"Windows - Delayed Write Failed" Error Message

[Bob Hamilton]

Have been using a new USB 2.0 WD80 GB external HD for a week and today while
accessing files on this HD, I got the above error message "Windows was
unable to save all the data for the file R:\$Mft. The data has been lost.
This error may be caused by a failure of your comouter hardware or network
connection. Please try to save this file elsewhere." Click on this window
and the message disappears and cannot find this strange file anywhere.

Now the HD is not recognized on the USB port and can't access the data
stored on the HD. When I plug the HD in now I get an error message "USB
device Not recognized" and in the Device Manager the USB port says
"Unrecognized device".

This happened when I first purchased this drive and it was replaced by the
retailer (this present unit) which also acted this way initially but then
somehow corrected the problem on its own. Now it is recurring.

Any suggestion as to what is causing this problem?

Thanks, Bob

 

[Pavel A.]

The $MFT is NTFS master file table.
Write failure on $MFT means failure to update the directory structure, a realy bad
thing.
Check power supply of your disk. Large disks usually must have external power
supply,
USB power is not enough.
--PA

 

[Bob Hamilton]

Yes, this WD HD has an external power supply, plugged in and the green power
LED is on on the transformer so I it must be getting power. The HD does
power up when I turn the power switch on on the unit itself so it is getting
power. So far I am not impressed with this HD.

Thanks, Bob

 

[Pavel A.]

Ok then I'd test this disk with another machine before returning it.

--PA

 

[Bob Hamilton]

Hi Pavel,
Good idea, and it worked on my wife's XP machine so I brought it back to
this machine and it is now recognized again and functioning normally. Can
you explain why this happened and how to avoid it happening again? I always
use the "Disconnect Hardware Safely" icon in the system tray when
disconnecting.

Thanks, Bob

 

[Mike G]

You can also check 'delayed write failed' error messages in the Microsoft
Knowledge base. Some things to check for there. Mike

 

[Nathan McNulty]

You know, I would try just disconnecting it by the cable instead of
using the "Disconnect Hardware Safely" icon. I have had problems with
that icon in the past. The computer works just fine by removing it
physically without any input. Windows automatically handles it for you

Nathan McNulty