Unreadable sections of C drive - cannot copy

[bullwinkle]

I always keep an Acronis copy of both my C drive and data drive.  I make this copy every month.  This month while copying the C drive Acronis stopped at the 3% mark and said that the sector on the C drive was unreadable, Retry, Ignore or Ignore All.  Retry didn't work.

When I hit Ignore All, the copy stayed at 3% permanently.  When I hit Ignore, I had to do it over and over and over as different sections kept showing up.  Finally after 30 minutes I hit Ignore All and it stalled again at 3%.

I attempted a CHKDSK of the C drive with the F option (I have Win XP) and was told that it would begin at the next bootup.  Well it did, but the results flew by so fast all I caught were the words "Bad Sectors".  Evidently the F option wasn't in play because the problem persisted.

Today I tried booting up using the disk that I was attempting to copy to, but that disk is now unbootable.

So I'm working with the same C drive but I'm flying without a parachute.  How can I get a successful copy of this drive?

Thank you.

[Geek-9pm]

You can not.
You can do this:
A. Buy another HDD.
B. Use the backup to restore an earlier version to the new drive.
C. Using the new drive, attempt to copy specific files you really need.
Reason:
The old HDD has errors that are beyond usual recovery. A forensic recovery is moire costly than what most users  users would pay. An attempt to repair that old HDD is pointless. 

[Allan]

For future reference, the command you wanted was chkdsk /r, not "f". The "r" switch would have attempted to recover the data on the bad sectors, relocate it to good sectors, and mark the bad sectors as unusable in the future.

What you want to do now is go to: http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287
Make sure you select the tool which is appropriate for the brand of your hard drive.
Depending on the program, it'll create bootable floppy, or bootable CD.
If downloaded file is of .iso type, use ImgBurn: http://www.imgburn.com/ to burn .iso file to a CD (select "Write image file to disc" option), to make the CD bootable.
For Toshiba drives, see here: http://sdd.toshiba.com/main.aspx?Path=ServicesSupport/FujitsuDrivesUSandCanada/SoftwareUtilities#diagnostic

Run the diagnostic and see if can repair your drive.

[bullwinkle]

Both solutions sound complicated to me and perhaps beyond my abilities.

Here's an idea - can i put my C drive in another computer and execute a CHKDSK /R on it?

Would that work?

[Allan]

There's nothing complicated about downloading a diagnostic utility, burning it to cd, and running it. It's certainly easier than what you're thinking about doing. It will also provide a more comprehensive diagnostic and repair attempt than checkdisk.

[bullwinkle]

Allan:

I'm already confused.  I went to the tacktech site, looked at the section titled Diagnostic Tools and Utilitites and selected WD (the brand of my current C drive).  I am now am looking at a sheet of various programs, all have the same description with different dates not listed in chronological order.
I selected the top one since this is a 320 GByte drive.

From that I selected the drive using the model nr.  Not knowing exactly where to go from here, I selected Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for Windows.  Do I download this and run a diagnostic?

I didn't see anything regarding the creation of a bootable CD.

Geek:

How do I use the backup to restore the drive to a new HDD?  What procedure/software do I use?

[Allan]

You want the data lifeguard version for dos. Burn it to cd, boot to it and run it.

[Geek-9pm]

bullwinkle,
My assumption was that you had a backup system image on a backup drive created by Acronis.  And you have the Acronis recovery CD.
https://kb.acronis.com/content/4828

But go ahead and  do what Allan aid about using a bootable HDD diagnostic for a WD HDD. If that works, it would be the  the best solution. 

[Allan]

And as Geek said - if you do have a usable image then you can restore it to a new HD. It seems you multiple options.

[bullwinkle]

I do not have an Acronis bootable recovery CD.  I will try and execute Alan's plan as best as I can later tonight.

I am sure I will have further questions.  Thanks to both of you for your help in this.

[Allan]

I should mention that if your hd is badly corrupted it's very possible that even the manufacturer's utility won't help. But it is your best bet.

BTW, I'm a bit confused. I thought you said you've been creating images every month. You should have an image you can use if needed, no?

[bullwinkle]

What I do every month is clone my 2 drives to 2 duplicate drives.  I don't have a bootable CD.

[Geek-9pm]

...
My assumption was that you had a backup system image on a backup drive created by Acronis.  And you have the Acronis recovery CD.
https://kb.acronis.com/content/4828
...

Read the link.

[bullwinkle]

I purchased and downloaded Acronis several years ago.  I do not have the serial number and am not registered, so therefore I do not have a bootable CD from them.

[bullwinkle]

So this is where I'm at.  I have downloaded the DOSDLG program (for DOS) for WD hard drives.

The instructions say to back up your data on the drive first.  I can't do that.  Then it says to copy the files to a bootable CD and boot the system off of the CD to run the program.  But I don't have a bootable CD.  What to do?

Would a SYS command from my C drive to a blank CD work? 

Also, there are many switches on this program.  Which one/s should I use?

[bullwinkle]

Just looking around my Acronis directories before going to bed...found Bootable Rescue Media Builder shortcut.  I ran it and created a bootable file on a CD.  But I couldn't create an ISO file on another CD.  I got the error: Specified location does not exist or you do not have permission to write to this location.  Does the CD have to be formatted?

I also did not include the Driver Cleanser option.  I didn't think it was needed.

[Geek-9pm]

Too bad  you don't remember the serial number. Still, you should be able to make the recovery CD.
http://www.acronis.com/en-us/company/inpress/2007/03-15-boot-loader-2.html

Acronis Bootable Rescue Media can be created in the following formats:

    Floppy Disk
    CD-R/RW
    USB Flash Devices
    .ISO File

The author goes  on to say...

The Acronis True Image 10 Media Builder can also create .ISO Files — image files that can be burned to a CD or DVD. Using the wizard, you can create an Acronis True Image .ISO file to a folder on your hard drive. When you click on that file to open it, it will launch your burning software with all the necessary parameters to burn your bootable Acronis True Image disc. If you don't feel like trying to shut down your packet writing software every time you go to burn an Acronis True Image disc, this is a quick and easy way around the issue. Whenever you upgrade to a newer True Image build, you should always create updated recovery media with the new version to avoid any unexpected issues.

Keep at it and you will beat it.   

[bullwinkle]

I am completely lost here and have no idea what I'm reading.  It's not making any sense to me.  Your link put me on page 2, but the other pages don't make much sense either.

IOW, I don't have a clue at this point.  Can you explain further?

[Allan]

At this point we're going to assume the hd is shot. Go ahead and continue to try to restore the Acronis created image.

As for creating a bootable recovery cd, I really don't understand what the issue is. Why don't you post the steps you are trying to follow and exactly wheer you are having a problem following them and then let's see what we can do.

[bullwinkle]

I have downloaded the DOSDLG program (for DOS) for WD hard drives.

The instructions say to back up your data on the drive first.  I can't do that.  Then it says to copy the files to a bootable CD and boot the system off of the CD to run the program. 

I created what I assume is a bootable CD using the Rescue Media Builder from Acronis.  It's not an ISO file.  I tried to use the ISO option to another CD but it wouldn't work because it said a specific location didn't exist. 

I'm guessing that I have to somehow put the DOSDLG program onto the bootable CD - probably in the Startup section so that it will automatically run. 

That's where I'm at right now.

[Allan]

Sorry - guess I wasn't clear. Let's forget the diagnostic utility and concentrate on creating an Acronis bootable disc to restore to a different drive. Where are you running into the problem?

[bullwinkle]

Well, I just tested the Acronis bootable CD.  It gives me an option on  boot up - Acronis True Image Home (Full Version) or Windows.

The Windows option boots from the HD.  The Acronis True Image Home option just gives me a blank screen.

[Geek-9pm]

Have you tried to contact Acronis ?
That have a forum.
https://forum.acronis.com/forum/68510
See 68510: Acronis True Image - Legacy Boot

It might be possible to get a legacy ISO for Acronis.

[bullwinkle]

I will try that.  Meanwhile I was still wondering...couldn't I put my C drive in another machine and CHKDSK /R it?  Even if that other machine has the exact same motherboard and OS?

[Allan]

Yes, you can do that.  If the disc is highly corrupted it may very well not help.

[bullwinkle]

Is there a chance I can ruin the HD so that it will be unbootable?  That is my major concern.

[Geek-9pm]

Is there a chance I can ruin the HD so that it will be unbootable?  That is my major concern.

No.
Yes, you can make it uncountable, but you will not ruin it. The boot information is on the first part of the hard drive and normally the windows  system does not write into that area. Exceptions for a few things.

[bullwinkle]

OK, thanks.   So I'll just run a CHKDSK /R on it. 

I'll give it a try on my son's computer tomorrow.  I am a bit concerned because Acronis stopped at the 3% mark.  Hopefully that's past the bootable sectors - in fact I'm guessing that it has to be, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to boot in the first place!  But I'm still keeping my fingers crossed here - like I said, flying without a parachute.

If everything goes well, I'm guessing you would suggest making a clone and replacing this HD.  That would make sense to me.

[bullwinkle]

I connected the C drive to the other computer and ran chkdsk /r.  This is the message I received:

Chkdsk cannot open because the volume is in use by another process.  Chkdsk may run if this volume is dismounted first.  ALL OPENED HANDLES TO THIS VOLUME WOULD THEN BE INVALID.  Would you like to force a dismount of this volume? (Y/N)

I have to be very cautious here, because this is the only drive that has my OS.

Should I say yes?

[bullwinkle]

I think I figured it out...I ran the PC in safe mode with command prompt.  It just finished running - I didn't get to see the results, got called away.

I'll test the Acronis clone procedure later - keep you posted.

BTW is there any procedure you would recommend to avoid this in the future?  e.g. a bootable ISO CD?  Still not sure what that is or how it works. 

Always looking for better ways to backup - in addition to my monthly disk cloning process.

[bullwinkle]

The Acronis clone procedure failed again - at the same place.  Obviously this is a major HD error.

What to do now?

P.S.  I just read up on chkdsk.  I gave the command   C:\chkdsk /r D:  should the drive come between the command and the switch?  It sounds like I put the commands in the wrong order. 

If so, it should read   C:\chkdsk D: /r  At least it seems this way from what I read on the DOS prompt when I ask for help on the chkdsk command.

[BC_Programmer]

Replace your hard drive and restore the most recent image. This is what the image files are for.

It seems doubtful you'll get anything usable off your drive as it is. It has almost certainly failed.

[bullwinkle]

I don't have any image to restore.  If I have an image file, I don't know about it.

Right now I just want to be sure that my DOS command was correct or not.  If that doesn't correct the error, I'll worry about image files then.

[BC_Programmer]

I don't have any image to restore.  If I have an image file, I don't know about it

I always keep an Acronis copy of both my C drive and data drive.  I make this copy every month.

You've been making an image every month from the sounds of this, unless I misunderstood.

Right now I just want to be sure that my DOS command was correct or not.  If that doesn't correct the error, I'll worry about image files then.

Switches and the drive specification can come in any order. However you don't want "C:\chkdsk". That tells the command interpreter you want to run chkdsk, and it can find the program in the root directory of C, which is not the case. You want to omit the C:\.

Code: [Select]

chkdsk /r D:
You'll want to verify that the C: drive from your PC is actually D:. Forced dismount is fine if that is the case. D: may be a recovery partition on the other computer, or a Optical drive if you have not checked.

[bullwinkle]

OK, let's review...

I have been making Acronis clones for years for each of my hard drives.  Is this an image file?  To me it is simply a duplicating hard drives.  At any rate, the current clone doesn't boot so I don't have a viable image file (if that's what it is).

Regarding the DOS command, I included the C:\ because I'm duplicating what is on the screen.  I certainly didn't type this in, it's the DOS prompt.  Yes, I checked to insure that the target drive was my old C drive - it was given the D: label by the system. 

If indeed it does not matter which order the commands are in, then indeed the CHKDSK /R attempt failed to correct the read issue on the C drive and I have to turn to other options.

I'm open to any and all suggestions.  I've heard of Spinrite that might help.  Also System Mechanic - if those "speed up your PC and fix all problems" packages are any good.  Ideas?

[bullwinkle]

SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!! 

Since you guys tried to help me, I thought I'd share how I solved the problem with you.

My option was to purchase Spinrite and fix the unreadable portions of the C drive.  However it seems as if this drive may be failing and Spinrite puts a lot of pressure on the drives it tests  (I remember using it once before), so I thought that it might kill the drive if the drive was beginning to fail and then I'd be up s**t's creek without a paddle.

So I thought of a softer option - defragmenting.  When I did that the only section it couldn't read was one containing my anti-virus files.  That told me that the affected data wasn't vital.

I tried to clone after that, but no go.  Then it occurred to me...at the 3% mark where it sticks, it asks Retry, Ignore, or Ignore All.  The Retry and All options paralyze the system.  But when I hit Ignore, it continues to the next problematic sector.  So why not ignore every one?  So I hit the "I" key about a million times and went to dinner.  When I came back the drive had cloned!  I'm running the cloned drive as I type this.

Now I'm going to buy a drive exactly like the cloned one and use that as my new clone.

PROBLEM SOLVED!

Thanks for trying to help me.  BTW, do I need that ISO file thing to boot from a CD?  Would that be helpful in the future?