[Seriously need help] External hard disk causes hard drive failures & OS crashes

[masterton]

[Seriously need help] External hard disk causes hard drive failures & OS crashes

The thread is rather long. Only read what you think important. Skip the rest!

We have a serious but mysterious problem. We have spent already one week but drawing a blank.
Two hard drives have been crashed and failed (unreadable). One computer has hung a few times unexpectedly and had one weird restart (no memory dump produced).
I suspect all the recent problems have to do with the new USB external hard disk (Buffalo MiniStation Lite: HD-PE250U2).

**********
Formatting USB external hard disk
**********
Originally I would like to use the program given by Buffalo to format the external drive once but we failed. We simply used Windows to reformat the drive into NTFS. I did not use the TurboSpeed advertised by Buffalo, or run its free program.

**********
Case A: Multi-transfer causes system crashes?
**********
The first time we met the problem.
We were trying to help a friend to backup data on an old drive, about a few years old. We plugged in the Buffalo USB portable hard drive and transferred a whole lot of files to the drive. Several cop/cut-and-paste operations were active at that time. The whole system completely froze up. It doesn't respond at all. Only a hard restart could help.
Restarted. Tranferred again. Several cop/cut-and-paste operations were active.
Hard drive crashed - the beginning of the nightmare!
Windows restarted. Chkdsk was running. Saw many lines of messages with:
"File segment record XXXXX is unreadable"
"File segment record XXXXX is unreadable"
......
"File segment record XXXXX is unreadable"

Chkdsk run very long time (perhaps a hour or so), complaining that some couldn't be fixed, some okay.
Initially I thought it was simply because it so happened that the hard drive failed in the middle of transfer. But the same nightmare occurred when we tried to plug it into another computer.

**********
Case B: Open folder causes system crashes?
**********
I plugged in the Buffalo USB external hard disk on a laptop computer.
I tried to check if transferred files were safe. I have no ideas how to check but it looked okay.
Some files were transferred to and from the external hard drive. I made sure only 1 copy-paste operation was active this time.
Then computer hung for a while and displayed Blue Screen of Death. (I recorded the message on a piece of paper but it was lost later).

Restarted. I believed chkdsk was automatically run and fixed some errors found (not too sure about this). I resumed the work. I made sure only 1 copy-paste operation was active this time.
The system hung this time when I double clicked on a folder (to see what contents inside). Another Blue Screen of Death popped up later:
KERNEL_STACK_INPAGE_ERROR
0x00000077 (0xC000000E, 0xC000000E, 0x0000000, 0x009C7000)
Info on this BSOF: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q315266

Computer restarted. Chkdsk was automatically run. Nightmare again!
"File segment record XXXXX is unreadable"
"File segment record XXXXX is unreadable"
......
"File segment record XXXXX is unreadable"

Chkdsk attempted to fix the problem but it complained "not sufficient space". Then I received STOP: C000021a Unknown Hard Error

Oh my gosh! What's up? I don't believe it so happened AGAIN the hard drive failed when some actions were performed between the hard drive and the USB external hard disk. I started to feel something went very wrong. Is it virus?


**********
Case C: Scanning for virus causes system crashes?
**********
Searching on the net didn't find any case which was similar to mine.
I tried again on a new computer. Fresh Windows copy. New hard drive (less than 1 year old). Only a handful of programs were installed.
I downloaded Avira and did on-demand scan for my internal hard drive first. No virus was found. Was I safe now?
I plugged in the USB external hard drive and scanned this drive for virus.
My new computer froze when the scanning was close to completion (I believed the progress was about 90%)

Computer restarted. No chkdsk was run automatically. I scanned again from scratch.
I paused it after a while. I had a weird thought that the USB external hard drive may crash our system when it's overloaded.

Then I was browsing on the Internet (perhaps a few hours or so). The scan was kept "paused". The USB hard disk was still plugged. My computer hung again when I tried to click to view a video on YouTube.

**********
Case D: System crashes without USB hard disk
**********
OK! I switched the computer off completely and unplugged that "devil".
Using the computer for about one day, computer hung again at night.
Hmm... This computer is new. What's really wrong if it isn't related to the USB hard disk?

**********
Case E: Transfer a large file causes system crashes
**********
This test attempts to transfer a single large file (4.33GB) from USB external hard disk to my computer
First attempt: System restarted mysteriously in the middle of transfer. I set it to display BSOD when crashes. The computer shouldn't restart. I didn't see any memory dump either.
Second attempt: System hung after the transfer.



I'm desperate! It's just so strange! I have absolutely no ideas why something like this would happen.

My questions:

1. Really what's going wrong? I don't think USB external hard disk is such a so unreliable product. There must be something I'm missing...
2. What checking tools (free or paid) do you recommend to verify whether the transfer is faultless, files being safely moved/copied?
3. What file recovery tools (free or shareware) could I use to recover (at least most of) lost data in the hard drives? The tools have to be well (professionally) written. I tried a few but all failed to recover all except a small portion of data. Professional recover services are out of consideration because I know it's very expensive and the data isn't utmost important.
4. How could I save/recover data from the laptop computer? I tried to go to safe mode but failed. I received STOP: C000021a Unknown Hard Error. Chkdsk once complained "insufficient disk space" when attempting to fix "file segment unreadable" error. Is it the cause? I also inserted SeaTools CD to do a scan. It said it's loading something to the RAM drive (I had only 1 internal hard disk on the laptop computer). It's loading but never finish. I couldn't even enter into the main screen of SeaTools. I could only see a black screen.

Tell me anything else you want to know.
Ask me any piece of information which helps to troubleshoot the very root of this series of problems.

 

[jgv115]

Are you sure the hard disk is supposed to be NTFS? Have you tried FAT?

 

[Randyman...]

1) Are you Overclocked?

2) How is the power in your area? (This should be a non-issue on the Laptop but I'd assume the USB Drive is plugged into the wall?)

3) I'd certainly suspect the USB enclosure from what I've heard so far, but there are tons of variables...

 

[masterton]

Are you sure the hard disk is supposed to be NTFS? Have you tried FAT?

Do you mean the external hard disk? How could I check? Do you know?
My ext. HD is Buffalo MiniStation Lite: HD-PE250U2. The product webpage:
http://www.buffalotech.com/products...on-cobalt-portable-usb-20-hard-drive-hd-peu2/
I think it's standard to support NTFS nowadays, isn't it?

Hmm... we couldn't reformat the USB HD. Some data are still stored here.
Considering the fact that it seems very unstable to copy back data from the USB HD. I got no clue how to save those data before reformat.

 

[masterton]

1) Are you Overclocked?

No, not at all.

2) How is the power in your area? (This should be a non-issue on the Laptop but I'd assume the USB Drive is plugged into the wall?)

Power supply is stable in that area.
USB drive gets power from the computer, and the computer is plugged into the wall. Laptop: both battery and wall

3) I'd certainly suspect the USB enclosure from what I've heard so far, but there are tons of variables...

What's wrong about USB enclosure? I would like to know more.
I don't have any USB enclosure.
I simply put the USB drive on top of the desktop case.


Would anyone mind giving some hints or clues about those questions too? We are struggling to recover after such a mysterious disaster:

1. What checking tools (free or paid) do you recommend to verify whether the transfer is faultless, files being safely moved/copied?
2. What file recovery tools (free or shareware) could I use to recover (at least most of) lost data in the hard drives?
3. How could I save/recover data from the laptop computer?

 

[OnDborder]

Welcome to the Forum! http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=491697
What os's were you using to transfer?
Was the first computer usb 1.0?
If the data isn't that important on the external, try formatting it.
So you used 2 Buffalo MiniStations ? If one, sounds like a defective product.
I didn't have to do any special with any of my external storage hdd's.

 

[masterton]

What os's were you using to transfer?

All computers are using Windows XP.

Was the first computer usb 1.0?

USB 2.0 according to the motherboard manual.

If the data isn't that important on the external, try formatting it.

No.
We would like to backup the data first, then reformat or simply send back the USB drive as defective.
Could anyone help on how to recover data and restore laptop?

So you used 2 Buffalo MiniStations ? If one, sounds like a defective product.
I didn't have to do any special with any of my external storage hdd's.

I wonder if the external HD technology is soooo unstable, causing us tons of headache.
I would like to hear feedback on people who use external storage too.

 

[Randyman...]

External storage is fine as long as the hardware itself is in good working order. I have too much external storage to count! Not to mention a 4.5TB RAID-6 NAS...

I'd suspect your USB Drive (Buffalo Mini Station) is the issue since you didn't have any issues until it was brought into the picture, correct? And the problems followed the Buffalo Mini Station to 2 different PC's, correct?

If it is simply the USB interface inside the Buffalo Mini Station that is borked, you could rip the drive out and connect it to another USB interface. If the drive is bad, you can try Software Recovery like Spinrite, or pay for Data Recovery...

 

[masterton]

External storage is fine as long as the hardware itself is in good working order. I have too much external storage to count! Not to mention a 4.5TB RAID-6 NAS...

A few questions:
1. Would it cause the system to hang or be unstable if we trigger several cut/copy/paste operations to and from the external storage?
2. Would external HD overheat (and causing hangs/lockup) if it's running for several hours?
3. Would the placement of the external important? I put it on top of the deskop case only. Would it cause problems?
4. Do I need to buy fans for the external HD?

I'd suspect your USB Drive (Buffalo Mini Station) is the issue since you didn't have any issues until it was brought into the picture, correct? And the problems followed the Buffalo Mini Station to 2 different PC's, correct?

Yep that's what I think too. Buffalo looks like some super malware which once plugged in causing me tons of headaches. We are paying money to destroy our computers.

If it is simply the USB interface inside the Buffalo Mini Station that is borked, you could rip the drive out and connect it to another USB interface.

How could I do? I couldn't take the drive component out of the enclosure. It's comletely sealed up.

If the drive is bad, you can try Software Recovery like Spinrite, or pay for Data Recovery...

Well I have tried a few freeware but none works. I need some serious recommendations on data recovery software. I think we could pay for a shareware as long as it can do the job, and the price isn't expensive.
Professional data recovery is beyond consideration because I believe it's very expensive and the data isn't utmost important. I have to resort to other means.

 

[MARCI]

I suspect the external hard drive you have is just defective. Try again with a DIFFERENT external drive.

With a usb drive I'd recommend only doing one copy/paste operation at a time, simply due to the data transfer speed available.

running multiple copy/pastes at once is akin to having 7 or 8 people trying to talk to someone at once, while talking through a paper towel roll.

just overloads the senses and all you hear is noise

 

[masterton]

I suspect the external hard drive you have is just defective. Try again with a DIFFERENT external drive.

We don't have any more external hard drive. We have USB sticks and they cause no problems at all.

With a usb drive I'd recommend only doing one copy/paste operation at a time, simply due to the data transfer speed available.

running multiple copy/pastes at once is akin to having 7 or 8 people trying to talk to someone at once, while talking through a paper towel roll.

I thought it would only slow down the operation, not making system crashes or lockup. Well I would like to do multiple copy/paste operations because I don't want to wait to send the next order. Let's say you want to issue 25 cut/copy/paste orders. I don't sit at the computer waiting the the operation complete before I send another order. I don't mind if the orders are queued up and only 1 copy/paste operation is done at a time, as long as the next operation starts once the current one is done.

But Windows doesn't seem to be able to do this. Perhaps some third-party programs could do?? Any clues??

Would multiple copy/paste operations really crash/lock-up the system?
I have problems transferring large files, or transferring for several hours too (system lock-up again). Is it common for external hard drive?

External storage looks very unstable to me.

 

[TempliNocturnus]

It seems to me like that external is screaming in your face that it's bad.

What I suggest is downloading and burning the bootable Seatools .iso (it's freely available from Seagate's website), and running that. Have it do the short test (DST) on the drive while it's in the external enclosure, plugged in through USB. If it fails, rip the drive out of the enclosure, hook it up internally, and run the DST on it again. If it passes DST while plugged in, then the controller card in the external drive enclosure is bad, and the drive is good. If it fails DST in both configurations, then the drive itself is likely bad, and the enclosure could be fine.

And yes, a faulty hard drive can very well cause windows to behave badly, and the symptoms that you've observed are consistant with those of a bad hard drive.

 

[masterton]

It seems to me like that external is screaming in your face that it's bad.

Making me losing all confidence to use external hard disk in near future.
I'm sorta afraid of buying Buffalo storage products again...

What I suggest is downloading and burning the bootable Seatools .iso (it's freely available from Seagate's website), and running that. Have it do the short test (DST) on the drive while it's in the external enclosure, plugged in through USB.

I did it some time ago. We have two HDDs on the old computer (in case A). One was dead after the crash. One seems to be fine (no uncorrectable disk error). I guess I have scanned the new HDD too and nothing bad reported.

If it fails, rip the drive out of the enclosure, hook it up internally, and run the DST on it again.

What do you mean by ripping the drive out?
I believe the whole Buffalo Ministation is completed sealed up. I don't see how I could take out the internal drive component out of the whole thing.
Any hint or guide is much appreciated.

 

[masterton]

Let's have some brainstorming. Please give me yes or no so I can narrow down the possibilities. Is it possible that the following be (part of) the cause of trouble/crash/system hangs?

1. A setting called "Legacy USB support" is available in BIOS. It's enabled by default.
2. USB drive being formatted to NTFS
3. Using Windows system to format USB drive
4. It's possible that a USB drive can crash and fail HDDs, crashes and lockup operating system if it's faulty
5. Assuming USB drive itself is in fact healthy, but multiple cut/copy/paste operations would still freeze or crash system/internal HDD
6. Assuming USB drive itself is in fact healthy, but system would crash/lockup if you are copying/moving too many files to or from USB drive in one cut/copy/paste operation
7. Assuming USB drive itself is in fact healthy, but it's normal to cause problems when transferring some large files
8. Assuming USB drive itself is in fact healthy, but system would crash/lockup if the USB drive is running for several hours
9. Assuming USB drive itself is in fact healthy, but you have to buy an external fan for external drive because it's likely they will be overheated
10. Improper placement of USB drive will cause system crashes or hangs
11. Malware infection. Simply plugging in the infected USB drive will infect other computers
12. Malware infection. Transferring files will infect system
13. Malware infection. All computers would be infected immediately if one computer in the same local network is infected, even if you do nothing or has Windows Firewall or hardware router

Does anyone have any clues about the BSOD and error messages?

 

[MARCI]

The External Hard Drive is bad, replace it and move on. Bad hardware happens.

Connecting a hard drive that has/is failing, attempting to write/read from it can cause the system to hang.


The system is trying to write on a drive that isn't working. It will continue to try to write it, repeatedly.


External drives are fairly reliable, but sometimes they're bad, maybe someone dropped it at the store before you bought it.

When you hear hoofbeats, thing horses, not zebras.

If you have alot of files you want to move at once, cut/paste them all into a single directory, with subdirectorys.. Then move everything at once, it'll be faster, and easier.

 

[masterton]

The External Hard Drive is bad, replace it and move on.

About 100GB have been in the external hard drive now. We can't just throw it away and close the case.
We have to BACK THEM UP first before we can move on, if the USB external drive is really the culprit.

The problem is how we could back them up when the USB external HD looks unstable and defective. Any idea/help to get the data back on that external HD is much appreciated. Thanks.

The laptop is locked up too. We can't just throw the laptop away and move on. We have to restore it first before we can move on. Any idea/help is appreciated.

 

[TempliNocturnus]

What do you mean by ripping the drive out?
I believe the whole Buffalo Ministation is completed sealed up. I don't see how I could take out the internal drive component out of the whole thing.
Any hint or guide is much appreciated.

Your external "USB drive" is actually a standard internal hard drive hooked up to a SATA to USB controller, inside an enclosure. Most externals drives can be opened fairly easily with a knife and screw drivers. If you just bought the drive, you could exchange it for a new one.