FDISK problems

[spasserium]

Sorry to create yet another thread, but I can't fdisk my hard drive. I run fdisk and when I check the partitions, none are there. I've used fdisk /mbr, aefdisk /mbr, low-level formatters, such as Drive Fitness, PowerMax, etc., to no avail. However, Drive Fitness and PowerMax report that the reformatting was successful and that hard drive is fine (at least there doesn't seem to be any error messages).

Oddly, from time to time, I have been able to fdisk the hard drive (ie, when I check with fdisk /status, a partition is there), but when I attempt to format the hard drive, it gets all the way to 99% complete, and then I get a "can't write to boot and format failed" message. Also, I never get an error message when running fdisk; it seems to work until I check it with fdisk /status, after rebooting.

I've even tried alternatives to fdisk: xfdisk, aefdisk, and freeDOS fdisk (1.3). None work any better.

Is there anything else I can do, short of getting a new hard drive?

I only have 64mg RAM. That's enough for win98se, isn't it? Someone mentioned a low/dead RAM/reserve battery. Could that cause fdisk to fail and/or the boot sector to be invalid?

Thanks again,

Mark

 

[edfair]

Just in case there is something else getting in the way, I would fdisk /mbr to rewrite the master boot record, then fdisk and remove anything that shows up, then fdisk and create a partition of whatever size you need. ( up to whatever fdisk will allocate)
And look at the results before you try to format to see what fdisk thinks is there.

And the zero fill option is still viable if the fdisk won't take because of a virus or disk drive overlay.

Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[jtdoom]

hi
you may have motherboard antivirus feature on.
I suggest you boot into CMOS setup (look at bios settings)

 

[jtdoom]

I just reread all this

i suggest you use wipeout (you can get it at lurkhere.com) to clear all the stuff in mbr/embr

then, after you reboot, again use fdisk
after fdisk you reboot (you must be aware that rebooting is important...)

and then use format C: /U /C
(do NOT use /S )

the following link discusses some pitfalls
it discusses usage of wipeout, fdisk (with large drives, and so on,etc... even a bit about aefdisk)

http://www.cybertechhelp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9577

Kind regards, Jaak

 

[jtdoom]

btw

it hangs at 99?
if this drive is no longer under warranty, you could use fdisk to make a partition of 98 percent of total, and keep in mind that it showed errors (iow, this hard disk should not be used for bizz critical usage)

if under warranty, and heads settings are okay (some BIOS require other heads settings... w/i done by jumper for 15 heads rather than 16), then I would RMA it.

anyhow... avoiding damage at end of disk is easy... format told you where the bad part is.

kind regards, Jt

 

[realm174]

Making the partition smaller wouldn't fix it. The error he's getting at 99% is "can't write to book" indicating a problem writing to the boot sector, which is at the beginning of the partition, and not at the end.

I suggest using spinrite (

http://grc.com/spinrite.htm

)on the drive. That'll take a while to go through, depending on the size of it, but by the end, either you'll have a free-of-defect drive, or you'll have a door stopper.

Cheers

Realm174

 

[jtdoom]

Hi

spinrite is no longer free (last time I looked it weren't), but it is is one of the better proggies, that is for sure...
==========
yup, the damage is likely to be in the area where FAT and/or FAT mirror gonna be stored...
As long as we remember that this HDD is no longer good for bizz critical apps, one can really clear the FAT AND the FAT-mirror by using the format /U switch (still works, this one), and together with telling fdisk to allocate a smaller portion o/t drive, chances are this drive can still be used

(BUT it is NOT to be used FOR critical apps)

Anyways, it should be considered as a candidate for RMA, and if warranty is still covering this, my main concern would be = get MY data off (spinrite, or what was once known as tiramisu (easyrecovery latest version works well, but not free either...) or similar proven tools.
And ypou recover to a known good drive...

wth problem like this, I suggest one gets a new HDD (what I would do anyways)

with prices of HDD as low as they are, I won't risk future data
EXISTING data can cost as much as ten puters...

 

[spasserium]

Many thanks to all who replied. I can't seem to get anything to work. I've tried everything you've collectively suggested, and more. It could very well be that I don't know what I'm doing.

I located a NEW, replacement hard drive on ebay for $50+ and am going to simply replace it.

Mark

 

[edlbee]

My 20 gig SEAGATE wouldn't partition or boot and when I uininstalled and reinstalled the CMOS battery three hours later....it worked fine..

 

[G0AOZ]

I've known the sort of problem you've described materialise if the disk was originally partitioned using "incorrect" disk parameters, e.g. wrong cyl/hd/sec. Your BIOS is probably now set to "auto-detect" which chooses the manufacturer's original parameters, and NOT the wrongly used custom ones. Unless you know the custom ones you may not be able to use this disk again...


ROGER - G0AOZ.

 

[TekTippy4U]

Here's some thoughts......if you still want to mess around with that (hockey puck).....ummm I mean Disk.....:>)

The low-level formatting may have been done incorrectly and damaged the disc's capability.........

The ATA specification provides for vendor-unique commands, which are "Manufacturer Specific" extensions to the standard. To prevent improper low-level formatting, many IDE drives have special codes that must be sent to the drive to unlock the format routines. These codes vary among Manuf.........If possible, obtain LLF and defect management software from Manuf.......

Most ATA IDE drives are protected from any alteration to the skew factors or defect map erasure because they are in translated mode....Zoned bit recording drives are always in translation mode, and are fully protected........

Most ATA drives have a custom command set that must be used in the Format process.....the standard format commands (ATA spec's, Fdisk). usually do not work, especially with Zoned bit recording IDE drives....

Bad sectors cannot be spared during the format process.........as the commands need to be Manuf.-specific(and often Model specific).......

Third-party software (SpinRite, Calibrate, et.al) have a tendency to cause errors. These programs do not perform defect mapping in the way standard LLF (Manuf-specific) programs do, AND they can even remove the carefully applied sector header defect marks during a proper LLF........

This situation potentially enables Data to be stored in sectors that were Originally Marked Defective.....by attempting to perform a track-by-track LLF by using BIOS functions,while backing up and restoring track data as they go......

These programs do not actually perform a complete LLF because they don not even try to low-level format the first track (Cylinder 0, Head 0)...due to problems with some controller types that store hidden information on the first track.

(Note: SpinRite is good for recovering data found on drives with read errors.....because of it's thorough method of repeatedly rereading the errors and analyzing the results..)

A true LLF program bypasses the system BIOS and sends commands directly to the disk controller hardware....

Most Manuf.'s.....provide Free LLF programs....(please don't hold me to it).....here's some sites....
Seagate= ftp://ftp.seagate.com/techsuppt/seagate_utils/sgatfmt4.zip
IBM=

http://www.storage.ibm.com/techsup/hddtech/welcome.html

Western Digital=

http://www.wdc.com/service/ftp/wddiag/wd_diag.exe

Quantum=

http://www.quantum.com/support/csr/software/csr_software.html

Maxtor=

http://www.maxtor.com/softwaredownload/utilities.html

Also haven't had the time to visit all recently.......so......(you didn't post the Manuf's name,or I don't see it)

And if you want a Generic LLF Sortware for purchase (which I doubt).....Ontrack's Disk Manager.....or Micro 2000's MicroScope.........
and an excellent relatively inexpensive one is #1 TuffTEST Pro..from #1-PC Diagnostics.....
These programs know the Man-specific format commands........

Hope all this helps