[comp.sys.ibm.pc] HD with *no* hard error info

kens@hplsla.HP.COM (Ken Snyder) (05/02/90)

>   The question is, how can I check for hard errors? Chkdsk only does
> logical errors or hard errors that have been logically noted by DOS,
> I believe. Does Norton's NDD or PCTools' COMPRESS check for hard 
> errors.
>   Or is this merely a lucky HD with no hard errors. Thanks in advance
> for your replies.
> 
    I've had 2 Miniscribe 3180E's with NO bad sectors/tracks so I don't think
it's that uncommon.  In fact, when I got the third drive with 23 bad sectors
on it I was concerned I got a defective disc.  If you have the Norton Utilities
and use the SD utility the bad sectors will show up in the map marked "B".  If
there are none, there won't be any "B"s.

    Also, Norton's disc statistics tells you the number of sectors/bytes marked
as bad.

    When you do a low level format you will see error messages march across
the screen when a bad sector is found.  DOS's FORMAT command will also say
something like "Trying to recover sector xx" when doing a high level format.

    Sounds like you have a good disc,

Ken

wargopl@image.soe.clarkson.edu (Peter L. Wargo) (05/04/90)

From article <5190089@hplsla.HP.COM>, by kens@hplsla.HP.COM (Ken Snyder):
[deleted to save space]
>>   Or is this merely a lucky HD with no hard errors. Thanks in advance
>> for your replies.
>> 
>     I've had 2 Miniscribe 3180E's with NO bad sectors/tracks so I don't think
> it's that uncommon.  In fact, when I got the third drive with 23 bad sectors
> on it I was concerned I got a defective disc.  If you have the Norton Utilities
> and use the SD utility the bad sectors will show up in the map marked "B".  If
> there are none, there won't be any "B"s.

Or, you can use spinrite from Gibson Research.  Not only will it correct
a bad interleve, it will also do a *very* effective scrubbing of the disk,
marking sectors bad, or unmarking them if they pass the test.  It also
gets past the controller's "auto correct" routine, so it catches even
the smallest errors...

Nice Prog. for the price.

Pete

-- 
Peter L. Wargo - wargopl@sun.soe.clarkson.edu, amoung others...
"I don't believe it - I just spent 4 years at an expensive university-
 and I end up as a top-40 DJ..."