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    Please Help - I/O Device Error

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by mgftp, Aug 24, 2012.

  1. mgftp

    mgftp Newbie

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    Hey guys I dropped my Acer 1830T... it wouldn't boot after the next time I shut it down. I think something happened to the Windows file. I reformated the HD and reinstalled Windows. I am back up and running but...

    When downloading torrents I got the error on about 50% of them that the "request could not be performed because of an I/O device error". I fear my HD is damaged. Your thoughts? Any way to run some sort of test? Where do I go from here?

    Thanks
     
    mgftp, Aug 24, 2012
    #1
  2. maverick1989

    maverick1989 Notebook Deity

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    Downloading from torrents is almost always going to violate copyright laws. You are going to have to either stop or find your answers elsewhere. See this
     
    maverick1989, Aug 24, 2012
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  3. mgftp

    mgftp Newbie

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    Not if what I am downloading isn't copyrighted.

    But thanks for the help.
     
    mgftp, Aug 24, 2012
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  4. tijo

    tijo Sacred Blame

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    Torrents can be used for non copyrighted stuff as mentioned. It is perfectly fine to troubleshoot software problems when it's for legitimate downloads. Unless the OP specifies otherwise you can assume that legal stuff is going on. Anything that insinuates to piracy will go against the forum rules though.
     
    tijo, Aug 24, 2012
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  5. maverick1989

    maverick1989 Notebook Deity

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    If it happened after a drop, it could be a lose cable but it is probably your HDD gone bad. The needle could have damaged the surface or just the shock could have done it. If you open up your case and find that all cables are well connected, it is time to change the HDD.
     
    maverick1989, Aug 24, 2012
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  6. H.A.L. 9000

    H.A.L. 9000 Occam's Chainsaw

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    You'll probably find that you have bad sectors.

    Drops + HDD's = death or bad sectors. Usually.

    With the way torrents work, it exposes bad sectors pretty fast.
     
    H.A.L. 9000, Aug 25, 2012
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  7. mgftp

    mgftp Newbie

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    Thank you. I realize many probably use the torrenting technology for copyrighted material, but many also use it for legitimate large downloads. Like many things in life, assuming the worse isn't the way to go about it.

    Yea, this is my assumption although I don't know much about it.

    I ran the error-checking process in Windows which said it found errors and corrected them. However I still have the problem and am wondering if the problem will get worse? Or is fixable? Is there software to run to assess the health of the drive? Fix the drive?.... Should I just cut my loses and order a new one?

    Thanks
     
    mgftp, Aug 26, 2012
    #7
  8. H.A.L. 9000

    H.A.L. 9000 Occam's Chainsaw

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    You can try this to see the SMART status of your HDD. It will tell you everything you need to know: http://www.hdtune.com/

    Also, if you have bad sectors there is no "fixing" it. All Windows will do is try to recover the data on those sectors and move that data into known good sectors. BUT... there's only a certain amount of sectors that can go bad, then Windows can no longer re-allocate things.

    I'd say cut your losses, back your important stuff up -right now- and order you another HDD/SSD. Once you start having issues with a HDD never trust it... it could literally fail at any time.
     
    H.A.L. 9000, Aug 26, 2012
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  9. mgftp

    mgftp Newbie

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    After I posted I found and ran some software from WD's website and these are the results:

    Test Option: EXTENDED TEST
    Model Number: WDC WD5000BEVT-22A0RT0
    Firmware Number: 01.01A01
    Capacity: 500.11 GB
    SMART Status: PASS
    Test Result: FAIL
    Test Error Code: 08-Too many bad sectors detected.
    Test Time: 15:29:59, August 26, 2012

    Guess it's time for a new HD.

    Thanks for the help.
     
    mgftp, Aug 26, 2012
    #9