Error reading cluster...
Results 1 to 5 of 5

Thread: Error reading cluster...

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Posts
    2

    Error reading cluster...

    One of the clusters on my hard drive appears to be irreperably damaged. Sometimes the hard drive will just crash for no reason and make a kind of strangled, raspy-type noise from which I have to reboot. I've tried running Norton Disk Doctor but when it gets to the bad cluster it tries to relocate it, without success, and the drive crashes again. The same problem occurs when defragmenting. The same cluster causes an error and the drive crashes. Is there any way I can isolate this cluster so that it causes no more problems? As you can imagine, not knowing when the drive is going to crash is very annoying, especially if I'm in the middle of a large download or burning a CD. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I doubt it would help but the cluster is #1406566.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2000
    Location
    Friern Barnet, London, England
    Posts
    46,565
    Hi wilko, welcome to VirtualDr

    If you're using Windows NT/2000/XP then go to Start>All Programs>Accessories>Command Prompt and at the prompt type "chkdsk /r" without the quotes (don't forget the space). Chkdsk will then shedule a disk scan on the next reboot which will mark the bad sector and recover any usable information on it.

    I think you can do the same thing with Scandisk in 9x/ME, but it's so long since I used it I really don't remember - hopefully someone else can help.

    If that doesn't do the trick, you should download the drive manufacturers diagnostic/repair utility. It may be necessary to do a low level format.
    Nick.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2000
    Location
    Sheboygan, WI
    Posts
    53,392
    98/98SE scandisk

    start , programs, accessories, system tools, and double click scandisk.
    Or you and go Start, run [type in] scandskw and click ok.
    when the GUI opens up put a check in the Thorough box and start the program. It will take qite a while to run the complete program if you hdd is large.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Posts
    2

    cluster problem

    I appreciate the replies so far, however I know all about scandisk and all the other methods of scanning for problems. I've been using and building my own systems for years. However this is something different from simply running scandisk. I've run scandisk and the drive crashes (forcing a reboot) when it gets to this particular cluster. Nothing I've tried (and I've tried a lot of things) seems to work. All I'm really asking is whether it's possible to instruct the hard drive to bypass any future reading of this cluster. As I said in my original post the drive will crash at odd times, including when the machine is idle with no programs running. If I have to leave the pc for a few minutes I have to have something running just so that it won't crash before I get back. I realise that I'll probably have to buy a new HD but money is a concern at the moment so I'd rather not have to. Thanks again.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2000
    Location
    26.03°N 80.14°W
    Posts
    9,410
    Vernon Frazee, Microsoft MVP (Windows - Shell/User)

    Defenses Up!
    Tip: When prompted for a password, give an incorrect one first. A phishing site will accept it; a legitimate one won't.


    Inside Spyware: A Guide to Finding, Removing and Preventing Online Pests


    If you don't keep up with security fixes, your computer|network won't be yours for long.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •