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Thread ID: 150958	2022-10-21 14:24:00	Chkdsk errors, replacing HDD - how to confirm file integrity	Chikara (5139)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1489017	2022-10-21 14:24:00	Hi all, Win 10, I have three physical drives: C is a SSD, OS and most programs are installed here E is a HDD, some other large but less commonly used programs are installed directly to this drive F is a HDD, just used for my data only (docs, music, videos, etc) (also have DVD as drive D, but I think that's not relevant here) Recently I had a circuit breaker trigger at home and I lost power, and the PC was shut down unexpectedly. So I thought it prudent to do a CHKDSK with the repair option. CHKDSK on Drive F, my data drive, completed only stage 4 out of 5, it would not start stage 5 because of an "unspecified error 766f6c756d652e63 45d" I can also see in the logs, errors detected in "index $i30", and I can also see that some files, just two, were flagged as corrupted. I compared hashes and they were indeed different so I was able to restore those 2 from my backups. The HDD is a WD Green drive, so I ran the WD Dashboard utility and the SMART tests won't run. Both short and extended give error code 7 shortly after starting. So, I've decided to get a replacement HDD and replace this one. I should add, I have never had any noticeable problems when accessing the PC, everything seemed to work fine. I can't remember exactly how old the drive is, but the SMART Data shows 50,102 power on hours, which according to my calculations is about 5.7 years of power on. My questions: - If files are corrupted, will they always be detected and reported each time in the CHKDSK scan? Or does this only report 'new' corruptions since last scan? I am concerned there may other files corrupted in the past that I might not know about, other than the 2 that it reported. - What does State 5 of the CHKDSK actually do? Could there be other problems Stage 5 detects, that Stage 4 would not, that would have affected any files? (I'm not too worried about physical damage as I'll replace it, I'm more worried about file corruption and loss. - When I get my new HDD, as it is only data and not program installation files, can I simply temporary copy the folder structure elsewhere, power off the PC, replace the old drive with the new one, and then manually copy that folder structure back? What checks can I do, to make sure this works 100% correctly, or is it enough to rely on Windows saying file movement completed? - Considering these error messages, once I've swapped drives, could it be feasible to fully reformat the old drive and potentially still use it? Or, considering the errors and age, is it likely there is physical damage / drive is starting to fail?	Chikara (5139)
1489018	2022-10-22 08:18:00	The only drive I've had go bad in ages (touch wood) was also a WD Green. Errors got into the FAT (or the NTSF equivalent of FAT), and was unable to repair them, so decided to abandon the drive and its (backup) data. Anyway, decided to open it up and have a peep inside. Turns out they hadn't put enough sealant under the lid at the time of manufacture (or hadn't tightened it down enough) and there was a small void where the seal hadn't made contact with the lid, presumably allowing dust to enter the drive, which I have assumed lead to the failure. Disappointing, and clearly a fault from manufacture.	Paul.Cov (425)
1489019	2022-10-22 08:24:00	As to some of your questions, Chkdsk will continue to report errors if it doesn't get far enough through the checking (and fixing) process to correct the error. Additionally, Windows will continue to prompt you to scan the drive until Chkdsk finally marks the scan as successfully completed... which it can't do since the drive is throwing up multiple faults. Chances are your attempt to copy files from the drive will throw up more files which are damaged, but there's nothing but your time lost in trying to do so (and I would try). If the lost files are few, then you can at least make note of them to then identify the app involved, and to source any backup copies. The drive otherwise is stuffed. Nothing but trouble ahead if you continue to use it.	Paul.Cov (425)
1489020	2022-10-22 08:34:00	Hi, interesting. Most people don't really out find the reason a drive fails. From what I can see the WD Greens aren't really being sold new any more, at least through the official resellers here, so I'll replace it with a different variety of WD. Probably WD Blue. I suppose with 5.7 years of power on time, I can't really complain. So, as long as I have restored the only 2 files that showed in the log as corrupted (which I have done already, from backups), I've done as much as I can do right now I guess. And then if I copy the entire folder elsewhere, before I switch in a new drive, i should make a note of any other errors it gives me, and replace those files/folders from backups too. If I'm understanding you correctly. Anything else I should do? Once I have the new HDD, my plan was to copy the entire folder structure temporarily elsewhere to another drive, then power off, physically switch out the HDD, then once it's connected and named correctly with correct drive letter assigned, copy everything back again.	Chikara (5139)
1489021	2022-10-22 22:42:00	Yeah, try just copying entire folder trees from the root of the drive. Might be best to login with Admin credentials first. If you're unlucky there may be some hidden or protected files that get missed, but that sort of BS is more typical of a system drive (C) rather than a data drive. You could consider checking the drive properties and noting the number of files and total bytes used, then comparing that against the temporary copy you make to see how much has been missed in the process. An alternative would be to use some drive imaging software, which will capture everything (potentially also including errored files).	Paul.Cov (425)
1489022	2022-10-22 23:09:00	If you use Imaging software to make an image of the drive that has errors then you'll need some that allows to bypass the errors other wise it will simply stop /fail (macrium does allow this) others don't have the options. If you simply attach a new drive, format it, then simple copy /paste, any corrupted files wont copy, you'll get a message to try again, skip or cancel, by selecting skip it keeps going once it finds the rest. Trouble is if a main folder is corrupted then the included subfolders may also not copy. Sometimes its easier to do small sections at a time, as large can cause all sorts of errors. Was for WD Green drive -- Lets just say replace them if you value your data. Nuff Said :D	wainuitech (129)
1489023	2022-10-22 23:28:00	To answer 1 other question "What does State 5 of the CHKDSK actually do?' Full details: While the site says Windows 7 its the same for newer OS's as well. chkdsk-process-ntfs-volumes.html (sourcedaddy.com) Also: The HDD is a WD Green drive, so I ran the WD Dashboard utility and the SMART tests won't run. Both short and extended give error code 7 shortly after starting. Error Code 7 = BAD SECTORS -- Means drives stuffed.	wainuitech (129)
1489024	2022-10-23 02:51:00	Hi Wainui, thanks for that. If Stage 5 if verifying unused clusters, then it seems not so important, considering I'm replacing the drive soon anyway. So maybe I am lucky and it is only those 2 files flagged prior that were corrupted, which I replaced from backup already. And if Error Code 7 = Bad sectors, why don't they just program the software to say "error - Bad sectors" rather than "error code 7" LOL. Thanks for looking that up, my Googling didn't find a description of what that code meant.	Chikara (5139)
1489025	2022-10-23 05:24:00	Hi Wainui, thanks for that. If Stage 5 if verifying unused clusters, then it seems not so important, considering I'm replacing the drive soon anyway. So maybe I am lucky and it is only those 2 files flagged prior that were corrupted, which I replaced from backup already. And if Error Code 7 = Bad sectors, why don't they just program the software to say "error - Bad sectors" rather than "error code 7" LOL. Thanks for looking that up, my Googling didn't find a description of what that code meant. Some of it is not looking up, its experience, if the SMART tests fails 99% of the time its Bad Sectors. WD Greens are known for failures as well, thats why I mentioned - Replace the drive(s). :) As for why not just say, Error code 7 can also be something else, but to narrow it down put "western digital" in front of a search and you'll get a more defined answer. Usually I'll use Crystal Disk Info to check drives.	wainuitech (129)
1489026	2022-10-28 13:59:00	There is no way to know for sure if your file integrity is compromised unless you have a known good copy to compare checksums with. That is why filesystems like ZFS exist. But that is too complicated for home use, generally.	Agent_24 (57)
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