Operating System: Windows XP Pro with Service Pack 2
Processor: Intel Pentium 4, 3.20Ghz, Hyper-Threading
File System: NTFS
Hard Drive Manufacturer: Western Digital
Hard Drive Model: WDC WD800BB-75CAA0
RAM: 1.00 GB

Everytime I run CHKDSK on my NTFS formatted C: drive to check for hard disk errors I'm confronted with the re-ocurring problem that can sometimes be briefly corrected, however it always returns after a few reboots. It's listed below.

None of the parameters such as /V to clean indexes, /F to fix errors, or /R to attempt recovery of bad sectors does anything. I'd almost think this is being caused by some program, or some programs creation of .TMP files -- but I'm not sure.

Is the disk faulty, dying, or is CHKDSK pretty much useless? Does anyone know?

You don't have any bad sectors.
Did you have any applications running in th background?

Did you try to do a checkdisk without windows loaded?

If you want chkdsk to fix your problems you must specify "F" which is the "Fix" parameter.

Before anyone else gets the wrong impression, the Code listed above is just to show what is wrong, it is not the parameters I'm using to try to fix the errors. It is merely what I'm using inside of Windows to diagnose if the error was fixed.

To my knowledge I don't have any bad sectors, however after digging around I noticed that in order to correct file system errors the /R option should be used.

Applications running in the background is irrelevant, hence ChkDsk reboots Windows into a special mode where it can lock the drive.

Yes. It can only fix errors outside of Windows in the special mode where it locks the drive.



Yes, yes, I already know that
I did read and fully understand the help file in CHKDSK /?

The problem is I've ran CHKDSK /F C: about twenty times (not kidding) and it isn't fixing the problems. I also ran CHKDSK /R C: twice after I found out the /R option should be used in order to correct a file system errors, which I seem to have.

About four hours ago it disappeared and all was well, then before I shut my system down I ran a read-only CHKDSK scan and the problem was back.

I am not a techie, but if chkdsk fixes the problem and it returns, you might just have a bad HD.

In the worse case, you may have to backup all your data and do this. Technically, this is equivalent to performing a low-level format.
Make sure you backup all your data before doing this.
Also remember to take a print-out of the page before you begin.

If you are having that much trouble you need a new drive. At less than $60 US you are spending more in man hours than if you bought the new drive.

Edit: reread and saw drive model.

I would only do that if everything went kaput first. It will literally have to die before I format it. I'm in the habit of making backups so often because of an old habit from the Win9x days I'm not worried about losing data, its just the time consumption of doing a format and reinstall.

Trouble getting ChkDsk to fix the drive, but the weird thing is everything runs fine -- no crashing, no lost files that I've found, etc.

I won't be spending anything on a new drive, my whole system came with a 4 year extended warranty from Dell. So if the drive dies they'll be replacing it. Actually it doesn't take that much time for ChkDsk to check for errors with the /F (fix) option.

I would contact DELL with a clear description of the problem. I had problems with page faults and while it took some time, DELL came through and fixed the problem. They replaced the motherboard, chip and memory. It may take you some time, but start hammering DELL about your problem, if you want it fixed. If you like the problem, continue as you are.

I don't like the problem.
I will be contacting Dell on Monday and start demanding action -- that is after techsupport makes me go through a series of bs, waste of time, no-fixes that won't work until they kindly replace it.

My experience with DELL is to just jump through the hoops. They have their way of doing things. You will be challenged if you think they will change their ways to suit you. And maybe, just maybe, there is a fix other than replacing the hardware. Follow their lead is my advice. They will fix the problem. Maybe not right away. Just be persistent. It is a reliable company.

Found two problems that "may" have been contributing to the errors reported:
Javacool ID-Blaster, and SpywareGuard were creating some .tmp files in C:\Temp that weren't always getting deleted. I suppose they couldn't be dealt with by ChkDsk which just decided to report errors. Disabling them caused ChkDsk not to report any errors for several hours, but the error came back.

Now the only other culprit(s) I'm thinking of is either the firewall's usage of encrypted .bak files, or what Windows itself is created in the C:\Windows\Temp folder. This is a bugger.

I am total novice on Windows (and this is gonna stay that way), but all I can tell you is that I never check any partition that is under a live system because in a multitasking OS someone always writes onto HD. Doing so could be very dangerous. Fortunately in Linux it is easy to avoid that. All I need is a CD based distro like Knoppix.

Windows will allow you to run a 'scandisk' on a live system. Scandisk is more comprehensive than checkdisk.

All this said, your description of your problem + over 15 years of computer experience = replace the hard drive.

Fixed!

How ? New drive ? Scandisk ?

I took the whole PC tower to a local Dell store, in about four hours they gave me a call to come pick it up. It's the same drive. They say they used some professional disk error checking and repair utility.

They also told me that I can't always rely upon what ChkDsk reports with a read-only scan while WinXP is running since there are so many services and programs running that can very easily interfere.

Sounds like they may have used something like Norton to move the data and mark off the bad part of the disc. My concern for you is these problems tend to happen again after a few weeks. They are usually caused by mechanical or platter issues. It is like putting a band-aid on a fractured bone.

Edit:



Sounds like they are blowing smoke at you to make you go away.

Warning, danger will robinson. Possible bad batch of drives. I suggest you do a little googling on this.

Newegg.com drive review

Hi. I worked for Dell Tech support a long time ago I know how things work there. Trust me, Dell is a reliable company. They don't take customers for granted. The problem is we have people calling us all the time for really silly things. For example, I once had a guy calling me saying his new PC was not working. The guy had actually forgotten to power the damn thing!! Another time, an old lady calls up and says her hard drive is not working properly and makes the computer go crazy and she had real trouble talking as she was old and had to drink water all the time. I had a hell of a time trying to make her run the hard drive diagnostics and stuff only to realize after 2 hours of talking to her that.....the damned monitor had to be degaussed!! I mean, people call their cabinets 'the hard drive'. You must be wondering what the monitor had to do with the hard drive. She could have at least called it the TV or something. I Actually pulled out my own hair when I realized what was happening. That is why they make people do the most basic checks first. It may seem strange to seasoned computer users, but we have to make sure that everything is in place. At any point of time-I repeat, at ANY point of time, Dell has at least 400 to 500 people waiting in queue to get their computers fixed. Tech support is a major pain-in-the-ass job. Dell has good customer support. They take it very seriously. A little perserverence on the part of a customer really, really pays.
Oh another thing, I quit Dell 2 years ago. I no longer work for them. They haven't paid me for doing this. . Bye.

The dude is right: DELL is a good outfit. A crook can get to be number one, but it is hard for him to stay there.

If you have a problem and persevere with DELL, using my experience as an example, they will fix it. It may take a few calls, but they will make it right.

Please don't misunderstand, I like Dell. While no company is perfect, they have a very good track record. I recommend Dell to people who ask me which premade computer I suggest. IBM laptops and Dell desktops have been top rated for trouble free running and customer service for several years.
All that said, marking off the bad sectors and pretending there is no underlying issue is dangerous. I use the IBM deskstar hard drives as an example. I fought with several drives a long time. After several RMAs and multiple drive failures, I had to stop using them. The drives are so cheap now you very quickly pass the point where it costs more to baby a marginal drive than to just replace it.

a lowlevel format

With all tech support it can be annoying, especially is the case when someone isn't a novice and already knows about going through all the steps of running the Windows installed utilities, the diagnostic utilities partition provided by the PC manufacturer, followed up with running third-party tools like MemTest86, etc., and is still told to run the diagnostic utilites partition. Hence the reason I think alot of people (including myself) ask for help on a forum before directly dealing with their PC manufacturer.