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2-10 Troubleshooting
2.3.6 Hard Drive Problems
This section identifies some quick checks for hard drive–related problems.
Table 2-6
Solutions for Hard Drive Problems
Problem Possible Solution
Hard drive error occurs. Hard disk has bad sectors or has failed. Use a utility to locate and
block usage of bad sectors. If necessary, reformat the hard disk.
Disk transaction problem. Either the directory structure is bad or there is a problem with a file. At
the C:\> prompt, run SCANDISK to check for problems. If problems
exist, run SCANDISK /AUTOFIX to correct the problems.
Drive not found. 1. Cable could be loose. Check cable connections.
2. The system may not have automatically recognized a newly
installed device. If Windows 3.1 is installed, run Computer Setup
and identify the new device. If Windows 95 is installed, run Device
Manager and identify the device.
3. If the drive is a secondary drive that has just been installed on the
same controller as the primary drive, verify that the jumpers for
both drives are set correctly.
Nonsystem disk message. 1. The system is trying to start from a diskette that is not bootable.
Remove the diskette from the diskette drive.
2. The system is trying to start from the hard drive but the hard disk
has been damaged. Insert a bootable diskette into the diskette
drive and restart the computer with Ctrl+Alt+Del.
3. Diskette boot has been disabled in Computer Setup. Run
Computer Setup and enable diskette boot.
Hard drive operation seems slow. The hard disk files may be fragmented.
At the C:\> prompt, run SCANDISK to check for problems. If problems
exist, run SCANDISK /F to correct the problems. If a large number of
lost allocation units is found, run the MS-DOS defragmentation
program DEFRAG. See the Microsoft Windows & MS-DOS 6.2 User's
Guide for more information.
Alternatively, at the C:\> prompt, run SCANDISK to check for
problems. If problems exist, run SCANDISK /AUTOFIX to correct the
problems. If a large number of lost allocation units is found, run the
MS-DOS defragmentation program DEFRAG. Type HELP SCANDISK
for more information.