Bad sectors... how bad?

[Pdigmking]

OK, so I'm crazy over all this HD stuff, I'm looking at HDs, tryingn to
find out if one brand is better than the other, what difference does buffer
make etc. All this concern is raised by the fact that I ran a chkdsk and
found one bad sector, and maybe my addled brain heard the dreaded
"clacking" from the HD. Setting aside my addled brain for the moment, how
bad is it really to find a bad sector? I mean, does this really mean my
drive is crashing? I just want to catch this before it crashes this time
so I don't have to spend hours re-loading all my programs again.

Any thoughts?

Paul

 

[Al Dykes]

OK, so I'm crazy over all this HD stuff, I'm looking at HDs, tryingn to
find out if one brand is better than the other, what difference does buffer
make etc. All this concern is raised by the fact that I ran a chkdsk and
found one bad sector, and maybe my addled brain heard the dreaded
"clacking" from the HD. Setting aside my addled brain for the moment, how
bad is it really to find a bad sector? I mean, does this really mean my
drive is crashing? I just want to catch this before it crashes this time
so I don't have to spend hours re-loading all my programs again.

I wouldn't waste time on a disk that showed a single bad sector to
chckdsk. Life is too short.

Run the manufacturers DFT test. If it gives you an error
code replace it on warranty or dumpster it.

The manufacturer's web site will have a place to enter your serial
number and it will tell you if it's on warranty.

 

[Jan Alter]

Back up your data and replace the drive. Where one bad sector starts another
follows sooner than later.

 

[Pdigmking]

Back up your data and replace the drive. Where one bad sector starts
another follows sooner than later.

Thanks Al and Jan, I'll replace that hard drive and get it over with.

Paul.

 

[Shep©]

Thanks Al and Jan, I'll replace that hard drive and get it over with.

Paul.

Depending on when you bought the drive check the maker's warranty.some
have a 3 year guarantee

 

[Conor]

Back up your data and replace the drive. Where one bad sector starts another
follows sooner than later.

Rubbish.

 

[Al Dykes]

Rubbish.

Why waste the time, or piss off a customer/user if that's where the
system is going.

I wouldn't use a disk that ever had a bad sector in use for anything
that I wasn't going to blow away anyway, like testing of ghosted
system images.

Life is too short.

 

[djs0302]

OK, so I'm crazy over all this HD stuff, I'm looking at HDs, tryingn to
find out if one brand is better than the other, what difference does buffer
make etc. All this concern is raised by the fact that I ran a chkdsk and
found one bad sector, and maybe my addled brain heard the dreaded
"clacking" from the HD. Setting aside my addled brain for the moment, how
bad is it really to find a bad sector? I mean, does this really mean my
drive is crashing? I just want to catch this before it crashes this time
so I don't have to spend hours re-loading all my programs again.

Any thoughts?

Paul

I definitely wouldn't put anything critical on a hard drive that's
starting to develop bad sectors, although I've been using a dying hard
drive on one of my computers for the last 3 years. Your drive may last
another 10 years or more or it may die tomorrow. The important thing
is to make sure you have all your data backed up on removeable media.
To make it easier you really don't have to back up the operating system
or your programs since you should already have the setup disks for
those things. I personally back up the following:
1. Any documents, photos, mp3s, or other files that I've added to the
hard drive that I have no other copy of,
2.Internet favorites or bookmarks,
3.e-mail addresses and other contact information,
4. saved games and other settings such as high scores.
Also if you've tweaked the registry you may want to back that up too.

 

[Michael Cecil]

Why waste the time, or piss off a customer/user if that's where the
system is going.

I wouldn't use a disk that ever had a bad sector in use for anything
that I wasn't going to blow away anyway, like testing of ghosted
system images.

Life is too short.

Right. Once the spare sectors are depleted and you actually start to see
them on the disk, it's time to retire that disk. Using some SMART
monitoring software should report that status as well.

 

[Conor]

Why waste the time, or piss off a customer/user if that's where the
system is going.

BEcause it isn't anywhere near a guarantee that there's a problem.
There used to be shitloads of HDDs with bad sectors marked in the
Win95/98 days. All of them caused by the PC locking up and a hard reset
being required. There wasn't actually anything wrong with the drive,
just corrupted data for that sector.

 

[Conor]

Right.

Wrong. Anyone from the pre 1998 PC Building era will tell you you're
talking shite.

 

[Al Dykes]

BEcause it isn't anywhere near a guarantee that there's a problem.
There used to be shitloads of HDDs with bad sectors marked in the
Win95/98 days. All of them caused by the PC locking up and a hard reset
being required. There wasn't actually anything wrong with the drive,
just corrupted data for that sector.

That was then, this is now.

To clarify, if chkdsk reports a bad sector and the manufacturer's
drive fitness test software says the drive s OK, I'd reuse it but not
for a critical system.

 

[The Outsider]

Rubbish.

I concur. I have a HDD with a bad sector and it's been that way for a
couple of years with no other issues.

 

[Conor]

That was then, this is now.

And? Nothing has changed.

To clarify, if chkdsk reports a bad sector and the manufacturer's
drive fitness test software says the drive s OK, I'd reuse it but not
for a critical system.

Then you're a moron.

 

[JAD]

I concur. I have a HDD with a bad sector and it's been that way for a
couple of years with no other issues.

A hard drive that has 'a' bad sector is not defective, a harddrive that has
numerous bad sectors is garbage and soon will fail, then you will be here
asking how to get your data back. Does having a bad sector mean that, that
particular sector 'causes' more, no, however if its in the boot sector
you'll be hating life.

 

[Conor]

then you will be here
asking how to get your data back.

No, only you do that because you're too stupid to backup to removable
media. Don't assume everyone else is.

 

[Bob M]

JAD wrote:

A hard drive that has 'a' bad sector is not defective, a harddrive that has
numerous bad sectors is garbage and soon will fail, then you will be here
asking how to get your data back. Does having a bad sector mean that, that
particular sector 'causes' more, no, however if its in the boot sector
you'll be hating life.

True. But the bad sector isn't the only problem the OP's drive has. He
also said it is clicking. He needs to replace the drive.

Bob

 

[JAD]

JAD wrote:



True. But the bad sector isn't the only problem the OP's drive has. He
also said it is clicking. He needs to replace the drive.

Bob

Agreed and that 'clicking' could be the heads crunching over those
'bad' areas.

 

[Pdigmking]

(e-mail address removed) wrote in

I definitely wouldn't put anything critical on a hard drive that's
starting to develop bad sectors, although I've been using a dying hard
drive on one of my computers for the last 3 years. Your drive may
last another 10 years or more or it may die tomorrow. The important
thing is to make sure you have all your data backed up on removeable
media. To make it easier you really don't have to back up the
operating system or your programs since you should already have the
setup disks for those things. I personally back up the following:
1. Any documents, photos, mp3s, or other files that I've added to the
hard drive that I have no other copy of,
2.Internet favorites or bookmarks,
3.e-mail addresses and other contact information,
4. saved games and other settings such as high scores.
Also if you've tweaked the registry you may want to back that up too.

yeah,

I have an external drive that I back up to, but re-loading my operating
system and all the programs is a real hassle that takes hours. I don't
have the actual XP disk so I have to load 95 and run all the upgrades up
through sevice pack two!!!

I guess HDs are so cheap that it makes sense to consider replacing it. I
guess the observation I have is, I've had drives with bad sectors last a
year and then crash, I've had them last three months and crash. Maybe
I've had drives with bad sectors that I never knew about and never knew
the difference. But I've never had a drive with no bad sectors crash.

My problem is I'm one of those guys who makes a computer work, it's not
always pretty, but I keep it going. I don't really know a lot about some
of the details like what a bad sector really is, what causes it, and what
it means.

Paul.

 

[JAD]

(e-mail address removed) wrote in


yeah,

I have an external drive that I back up to, but re-loading my operating
system and all the programs is a real hassle that takes hours.

< I don't

have the actual XP disk so I have to load 95 and run all the upgrades up
through sevice pack two!!!

excuse me? I'm not sure what you mean there...............