran the chkdsk command and (touch wood) it seems to have done the trick.
I also replaced the IDE cable just in case.

Am I right in thinking that XP will keep re-trying to use bad blocks which
will then cause me to see lots of errors even if there are only a few bad
blocks?

No, it won't.

The chkdsk has marked the bad blocks as unusable so XP won't even try to use
them again?

That is correct.

Pete

I'd keep your files backed up and keep an eye on the disk and do a
CHKDSK /R periodically in case the drive is failing further.

Steve