chkdsk keeps being set on removable HDD

wolf99

Hi folks

I have a 460Gb removable HDD with 2 partitions, one FAT and one NTFS
Recently the one of the two (or maybe both) of the windows XP machines I use keeps scheduling chkdsk to be run on the drive...
I can do this be releasing handles and running chkdsk in cmd prompt.
easy enough on a windows machine, but when if I go to use the HDD on a ubuntu machine, the OS refuses to mount the disk because it detects the windows chkdsk is pending, so no mounty - no fixey till I get back to XP...

Does anyone know if this issue can be circumvented on a ubuntu machine or whats causing the chkdsk to keep being scheduled on it on the XP machine?

Thanks peeps

wolf99

A friend mentioned that It may be due to removing the disk before its "safe to remove" in windows, though I would do this only very rarely and I have never seen this happen with other removable media....
Can anyone confirm or deny this idea?
Thanks

fionny

Sounds about right... removing an NTFS drive without using the "Safely Remove Hardware" option can create bad sectors and damage the index file..... this is bascially because NTFS is indexed and if you just pull the drive mid index windows thinks there is something wrong.

Try remove it properly after the next chkdsk and see if it solves it.

FAT32 on the other hand doesnt really matter...

freestyla

Dunno about Linux but if you manage to get Windows at hands, open cmd and type:

"fsutil dirty query e:" (<--- this e is your removable disk drive letter)
"Chkdsk /f /x"

This should check it once and flag it as CLEAN drive then no further checking.

Or try to play with registry:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/regs_edits/disablecheckdisk.reg

wolf99

Oh me and windows indexing really dont get along it seems!

The one thing that does cause me to remove the drive unsafely is XP gives that annoying "PING" and tells me the drive is busy, even if all windows, programs, processes using it etc have been closed, and I have waited for a few mins and tried again....

The drive is about 460Gb and over half full so indexing is prob taking longer than the operation that I originally plugged the disk in for!

Do you know of any way I can tell XP not to index removable NTFS partitions??

(Ill give your suggestion a try, fionny, and let ya knows how I get on)

wolf99

freestyla wrote: »

Dunno about Linux but if you manage to get Windows at hands, open cmd and type:

"fsutil dirty query e:" (<--- this e is your removable disk drive letter)
"Chkdsk /f /x"

This should check it once and flag it as CLEAN drive then no further checking.

Or try to play with registry:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/regs_edits/disablecheckdisk.reg

The problem is not checking the disk itself, its that it keeps asking for it to be done....I did explain that in the op but thanks anyway

freestyla

wolf99 wrote: »

Oh me and windows indexing really dont get along it seems!

Do you know of any way I can tell XP not to index removable NTFS partitions??

I think you have to tell it to each drive.. right-click drive - properties - uncheck the box "Allow indexing service to index this disk for fast file searching"

freestyla

wolf99 wrote: »

The problem is not checking the disk itself, its that it keeps asking for it to be done....I did explain that in the op but thanks anyway

mate it needs to get flagged as clean then it should stop asking

wolf99

Nice, thanks freestyla, though I guess this has to be done each time the HDD is plugged in again? by which time its already madly indexing away, do you know if clearing this setting stops current indexing activities on a drive or just prevents future ones?
thanks

fionny

wolf99 wrote: »

Do you know of any way I can tell XP not to index removable NTFS partitions??

(Ill give your suggestion a try, fionny, and let ya knows how I get on)

Not sure windows XP "remembers" the drive but to disable indexing go to:

My Computer
Right Click the Drive in Question,
Properties

Under the General Tab at the bottom should be a checkbox option to enable / disable indexing of the drive (see attached screenie)

wolf99

freestyla wrote: »

mate it needs to get flagged as clean then it should stop asking

My bad, I didnt explain correctly, in that even after its been cleaned, it later gets re-flagged as dirty, again and again.

Incidentally the chkdsk never actually finds any errors.


OK so that sorts the XP end, at least I have a proper idea of why its happening.
Anyone know how to circumvent the non-mounting issue on ubuntu? I was at home last weekend where we have a ubunut lappy and a MAC lappy
I wasnt about to plug my fave HDD into a MAC so I use the ubuntu but it wont mount because windows has marked as dirty and scheduled chkdsk...
If it wont mount Im not sure anything can be done to it to fix it, but maybe some *nix person here knows otherwise??

Much appreciation for all help so far peeps

fionny

Try this http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=8515846&postcount=5

Not ideal im sure but it will get you out of trouble.

wolf99

Sweet, well found fionny

I actually have hirens boot cd around somewhere, but didnt think of it, so Ill have to go blow the cobwebs off of it and keep it at home till I get around to installing the NTFS tools.

Thanks a mill all, this will do the trick for now I hope