[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference giadev::decstation

Title:DECstation PC Conference
Notice:register note 2, see notes 3 & 4
Moderator:TARKIN::LININD
Created:Tue Jan 10 1989
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:7470
Total number of notes:34994

7457.0. "Starion drive won't scan" by DYOSW5::WILDER (Does virtual reality get swapped?) Fri May 30 1997 16:43

    I bought a Starion recently with a 1.6GB internal drive. It came with
    all the software already installed, so I left it as is. Now, recently,
    I decided to do a full scandisk, including a surface scan. When the
    scan gets towards the end of the disk, it hangs.
    
    It seems to think the drive is bigger than it is. I hear the drive
    click, then what seems to be the drive spinning up, a click, the drive
    spinning up, etc.
    
    The system works fine. There is no problem using the drive normally,
    and this problem only happens when I do a thorough scan. This also
    affects defragging the disk. defragging had an error and told me to do
    a surface scan.
    
    Any ideas as to what could be causing this problem? Is it possible that
    the system thinks the drive is bigger than it is? Any suggestions on
    how to fix this problem?
    
    Thanks,
    
    /jim
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
7457.1Drive is going bad...ZVOLMC::LE_THSat May 31 1997 01:2011
    re: 7457.0
    
    Jim,
    
    Your hard drive has bad blocks. If the system is still under warranty
    then request Servicenter for another hard disk, else, be prepared for a
    new one.
    
    Regards,
    
    /Thien
7457.2Doesn't scandisk find bad blocks??DYOSW5::WILDERDoes virtual reality get swapped?Mon Jun 02 1997 09:0510
    Well, I guess I'm confused. I thought that doing a surface scan of a
    disk would find bad blocks and mark them as bad. I know when I do this
    on a floppy, scandisk will mark some stuff as bad.
    
    If scandisk won't find and mark bad blocks, then what exactly does a
    surface scan do?
    
    Thanks,
7457.3QUARK::LIONELFree advice is worth every centMon Jun 02 1997 11:117
My system (not a Starion) periodically (and with increasing frequency) complains
at boot that one of my disks "may have bad sectors" and runs SCANDISK - it never
finds anything wrong.  But SCANDISK apparently does a "quick" check - I'm 
running Norton Disk Doctor with its more thorough surface test mode today to 
see if it turns up anything.

				Steve
7457.4ZVOLMC::LE_THMon Jun 02 1997 12:2314
    re: 7457.2 
    
    Scandisk would find bad block and mark it as bad when it's ready to scan
    the next block.. If you have time and not being afraid of what may
    happen to the drive with all the clickings, you will eventually see..
    "trying to recover sector such and such", then the "X", then more
    clickings until done.  
    I experimented at one time,on a Starion that shipped with a 1.6GB Maxtor, 
    before sending it to Servicenter for warranty replacement.  
    
    regards,
    
    /Thien
7457.5What WILL happen??DYOSW5::WILDERDoes virtual reality get swapped?Mon Jun 02 1997 16:109
    >>...and not being afraid of what may happen to the drive with all the
    >>clickings,
    
    and what MAY happen with all the clicking???
    
    Thanks,
    
    /jim
7457.6*8)BSS::PROCTOR_RPC....Politically CorruptMon Jun 02 1997 16:274
    re: >>  and what MAY happen with all the clicking???
    
    The disks' clicker wears out, and the disk won't change channels any
    more...