I agree completely with Frank.  Try another shop soon!  I would also get an
original Diagnostic disk from the  drive manufacturer and run their program.
Western Digital software, for an  example, will give you an error code if
the drive is bad and offer to print a RMA form to send with the drive back
for repair or replacement!  This can all be done using their floppy.
Another  gripe I have here in Brazil with the local shops, they put a
sticker on the cabinets to tell if anyone has opened the computer, if it has
been tampered with, the warantee is void, which is illegal!   It is like
having a car and the warantee is void if you change your oil and filter!  A
customer has the right to open their machine to clean, upgrade, etc.

Howard Rubin
The Computer Doctor
Fortaleza, Brazil

RE:  Date:    Fri, 30 Jan 2004 21:49:55 -0800
From:    Frank Suszka <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Bad Sectors on a HDD

Anne Smith wrote:
> Can software cause Bad Sector errors on your HDD, that cannot be fixed by
> Scandisk, BUT CAN  be fixed by reformatting your HDD?

Peter addressed this issue and I'm not sure I agree. It has been my
experience that any bad sectors are defects in the platters either the read
or write side which means that software will try to read and or put
information in the corrupt or defective disk spots. I have experienced disks
with over one hundred bad sectors and had to be scrapped. Running a disk
utility like Norton Utilities or Spin Right will uncover the defects. If
they are few you may be able to extend the life of the disk. On the other
hand, if the boot sector is bad it is a no win situation and the disk is
dead and should be replaced because no matter what you do, the OS wants to
write to the first sector and will fail.

> Because the computer was only 6 months old the first time, I took it back
> to the shop, where they formatted the drive, ran Scandisk with no errors
> then reinstalled the OS.

This is the point where I get livid. Any respectful computer company would
have replaced the disk under warranty due to the "bad sectors" and not just
format it, reinstall the OS and give it back to the customer. Unfortunately,
there are many unscrupulous people doing business in computers.

> If the problems are caused by software, would it help if I partitioned the
> HDD? Then I wouldn't have to format the whole HDD, just the partition
> affected?? maybe?? Or doesn't it work that way?

At this point, I would upgrade the drive to a 7200rpm model with an 8meg
buffer and go upon your merry way. Dealing with an ailing drive on it's way
out is frustrating and could cause loss of important data. I've been there
and done that and loosing information that took me years to gather is a real
heartache. Back up? Sure do...


Sincerely,

Frank Suszka
netTek Computers
[log in to unmask]

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