Chkdsk always reports errors

Ztruker, I read your post here and I have several computers all running xp pro sp3 that generate "errors in the volume bit map". They all checkout with intact drives as per drive tests. I posted this to the Windows forum with no help except to come here. I see that at least one other is experiencing this. I do not know why so many of my computers are doing this and I have found only one other with the same problem. Do you have any thoughts and thanks.

Edit: Split off to separate toppic as it was getting lost in the other, fairly long one.

Have you tried running chkdsk /r multiple ( >2) times until no errors are reported at least twice? I know this is time consuming but offhand that's all I can suggest. Try it on one computer and see what happens. I would suggest the following: 1. Boot to Safe Mode 2. Losing as Administrator, not your usual account 3. Run chkdsk /r 4. Reboot 5. Repeat until two consecutive passes with no reported errors.

Ztruker, thanks for sharing your thoughts. It is not so much as to follow through on what you suggested as it is understanding what is causing the problem to begin. I just want to assure myself that it is not a virus/malware that is causing the problem, but Windows. If it is Windows, than I understand that, but if it is a virus/malware, then I have problems in all the computers that need to be addressed. The problem seems not to appear until I connect to the internet. Also I am curious about how Windows knows what network I am connecting to. I always had to tell it, but now it knows. Is this an upgrade?

I have never heard of a virus that can cause hard drive corruption, though I guess it could be possible if the virus could somehow get access to the low level functions for writing data to the hd. Bit out of my area. I would try the multi-run chkdsk and see if that fixes the problem as it's the easiest and most likely way to resolve the problems.

If not, then it's time to run the hard drive diags as I I tried to get uchkur to do (unsuccessfully).

I didn't understand your last question though: Also I am curious about how Windows knows what network I am connecting to. I always had to tell it, but now it knows. Is this an upgrade?

Can you elaborate please? Are you talking about wireless networks?

Ztruker, thanks again for your insights. What I was referring to with my curiosity is that whenever I loaded XP in the past and went through the process of connecting network/internet, it placed the default "WORKGROUP" as the name of the network, but this last time it actually knew the real name of the network without my having to type it into Windows. Since I FDISK, striped, low level formatted, verified, high level formatted and then loaded XP, I do not think it got it from the hard drive. Unfortunately, after all of this it still gave the same error message after I connected to the internet. Before and after connecting the drives passed all Seagate tests with zero errors over 2 days of testing. Now I find out that on these drives I just described, that the error message is intermittent. It will give the error message, then I do nothing but run CHKDSK again and the drives are given no error message, then I run it again and it will reappear. On the other drives I can not get this result.

Ah, I see. No idea though. I've never seen this behavior but then I always name my workgroup as WORKGROUP. The only time I have problems is when I install XP Home, then I have to change MSHOME to WORKGROUP. This might be a good question to ask in the Networking forum here on WTT.

Any chance you were using a nLite'd XP Install disc this last time? If so, it may already have the correct name setup.

Ztrucker, no I reloaded with the original about 8 yr old disk, but I do appreciate your ideas.

It would still be a good idea to run the hard drive diags on the computers experiencing the problems, just to be sure there are no hard ware problems.

Another possibility would be defective RAM. It can cause all kinds of strange problems, including drive corruption. You could give Microsoft Memory Diagnostic a try, see if it finds any problems.

Ztrucker, Yes good ideas. I did a through memory test on computers to start and they all passed. I wish Windows would not mess with CHKDSK, because now I have no way to know when I am actually experiencing hard disk problems. All diagnostics on the hard drives pass with the exception of Windows CHKDSK. I also thought that after about 8 yr on the market that MS would have gotten it right, but Win 7 already crashed with sfc /scannow only returning "could not perform the requested function". When will they ever get it correct?

Ztrucker, I made a discovery. On the test computer I have been describing, the errors only occur when the computer is plugged into the internet. It generates no errors when unplugged from the internet. All the other computers always generating errors are always plugged into the internet. How do I fix this?????????????? I have another curiosity. Why does XP immediately turn off the firewall that you have to turn on manually after installation and how do you stop it from doing that? Yes, I turned the fire wall on manually then double checked that it was on and then during the hour that I was waiting to activate XP, I checked the firewall and XP had turned it off all by itself, since it was the only software in the computer at the time. The disk errors started at that time also.