Topic: Specially for Pez: strange hard disk (again) ;p

[devnullius]

In short, I have a laptop with 3 partitions:
1. hidden restore
2. primary C: (70GB)
3. primary D: (70GB)

I booted Linux and did a read/write badblocks (-svw) on both partitions, at the same time. Hard disk removed from laptop and connected to PC with professional USB adapter. No errors found.

Still, before re-installation (virus scanning after malware) and after re-installation (installing updates), the laptop would suddenly halt and power off. No BSOD. No auto-reboot. Just off. No clicking sounds either. Laptop would run ok until real hard disk activity occurs... Then: poof. Off :s

I now moved partition C: to the the place where D: used to be (EaseUS Partition Master) and all was well thereafter :s

So what can be going on? If controller of the HDD would be failing, it should pop up with the badblocks writing? If defective surface, again badblocks should show this. Also one would expect that a data move (which is moving partition) fails. It did not, it worked just fine

Still, all is well after moving the partition C: to the end of the disk... And the laptop would crash & burn when on first 50% of disk :/

Why 

Help me help you! https://copy.com/?r=zOEhNk - Clear 15GB of cloud storage and... 

... karma for you 

Devvie


~~~ notemail@facebook.com ~~~

Conare nullius momenti videri fortasse missilibus careant
——
All spelling mistakes are my own and may only be distributed under the GNU General Public License! – (© 95-1 by Coredump; 2-013 by DevNullius)

[Samker]

I have no ideas... hope Mr. Pez will reply, ASAP.

[Pez]

I have a theory but Im not shure. Please help me with this questions.

1. Is this a branded laptop like HP/Compaq?
2. What typ of laptop? (type: HP ProBook 4525s)?
3. Before you started this witch part of the disk was the system partition then?
4. Before you moved the system patition did you check witch partition was active for bot?

[devnullius]

- Acer
- Aspire 7720 model ICK70
- First partition was restore, System was second partition. Data thirth. Very basic setup
- Booting was just fine; active not a problem
- I now have restore partition, big empty space (used to  be System) and an equally large partition on the end (used to be Data).

Curious what you have, but I really don't get your Active-question ;p

devnullius

[Pez]

A partition need to be Active for boot for the system to boot from it. It dose not help just to have it install a system with the system files.
Their can just be one on a system other wise you got trouble to boot (normaly the system try to boot on the first disk with an active partition.

If you look at a system like the one I just sit on it looks like this in the Windows 7 diskmanager. The system is a "HP ProBook 4525s" in this case:

Disk 0
Standard       SYSTEM                                                    (C:)         
298,09 GB     300 MB NTFS                                             280,80 GB NTFS
Online           Healthy (System, Active, Primary partition)  Healthy (Boot, Page file, Crachdump, Primary partition)


continue from previous row

HP_RECOVERY                      HP_TOOLS (F:)
15,00 GB NTFS                    2,00 GB FAT32
Healthy (Primary partition)   Healthy (Primary partition)

In many branded computers their is some special in their boot order if you use their pre installation and you often need to do it on their way because they can have some bios feature in the first part of the disk that is pointing to witch partition and part of disk the OS is installed.

I suppose that can be the reason in this case. This is done so you need to use their installation and use the branded installation CD to install a OS in the manufactures way and with their license for the OS.
This is commonly used to force users to select the OS from the beginning and need to use the manufactures installation CD/DVD with all the packages and programs. This is also so the manufactures have a status Quo to start from when they give support on their computers.

It is also because of this it make it hard to change a disk drive in a laptop without a recovery CD or cloning kit.

So I suppose your problem vas due to some mismatch with the Active partition and the pointer to the installation of the OS.

I know that Compaq, HP, Toshiba, IBM and some more have used this for ever but back in time at lest their have been some professional tool to handling this. But I don't know if their is available now.

I can't say if Acer using this but I suppose so because then it is for example easier for them to maintain and support installations and they have the user in the hand for using their provided OEM OS for that machine.

Now with Windows 8.1 and the future their probably gone to be more hard coded behind the Hardware and the OS installed specifically with the SecureBOOT.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_8.1#Windows_8.1

Note also that the partition can be in other order that you write:
1. hidden restore
2. primary C: (70GB)
3. primary D: (70GB)

Their can also be like:
1. hidden restore
2. primary D: (70GB)
3. primary C: (70GB)

On the physical disk depending how their was created.
Normally the partition is count as 0. 1. 2. (instead of 1. 2. 3. but I understand you)
You can understand little bit of this if you read about the ARC path in boot.ini
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/102873

I hope I have hold this simple naught to understand I can do this more complicated if you want. 

[devnullius]

I know how to boot an OS... And I know naming conventions of disks, partitions and the like. And all I describe is as is in the logical order given ;p

See:
-- Re: Triple OS, Just For Fun
http://scforum.info/index.php/topic,8046.msg20852.html#msg20852
-- Acer PQSERVICE (OR: how to restore a laptop with the hidden partition)
http://scforum.info/index.php/topic,8341.msg21254.html#msg21254

I am not having a boot problem.

I'm having a problem where the disk checks out all OK (see original post) BUT seems to power down the laptop as soon as (excessive) reading / writing takes place. No BSOD's etc.

This behaviour was repeatable. Before the restore and after the restore (twice). Only when I restored the laptop with C: partition on the last 50% of the disk (and a big hole of free space in between), the system remained stable.

If I now (with EaseUS) move the partition back from the right to the left, to its original location, I will have problems again. Scanning, updating etc. will suddenly halt the system. NOT a RAM problem. Controller seems fine?

So again... wtf...! 

devnullius

[jheysen]

Could you perform a surface check on another computer? sounds like faulty HDD to me

[devnullius]

Could you perform a surface check on another computer? sounds like faulty HDD to me

As I said, I did the testblock while the drive was connected through professional USB drive...


Thx