HD Error-checking hangs at Phase 4

[Frank]

I got a disk read error on my second (non-system) hard drive. So, I
tried error-checking the drive (my computer>right-click on drive
E>tools>error checking>check now (checked options for "automatically
fix system errors" & "scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors").
It froze at phase 4. Can anyone help me with this?
Frank

[John John (MVP)]

Phase 4 is when Chkdsk attempts to read every sector on the drive and
confirm that they are usable. If it can't make it past this stage the
drive may be failing, go to the hard drive manufacturer's support
website and download a diagnostic utility for your hard drive and run it.

John

[Frank]

Thanks. I did as you said: ran Seagate's utility. The drive "passed"
the read test (used the longer test; took 1.5 hours for 300 gig
drive). No errors. Then went back into Windows XP and tried error
checking again. And, again it froze at Phase 4. What do you suggest
I do for further troubleshooting?

[John John (MVP)]

A 300 gig hard may take a long time to pass Phase 4, how long have you
allowed it to run? http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314835

John

[Patrick Keenan]

"Frank" <asdfy...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:2a12cc59-aad5-4dd2...@13g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...

How valuable did you say the data on the drive is?

HTH
-pk

[Frank]

I allowed it to run about 90 minutes without any progress being shown
on the progress bar for phase 4. As to the value of the data, it's
devoted entirely to backups. (I think I could get 500-750 gigs for
what I paid for this drive a couple of years ago, if I replace it.)
Frank

On Apr 6, 10:55 pm, "Patrick Keenan" <t...@dev.null> wrote:
> "Frank" <asdfyel...@gmail.com> wrote in message

>
> news:2a12cc59-aad5-4dd2...@13g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
>
> >I got a disk read error on my second (non-system) hard drive. So, I
> > tried error-checking the drive (my computer>right-click on drive
> > E>tools>error checking>check now (checked options for "automatically
> > fix system errors" & "scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors").

> > It froze atphase4. Can anyone help me with this?

[R. McCarty]

If it's formatted NTFS, the MFT is offset from the start of the disk
by around 14%. During a 5-Phase Chkdsk it's normal for it to stay
at that percentage for a long time.

I would get/use SpeedFan 4.33 to read it's SMART data to give
you a clue as to the drive's integrity.

"Frank" <asdfy...@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:cb6f7a6e-83d2-40c7...@a23g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...

[Frank]

The SpeedFan test report appears below, suggesting I either replace
the drive or keep a close watch on it.
Frank

Your hard disk is a ST3300622AS with firmware 3.AAE.
The average temperature for this hard disk is 38C (MIN=28C MAX=49C)
and yours is 36C.
Your hard disk's S.M.A.R.T. attributes are now being analyzed and a
full report about the reliability, health and status of your hard disk
is generated:
Your hard disk is not below any attribute threshold. This is good.
Your hard disk was never below any attribute threshold. This is good.
Your hard disk is now being compared to real data used to define
normal values for your specific hard disk model. This way, the
analysis can automatically use proper operating ranges. The images
give you an idea of how each attribute is within such range. Current
and raw values are shown for easier reference for experienced users.
There are 1742 hard disk models in the current archive.

Attribute Current Raw Overall
Raw Read Error Rate 115 97645286 Very good
Spin Up Time 97 0 Very good
Start/Stop Count 99 1062 Watch
Warning: Start/Stop Count is below the average limits (100-100).
Reallocated Sector Count 100 0 Very good
Seek Error Rate 86 417220977 Good
Power On Hours Count 87 12121 Watch
Warning: Power On Hours Count is below the average limits (94-100).
Spin Retry Count 100 0 Very good
Power Cycle Count 100 718 Very good
Unknown attribute 187 100 0 Very good
Unknown attribute 189 100 0 Very good
Unknown attribute 190 64 605487140 Good
Hardware ECC Recovered 76 48397516 Very good
Current Pending Sector 100 0 Very good
Offline Uncorrectable Sector Count 100 0 Very good
Ultra DMA CRC Error Rate 200 0 Very good
Write Error Rate 100 0 Very good
TA Increase Count 100 0 Very good

NOTE: not all warnings are reflected on fitness and performance
overall values as relevancy is based upon the settings from the hard
disk manufacturer who is the best entity deputed to define such
relationships.

NOTE : your hard disk Power On Hours Count attribute current value
(87) is below the normal range (94 - 100) reported for your specific
hard disk model. Basically your hard disk was powered on for more than
the maximum time the average user did. This means that either all of
the reports collected are from hard disks that were not powered on for
too long (this is realistic for recent models) or that your hard disk
is becoming old. Usually this is not considered as a pre-failure
advisory, but you should check whether you want to replace the
hardware or keep an eye on its performances over time.

The overall fitness for this drive is 98%.
The overall performance for this drive is 98%.

On Apr 7, 6:58 am, "R. McCarty" <PcEngWork-NoSp...@mindspring.com>
wrote:

> If it's formatted NTFS, the MFT is offset from the start of the disk
> by around 14%. During a 5-Phase Chkdsk it's normal for it to stay
> at that percentage for a long time.
>
> I would get/use SpeedFan 4.33 to read it's SMART data to give
> you a clue as to the drive's integrity.
>

[R. McCarty]

SMART analysis doesn't seem to indicate a physical drive error,
but some form of Data Inconsistency. If you run a cursory ( Read
Only ) Chkdsk exactly what does the summary say ? Does it say
something about "Freespace marked as allocated in the Bitmap"?
There are certain Chkdsk error reports that are not valid since the
drive is being tested while Windows is running. One thing you can
do is boot the XP CD-ROM, take Recovery Console and run a
Chkdsk on the drive in that environment.

Since the drive is a Seagate, I'd suggest you run SeaTools on it
just as a verification the drive is OK.
http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/seatools

"Frank" <asdfy...@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:d2101fcf-18f1-4d5e...@c65g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...

[Frank]

Thanks. It passed the Sea Tools read test yesterday. Will do more
tests and report back tonight/tomorrow. Regards,
frank

On Apr 7, 8:23 am, "R. McCarty" <PcEngWork-NoSp...@mindspring.com>
wrote:

> SMART analysis doesn't seem to indicate a physical drive error,
> but some form of Data Inconsistency. If you run a cursory ( Read
> Only ) Chkdsk exactly what does the summary say ? Does it say
> something about "Freespace marked as allocated in the Bitmap"?
> There are certain Chkdsk error reports that are not valid since the
> drive is being tested while Windows is running. One thing you can
> do is boot the XP CD-ROM, take Recovery Console and run a
> Chkdsk on the drive in that environment.
>
> Since the drive is a Seagate, I'd suggest you run SeaTools on it
> just as a verification the drive is OK.http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/seatools
>