having bad block on hard drive

[superturkak]

Hello, I want to ask about my hard drive, when I read the minitoolbox result, which I was using because I was asked from the malware removal forum, it detected some bad blocks, but when I scanned using 'chkdsk', it is saying no error was found? can anyone care to enlighten me on this mystery? thank you..

[David H. Lipman]

Get the manufacturer's hard disk diagnostic utility in ISO format and burn a CDROM which you can then boot off of.

 

Seagate - SeaTools

IBM/Hitachi - Drive Fitness Test (DFT)

Western Digital - WD Diagnostics

 

Run the extended test. 

 

If there are bad blocks the data can be moved to good reserved areas. 

 

Depending on the results and if there are many bad blocks it may do a repair to keep you going and image the drive while you obtain a replacement drive.

[daledoc1]

Hi, superturkak:

 

DHL's expert advice is spot-on, as usual.

 

It appears, however, that you are still working with AdvancedSetup over in the malware removal section >>HERE<<?

 

To minimize confusion, it would probably be a good idea to stay with that other topic until he gives you the "all clear".

 

<Just a polite suggestion>

 

daledoc1

[AdvancedSetup]

I posted more information on the hard disk issue in my reply #18

 

As I said the drive could potentially continue to run for a long time.  Normally the hard drive automatically remaps bad blocks on its own (but there is a limit) and the OS normally does not see these.  When the OS starts to see them then it is potentially due to the fact that the limit of remapping has been reached (or that the system has been told to report these errors even though they're automatically remapped).  

 

Just my own personal opinion that the drive has probably seen better days and backing up your data is prudent (data backups are prudent even when nothing is obviously wrong).

 

[superturkak]

sorry for the posting this before finishing my other post....oh, but when I tried seatools before, I failed the short DST test but passed the long DST test, so it made me confuse...I searched about this short DST failure and I've read that "Any failure in Seatools = replace hard drive" which made me worry  ...so now I don't know whether I'm still good or am I gonna suffer sooner than expected...very sorry for my inconvenient post...

[David H. Lipman]

My advice then is to get a replacement hard disk.  Either clone the old disk to the new disk or image the drive and then restore it to the replacement.

 

Do it before you have catastrophic drive  failure.

[superturkak]

I have repaired my issues with my drive, all it needed was a repair from seatools for DOS, I now pass the short DST test from it and is working fine, I don't know whether the life span of my drive is shortened or affected but I'll be sure to back up everything just in case...thank you for the help guys.  .

[AdvancedSetup]

Okay, great.  Glad you were able to get it fixed - at least to some level.

[CWB]

DHL is on the right track ... replace that failing hard drive asap .

as advancedsetup mentioned in post #18 in many cases by the time windows "realizes" that the drive is "goin' south" , it is almost too late .

it is sort of like *just* noticing that your car is sliding backwards on a hill and about go off of to the edge of a cliff .

of course , check with advancedsetup (i have not checked further into the thread mentioned) before and the best way to go about pulling the essential stuff off of the failing drive .

 

a little further information on "bad blocks" on a hard drive (simplified) :

think of the surface of the disks in a hard drive as a big area (perhaps a huge multilevel parking lot) where "maps" of the data are written/drawn on each level .

if a small area of that surface develops a "pot hole" , instructions are given to route around that hole (just like those barricades on a real road) .

sometimes the surface just keeps getting worse for longer stretches (again , just like a real road in some cases) and soon one cannot navigate because of all the barricades .

 

(edit : heh i was writing this while the last two posts were made)