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Thread: Damaged Sector Error

  1. #1
    Senior Member IcSilk's Avatar
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    Damaged Sector Error

    Alright, first off - I don't have a damaged sector and have received no errors saying so. I was laying in bed last night and a question hit me out of the blue that I couldn't seem to find a specific answer to today.

    If there is a damaged sector error, is it necessarily referring to the specific sector that the data your trying to access is on? I mean since HDDs are generally sequential access rather than random access, could a sector damage error mean a 'gateway-type' sector that the read/write head has to traverse or utilize on its way to the data-holding sector?

    Im tired and not sure if Im typing clearly enough, what Im trying to ask is can a sector error occur if the sector holding the wanted data is not damaged but one that lays in the path to that sector is?

    Again, this isn't urgent. I have no problems with my system. Its just a general curiosity that emerged in a half stupor - I haven't much of a life these days

    Blessings
    "In most gardens they make the beds too soft - so that the flowers are always asleep" - Tiger Lily

  2. #2
    Just Another Geek
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    Quote Originally Posted by IcSilk View Post
    If there is a damaged sector error, is it necessarily referring to the specific sector that the data your trying to access is on?
    Short answer, yes
    Oliver's Law:
    Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

  3. #3
    Senior Member Wazz's Avatar
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    All Hard Disks contain a certain number of "Bad Sectors", that is just the reality of it. I always do a thorough chkdsk before introducing a new drive to any environment. If you're that worried about it, throw Spinrite at it and flip the bit on said Bad Sectors....
    "It is a shame that stupidity is not painful" - Anton LaVey

  4. #4
    Just Another Geek
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wazz View Post
    All Hard Disks contain a certain number of "Bad Sectors", that is just the reality of it. I always do a thorough chkdsk before introducing a new drive to any environment. If you're that worried about it, throw Spinrite at it and flip the bit on said Bad Sectors....
    Modern hard disks have a 'spare' bit of room to map bad sectors to. If bad sectors start showing up it means that spare room is full and the drive needs to be replaced.
    Oliver's Law:
    Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

  5. #5
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    I mean since HDDs are generally sequential access rather than random access, could a sector damage error mean a 'gateway-type' sector that the read/write head has to traverse or utilize on its way to the data-holding sector?
    .

    HDDs do not use "sequential access", that is used by tape drives. I am not sure of the industry standard term but I would describe HDDs as using "mapped segnented access". Obviously, where the segments are adjacent to one another this will appear to be sequential.

    What you have been told is absolutely correct IMO. A bad segment error refers to the actual address or mp reference you were trying to access. Also, when a bad segment is detected an attempt will be made to re-map it to an area on the HDD reserved for this purpose. This will continue to happen transparently in the background until you run out of space, then you will get error messages such as you describe.

    You might like to get hold of copies of SpeedFan v4.45 and HD Tune v2.55

    With SpeedFan, click on the S.M.A.R.T. tab and select the drive; then select the "Perform an in-depth online analysis of this hard disk". Otherwise the data that SpeedFan gives is OK. You are mainly interested in "Reallocated Sector Count" and "Uncorrectable Sector Count"

    With HD Tune you need to click on the "Health" tab for the S.M.A.R.T. analysis.

    The online analysis may give you different interpretations as it is based on what is considered average or normal for that make/model of HDD.


  6. #6
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    Hard drives read an entire track into a buffer where a specific sector of data put on the bus.

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