bad clusters = unusable?
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Is it possible to partition the harddisk such that the bad clusters are separated from the good ones? cos i currently have a idling harddisk and like to use it as a stopgap solution while i save up to buy new one.
Any help/suggestion would be great! -
Nope... as far as I know. I may be wrong...
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Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:Nope... as far as I know. I may be wrong...
thanx anyway. i try to see what else i can find on google.
but found this also
Well for hard disk bad sector removal there are two ways of removing it. 1. Try to put it in the refrigerator for 1 hour cover it with paper. Freeing the hard disk helps it stabilize the air inside the air tight disk. 2. Try to zero fill your hard disk then follow it up with a low level format software. -
This is wrong...
You can fix it by going to Start > Run and type in chkdsk /f
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is there any difference between the surface scan during startup and the one in windows?Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:This is wrong...
You can fix it by going to Start > Run and type in chkdsk /f
cos windows always perform a surface scan on the (ext) harddisk during startup. when i redo it again in win, the computer will just hang...
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Surface scan will check and fix errors (if any are found)Originally posted by the_unknown:is there any difference between the surface scan during startup and the one in windows?
cos windows always perform a surface scan on the (ext) harddisk during startup. when i redo it again in win, the computer will just hang...
You aren't supposed to plug in external hard disk during bootup, Windows will detect it as having problems...
The one at Windows is just a quick check for errors and is usually performed when you didn't shut down Windows properly. -
You aren't supposed to plug in external hard disk during bootup, Windows will detect it as having problems...
Didnt know that it's not allow
will take note next timeThe one at Windows is just a quick check for errors and is usually performed when you didn't shut down Windows properly.
it isnt the one that where it scan thru the files, it actually scan for bad clusters and when it does, the scan takes hours. -
Oh... sounds like you are using Windows 95, 98 or ME?Originally posted by the_unknown:it isnt the one that where it scan thru the files, it actually scan for bad clusters and when it does, the scan takes hours.
I don't remember XP/2000 having this feature
Those take quite long... -
the fridge trick
maybe i shud try it out one day -
Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:Oh... sounds like you are using Windows 95, 98 or ME?
I don't remember XP/2000 having this feature
Those take quite long... sorry didnt mention that. ya, the ext hd is connected to a win98 and the scan is very very long.
given that bad clusters usually indicate hd failure, so i guess my hd's time is up? -
Haha, never mind.Originally posted by the_unknown: sorry didnt mention that. ya, the ext hd is connected to a win98 and the scan is very very long.
given that bad clusters usually indicate hd failure, so i guess my hd's time is up?
It doesn't indicate a hard disk failure, probably either not a proper shutdown, files are fragmented, etc.
Checking and repairing the errors plus defragging the hard drive will usually solve the problem. If this doesn't, then it's another case. -
sigh, i guess it's the other case.Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:Haha, never mind.
It doesn't indicate a hard disk failure, probably either not a proper shutdown, files are fragmented, etc.
Checking and repairing the errors plus defragging the hard drive will usually solve the problem. If this doesn't, then it's another case.
since the
-hd is 4yrs old
-checking always show some errors that cant be repaired or it will just hang during scan
-some files cant be deleted since the path are too deep (think this is the indication of the main problem)
hmmm currently i still havent try to reformat or defragment it. -
You can try defragmenting it. Make sure that no programs are running and no screensavers are set. Then run defragment disk. Don't do anything while defragmenting disk... it may cause errors.Originally posted by the_unknown:sigh, i guess it's the other case.
since the
-hd is 4yrs old
-checking always show some errors that cant be repaired or it will just hang during scan
-some files cant be deleted since the path are too deep (think this is the indication of the main problem)
hmmm currently i still havent try to reformat or defragment it.
Go and watch TV, play PS2 or Xbox or something else. Just let it run till it finishes, around half a day or so.
Also, always perform a proper shutdown to reduce the likelihood of errors. -
k. will do so during this weekend.Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:You can try defragmenting it. Make sure that no programs are running and no screensavers are set. Then run defragment disk. Don't do anything while defragmenting disk... it may cause errors.
Go and watch TV, play PS2 or Xbox or something else. Just let it run till it finishes, around half a day or so.
Also, always perform a proper shutdown to reduce the likelihood of errors.
for a ext hd, is using the "Safely remove hardware" then turning off the power considered a proper shutdown? or must turn off the hd with the computer? -
For external hard disk, always safely remove it first (by using safely remove hardware), then turn off the PC (Start > Shutdown)Originally posted by the_unknown:k. will do so during this weekend.
for a ext hd, is using the "Safely remove hardware" then turning off the power considered a proper shutdown? or must turn off the hd with the computer? -
point noted!Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:For external hard disk, always safely remove it first (by using safely remove hardware), then turn off the PC (Start > Shutdown)
thanx again for the help! -
Just curious. Does the fridge method work?
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hmmm found the below info
if the above info is indeed true, does that means freezing will actually affects the harddisk polarity???
discussions.virtualdr.com
A hard drive contains platters that are magnetic media capable of having the magnetic state of areas on them changed and having this magnetic state retained/maintained. Data is held on a hard drive by representing it in binary form (1s an 0s). The way these 1s and 0s are physically represented on a drive's platter(s) is by having areas (spots) that are magnetically charged or not. The 1's are represented by charged (positive and negative) areas, the 0s are represented by uncharged areas (there is a level of tolerance by which an area is deemed charged or not). When a sector becomes "bad", or is deemed to be so, it is because areas within it no longer appear to be able to maintain a sufficiently magnetized (postitive or negative) state (charge) to represent the 1's data in those areas. Bad sectors are marked (flagged) in a table and, when possible, remapped to one of series of spare sectors all hard drives have.
Now, sometimes an area is deemed (flagged) as bad when it may in fact not really be. Perhaps some oddity during the write process caused the spot to be too weakly charged (which really shouldn't happen or at least not often as that is a sign of another problem), rather than it being a case of the actual area on the media being bad in some way. Using the appropriate utility a sector previously marked as bad can be un-marked (taken off the bad list). And you can use one of these utilities to put a sector back in service (so to speak). Nothing is "fixed", just made available for use again as is.
Few if any sectors in modern hard drives should go bad after they leave the factory. Occassionaly maybe a sector may be erroneously flagged as bad when it really isn't, but this should be very rare. And if sectors do start cropping up as bad it is time to start thinking about another hard drive. Bad sectors can't get repaired, not by the user (not even with the hard drive manufacturer's utilities). -
Why not you try and tell me?Originally posted by SBS1985C:Just curious. Does the fridge method work?
I don't have spare hard drives for that matter. -
Heat can affect polarity (if my Physics knowledge doesn't fail me)Originally posted by the_unknown:hmmm found the below info
if the above info is indeed true, does that means freezing will actually affects the harddisk polarity???
Hard disks are very sensitive magnetism... so any contact with something magnetic will probably destroy something. And that includes the fridge, even though not all parts are. -
yap. but does the fridge method actually helps in removing/fixing the bad clusters, i dun think so. since it might goes either way (hd fixed or totally corrupted).Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:Heat can affect polarity (if my Physics knowledge doesn't fail me)
Hard disks are very sensitive magnetism... so any contact with something magnetic will probably destroy something. And that includes the fridge, even though not all parts are.
hmmm if my ext hd cant be fixed, maybe i can try this method and see if it actually works.