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March 19th, 2004 03:00
LBA/Check Bios Setup Utility
I received the following message: "Scandisk cannot read from the lasat cluster on drive C. Cluster is either damaged or system is not configured properly. Drive C may need have Logicical Block Addressing enabled to work properly or its disk partition may be incorrectly marked as a non-LBA partition...Check computer's BIOS setup utility, or contacat your computer manufacturer or have computer checked by a qualified computer hardware technician.
Help! Please advise me on how to proceed and check the BIOS setup utility. Do I have to upgrade my BIOS? I'm unsure as to what to do and I'm pretty computer literate.
I have a Demension 4100, P3, 1GHZ, Running ME.
Thanks for any advice.
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Majestic
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9.4K Posts
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March 19th, 2004 10:00
With the 4100 model there is nothing in the BIOS Setup that would allow you to alter the LBA settings. One thing you might try is a BIOS upgrade depending on your current BIOS version. Starting with version A09 there was a fix added to the BIOS that altered how the hard drive size was reported to the BIOS. Try upgrading the BIOS to the latest version which is A11 and see if the problem is resolved. Also you didn't state whether this was the original hard drive or a new one and if it has previously passed a scandisk before? If it's the original with no prior scandisk problems then a BIOS upgrade may not help and it could be the fault of the drive.
Here is the latest BIOS version which is A11:
http://support.dell.com/FileLib/Format.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&Category=1&OS=NAA&OSL=EN&SvcTag=&SysID=DIM_PNT_P3C_4100&DeviceID=308&Type=&ReleaseID=R45081
Diamondique
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March 19th, 2004 18:00
Diamondique
4 Posts
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March 19th, 2004 18:00
Actually, when I first got my computer, they had to replace the first original hard drive. It has passed scandisk before, however it hasn't been able to scan for awhile. I haven't been able to scan the disk. It scans and then stops when it's almost done (I would say about 95-98% done) and then it stops. And of course, I am unable to defrag. It says it cannot access part of the drive due to bad a bad section, w hich is near the end of the drive. Therefore, I haven't performed these operations on my drive in awhile. But, I haven't had any problems either. Computer has been running smoothly until last night when I began receiving these messages and I really don't know exactly how I got it back up and I'm pretty computer literate! I usually turn it off at night, but left it on because I was afraid of re-booting it for fear that I would get these messages again and would have to go through the process of getting it back up and running. So far, so good though. Keeping my fingers crossed.
I haven't had the time to deal with Dell re the problem with the issues of scanning and defrag and the possibility that my hard drive may need to be replaced. Really hate the time it consumes, but guess it might be worth it huh?
Thanks for your help.
Majestic
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9.4K Posts
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March 19th, 2004 19:00
Running ScanDisk and Defrag on a regular basis not only insures a healthy hard drive, but one that operates more efficently. Personally, I scan and defrag my hard drives every other week. If you get into a routine of doing it regularly then it doesn't take as long. You could also schedule the maintenance during a time when you are not using the computer.
As for the BIOS upgrade, at this point I think you are better off resolving the issues of ScanDisk not completing it's task. It sounds like you have a hard drive problem versus a BIOS problem.
When you run ScanDisk have you tried shutting down all the programs running in the background except for Systray and Explorer? By pressing the CTRL - ALT - DEL keys together you bring up the Task Manager and can individually shut down all the unneeded programs except for the two I had mentioned. Then try running ScanDisk again and see if it will complete the job. When you run ScanDisk make sure the box is checked for a "Through" scan. This will give your hard drive a complete check up. If it completes the scan then Defrag. You could also try running ScanDisk in Safe Mode as they would insure that unneeded programs are not running.
Diamondique
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March 19th, 2004 23:00
Yes, I know. I wish I were able to maintain that schedule. Although, I did not maintain a rigorous schedule of running these utilities on a weekly basis, I at least tried to do it at least every other week. And yes, I know all about shutting down all of the programs and doing it in safe mode and all of that and nothing works because of the bad section at the end of my disk. I figured I could get away with it as long as my computer is running okay, but I knew that I would have to deal with Dell re this problem sooner or later. Just haven't had the time to take that it consumes to deal with them. Computer is running okay now and even re-booted. Was afraid of re-booting because I was afraid of receiving the LBA and VSDATA95 messages again.
Okay, so I'll forget the BIOS upgrade. Guess I have no choice but to call Dell now and see if I can get my hard drive replaced. I really hate having to do that and have to reinstall everything. Thanks for your help. Very much appreciated.