Seagate Hardrive Back Up Not Working?

[bluecountry]

I have a seagate hardrive I use to manually back up my PC.

Yesterday I attempted to back up my PC.
I have done this before.  I go to Start>Control Panel>System Maintenance>Backup and Restore>Backup  in Vista.

It find the seagate, and backs up. 
However, yesterday hours in it gave me an error reading:

The backup did not complete successfully.

An error occured.  The following info might help you to resolve the error:

Data error (cyclic redundancy check 0X80070017'

I don't understand, I have done this backup many times with seagate before, and never had this problem.
Furthermore, although windows says it did NOT backup successfully, on my seagate drive it still created two things:

-A folder called "John's PC" and has 21.4 GB of contents    (my window's PC user name and PC is called John)
-A mediaID bin-525 MB

So I guess my questions are:
1)  What happened?  Is there any solution?

2)  DID my PC in fact back up?  Windows says no, but if not, why do I have 21.4 GB of contents in a folder and a media ID bin?

I tried this TWICE yesterday and failed both times.

Just like to know, if possible, what is up, and what I can do, to ensure my PC does back up.

[bluecountry]

and a hypothetical question.........

IF I was to back up my PC successfully through this method (Windows>Sys and Maintenance>Back up) would everything be backed up so that if my hard drive did fry....I could simply plug this hardrive back in, go to Windows>sys and maintenance>restore...and selected the seagate drive...and EVERYTHING would restore to the way it was when last backed up?

I mean everything...not only all of my documents, pictures, music, videos, and folders, but also software and setting like:
-Desktop background wallpaper
-Desktop icons
-Software (MS Office, CCleaner, Avg)?

[Salmon Trout]

I don't understand, I have done this backup many times with seagate before, and never had this problem.

Drives fail. You buy them. They work. Time passes. They start to give errors. They fail. If you are lucky they last for years.

Furthermore, although windows says it did NOT backup successfully, on my seagate drive it still created two things:

-A folder called "John's PC" and has 21.4 GB of contents    (my window's PC user name and PC is called John)
-A mediaID bin-525 MB

So I guess my questions are:
1)  What happened?  Is there any solution?

Windows tried to read or write data and failed. You need to check both your internal C:\ drive and your Seagate external for errors. I think the Seagate is starting to fail.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Check-your-hard-disk-for-errors

To answer your hypothetical question, if the backup completed successfully then you could be reasonably confident that you could restore it. However, you have now been told at least twice that something is wrong. You need to fix this. If the Seagate fails the disk test, you could format it and try again. Personally I'd buy another one. Check here

http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/warranty_&_returns_assistance

to see if you have a Seagate Lifetime Warranty.

2)  DID my PC in fact back up?  Windows says no, but if not, why do I have 21.4 GB of contents in a folder and a media ID bin?

It tried to backup, but failed. The backup is not reliable.

[bluecountry]

OK...here is what I did:

I went to start>>>computer>>>right click C drive>>>properties
>>>tools>>>error checking>>>>check disc option (I unchecked automatically fix file system errors AND also unchecked scan for an attempt recovery of bad sectors.

These were my results:

Your device or disc drive was scanned successfully.

No problems were found on the device or disc.  It is ready to use.

If you removed the device or disc before all the files were fully written to it, parts of some files might still be missing.  If so, go back to the source and recopy those files to the device or disc.

So should I still:
1) Re-scan and have "scan for an attempt recovery of bad sectors" checked?" and "automatically fix" checked as well?

2) Try a different way:  cmd...chkdsk/r...follow prompts
Or

3) Is it just my seagate drive after 3.5 years is done?
-Re check it with the link you gave?

[Salmon Trout]

OK...here is what I did:

I went to start>>>computer>>>right click C drive>>>properties
>>>tools>>>error checking>>>>check disc option (I unchecked automatically fix file system errors AND also unchecked scan for an attempt recovery of bad sectors.

You checked the C drive you say above. Did you also check the external drive using the same method?

[bluecountry]

No, should I?

Should I also re-check C-drive using CMD "chkdsk/r" or is the C-drive fine?

[Salmon Trout]

No, should I?

That's what I advised you to do on 30 Oct

[bluecountry]

OK, I just went ahead and tested my external seagate hardrive.

I went to the link you posted, then I went to "Test with Seatools", then I went to "diagnose the problem", I downloaded the file, saved it, than ran the short DST.

It claims "Short DST Pass".

So as of now I have checked my PC's hardrive in the windows link, and now the seagate, and both passed.
So my questions:

1) Is my EHD fine?  Are there any other tests I should run, if not, should I simply "re-try" the backup by going to windows...control panel...backup?

2) Any reason why I got the messages I got last time?  If I try again and it reads the same, then what do I do?

3) FYI...I checked, I am under warranty until October 22, 2012, but I suppose unless it "fails" a test, I cannot return/exchange and get a new one?

[Salmon Trout]

I think you should

1. Re-scan both drives with chkdisk and have "scan for an attempt recovery of bad sectors" checked?" and "automatically fix" checked.

or

2. Open a command prompt and run ckdisk /f on both drive letters.

3. Run the long tests.

Seagate says:

The "Short Drive Self Test" is adequate for most situations. Consider running the long Generic or long DST test, which reads each sector on the drive if you need a more comprehensive test. The long tests will take time to complete. Because the long tests read every sector on the drive, the amount of time required will depend on the speed and capacity of the disc drive. The highest capacity drives often take 2 to 4 hours to complete.

[bluecountry]

So I should go to the "windows" link (the first link) and re-scan?

Question, you said re-scan both discs that way...I only scanned the PC's drive that way.
I did not know you could scan the EHD that way too...was that a typo or can you scan the EHD through the windows link?  If so, how...

[Salmon Trout]

So I should go to the "windows" link (the first link) and re-scan?

Question, you said re-scan both discs that way...I only scanned the PC's drive that way.
was that a typo or can you scan the EHD through the windows link?  If so, how...

What "windows link"?

2. Open a command prompt and run ckdisk /f on both drive letters.

Also do the Seatools long tests (all of them)


Do this, and the Seatools long tests.

[bluecountry]

OK....since we last spook, this is what I did:


1) Re-scanned both drives doing it as described in the Windows link here:  http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Check-your-hard-disk-for-errors

I did without unchecked automatically fix file system errors AND also unchecked scan.


2) Then, I scanned each drive (the PC and EHD) doing as you, with "scan for an attempt recovery of bad sectors" checked?" and "automatically fix" checked.

A. The EHD came back clean
B. The PC had to re-boot, and then it ran the scan.  It took a long time, and I was not at my PC when it finished.
I know that at least one file was changed as it said:

Windows replaced bad cluster in file 76705 of name\user\john\pictures\my pictures\videos\beach video\avi

That files was simply a video I took on my camera and uploaded to my PC.
I can't believe THAT of all things would cause a problem,

Now I don't know what else the check found and did, because as I said it took awhile, and when it finished it did not post a log, it just started the PC as usual.

So I guess my question is, should it all be cleared to back up?  Is there anyway I can get a log of what happened so I know if it checks out?

Should I still go ahead and:

1) Do command prompt (and do I do that for just the c drive or is there a way to do it in command prompt for the EHD?).

Open a command prompt and run ckdisk /f on both drive letters.

What exactly do I type and enter to do it for both the seagate (F) and PC HD (C)?
Do I run them at the same time or do 1 first than the other?

and
2) Do seagate tools long tests, all?

[bluecountry]

Yo...so I am doing the long generic now.

Given the results of my other tests:

1) Anything else on the Seagate I need to do, aside from the long generic?
2) Should I re-try backing up (shouldn't it work now...what else could be the problem?)
3) Don't know how to do command prompt, do I need to do it or can you describe it?
Thanks!

[Salmon Trout]

Don't know how to do command prompt, do I need to do it or can you describe it?

Start Menu - Accessories - Command Prompt - right click on its shortcut then select Run as Administrator.

[bluecountry]

ST:

1) Aside from the long generic test I am doing right...any other seagate tests I need or just command prompt?
2) Problem with command prompt, I typed your code in and it said invalid...are you sure that is the exact words to type?
-Also, how do I do command prompt for both?

3) So you recommend I do just command prompt, then report back?

Do you think this seagate is fixed and this was just a fluke?  What is your opinion/diagnosis?