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The Parish Hall => The Geek Forum => Topic started by: Recovering NOer on May 03, 2014, 02:27:15 PM

Title: Bad sectors on new computer's hard drive?
Post by: Recovering NOer on May 03, 2014, 02:27:15 PM
I just got a new desktop PC which had frequent problems booting up, and so I did a clean install of the OS and found afterwards that the hard drive was corrupted.  After running chkdsk and letting it fix whatever problems it found everything works just fine now, but still is this a sign that I should just get a new hard drive before things get worse?  I've heard that these problems never really do go away once bad sectors first appear but I really don't know.

:shrug:
Title: Re: Bad sectors on new computer's hard drive?
Post by: Lynne on May 03, 2014, 03:01:08 PM
I'm sure more knowledgeable people will chime in but if it's still under warranty, I wouldn't hesitate to get a new hard drive.

Also, investigate an online backup vendor! I really like BackBlaze.
Title: Re: Bad sectors on new computer's hard drive?
Post by: Gardener on May 03, 2014, 03:44:44 PM
Quote from: Recovering NOer on May 03, 2014, 02:27:15 PM
I just got a new desktop PC which had frequent problems booting up, and so I did a clean install of the OS and found afterwards that the hard drive was corrupted.  After running chkdsk and letting it fix whatever problems it found everything works just fine now, but still is this a sign that I should just get a new hard drive before things get worse?  I've heard that these problems never really do go away once bad sectors first appear but I really don't know.

:shrug:

Weird. Is it under warranty? Was it open-box/ on sale or brand spanking new?

If it is physical corruption, what likely occurred was it just told itself not to write to the bad areas, but this is not really addressing the problem.

I'd see about getting it replaced if under warranty or exchanged. If it's due to areas being physically damaged it's not going to get better by any means, even if it appears as such. 

Title: Re: Bad sectors on new computer's hard drive?
Post by: Recovering NOer on May 03, 2014, 04:20:31 PM
It was supposedly brand new.  Yeah, I knew about the likelihood of chkdsk just telling the system to "work around" those areas rather than actually fixing them, but is there any way to tell whether or not the corruption was due to physical damage?

The computer is still under warranty, though, so in any case I'll just see about getting them to replace the hard drive.
Title: Re: Bad sectors on new computer's hard drive?
Post by: Recovering NOer on May 03, 2014, 04:23:04 PM
Quote from: Lynne on May 03, 2014, 03:01:08 PMAlso, investigate an online backup vendor! I really like BackBlaze.

Maybe I should look into something like that.  I always back up all my files manually but it's kind of a pain...
Title: Re: Bad sectors on new computer's hard drive?
Post by: Gardener on May 03, 2014, 04:31:00 PM
Quote from: Recovering NOer on May 03, 2014, 04:20:31 PM
It was supposedly brand new.  Yeah, I knew about the likelihood of chkdsk just telling the system to "work around" those areas rather than actually fixing them, but is there any way to tell whether or not the corruption was due to physical damage?

The computer is still under warranty, though, so in any case I'll just see about getting them to replace the hard drive.

It could be from another source, but there is no way to tell without physically looking at it I suppose. Maybe some diagnostic tools.

From the book in front of me:

"Checking Disk Health

A hard disk can have physical areas that become damaged and therefore corrupt data stored in those locations. A disk area is that damaged this way is typically reported as bad sectors on the disk. Even if the disk is physically okay, misbehaving device drivers, applications, or intermittent faults in the hardware itself can logically corrupt a file that is written to the disk. ... " page 171
- MCTS Guide to Windows 7, Byron Wright and Leon Plesniarski; prep for Exam#70-680

So you either have physical damage, or you had logical damage. If it was physical, the system told itself to not write to those physically damaged areas. If it was logically corrupted, it might be totally fine now.

Since it's under warranty I'd play the part of disappointed customer and see about just getting it replaced. If it is physical damage, you want no part of it.
Title: Re: Bad sectors on new computer's hard drive?
Post by: Lynne on May 03, 2014, 04:33:13 PM
Quote from: Gardener on May 03, 2014, 04:31:00 PM

So you either have physical damage, or you had logical damage. If it was physical, the system told itself to not write to those physically damaged areas. If it was logically corrupted, it might be totally fine now.



Do you feel lucky, Punk?
Title: Re: Bad sectors on new computer's hard drive?
Post by: Akavit on May 03, 2014, 07:09:49 PM
The safest bet is to just get it replaced.  Dealing with a potentially malfunctioning drive may cause more headache in the long run than dealing with the RMA process.
Title: Re: Bad sectors on new computer's hard drive?
Post by: Recovering NOer on May 03, 2014, 07:26:10 PM
Yeah, I've already sent for the free replacement.  Diagnostic tools revealed it was most likely physical damage.
Title: Re: Bad sectors on new computer's hard drive?
Post by: Gardener on May 04, 2014, 01:19:07 AM
Quote from: Akavit on May 03, 2014, 07:09:49 PM
The safest bet is to just get it replaced.  Dealing with a potentially malfunctioning drive may cause more headache in the long run than dealing with the RMA process.

:'(

I love acronyms.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_aiDDU5z18[/yt]
Title: Re: Bad sectors on new computer's hard drive?
Post by: Akavit on May 04, 2014, 12:40:20 PM
I seldom use them but "RMA" is an officially recognized acronym used in business matters and not one fabricated to accommodate clumsy text interfaces on portable communication devices.

"Return Merchandise Authorization."


If you buy a lot of internet goods you'll encounter the term all the time.
Title: Re: Bad sectors on new computer's hard drive?
Post by: Gardener on May 04, 2014, 02:01:39 PM
Quote from: Akavit on May 04, 2014, 12:40:20 PM
I seldom use them but "RMA" is an officially recognized acronym used in business matters and not one fabricated to accommodate clumsy text interfaces on portable communication devices.

"Return Merchandise Authorization."


If you buy a lot of internet goods you'll encounter the term all the time.

:o

I'm aware of its meaning. Can one just love acronyms?

I dream of a day where we only speak in acronyms and eventually the kids rebel and spell words out to their fullest.
Title: Re: Bad sectors on new computer's hard drive?
Post by: Akavit on May 04, 2014, 02:40:23 PM
LOL
Title: Re: Bad sectors on new computer's hard drive?
Post by: Lynne on May 04, 2014, 02:51:48 PM
Quote from: Akavit on May 04, 2014, 02:40:23 PM
LOL

I saw what you did there...
Title: Re: Bad sectors on new computer's hard drive?
Post by: Akavit on May 04, 2014, 05:27:13 PM
DNC

U mean ICWYDT?

FIIOOH
Title: Re: Bad sectors on new computer's hard drive?
Post by: james03 on May 11, 2014, 07:26:26 PM
ALL hard drives come with bad sectors.  What is odd is that the OS was loaded on top of bad sectors.  The bad sectors are mapped and not used.  That would suggest that the HD got damaged after the OS was installed at the factory.  Since you ran chkdsk, you now have a properly mapped drive.  The scary thing is it shows poor quality assurance by your supplier.
Title: Re: Bad sectors on new computer's hard drive?
Post by: Recovering NOer on May 11, 2014, 08:40:17 PM
I'll say.  The thing is that with that old hard drive (which has since been replaced), even after running chkdsk it still failed the system diagnostic tests both on the computer itself and on the supplier's website.  The new hard drive is fine and passed all those tests but still you're right, the whole incident doesn't say much for their quality control.