Hatrack River Forum: How do I fix bad sectors?

This is topic How do I fix bad sectors? in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :

What command linux based would I use to do a low level format, to eradicate all bad sectors? Cuz when i try to install linux i get thatit encontered bad cyninders and spits out a bunch of random numbers and freezes when it says its trying to fix it and doesn't.

Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :

Toss the hard drive and buy a new one. Seriously.

(Unless someone else has a better suggestion...)

Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :

What if cannot afford a new hard drive at the moment ?

Posted by The Flying Dracula Hair (Member # 10155) on :

Save up!

Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :

Or find a used computer parts store.

Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :

this sint helpful, theres a command to do a low level frmat but I cant find it.

Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :

like it was a new hard drive as well.

Posted by Fusiachi (Member # 7376) on :

First: A LLF is not guaranteed to fix your problem.

Second: You're the Linux Master, né?

Posted by HollowEarth (Member # 2586) on :

have you tried running using the -c or -cc options with mkfs?

from the mke2fs man page:

code:

       -c     Check the device for bad blocks before creating the file system.  If this option is
              specified twice, then a slower, read-write test is used instead of a fast read-only
              test.

If this is difficult to do in the installer for whatever distro you're installing, I'd look up the gparted live cd (~50 megs) you should be able to do it from there certainly.

Frankly, if things are failing like this, I wouldn't expect the drive to last all that much longer even if you can get it to install.

Anyway, I thought you were a linux master?

edit: I'd also look at the manufacturers website to see what they have available too.

Posted by Threads (Member # 10863) on :

I don't think you can eliminate bad sectors. Generally the operating system just works around them. I'm guessing your hard drive is hosed.

Posted by Fusiachi (Member # 7376) on :

Also, if it's a new HD, you're not very likely to be able to do much in the way of a "low level format". That's more of a manufacturer thing. You can, however, zero it out, which might (or, every bit as likely, might not) fix a problem or two. Were you to go this route, you would probably use dd, but then again, I'm no linux master.

Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :

If it is a new hard drive, it is under warranty. Go get it replaced.

Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :

Fugu's got the right of it. If it's a new drive, it'll be covered by warranty. Replace it.

Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :

Thirded. If I'd known it was new... [Smile]

Posted by NotMe (Member # 10470) on :

It has been many years since you could actually do a "low level format" of a hard drive. When sectors start going bad, the drive re-maps some spare sectors to keep the drive working, and reports the problems using SMART. The operating system can only notice this, not control it.

Once this starts happening, the chance of the drive dying within 2 months goes up by a factor of about 40, but given that this is a new drive, it is pretty much doomed. (The 40x increase applies to drives that have made it past the initial spike of the bathtub-curve failure rate. Your drive isn't there yet, so it already has a higher chance of failure.)

The good news is that hard drives have pretty good warranties these days. Your drive probably has a 3-year warranty, much better than the 1-year warranties they were handing out a few years ago.

Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :

it was acquired under the table unfortunately. I don't think warranty applies.

Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :

This, then, represents an excellent lesson about why, morality aside, you shouldn't acquire things under the table. That said, depending on the manufacturer, you might be able to just give them the serial number and confirm the age of the drive that way; many manufacturers are fairly forgiving about being able to produce a proof of sale.

Posted by NotMe (Member # 10470) on :

Most drives actually have the warranty date printed on the top. Provided that it is present and the drive doesn't have too many physical signs of damage or tampering, you still stand a good chance at getting a replacement from the manufacturer. At any rate, it probably can't hurt to call the manufacturer.

Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :

Even if acquired under the table, if it was acquired legally, it has a warranty for the appropriate period.