WD HDD: "Read Element Failure" causes other drive not to boot

[videobruce]

On a WD 320GB SATA HDD, using the manufactures utility I received a "Read Element Failure" code 0007. I did a 'Full Media Scan' and it supposely fixed the problem.
I contacted WD and set up a RMA, but thier 'farmed out' support couldn't tell me what the error meant and there was nothing on their web site.

The orginal issue was, I have two bootable drives (the other is a Seagate), this problem kepted both drives from booting (not at the same time though). They would only boot up to the first Windows splash screen and stop. If I disconnected the WD drive the other drive would boot fine. The WD wouldn't boot either way, which I would understand.

Questions:
1. Does this "Read Element" mean the heads?
2. If so, how could software 'fix' a bad head, or could it be the controller?
3. How could this stop another drive from booting? Something corrupted between the two drives? (The drives will boot by separately with the other disconnected.)

[Paul Komski]

If one drive is causing a failure to POST then it needs to be removed from the PC.

If windows starts to load, however,and then fails ("They would only boot up to the first Windows splash screen and stop") that is likely a different issue and could be SATA or size or driver related. Need full system specs to be of greater help. Also does the same freeze occur in safe mode?

A freeze (or terrific slowdown) caused by bad sectors might well be on the cards and a full zero wipe of the drive might be the only potential cure by remapping the relevant sectors.

[Sylvander]

1. Does this "Read Element" mean the heads?
Looks like it to me.
See Method of forming an embedded read element (http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7062838.html)

And...
Magnetic read element shield... (http://www.patentgenius.com/patent/6222702.html)

[videobruce]

Indeed their software 'fixed' the problem. Both when running the test again and the fact I can boot back into both drives.If windows starts to load, however,and then fails ("They would only boot up to the first Windows splash screen and stop") that is likely a different issueI agree also, but why isn't it doing it anymore?

I have had problems in the past by having two bootable drives where it appeared that the duplicate O/S instalations somehow migrated between drives. One time it was bad enough, one drive wouldn't boot at all if the other drive wasn't connected. How files get sent to another drive is beyond me.

With all my current installs, I disconnected the 2nd drive (I have two bootable drives in all my boxes) when I load the O/S.

BTW; thanks for the links. Again, how can software fix a bad head? :confused:

[mjc]

From what I can find out, it seems that error code is a catch all code that is used for almost any kind of read problem. That means it can be the actual head, a cache problem or just some sort of funky data 'collision'...basically anything that can cause S.M.A.R.T. to notice a problem. It seems that in all the posts I looked at, when I googled that error, about 90 % of them where not fixed by the WD software. So, I would say, about 90% of the time that error code does indicate an actual hardware fault. The remaining 10%...some sort of software 'glitch'.

[Sylvander]

how can software fix a bad head?
Perhaps it wasn't really a bad head, only appeared so to the utility.

Computers and their programs [and sometimes people too] are often like that, right?
Not intelligent and sophisticated enough to come up with a definitive diagnosis. ;)

[videobruce]

I did a search before posting this, and found other examples of this problem. Most didn't seem to be resolved or the posts went unanswered.
The only thing I can figure is it might of been something with the controller board. It still gets me why it would stop hang the other drive from booting. :confused:

I'm awaiting for the advanced replacement. This drive is only 6 months old.

[mjc]

That was another common thread I noticed...almost all of the problem drives seemed to be less than a year old, most a few weeks in service.

[Paul Komski]

It still gets me why it would stop hang the other drive from booting.A couple of software issues have already been mentioned and if you are booting from one drive but with the windows partition on the other one or with the pagefile in an odd postion it is quite possible for interactions to occur that would cause a halt. Without knowing more about the actual partitioning and the content of the boot.ini file or files it is difficult to be more specific.

When software remaps bad sectors it doesnt fix the hardware problem that caused the bad sectors to appear in the first place but it allows for any OS to by pass them. Zeroing as opposed to just deleting all partitions can allow remapping to happen on many modern disks.