checking internal HDD for errors

[Andrew Golightly]

Hi all,

A client is getting blue screens for his Windows machine. So he's keen to get Edubuntu installed (it's a school). So I booted using the live DVD and started copying all his files to an external harddisk for backing up first. Of the few thousand files, a few encountered an error.. saying something like: input/output error. These included files like a .jpg

Soo... I'm wondering whether the blue screens may indicate a hardware issue, and it's not just Windows being Windows?

Are there HDD utilities that I can do a health check for the internal HDD?

He has some special warranty for the machine, so could get it 'fixed' before installing Ubuntu?

thanks for the input,
Andrew

[Andrew Golightly]

So simple solution was to use disk utility to check it's health. And yes, it is the HDD; had a few bad sectors. So going to replace that.

[PayPaul]

So simple solution was to use disk utility to check it's health. And yes, it is the HDD; had a few bad sectors. So going to replace that.

I am amazed by the Disk Utility. It does what Windoze failed to do, what the Manufacturers utility failed to do; it found 2 bad sectors and it is now doing an extensive surface test of the drive. I've been having boot-up problems with Ubuntu failing to see the root. It goes to a "Shell" and I can finally boot using the EXIT command. At the least I can do that. Windon't wouldn't allow even that most of the time.

I'm rooting around for the log. I know I saw that utility somewhere yesterday. I'd like to view and post what my boot record is for these errors that Ubuntu found on loading. It's the only OS I've ever seen that has given me a clue as to what is going on with my machine. I switched to Ubuntu partly because Windows has been such a recalcitrant child for the past 2 months.

Hurray for Ubuntu in leading to the way to solve my computer mystery!!

Who-dah thunk it?

:p