CHKDSK won't run... system disk is RAW

[aich69]

Never seen this before...

(during all this Windows is still functional)

I tried to backup my PC to WHS... it tells me backup can't run as C: drive has errors, run chkdsk.
So I try to run chkdsk from command prompt and it tells me command is not recognised (and I am spelling it correctly).
I try to run it from drive > properties > tools - no luck, it just doesn't try, doesn't even tell me disk is in use and ask me if I want to schedula a check at startup.
Thought I would take a look in disk management... no sign of my disks, only the optical drives....weird in itself.

So I take the disk out, attach it to my laptop and run chkdsk from there via command prompt with switches /f /r.
Drive is scanned and no erros reported.

So I put it back in PC, fire it up and it decides to run chkdsk... there was hope yet I thought.
Nope, it comes back and says can't run chkdsk as the drive is RAW. (really have no idea why it reports as RAW).

I also ran a check on my two drives (SATA) through my defrag software (not Windows own) and it tells me both drives have erros.

Can anyone please shed any light? I continue to type on the PC with the dodgy disk having backed up manually but I would love to know what is going on.

Thanks for reading.



I used to have a handle on life... but it broke. Cpt. Red Bull

 

[firewolfrl]

ok need more info?:
was the laptop vista or XP?
have you run chkdsk /r off the vista dvd?
is this an OEM computer with a preloaded OS?
how did you attach it to the laptop?
can you see the data on the other computer?
did you defrag with MFT defrag?
have you checked your ram?
do you have windows loaded on the SATA drive?


that should be a good start

 

[linney]

What other drive locking software are you running, anything along the lines of "GoBack" or Security, monitoring, or protection type software, Daemon Tools, or anything of that ilk?

What is this defrag software?

Are there any tweaks employed to hide drives?

Have you ever run ChkDsk on this machine?

Can Disk Management see the drives from Safe Mode?

 

[aich69]

Ok... going to try and answer all in one here... bear with me:

Laptop I attached to was Vista Ultimate (same as OS on disk I was checking)
Attached via a USB to SATA cable
Haven't run chkdsk off Vista DVD (note to self to try)
OEM PC built by me (running fine since Vista arrived)
(AMD dual core, 4Gb RAM, Gigagbyte board, 2 x 500Gb SATA disks)
I can see data on disk when attached to laptop.
PC runs fine.
RAM is good, checked in second machine.
Disk to be checked was partitioned (at build) 100/400 with Vista Ultimate on the 100 partition.
Defrag software is O&O 11
No tweaks employed to hide drives (tweakui etc)
I have run chkdsk successfully before.

I can't get in to Safe Mode... even with a USB KB attached (I usually use BT KB and mouse) I get the option to boot into safe mode but I can't make a choise at this screen.
I can't boot from DVD either even when all boot devices are set to CD in BIOS.

Have backed up and am considering rebuild but thought I would see if this has been seen before.

I used to have a handle on life... but it broke. Cpt. Red Bull

 

[BadBigBen]

Have you tried to update the BIOS lately?

I would also try another SATA cable, just for posture...



Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.

 

[aich69]

No updates to BIOS... in fact other than Windows updates, very little done at all. I do have the means to try a different SATA cable, a brand new one in fact so will do that this evening when I get home.


I used to have a handle on life... but it broke. Cpt. Red Bull

 

[firewolfrl]

you said you tested the ram in another machine...you need to test it in the machine it is in

it really sounds as though the MFT IMaster File Table) is corrupt. there is only one fix for that if that is the case and that is to completely wipe the drive.

bad ram that works halfway ok will cause the drives to be unreadable
the KB issue seems as though you have a bigger issue then just harddrive. you said you can get into the bios but you can't get the KB to work when it boots to the load DVD screen or after F8....kinda weird but fits with bad ram too..


what you need to do is unplug every thing but what is needed from the board (includes all usb except mouse and KB)
make sure in the BIOS the USB mouse and KB at boot setting is enabled
then just run the the computer with the DVD only with the Vista DVD in the drive
if that boots then try the hard drive


ok for now have to wait for you to come back with the results

 

[aich69]

Will be trying all suggestions tonight and posting back tomorrow.
Will also attempt to run memtest or some such product too before anytihg else, although as I say, the PC runs just fine once booted. If I hadn't have tried a backup I might not have seen anything was out of the ordinary for some time.
Would be so easy to just start fromscratch but that just wouldn't be techy would it

I used to have a handle on life... but it broke. Cpt. Red Bull

 

[linney]

You can try using MsConfig, the Boot tab, to see if you can test in Safe Mode via that.

Starting Windows XP In SafeMode (same for Vista)

http://netsecurity.about.com/cs/windowsxp/qt/aaqt_safemode.htm

310560 - How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310560&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

How to troubleshoot a problem by performing a clean boot in Windows Vista

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/929135

 

[linney]

You May Be Unable to Access the Windows Advanced Options Menu When You Use a USB Keyboard

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/283778#appliesto

 

[aich69]

Memory tested fine with memtest.
Still couldn't get to safe mode even with PS2 kb/mouse or msconfig.
Various other application errors started to pop during normal use so...

Put new drive in and rebuilt... all working well. Second disk (also not allowing chkdsk to run under original build) ran chkdsk without issues.
Currently running chkdsk on original problem system disk via my work laptop (XP)...

work in progress...





I used to have a handle on life... but it broke. Cpt. Red Bull

 

[firewolfrl]

I am going to say this sounds like the MFT was corrupt. some Defrag software defrag the MFT on certain settings.
But, Alas, its not a perfect system. once the MFT is corrupt you can only do data recovery...if you can get that far.

so thats my 2 bits

 

[aich69]

Thanks for all the pointers/suggestions guys...

Managed to scan the disk on an XP laptop and it showed up a stack of file system errors. Having already rebuilt on a new disk I didn't go as far as seeing if it had fixed them by replacing as system disk... gave up while I was ahead and just retrieved my data.

firewolfrl I'm inclined to agree, with the disks not even showing in disk management especially wierd.

Thanks again

I used to have a handle on life... but it broke. Cpt. Red Bull