Member Avatar for roliva

Hello all. I am running Windows XP SP2. I got a new Seagate HDD 160GB and was doing a fresh install of XP. Everything was going well during formatting the new hard drive but at around 6% my power went out!!!

Now I tried to do the fresh XP install again, but when it tried to format again, there was an error stating hard disk may be damaged!!!

So my question if any are willing to offer suggestions, is the HDD shot or can it be repaired? It sucks that this happened to a brand new HDD. What actually does a partial format do to the sectors? Is this a physical damage?

Thanks all,
Romeo.

  • 4 Contributors
  • 4 Replies
  • 129 Views
  • 2 Weeks Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by gordon451

Dani AI

Generated

A power interruption during a format often corrupts only the drive's metadata (partition table, file system) rather than physically damaging the platters. Start with a methodical diagnostic sequence before assuming a dead drive.

As a first pass verify that the drive is detected by the BIOS/boot firmware. Swap the data cable, try a different SATA/IDE port and a different molex/SATA power connector, and (as suggested) test the drive in another machine. If boot tools only see the floppy, double-check BIOS boot order and how the bootable media was created — many ISO tools need special steps for USB vs CD.

If the drive shows in BIOS, run SMART and manufacturer diagnostics. OnLinux, smartmontools will report health and run self-tests; on Windows, use the vendor's bootable utility. Look for nonzero reallocated sectors, current pending sectors, or failed self-tests — those indicate failing media and justify an RMA. Useful official and community tools: Seagate SeaTools and smartmontools.

If SMART looks OK but formatting still fails, wipe the partition table / MBR and retry. From Windows use diskpart and clean; from Linux you can zero the first sectors to remove stuck metadata (warning: this destroys data):

dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdX bs=512 count=1

A full zero-fill or the drive's secure-erase routine can also rebuild firmware-managed maps, but use hdparm or manufacturer tools carefully.

If the drive is not seen in BIOS, clicks/beeps are audible, or vendor diagnostics fail, the electronics or heads are likely damaged and you should pursue warranty/RMA. Keep the purchase info and serial, and use surge protection going forward — as noted, power events can damage drive electronics.

Recommended Answers

All 4 Replies

Member Avatar for jbennet

delete all partitions, recreate them and try formatting again

Member Avatar for roliva

Thanks for the reply. Actually this is what I tried Using the Windows XP disc. After deleting the partitions and creating a new one, when I tried to format again, it stated "Can't format, hard drive may be damaged"

I tried some third party boot and format software such as Darik's and KillDisk but on boot up they only recognize my 3.5" Floppy Drive and want to format that??!!


Any suggestions??

Thanks again.

Member Avatar for nsindian

if you don't have surge protector between devices and power outlets, you may have to call Seagate and hopefully get a new drive from them under manufacturers warranty.

Member Avatar for gordon451

You could try putting the HDD in a different box, it would have to be a *nix I guess, DOS won't even see the thing.

I go along here with jbennet, change the partitions, put in 3 or 4 of them then try formatting them individually, in something different to NTFS, say ReiserFS.

If the above doesn't work, then you can safely say the power-out had a surge which fried the Seagate -- tho' I thought even Seagates had some resistance to that.

Gordon.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.