Can a format pooch a HDD?

[0gr3]

I was working on machine and he was having issues with his machine and taking a look it was infected with virus all through the system32 folder and had a bunch of root kits. His machine hadn't been formatted(XP Home) since 2002 so I suggested we should do that. He had the system restore disk and after restoring it I found there were still viruses. I suspect this was because it only did a quick format using NTFS so I used Gparted to do a full NTFS format. I re-ran the restore and got the following error 'DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER'. I had a spare copy of XP Pro lying around so I tried installing that and would get the same error when looking for the boot disk, I tried it on another machine and the Pro version works fine. When I put in the restore disk it picks it up fine and says 'Press R for restore options ad when I go through it seems like it does a format and repairs the OS but at reboot same error. It is a Seanix machine and it is the first time I've seen one so I don't know if that has anything to do with it. If I have to I will swallow the bullet and replace the HDD but if anyone out there can lend some insight I would appreciate it.

 

[14049752]

Have you considered running a diagnostic test on the drive?

 

[0gr3]

I'd do this too, and also just know that sometimes gparted can really bunker a HDD. I have had it happen to me. Check for hard disk errors first though.

Any recommendations for diagnostic tools?

 

[hondablaster]

Seagate and Maxtor Use the DOS version you will have to make it a bootable ISO

Western Digital make the boot able ISO They all usually work with each other but those are the two big boys.

Now nothing on the program says "scan for bad sectors"

Its Called EXTENDED TEST or EXTENDED DST TEST this does what windows scan disk sucks at. It does it on a physical level. Not some NTFS/FAT partition.
This just goes and test each bare physical sector/cluster and marks bad accordingly.

Do a short test first then the Extended. It will take some hours to do.

Now it also sounds like some partitions and MBR are corrupt. when your done with the Drive Self Test and you pass. Continue to "write zeros to drive" this is a ultra low level wipe. Perhaps opt for the full erase over the first and last sections of drive erase (you'll understand) This will allow you to run all your formats and partition software's from scratch and SUPER NUKE any lingering corruption/viruses.

GoodLuck.

 

[hondablaster]

I started to build an CD ROM boot to add to my wallet and crap here is the instructions.

* SELECT DRIVE - Always choose this option first, as it determines which drive you will be working on.
* QUICK TEST - This option tests your drive quickly for any major physical problems. (Please note: Although this option is safe and does not alter the data on your hard drive, Western Digital recommends that you have a current backup of your data).
* EXTENDED TEST - This option checks your drive thoroughly and it can repair any correctable errors. (Please note: Although this option is safe and does not alter the data on your hard drive, some data loss may occur, depending on the errors found and the errors corrected. Western Digital recommends that you have a current backup of your data).
* WRITE ZEROS TO DRIVE - The Write Zeros option, wipes any and all data off your drive. This option used when your data is no longer usable or recoverable. If you no longer need any data from your drive and would like to start over, run this option to set your drive to an as new condition. NOTE: Please make sure that you have selected the correct drive to perform this function on as once ran, no data will be recoverable.
* VIEW TEST RESULTS - You can see the results of the test you just performed
* PRINT TEST RESULTS - Test results can be printed with this option. USB printers are not supported
* LOG FILE OPEN/CLOSE - You can access the log file which is generated automatically
* ENTER AND PRINT RMA INFORMATION - Information pertaining to each drive tested can be customized and printed with this option.
* HELP - Brief descriptions of each option in addition to explanations of error codes are available in this option.
* QUIT - Reboot your system once you have completed the selected tasks

 

[Galdorf]

I would run a diagnostic on the drive if it passes then i would use hdd re generator scan and fix.

After this if nothing was found i would zero out the drive and start again many times when tables on hdd would get messed up a good drive wipe seems to fix it.

There is a virus out there that can survive a quick format i have had a customer with it on his machine, code lives on the boot sector only way to kill it is to zero the drive.

 

[Laptop Repair]

Try this!

Insert XP Pro cd and boot from the cd.

Now wait for some time and 3 options will appear
1) Install XP
2) Repair
3) quit

go to repair and there format all your drive

at last give command Exit

reboot from cd and now again install XP this will clear all virus and bed sectors from your hard disk.

This would solve all your problems.

 

[Doctor Micro]

Had a similar issue a while back. The solution that worked for me was to first delete the partition, make a new partition, then with the XP SP2/3 disk, do a full format, then install. Worked like a champ after that.