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Check for Bad Sectors

Check to see if you have bad sectors on a disk:

• -use HDTUNE

This will give a graphical representation of any bad sectors on the disk. It will mark it as red.

If you have bad sectors, it isn't the end of the world. We can mark them as bad so that those sectors won't be used any more. If you have 1-9 bad sectors, this isn't a problem. If you have more than 9 then most likely the issue will grow. More bad sectors will show and then the drive will become useless.

Fix Bad Sectors

Fix bad sectors on a disk:

• -use UBCD > HDD > DIAGNOSTICS > HDAT2
• -type: HDAT2
• -select the disk by using the arrows keys on keyboard.
• -hit ENTER.
• -select DEVICE TESTS MENU
• -select DETECT AND FIX BAD SECTORS MENU
• -select VERIFY/WRITE/VERIFY
• -let it run all the way through.

In my experience, if too many bad sectors happen, it's easier to clone the drive and move on with the data loss. At that point, the data might be able to be replaced/repaired.

Cloning can be done with Clonzilla or many other tools. I prefer DDRESCUE as in this article.

Again, there are so manu tools in this area like DATA-LIFEGUARD, SEATOOLS, CRYSTALDISKINFO, etc that it's hard to know what to use and what not to bother with. The above reference of:

• HDTUNE
• HDAT2
• DDRESCUE

is a good start. I wish I retained all the info I've learned and used in the past but most of it escapes me now. No doubt that a data expert will have his or her own choice set of tools. I'd love to hear about them!