bad clusters != bad sectors? CHKDSK. How many is normal?

[qazzaq]

Hi all,

This is regarding my main PC, which I've had for about 2.5 years.
From the beginning, WinXP has always needed to do CHKDSK, every 2 weeks
or so, and it often finds bad clusters and errors in the MFT. "Minor
inconsistencies" are even more frequently found. This computer never
BSODs, and is very rarely subjected to abrupt power cuts.

Interestingly, CHKDSK always reports zero bad sectors, which suggests
that bad sectors != bad clusters. So what are bad clusters really? The
bad clusters are often found in scary looking OS system files, but as
long as I let WinXP do CHKDSK about once a month, the system seems to
behave OK, lasting a year or so between reinstalls.

I don't think it's the harddrives because I have RMAed (exchanged) two
WD400BB's and the problems remained exactly the same.
Recently I bought a new 160GB Deskstar 7K250, so I did an OS reinstall,
but 1 week later, I am having the same old problems.

I am using an IWill KK266+R mainboard, and the supplied 18inch flat
ATA100 cables.
Will shorter cables will help? Is it the motherboard?

Thanks very much
- qazzaq



----------------------------------------
Here is a paste of a typical CHKDSK report that I get...
----------------------------------------

Event Type: Information
Event Source: Winlogon
Event Category: None
Event ID: 1001
Date: 2/8/2004
Time: 4:17:41 PM
User: N/A
Computer: SUPERC
Description:
Checking file system on C:
The type of the file system is NTFS.
Volume label is main.

A disk check has been scheduled.
Windows will now check the disk.
Cleaning up minor inconsistencies on the drive.
Cleaning up 5 unused index entries from index $SII of file 0x9.
Cleaning up 5 unused index entries from index $SDH of file 0x9.
Cleaning up 5 unused security descriptors.
CHKDSK is verifying file data (stage 4 of 5)...
Windows replaced bad clusters in file 8324
of name \WINDOWS\system32\dllcache\mssoap1.dll.
Windows replaced bad clusters in file 8412
of name \WINDOWS\system32\dllcache\nls302en.lex.
Windows replaced bad clusters in file 9966
of name \WINDOWS\system32\dllcache\nv4_mini.sys.
Windows replaced bad clusters in file 10918
of name \SYSTEM~1\_RESTO~1\RP2\A0001837.inf.
Windows replaced bad clusters in file 15968
of name \SYSTEM~1\_RESTO~1\RP16\snapshot\REPOSI~1\FS\OBJECTS.DATA.
Windows replaced bad clusters in file 16426
of name \SYSTEM~1\_RESTO~1\RP20\snapshot\_R017D~1.
Windows replaced bad clusters in file 16786
of name \SYSTEM~1\_RESTO~1\RP22\snapshot\_R017D~1.
Windows replaced bad clusters in file 17207
of name \SYSTEM~1\_RESTO~1\RP26\snapshot\_R62E7~1.
Windows replaced bad clusters in file 29401
of name \WINDOWS\system32\dllcache\imjpcic.dll.
Windows replaced bad clusters in file 29915
of name \WINDOWS\system32\dllcache\hwxkor.dll.
File data verification completed.
CHKDSK is verifying free space (stage 5 of 5)...
Free space verification is complete.
CHKDSK discovered free space marked as allocated in the volume bitmap.
Windows has made corrections to the file system.

25599545 KB total disk space.
6804092 KB in 39969 files.
12752 KB in 2545 indexes.
0 KB in bad sectors.
109037 KB in use by the system.
65536 KB occupied by the log file.
18673664 KB available on disk.

4096 bytes in each allocation unit.
6399886 total allocation units on disk.
4668416 allocation units available on disk.

Internal Info:
78 a6 00 00 1d a6 00 00 95 ef 00 00 00 00 00 00 x...............
ac 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 0b 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
b0 97 4b 01 00 00 00 00 d0 5a 8b 1a 00 00 00 00 ..K......Z......
d0 dc 23 01 00 00 00 00 50 bd f1 dc 00 00 00 00 ..#.....P.......
10 57 10 cc 00 00 00 00 f0 1e d7 cc 01 00 00 00 .W..............
99 9e 36 00 00 00 00 00 21 9c 00 00 00 00 00 00 ..6.....!.......
00 f0 49 9f 01 00 00 00 f1 09 00 00 00 00 00 00 ..I.............

Windows has finished checking your disk.
Please wait while your computer restarts.


For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

 

[philo]

Hi all,

This is regarding my main PC, which I've had for about 2.5 years.
From the beginning, WinXP has always needed to do CHKDSK, every 2 weeks
or so, and it often finds bad clusters and errors in the MFT. "Minor
inconsistencies" are even more frequently found. This computer never
BSODs, and is very rarely subjected to abrupt power cuts.

Interestingly, CHKDSK always reports zero bad sectors, which suggests
that bad sectors != bad clusters. So what are bad clusters really? The
bad clusters are often found in scary looking OS system files, but as
long as I let WinXP do CHKDSK about once a month, the system seems to
behave OK, lasting a year or so between reinstalls.

I don't think it's the harddrives because I have RMAed (exchanged) two
WD400BB's and the problems remained exactly the same.
Recently I bought a new 160GB Deskstar 7K250, so I did an OS reinstall,
but 1 week later, I am having the same old problems.

I am using an IWill KK266+R mainboard, and the supplied 18inch flat
ATA100 cables.
Will shorter cables will help? Is it the motherboard?

I'd do a comprehensive RAM test

 

[qazzaq]

I'd do a comprehensive RAM test

Thanks!
Memtest86 did find a flaky spot in my memory.
Tests out OK after I set to more conservative timings.
Depending on whether CHKDSK still finds problems in about a month's
time, i'll then be sure if this was the cause.

 

[cquirke (MVP Win9x)]

On 9 Feb 2004 20:17:52 -0800, (e-mail address removed) (qazzaq)

Memtest86 did find a flaky spot in my memory.
Tests out OK after I set to more conservative timings.
Depending on whether CHKDSK still finds problems in about a month's
time, i'll then be sure if this was the cause.

In addition to testing it again in a months' time, leave the system to
run through at least 30 passes through the test overnight.

---------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -

Consumer Asks: "What are you?"
Market Research: ' What would you like us to be? '