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Samsung 40GB hard drive problem 1

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kjensen42

Technical User
Sep 6, 2002
3
US
I have a samsung 40GB drive that appears to be "locked". Any files that I save to it are gone the next time I start up the computer. Likewise, any files I delete reappear the next time I startup the computer. I have tried to reformat the drive, but after completion and rebooting the drive is untouched. The same happens with using fdisk to try and remove the partition. I have run scandisk and NDD, both say that they have found and fixed an allocation error as well as a problem with the boot area containing invalid information about the amount of free space on the drive. But after rebooting and rerunning these same problems are reported again and again. Is it possible that something has locked this hard drive?
 
///I have tried to reformat the drive, but after completion and rebooting the drive is untouched. /// what are you trying to reformat with? now download this one either the me or 98/95 will do, now if you can bootup and format with this super floopy something is REAL wrong with that hard drive..
 
How many hard drives? How many partitions? What OS?
 
I downloaded the UBD software and tried to remove the partition from the Samsung hard drive using the utilities on it but after rebooting the computer all the files were still there and I still cannot save or delete files. This is the only hard drive in the system, its running with WinME, and its the first time I have run into problems with it. How can a drive not allow a user to repartition and format it? I also ran the Samsung utility and it verified the drive as good, so I think there is some kind of virus on it. I ran NAV and it didn't find anything, but when I run scandisk or NU they both claim to find and fix a problem with an allocation error and a problem with the amount of free space that is being reported. After rebooting the computer and rerunning these utiltities both problems are still present. At this point I am completely stumped and am thinking about using a magnet to erase it!
 
It sounds like there is a disk overlay installed on the drive. If so, you need to find out what it is. Do you see
anything pertaining to EZ-Bios after your system posts?
What mfg. and model is your system?
 
There isn't any mention of a disk overlay at startup. I tried running the Samsung diagnostics and the HD diagnostics report that the drive is fine, but the low level formatter stops at cylinder 10 of 1024 every time I run it. Are there any programs that can lock or protect a drive that a user wouldn't be aware of?
 
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