Scandisk problem

[liamkincaid25]

I am running winMe in a pc when I try to boot I get this message
"Scandisk encounter a data error .This error prevents scandisk from fixing this drive"
I tried loading in safe mode but pc freezes no matter what of thje 4 options given by safe mode I choose. I tried to load a diagnostic tool from the hard drive manufacturer (Maxtor) which is supposed to be used fron the DOS but when I used a floppy start up disc and then try to use the diagnostic tool I then get the message "This program can not be run from DOS". Any help will be appreciated. Thank You

[mjc]

You are either trying to load the Windows version of the tool, or using a version of DOS that it doesn't like on the floppy.

The easiest would be to see if there is a CD iso image of the tools to make a bootable CD.

[Sylvander]

1. The FREE Emergency Boot CD [EBCD] includes among its many programs [useful to ME] a rather nice version of "MS Scandisk" on the 2nd menu.
To get to 2nd menu you hit "Enter" at the 1st menu.
When going to the 2nd menu you will be asked to OK various drivers including one for a mouse cursor.
At the 2nd menu you can "choose" "MS Scandisk" in the menu using either the keyboard up/down arrows, then hit "Enter", or click with the mouse cursor.
Scandisk will then run automatically [outwith the Windows environment therefore not affected by any Windows problems] to scan ALL partitions on the internal drives.
It lists the various types of scan and shows the progress of each.
If any file system error is found you will be asked whether you want to go ahead and fix it.
Lost clusters/chains for folders/files [that are using space, but are non-functional, so the space they occupy is lost to use] can be fixed so that the space is recovered, but the files will remain non-functional unless restored to functionality or replaced with functioning versions [from a backup?].

2. If this version of Scandisk [working outwith the Windows environment] cannot run for some reason, or cannot fix the problem...
The EBCD 1st menu includes the "Drive Fitness Utility (IDE & SCSI)".

3. There are other very useful programs on the EBCD, including...
(a) Win98/ME Registry Tool. [Scan & fix the registry]
(b) "File Manager" [Browse/manipulate the folder/file contents of the partitions/drives]
(c) "Recover MBR".
(d) "Un-format" & "Un-erase".
(e) "Image for DOS" [Older version that can image any type of partition to any other internal FAT(32) partition, and then restore any such image]

[Paul Komski]

As mjc intimiated it looks like you need SeaTools for DOS (Seagate have taken over Maxtor) but if there is corruption on the disk you may get a diagnosis but not a fix.

If you need to get stuff off the disk you could try Knoppix and hopefully the file system is not too corrupt to need a more specialised approach.

[liamkincaid25]

Well in the end the drive was damaged I could not make it work.Thank you for alll your help!