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Recovery Guides: step-by-step DiskPatch operations:
Disk Surface Scan.
A list of terms used in this page and
their explanation can be found here.
This guide describes a DiskPatch function
in condensed form: if you need additional information, read the corresponding
part of the manual.
| Problem
: |
disk
read errors |
| Symptoms
: |
partition(s)
inaccessible; intermittent file/disk access problems |
| Solution
: |
scan
the disk's surface (a diagnostic operation) or read/write the disk's
surface (a repair operation) |
Why do we need to do this?
If something is wrong with the partitions and you are about to use
DiskPatch to make repairs, you need to be sure that the disk can be read
and written to without problems. If you have any reason to believe that
the disk has problems reading or writing certain areas, run a surface
scan to make sure. If many read errors show up it may be wise to clone
the disk before starting repairs.
it's also good practice to run a surface scan every now and then, to
make sure you are aware of bad areas on the disk before they create
problems for you: if the operating system tries to save files to bad
areas, you could lose data. Even worse, if partition bookkeeping
structures are affected, you could lose many files. If you know bad
areas are developing you can replace the disk before it's too late (make
backups!), or try a repair (by running a read/write surface scan). |
Things you need to know before we
start:
- In the world of disks and data
recovery we start counting disks at 0 (zero). So the first disk is 'disk
0', the second disk is 'disk 1', etc.
- If you use the bootable CD/DVD
you will need to find a target location for the files that DiskPatch
creates when it's running; they can't be saved to the CD/DVD. You
will either need a FAT formatted partition somewhere that can hold
the files, or you can use a FAT formatted USB stick/key or USB disk
to receive the files (read more here
on how to prepare a USB key). DiskPatch will ask you where to save the files
if the files can not be saved to the current location.
- Use the cursor keys to navigate
the menus, use the <Enter> key to select an option, use the
<Escape>
key to abort or leave a menu.
- Performing a read/write surface
scan may lead to 'repaired' bad sectors, but this is not guaranteed.
If a sector gets repaired, its contents may be lost.
- If you find bad sectors after
running the read-only scan, you can use the following guideline to
determine whether to run a read/write scan:
if you find a few errors (a dozen or so) you can attempt to repair
them by running a read/write scan;
if you find many errors you should consider cloning the disk.
A large number of errors is an indication that the disk is failing.
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Here we go:
| Start DiskPatch and select the
problem disk. |
example: your screen will differ. Find more
information on how to select a disk here.
After selecting the disk, the menu
will expand, showing actions that can be performed for the selected
disk.
The selected disk will be marked in high intensity blue in the disk list (disk
0 in our
example). |
Now select 'Disk related tasks',
then 'Surface scan (read-only)'.
(Please note: the 'read-only' surface scan can be performed when using
the trial version of DiskPatch; the other functions in this menu
(read/write scan, wipe, clone) can only be performed when using the
registered version of DiskPatch).
A list of partitions will be displayed, if any are on the disk. If no
partitions are found, only 'Select region manually' will be available. |
For our example we'll select
'Select region manually'. This will allow us to check the entire disk.
Leave the suggested values to select the full disk size. |
| When the values have been entered a
confirmation screen will be shown: |
Select 'Yes' to continue. During
the scan a map display of the disk is shown. The grayed out area
represents the area that will be scanned, the blocks represent the area
that has been scanned so far. Errors (if encountered) will be displayed
on the map to give you a general idea of where they are on the disk.
A progress bar is displayed at the bottom of the screen. |
(in this example we've encountered 2 read
errors, the red markers indicate the general area on the disk where the errors are located)
If needed, the scan can be aborted
by pressing <Escape>. Time remaining can fluctuate if bad areas are
encountered.
When the scan has been completed the following screen will be displayed: |
| The screen will show the results of
the scan. Press any key to return to the menu. |
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