What can possibly cause XP to lose NTFS file system?

Now that this has happened to two consecutive hard drives, I'm
becoming really paranoid...

Short story version: I use XP (SP2) Disk Management to format a WD
180GB ATA drive as a single NTFS partition using 64K clusters (for
video recordings). I copy some data onto the drive and all appears
fine until I power off/on. Then XP sees the drive as 100% empty with
NO file system. I repeat the process several more times. Sometimes the
drive survives one or two power on/off cycles. I've done full and
quick formats. Then I try the drive in another computer running XP and
this time it can't even be formatted. I've used this drive for over a
year without problems (originally formatted using default clusters).
Now it's a dead drive.

So now I install a new replacement drive, a Seagate 120GB SATA drive.
Note this is an SATA, not an ATA drive, using an entirely different
controller. I do a full format with 64K clusters and the exact same
scenario as before happens - XP thinks there's no file system! I try
it again with 32K clusters and the same thing happens. I have yet to
try it with any other cluster size.

Note that Partition Magic and other disc utilities don't see any
problem with the drive at all (i.e. see it as having an NTFS file
system). Any ideas what's going on here?

Angelfood MacSpade wrote:
Now that this has happened to two consecutive hard drives, I'm
becoming really paranoid...

Short story version: I use XP (SP2) Disk Management to format a WD
180GB ATA drive as a single NTFS partition using 64K clusters (for
video recordings). I copy some data onto the drive and all appears
fine until I power off/on. Then XP sees the drive as 100% empty with
NO file system. I repeat the process several more times. Sometimes the
drive survives one or two power on/off cycles. I've done full and
quick formats. Then I try the drive in another computer running XP and
this time it can't even be formatted. I've used this drive for over a
year without problems (originally formatted using default clusters).
Now it's a dead drive.

So now I install a new replacement drive, a Seagate 120GB SATA drive.
Note this is an SATA, not an ATA drive, using an entirely different
controller. I do a full format with 64K clusters and the exact same
scenario as before happens - XP thinks there's no file system! I try
it again with 32K clusters and the same thing happens. I have yet to
try it with any other cluster size.

Note that Partition Magic and other disc utilities don't see any
problem with the drive at all (i.e. see it as having an NTFS file
system). Any ideas what's going on here?


Since XP is rather fond of 4KB clusters, I suggest that you format that
HD with 4KB clusters -- using XP's disk management tools. Unlike FAT32,
XP handles large HDs without resorting to large clusters.
--
Cheers, Bob

Angelfood MacSpade wrote:
"I power off/on. Then XP sees the drive as 100% empty with
| NO file system. I repeat the process several more times.
Sometimes the
| drive survives one or two power on/off cycles"

Are you using the XP shutdown menu (icon) to shutdown or are
you killing the power?


"Bob Willard" wrote in
message ...
| Angelfood MacSpade wrote:
| Now that this has happened to two consecutive hard
drives, I'm
| becoming really paranoid...
|
| Short story version: I use XP (SP2) Disk Management to
format a WD
| 180GB ATA drive as a single NTFS partition using 64K
clusters (for
| video recordings). I copy some data onto the drive and
all appears
| fine until I power off/on. Then XP sees the drive as
100% empty with
| NO file system. I repeat the process several more times.
Sometimes the
| drive survives one or two power on/off cycles. I've done
full and
| quick formats. Then I try the drive in another computer
running XP and
| this time it can't even be formatted. I've used this
drive for over a
| year without problems (originally formatted using
default clusters).
| Now it's a dead drive.
|
| So now I install a new replacement drive, a Seagate
120GB SATA drive.
| Note this is an SATA, not an ATA drive, using an
entirely different
| controller. I do a full format with 64K clusters and the
exact same
| scenario as before happens - XP thinks there's no file
system! I try
| it again with 32K clusters and the same thing happens. I
have yet to
| try it with any other cluster size.
|
| Note that Partition Magic and other disc utilities don't
see any
| problem with the drive at all (i.e. see it as having an
NTFS file
| system). Any ideas what's going on here?
|
|
| Since XP is rather fond of 4KB clusters, I suggest that
you format that
| HD with 4KB clusters -- using XP's disk management tools.
Unlike FAT32,
| XP handles large HDs without resorting to large clusters.
| --
| Cheers, Bob

Just curious, what would be the benefit of 64KB clusters over 4 KB clusters
for video editing? Does it cause faster data transfers to/from the hdd?
Less frames dropped when capturing?

r.


"Angelfood MacSpade" wrote in message
...
Now that this has happened to two consecutive hard drives, I'm
becoming really paranoid...

Short story version: I use XP (SP2) Disk Management to format a WD
180GB ATA drive as a single NTFS partition using 64K clusters (for
video recordings). I copy some data onto the drive and all appears
fine until I power off/on. Then XP sees the drive as 100% empty with
NO file system. I repeat the process several more times. Sometimes the
drive survives one or two power on/off cycles. I've done full and
quick formats. Then I try the drive in another computer running XP and
this time it can't even be formatted. I've used this drive for over a
year without problems (originally formatted using default clusters).
Now it's a dead drive.

So now I install a new replacement drive, a Seagate 120GB SATA drive.
Note this is an SATA, not an ATA drive, using an entirely different
controller. I do a full format with 64K clusters and the exact same
scenario as before happens - XP thinks there's no file system! I try
it again with 32K clusters and the same thing happens. I have yet to
try it with any other cluster size.

Note that Partition Magic and other disc utilities don't see any
problem with the drive at all (i.e. see it as having an NTFS file
system). Any ideas what's going on here?