"File or Directory C:\Documents and Settings\My Documents is
corrupt and unreadable. Please run Chkdsk utility"
Don't expect ChkDsk to recover that material. Recovery is not what
ChkDsk does - in fact, it's quite likely to "fix" the file system by
deleting the damaged files. So if you can access them, I'd copy that
material off HD e.g. to USB stick, CDR(W), other HD etc.
When I tried to run chkdsk, I got a menu "Windows was unable to
complete disk check"
That's because your data is on C:, and C: is always "in use". Not
only that, but it's deeply nested; each dir of the "Documents and
Settings", username, "My Documents" etc. has to be working in order to
reach the data through conventional file system logic. This gets
uglier with "Application Data\Microsoft\somesub" and the other half of
this material that's in "Local Settings\Application Data\...etc."
MS doesn't make it easy to store data more safely in shorter paths on
other HD volumes that are safe from C:'s incessent write traffic.
IMO, it's worth the effort, though.
Now I can't defrag either
**NEVER** Defrag if there are ANY doubts about the condition of
hardware, hard drive or file system !! Defrag reads and re-writes
just about everything on the HD. Fill in the blanks yourself.
I get message "chkdsk is scheduled to run" I tried restarting
computer, tried to run chkdsk in Safe Mode but cannot get it to run.
Normally, when ChkDsk finds the volume to be in use (as C: always is),
it sets up AutoChk to run on next boot. AutoChk runs the same way as
ChkDsk /F, i.e. "fix" automatically without propring for permission.
What I'd do is:
1) Evacuate any data you want to see again; do not skip this step!
2) Make and boot a Bart's PE CDR and run ChkDsk equivalent from there
3) Alternatively, boot XP CD into Recovery Console, ChkDsk from there
If you have XP Gold or XP SP1, and you installed SP2, then (3) may no
longer be an option for you. If you paid the big name premium for a
branded PC, you may find the OEM XP CD can't do (3) either.
I have also ran my anti-spyware. When I tried to run Norton
Anti-virus,I got > ccApp.exe - Bad image menu stating " This application or
DllC:\Program Files\Common File\Symantec Shared\Live Reg\IraVclc3.dll is not
a valid Windows Image. Please check this against your installation
diskette". Actually this is the third notification I have got about corrupt files.
Sounds like someone is trying to tell you something you need to hear!
Ran an online virus scan, nothing showed up & nothing showed up
<shrug> Online scans are running while malware's active, and thus in
a position to defend themselves. I would take a negative result with
a pinch of salt, hoping that the "av site" I used wasn't spoofed by
the malware to the malware's own lookalike site, etc.
I'd scan the system from Bart PE CDR using Trend's SysClean, as well
as free fixers friom Avast, AVG, etc. Even Stinger can be useful.
Why all these Corrupt Files - HELP !!
Likely causes:
- recurrent bad exits due to user failure?
- whip and replace user, press any key to continue
- recurrent bad exits due to system crashes?
- troubleshoot system so it doesn't crash
- bad RAM or other flaky hardware?
- troubleshoot and fix
- overclocking?
- whip and replace builder, cease overclocking
- failing HD?
- evacuate HD, test HD, replace if *any* defects
- malware payload?
- formal virus scan, manage as per reference advice
XP chooses a "kill, bury, deny" approach to file system corruption,
effectively hiding the consequences of shutdown failures until the
bit-rot gets to the point that data is lost and/or the PC won't run.
At that point, there's no way to *really* fix anything, as
AutoChk/ChkDsk has killed all the sick files and buried the results
deep in Event Viewer, while never showing you anything to highlight
what it was doing at the time.
So "support" becomes "just re-install Windows and restore your
backups". Nice for reducing support calls, but the sacrifice of your
data is the price you pay to reduce your vendors' support costs.
If you are on FATxx rather than NTFS, you have better maintenance
options here. You can copy off data files from a DOS mode boot,
preserving LFNs by using Odi's LFN Tools. You can interactively check
the file system with DOS mode Scandisk, and back out if itr wants to
"fix" things that you need whole. You can use any DOS-based av to
scan the whole HD for malware, while the malware is inactive (because
you haven't booted the infected OS). You or your tech can repair the
file system by hand using tools like DiskEdit.
See
http://cquirke.mvps.org/whatmos.htm on recovery tools, etc.
-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
Reality is that which, when you stop believing
in it, does not go away (PKD)
