# Serious harddisk errors/problems, need help fast!

## Red Nalie

Ok people, this time its serious. My harddisks are spinning on and off, something they should not be doing. 

Dmesg doesnt look promising:

```

hdb: dma_intr: status=0x7f { DriveReady DeviceFault SeekComplete DataRequest CorrectedError Index Error }

hdb: dma_intr: error=0x7f { DriveStatusError UncorrectableError SectorIdNotFound TrackZeroNotFound AddrMarkNotFound }, LBAsect=260013951, sector=4444000

hda: DMA disabled

hdb: DMA disabled

ide0: reset: success

hdb: read_intr: status=0x7f { DriveReady DeviceFault SeekComplete DataRequest CorrectedError Index Error }

hdb: read_intr: error=0x7f { DriveStatusError UncorrectableError SectorIdNotFound TrackZeroNotFound AddrMarkNotFound }, LBAsect=260013951, sector=3185032

ide0: reset: success

```

My drives should be in perfect working condition, and this dmesg does NOT appear when I boot it (this is after playing Neverwinter Nights).

Could someone help me out, for my guess is its killing my HDs (slowly  :Razz: )

[edit]

I need to add to this, that i copied NWN from a Windows PC (about 2g) using Samba...

Somehow I think NWN and these problems are related, but I cant really prove it...

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## pjp

A search for DriveStatusError turned up some results.  Parts of the error message look familiar, so there might be something out there (don't forget google).

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## Red Nalie

 *pjp wrote:*   

> A search for DriveStatusError turned up some results.  Parts of the error message look familiar, so there might be something out there (don't forget google).

 

Most errors on DriveStatusError are CRC errors, which does not seem to be the problem.

Searching on error=0x7f gives various similar pages with problems, but none with an actual answer.

Im going to reboot, and NOT boot Neverwinter Nights, if that does make the whole thing stable it can be moved to Games & Players  :Razz: 

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## antik

 *Red Nalie wrote:*   

>  *pjp wrote:*   A search for DriveStatusError turned up some results.  Parts of the error message look familiar, so there might be something out there (don't forget google). 
> 
> Most errors on DriveStatusError are CRC errors, which does not seem to be the problem.
> 
> Searching on error=0x7f gives various similar pages with problems, but none with an actual answer.
> ...

 

Looks like your drive found bad sectors and trying automatically recover data. Back up fast! Check your IDE cable. Try disable DMA. Check CPU fan maybe it's dead. Then fill your drive with zeroes (search manufacturer homepage how to). Restore backup.

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## Red Nalie

 *antik wrote:*   

>  *Red Nalie wrote:*    *pjp wrote:*   A search for DriveStatusError turned up some results.  Parts of the error message look familiar, so there might be something out there (don't forget google). 
> 
> Most errors on DriveStatusError are CRC errors, which does not seem to be the problem.
> 
> Searching on error=0x7f gives various similar pages with problems, but none with an actual answer.
> ...

 

Well, since it only seems to be hdb, which makes noise enough to overpower an F4, I dont actually mind it dying (good excuse to buy a new one).

But are you sure this is the answer, seems a bit....rigorous?

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## antik

 *Red Nalie wrote:*   

>  *antik wrote:*   
> 
> Looks like your drive found bad sectors and trying automatically recover data. Back up fast! Check your IDE cable. Try disable DMA. Check CPU fan maybe it's dead. Then fill your drive with zeroes (search manufacturer homepage how to). Restore backup. 
> 
> Well, since it only seems to be hdb, which makes noise enough to overpower an F4, I dont actually mind it dying (good excuse to buy a new one).
> ...

 

If you hear noise then you know what to do.  :Twisted Evil:   Remember that dying hdd can kill your ide controller.

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## Red Nalie

 *antik wrote:*   

>  *Red Nalie wrote:*    *antik wrote:*   
> 
> Looks like your drive found bad sectors and trying automatically recover data. Back up fast! Check your IDE cable. Try disable DMA. Check CPU fan maybe it's dead. Then fill your drive with zeroes (search manufacturer homepage how to). Restore backup. 
> 
> Well, since it only seems to be hdb, which makes noise enough to overpower an F4, I dont actually mind it dying (good excuse to buy a new one).
> ...

 

I just spent 3 hours on my PC....nothing went wrong.

Started NWN, and hell, it begun again  :Razz: 

So I think the problem is obvious, Samba copied the 2g of data rather corruptly  :Razz: 

Now I need to find that Linux-installer thing for NWN....

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## K0byB0y

There is nothing wrong with your hard drive.  You are getting CRC errors because data is getting written to your hard drive faster then what your hard drive can handle.  Try turning down your DMA settings a notch.  You can check them with "hdparm -I <device>".

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## Red Nalie

 *K0byB0y wrote:*   

> There is nothing wrong with your hard drive.  You are getting CRC errors because data is getting written to your hard drive faster then what your hard drive can handle.  Try turning down your DMA settings a notch.  You can check them with "hdparm -I <device>".

 

Might just be me, but I dont see any CRC-errors?   :Shocked: 

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## K0byB0y

"hdparm -I <device>" will not tell you if you have any CRC errors.  It should tell you what level of DMA you have enabled.  When I do it on my drive I get a bunch of stuff back in which one line looks like this:

DMA: mdma0 mdma1 mdma2 udma0 udma1 udma2 udma3 udma4 *udma5

  See the asteriks next to udma5 ?  It means that hdparm has enabled udma5 on this drive.  You need to do a "hdparm -I" on your drive and see what it spits back as your UDMA setting.  Once you have that you need to tell hdparm to set it one step lower (ex.: if you are running with udma5 you need to tell hdparm to switch over to udma4 instead).  I had the exact same problem with my 52x CD-ROM drive.  hdparm set it up to use udma5 but I was getting those CRC errors.  Once I've switched it to udma4 the errors stopped and transferring data from the drive became much more reliable.

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## Red Nalie

 *K0byB0y wrote:*   

> "hdparm -I <device>" will not tell you if you have any CRC errors.  It should tell you what level of DMA you have enabled.  When I do it on my drive I get a bunch of stuff back in which one line looks like this:
> 
> DMA: mdma0 mdma1 mdma2 udma0 udma1 udma2 udma3 udma4 *udma5
> 
>   See the asteriks next to udma5 ?  It means that hdparm has enabled udma5 on this drive.  You need to do a "hdparm -I" on your drive and see what it spits back as your UDMA setting.  Once you have that you need to tell hdparm to set it one step lower (ex.: if you are running with udma5 you need to tell hdparm to switch over to udma4 instead).  I had the exact same problem with my 52x CD-ROM drive.  hdparm set it up to use udma5 but I was getting those CRC errors.  Once I've switched it to udma4 the errors stopped and transferring data from the drive became much more reliable.

 

Hmmmm, well, first of all, I still dont see any CRC errors...

Second, udma 5 == ata100 right? if so, that means its a-ok.

Third of all, I only seem to have it while playing Neverwinter Nights (although I had some boot problems today having the same errors).

Fourth of all  :Razz: , both HDs are the same type, and on the same cable, both having the same hdparm -I settings, which means hda should have a heavy risk-factor as well, but no problems have ever occured with it

fifth of all  :Very Happy: , it all started AFTER I pulled in NWN, before that (were talking months here) I never had a problem  :Razz: 

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