HDD failure?!?!?

[blackmatch456]

My 400gb WD my passport hdd has been freaking out lately. Windows wants me to format or scan and fix. Should I transfer all contents from the HDD to another just in case? Pic:
file:///C:/Users/owner/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpghttp://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e337/blackmatch456/sdasdas.jpg

[blackmatch456]

help!!!!!

[rklepper]

If you do not have a backup that should be your first move.

[Jim G]

help!!!!!

For goodness' sake, leave it more than 30 minutes before reposting...

My old laptop used to give this message every time I put a flash drive in. Irrespective of whether it's going to die tomorrow or not it would surely be a good idea to have a second (or third) copy around anyway so that if it does die you won't be stressed.

[HyperYagami]

No to mention...why you think you'd get immediate computer help on a photography forum?

[Burnaby]

Because that's where many, if not all members store their images, and while it doesn't affect you personally, it serves as an excellent warning to those who could suffer this unpredictable incident in their future.

[Naturally Aspirated]

and this is why i'm going to a RAID configuration on the computer i'm building. i've had one too many HDD die on me...

[tim]

This is most likely a minor file system error. Let it scan and fix the problem, you can't back up something it can't properly address anyway. In future make sure you use the "safely remove hardware" function, if you don't already. If it happens regularly then post again.

Make sure you have a backup, of course. Another brand, just to be safe.

[smcclelland]

Just as tim said, reboot with the drive plugged in and you'll probably get a screen that says Windows wants to check the File System on your external. Let it do its thing and you'll be fine, my flash drives do this to me every time I plug them in (I grab and go a lot with them) and they've been doing this for over a year without dying.

[CyberDyneSystems]

1. Get at least one more HD to copy your image files to!!!!

2. If you can read the drive now, back it up before trying anything.

3. If you can't read the files on the drive now, and you have only ONE copy of those files, you may want to consider using a rescue program to get a copy of the files now before attempting to fix anything .

[basroil]

Just press continue, back up the files, then plug it in again and press scan. Happens to my USB flash drives all the time, and there's only one reason for it: Stop being a lazy bum and use the remove hardware button in the taskbar ;) There are other ways it can get screwed up, but that's the most common i know of. both my USB sticks have it every other month, and that's because I just jank the darn things out whenever I feel like it.

[In2Photos]

Just press continue, back up the files, then plug it in again and press scan. Happens to my USB flash drives all the time, and there's only one reason for it: Stop being a lazy bum and use the remove hardware button in the taskbar ;) There are other ways it can get screwed up, but that's the most common i know of. both my USB sticks have it every other month, and that's because I just jank the darn things out whenever I feel like it.
What's the point of being "hot swappable" if you have to use the safely remove hardware icon? :confused:

[tim]

What's the point of being "hot swappable" if you have to use the safely remove hardware icon? :confused:

In theory removable devices shouldn't need that, as long as you give it a few seconds after you're finished writing to it for all the data to be written. Removable devices have write caching disabled automatically. I've never had file system corruption with flash drives, and I take them out whenever they're done.

Take the out mid write and things will certiantly be messed up in interesting ways. But the safely remove hardware is the first thing to try, if it doesn't work then it's a hardware failure, either the drive or the computer.