HDD Scan/External Hard Drive Issue

Well, here I am...about 20 minutes away from the most anticipated game this season for fans in the NFC West...and I gotta go poking around the computer to kill time, just searching, meticulously, for the slightest error to get all worked up about.

So of course I find it.

Using a program called HDD Scan 3.3, I decided to checkout my still yet to be converted FAT32 external Hard Drive...which may or may not be the problem, I don't know. What I DO know is despite everyone telling me it will work and problems rarely arise from conversion to NTFS, I'm still terrified to do it.

But I ran a scan and under "UltraDMA CRC Errors," I have a yellow flag. No biggie, I had critical errors dismissed in event viewer as being nothing more than some glitch and honestly, aside from the hanging I was going to start a thread about today, the computer's fine. My external, although a pain in the neck due to it's refusal to save my preferred image order, folder views etc. it works fine. But when I run a search, I'm getting these 2012 Nibiru doomsday scenario predictions for my external hard drive. So I checked the disk...disk is fine. No problems.

Any ideas what's going on, should I panic or whatever? I should mention that I had the computer on for about 4 or 5 days straight but in my experience computers last longer that way, instead of turning them on and off. Only difference is that now I have this external hooked up to it so if I leave the computer on, the external drive stays on, too. So not only was HDD Scan giving me that error, the temperature was something like 50+ Celsius, which I'm not quit sure what that converts to in Fahrenheit, but I used to know that formula and I know it's hot. But then again, when I immediately went to touch the drive it wasn't hot at all.

I turned the computer off and disconnected the external to let it cool down. Is there a way to leave the external plugged in without it starting up with my computer? And is there an easy way to turn JUST it off if I want to leave the computer on? Like, without losing DATA?

I know I have to convert the drive and I know I need a backup, pronto. But in order to save the backup I'm going to needanother hard drive because i'm not taking any chances. Problem there is you can only transfer so much from a FAT32 to an NTFS system

Advice would be much appreciated. Go Cardinals.

 

1) You can transfer everything from a FAT32 partition to a NTFS partition.

2) Converting from FAT32 to NTFS is easy and I've personally never had a bit of trouble with it. Having said that though, if there was anything on the hard drive I could not afford to lose, I would not do it, or anything like it, without a backup first. You never know.

 

I have converted a couple of hundred HD and never had a problem with any of them.

 

Yes, Doc, I can transfer things from FAT32 to NTFS. But no more than either 2-4GB at a time, something I had experienced with the computer before. I lost gigabytes of files I really had rather not lost and it was supposedly due to this transfer problem between the 2 systems. But if the drive's going bad, which I'm not completely sure it is, then it's a bad idea to keep precious files on it. It's an external so of course over the years, for safe keeping, that was my storage. Now this program (HDD Scan 3.3) is yellow flagging this "UltraDMA CRC Errors." According to most of the stuff I read about it, and I may have only gone to negative sites that teach you to always expect the worst *Just in case*...it's supposedly a major problem. A big issue. Stage 4 computer cancer.

But my system shows no signs of an early demise aside froom the hanging issue we've yet to get to and will in the future once I get this HDD Scan warning cleared up.

As I said, I ran a diskcheck on the external and it said the drive was fine. So my main concern at the moment is this warning because honestly, I have no clue what it's about. I have intermediate next to my name but in all honesty when it comes to this, I'm in the dark. And reading about it is confusing to me, just over my head for some reason. So does anyone have any experience with "UltraDMA CRC Errors" from HDDScan? Or does anyone have another similar program I can run to see if it's a problem detected on both programs making it officially "an issue. "

Money's tight, holidays coming up and the stress of everything else is becoming overwhelming. And I really don't need computer (storage) issues to complicate things further. If you're all saying it's a fluke thing, like the system criticals and errors I was receiving in the past, the I'll move on trusting your final judgment. If not, I've got to run out and grab another external for under 50$, which is all I can afford at the moment and not until Thursday. And what's a 50$ external drive's storage capacity? I need the biggest bang for my buck but at the same time I don't want to get a faulty drive that's cheap for a reason. Some files I can let go but most I can't. So I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. Here's what this program is telling me after I run a smart scan even after leaving the drive off for a few hours;



Doing nothing...other than getting a new drive for "just in case" scenarios is always preferable to my lazy self. Of course that will require a lotof moving of a large amount of files, some of which are sure not to make it for the simple fact that I have bad luck. Not very technical analysis but dammit, man, I'm an idiot, not a scientist!

But seriously, I'd really appreciate some more feedback on this "UltraDMA CRC Errors" flag, the seriousness of it and if I should really worry about it. It's kind of silly since, again, aside from the frequent hangings that always correct themselves within a few minutes everything seems to be firing on all cylinders. Another hard drive is always a good idea just like another back-up (same thing)...but I'm 35 an unfortunately I no longer receive gifts from Santa Claus as I've become Santa Claus. Meaning most money this next couple months are to be spent on other people. Little people we call "children" who don't understand the problems their dear uncle is facing and only want Barbie Dolls and additions to their Hot Wheels collections. And those are the easy ones, I have older kids i the family we were all going to chip in for to get them a couple video game systems which are ridiculously expensive But enough about those problems, I want to focus on the HDD Scan diagnosis and the true seriousness of it since everything seems to be pretty much OK with my system and my external HD according to 2 out of 3 diagnostic tests.

 

Did you try using WDC's Data Lifeguard Tools http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp

 

UltraDMA CRC Error 0002 - Means a bit of data got corrupted somewhere between the computer and the drive a couple of times. If possible, try rerouting or replacing the hard drive's data cable.

 

Yes that's a solution I've seen in my searching the internet.

So is this a serious problem that can compromise data in the future or do I need to run right out and grab one?

 

Yes it is serious. I would follow SpywareDr's advice reroute the cable then try a new data cable.

 

Is this a threat to the data itself or just the transmission of data to the computer? Because as I've said, everything's working fine.

I'm not trying to be difficult, but for this external I'll have to order a new cable online. The external is well over 7 years old, and that's from pothead memory.

 

I notice a very slight delay in turning the thing on, but once it's on, it's on, and all my data is in tact. So when you say "serious," what exactly are you implying?

 

I just turned it off, unplugged and replugged it and restarted the computer...quick as a rabbit. CRC error's still there.

Is there some kind of universal plug I can use or do I have to get the exact ExHDD model cord? I'm looking online and there's a million of them.

 

By "reroute" do you mean just plug it into a new USB port, because I've done that and it's the same story.

 

Sorry, just to recap.

"This device is working properly "

Disk check is coming back and saying all's well.

But I still don't know anything, should I start deleting stuff off my main computer hard drive to back up important files on the WD drive? I'll find the wire or I'll find a replacement, either way I'm just trying not to lose data. It's a 150gb drive, but there is about...40-50 gb of data I absolutely can't lose. I need some suggestions, advice...whatever to make sure I don't lose it. Everything else is expendable and can be replaced quite easily. And even if not, screw it, it's not that much of a loss. I'm not sure when this cord, whenever I find it, or when I'll be able to run out and get another drive....so I really need to know how serious this is and how fast I should be moving to secure my irreplaceable data.

Also, is it better I leave it on or turn it off?

 

41.7 gb that can't be lost. Exactly. How quickly do I need to move? Turn it off, leave it on?

I'm sorry to be so repetitive but you've scared me to death.

 

One last thing, I can get rid of about 50gb on my main computer drive but will I need to convert the FAT32 to NTFS before moving the other stuf over? Or is that itself a liability?

I'll wait for your reply from here on out. I'm sorry for the frantic flurry of posts but like I've said, now I'm worried.

 

Any time irreplaceable data has the potential of being lost it should be considered serious. Do you own a flash drive with a large enough capacity to handle your data that is on the drive in question. Did you try the usb cable in different usb ports.

 

No, but I can get one on thursday, I believe. But I can also delete about 50 gb off my main computer drive, not the external, right now to make room for the irreplaceable data so I'll at least have that one back up. Only problem is...FAT32 to NTFS. Another concern.

Yes, same deal. The wire is dying on the vine. I even turned the computer off, did a little flipping and blowing (not as nasty as it sounds) and from HDD Scan it's still telling me UCRC errors are a yellow flag. Also, it's now complaining that the temperature is yellow flagged.

To properly put this into perspective, I've just gone through a half bottle of vodka...and I ain't supposed to be drinking. At all. Doc's orders. But this data is so important it's either that or hanging myself. I guess I haven't told you, but this data isn't just precious to me, but to a lot of people I love, respect, and owe the comforts of my current life's to.

I also fear them. I'm going crazy. I think I can get it all moved to the main computer hard drive should I delete the 50gb of garbage on it, tonight, but I need your guidance because I don't trust my intellect in this area. I always knew "intermediate" was far too generous for my computer knowledge...and here we are.

Please help me. Pretty please with sugar on top.

 

P.S.

If you're worried about your own mess up, don't. Don't over think it, just give me the instructions you think are the best. I like you and I trust you. If it all turns out bad, it's on me and only me. I take full responsibility. But I don't want to let this waver a second longer. I have to get to work now.

 

If you think it's the data cable try a new one first but I would leave it alone for tonight. It's unwise to try to do any kind of computer work with your important data especially after having a half bottle of vodka. Getting the drive from FAT32 to NTFS should not be a problem. I have every confidence that you can do this. If you can make room for your data on your main computer and then move your data there. But please take a break from it just for tonight.

 

First lets check you hard drive run the quick test then the long test with Data Lifeguard Tools for Windows http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?groupid=612&sid=3