P
paulo
I've just replaced my primary hard disk after believing that the last two
system failures have been due to a failure of the disk, which showed up as
various programs reporting various disk errors: e.g. run Norton disk doctor
(without 'Fix Errors' checked) and it reports disk errors. Then run it with
'Fix Errors' and it decides it cannot do anything, so schedules a disk check
on next startup - which of course is actually MS's CHKDSK, not Norton. But
CHKDSK reports no errors.
I have tried to do my homework on this, and now believe that any errors I
was seeing might just be down to the way that XP/NTFS locks the volume, and
whilst locked, various 'minor errors' (in MS speak) are visible. But it
doesn't put me at ease that I have a reliable way of checking the integrity
of my hard disk. So, can anyone confirm:
- would it be right to state that a CHKDSK run from the repair console after
booting from the original install CD would 1/ have full access to the disk
(i.e. as XP hasn't booted, it can't have locked it) and 2/ if this reports
that the disk is clean, then it must be?....
- as above, but having F8 booted to a DOS prompt (whoops - is this possible?
forgot to check....).
- are there any tools (other than Norton) that are worth running once XP has
booted, to verify the integrity of the disk? *preferably freeware, as I have
already shelled out for Norton (and am only now seeing it's limitations due
to the way NTFS works...).
Just makes me think that I wasted my money on a replacement disk, and/or
XP/NTFS has really screwed up visibility of being able to check your
hardware for errors......
TIA.
system failures have been due to a failure of the disk, which showed up as
various programs reporting various disk errors: e.g. run Norton disk doctor
(without 'Fix Errors' checked) and it reports disk errors. Then run it with
'Fix Errors' and it decides it cannot do anything, so schedules a disk check
on next startup - which of course is actually MS's CHKDSK, not Norton. But
CHKDSK reports no errors.
I have tried to do my homework on this, and now believe that any errors I
was seeing might just be down to the way that XP/NTFS locks the volume, and
whilst locked, various 'minor errors' (in MS speak) are visible. But it
doesn't put me at ease that I have a reliable way of checking the integrity
of my hard disk. So, can anyone confirm:
- would it be right to state that a CHKDSK run from the repair console after
booting from the original install CD would 1/ have full access to the disk
(i.e. as XP hasn't booted, it can't have locked it) and 2/ if this reports
that the disk is clean, then it must be?....
- as above, but having F8 booted to a DOS prompt (whoops - is this possible?
forgot to check....).
- are there any tools (other than Norton) that are worth running once XP has
booted, to verify the integrity of the disk? *preferably freeware, as I have
already shelled out for Norton (and am only now seeing it's limitations due
to the way NTFS works...).
Just makes me think that I wasted my money on a replacement disk, and/or
XP/NTFS has really screwed up visibility of being able to check your
hardware for errors......
TIA.