Computer issues worsen...

[EvilYoda]

Edit: The data-recovery tool couldn't even scan the drive, returning tons of CRC errors. Is there any way I can figure out what data can still be copied and what can't? Seemingly most everything is fvcked, but I'd like to salvage what I can. I'm so pissed right now it's not even funny.

Edit 2: Just tried restarting and found same errors as the original computer had. Disconnected bad HD and now it booted fine. Is this indicative of a virus or something else? I've never quite seen this before and it's really pissing me off. I had the odd thought to boot into a boot-iso Linux distro, but would I be able to see my hard drives then?

So after having the comp up and working for a few hours (repair installation via XP CD), it decided to start dying again. I pulled the HD to install it into the other computer to scan for virii and back up data if need be. I also dled some HD diagnostic tools and it's scanning now at home...it's turning up CRC errors left and right.

What is the likely cause of this? A virus? Norton was running at all times, but then again, Norton isn't perfect. Could it be a physical error? It's under warranty, so an RMA is possible, but I'd rather not if I didn't have to.

Now I have to sift through my data and see what I can back up and what I can't. Conveniently, I had installed Outlook just recently, and forgot to check "leave copy on server", so it pulled all the emails from my POP3 account. And I didn't archive it. And the main outlook.pst file (~100 megs) containing all emails in the last half year is CORRUPT. 3 other small pst files were fine...so maybe it was deliberate, via a virus?

Just looking to see what I can look forward to. The diagnostic tool is taking forever, due to the CRC errors, but the physical condition seems to be okay, according to Active SMART.

Thanks all.

 

[Cheetah8799]

hmmm, sounds crappy. I suppose my first guess would be a virus. Hard to say for sure though.

Maybe it could be your IDE controller chipset? Not sure how common this is anymore, but I have friends who have had issues in the past while overclocking and the fsb is too far from 33mhz on the pci bus. The ide chipset would basically corrupt everything going in and out of the hard drive.

If you have the diagnostic software from the mfgr, and it says the drive is good, then I guess you are stuck with wiping it clean and starting over. Hopefully it'll work.

 

[johnjkr1]

If your hard drive fails a diagnotic (gives a failure code) then it has a physical problem and needs to be RMA'd. If it does not fail, then it should be fine to format and install windows xp (of course, don't connect to the internet before installing the updates unless you have a firewall).

 

[EvilYoda]

bump for more bad news.

 

[cronos]

i'll say that your drive is dying.
if it's working now, quickly copy all of your important files elsewhere, and as soon as you get a chance, replace the drive.