farmerwrx

when i used to start my pc (vista) the first thing you see is the two hard drives and there was green writing saying they where ok but now when i start my pc i noticed the writing is red and it says an error occurred anyone know what is going on with this
thanks in advanced

this is the start up screen

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

You have a Intel RAID controller. From the looks of it, it is this controller that is reporting the error. Therefore, have a root around for a log file that has been made by the controller. Check its help files and have a look in the root of C: and also in its program folders.

Also have a look at the SMART status of the drives in question (rare for both to report an issue at the same time).

Other things to look at are drivers for the Intel RAID controller. Have a look in device manager to see if its reporting any issues. Also pull up Admin Tools and look at the system logs to see if there is anything flagged there.

farmerwrx

thanks for your help but i'm pretty useless with pc's can you simplify or is there a web page with this on thanks

gazza-uk

the 1st thing you need to do is backup your data, as you are running a non fault tollerent raid system.

Error Occurred: The hard drive has exceeded its recoverable error threshold. This will be shown in the Intel Matrix Storage Manager option ROM User Interface.

looks like both your drives have problems, backup and test using a drive test utility

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

sorry, just assumed that the data would be backed up. That is indeed the first thing you need to do, urgently I would add if you don't already have things saved.

The controller is saying that both drives have issues. The HDD manufacturer will have a utility you can download to test them. However, I just don't think this is the issue. For both drives to fail is rare, for them both to fail at exactly the same time is, in my opinion, indicative of a fault elsewhere.

You may have to take the drives off the raid controller and reformat in order to test them. If the error is in the controller, then testing the drives while using the controller is not necessarily going to reveal a lot.

farmerwrx

have a look here see what you think
RAID0 Error Occurred - [H]ard|Forum

gazza-uk

have you updated the firmware - backup 1st just to be safe.

farmerwrx

how do you do this i think i know but want to be sure

gazza-uk

you dowload the latest version for your system board and create a bootable floppy (this is done by opening the downloaded file)

you may need to change your boot order to read from the fdd 1st, instructions can be found here;


Desktop Boards - BIOS Update Instructions

farmerwrx

will a format solve this problem all i want to keep is my itunes library and a couple of programs i have

gazza-uk

You would have to delete the raid 0 and recreate to see if the problem is resolved.

farmerwrx

how do i do that do i press ctrl i then do it from in there

gazza-uk

yes, from the screen above select delete (2), and once sucessfully deleted try to recreate (looks like option 1)

d4zza

Here's my uneducated troublshooting guide...

1. Try resetting all the BIOS settings back to factory settings.

2. After that, I'd look at powering up with only one drive at a time to see if one drive is confusing the other.

3. Next, I would probably change the cable from drives to M/B and try step 2 again.

4. RMA the drives assuming you still have a warranty active.

5. If you're still having issues even with new drives, then RMA the motherboard.

Or instead of steps 4 and 5, take it back to the company who sold it to you and they should do these steps on your behalf.

ps, RMA means Return Material Authorisation, basically return faulty goods.

farmerwrx

took it back to pc world today they said the array (?)was deleted and a format with the recovery disc would put everything back as new.so i did the format and it's showing the same fault?

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

Well in that case you have a hardware fault imo.

A full format with recreating the array in the proper way should have fixed any software issue. It is my personal opinion that the RAID controller is faulty. If this is built into your mobo then you need a new mobo.


There are other possibliites:
Both drives could have failed at the same time, in which case new hard drives are the answer
You have dodgy HDD cables
The firmware/drivers that were OK for the raid controller now have some issue due to an update that has been installed elsewhere in the machine.

At any road, if its under warranty it should be for them to fix.

P.S. if I am right then taking one of your drives to a different machine should allow you to use it without any smart errors being reported.

gazza-uk

or pc world talking their usuall bull?

farmerwrx

update
took it back to pc world and they changed it and give me norton 360 and a 2 gig memory stick

_Meridian_

iTrader: (1)

I had a similar issue (but only one drive) on one of my P35 rigs. I found that if I fired up the Intel Matrix Storage Manager program, I could right-click on the suspect drive and clear the fault. After that BIOS gave it a clean bill of health.

To set you mind at rest, most HDD manufacturers have a downloadable utility for detailed testing of the drive - get a copy and run it.


M