Disk has many bad sectors!

[alien92]

im pretty new to ubuntu.i installed ubuntu 10.04 but was having many problems,
so i tried installing ubuntu 9.10 and upgrading but while partitioning i got an error.
finally i managed to install it but im getting a warning about my disk having 178 bad sectors.
i tried googling how to fix it but did not get any precise solution
the number of bad sectors are not increasing.
i have backed up my data and would like to know if there is any way i could fix it
i.e. without buying a new hard drive??
also will it create any problems?
thanks a lot in advance

[zakoo2]

download hiren's boot cd, burn to cd, boot from cd, select hddregenerator, run scan and repair, and there you go... if this doesn't help, you should buy a new hdd!

[prshah]

warning about my disk having 178 bad sectors.
the number of bad sectors are not increasing

Usually, a disk having bad sectors mean that it has undergone physical damage to the internal structure.

It cannot be corrected; the bad sectors are marked thus and not accessed during future read/write operations.

As long as it is not increasing, it may be only a onetime issue, and you could probably continue using your HDD.

If it starts increasing, your only option is to replace the disk. Unfortunately, the "increase" can only be detected with a thorough disk check, so it may be too late by the time you find out.

Here's some common symptoms that indicate bad sectors are interfering with your work; Files get mysteriously corrupted; System get very slow when accessing disk ; HDD activity LED stays solidly lit from time to time, even though only light HDD activity is supposed to take place; errors about "Emask exception" occur with high frequency, even after a standard disk check.

If you find any or most of these symptoms, you most likely have a disk going bad. The only option is to replace it, sorry.

If you still plan to use the HDD, please maintain regular backups of your work in other media.

[Elfy]

moved to ABT

[alien92]

Thanks a lot,but it turned out it was the Palimpsest bug.The message is not comming in 10.04.

[oldos2er]

Closed, necromancy.