# The Second NTFS boot sector is unwritable



## Migs123 (Oct 28, 2013)

I did a disk check on my external portable WD passport drive, and it came up with this after completing the check. " The second NTFS boot sector is unwriteable". What does this mean? 

I also have bootable disk called HDD regenerator which locates and repairs bad sectors to hard drives. When I put it in a boot up to it, it gives me an option to scan the hard drive (C) and the WD passport drive, and when I try to scan the WD passport, the program tries to scan for a second and it comes up with the message "Drive is not ready"

Can someone help me with this?

Thank you


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## tristar (Aug 12, 2008)

Looks like the drive may have bad sectors/data corruption.. The second NTFS is located at the end of the drive, I would recommend running *chkdsk /f /r* on this volume/partition if it is detected.


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## shawnpb (May 30, 2010)

You can not repair bad sectors bad sectors are surface errors on a HDD. Which ever program you us that claims that it can is bogus it's a myth. All any check disk repair does is move any files with in the bad sectors move them to other locations on the hard drive then flags those bad sectors as unusable. It does not repair the bad sectors. 

Go to "Run" type "CMD" at the command prompt type in... 


```
CHKDSK X: /R
```
 X: represents the partition or HDD that you wish to perform the check disk on. If prompted with a message to reboot to perform the scan.
type Y for yes then manually reboot.


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## Migs123 (Oct 28, 2013)

Thanks, but what is the "second boot sector" mean? What is the first boot sector? What is a boot sector? This is just an external storage drive, so it isn't broken off into partitions. Am I going to have problems with it in the future? I have a warranty so I could just call the company, but I have over 1/2 of a TB of data so I really would like to know if that data could possibly become corrupted.
Thanks


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

The _First boot sector_ is the First sector at the beginning of a Partition.The_ Second Boot sector_ is the _last _sector in the partition. As Jack said, you have bad sectors, especially in the Second Sector (last sector of the partition) If you only have a few, running Check Disk will _Fix _it. Which means it marks the sectors as Bad and moves the files from that sector to a good sector. This will allow you to use your drive a little longer, but If you have too many bad sectors, then Check Disk will fail, and the HDD may need to be replaced. When bad sectors start happening, they start to spread and eventually the data becomes corrupted and the drive fails.


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## shawnpb (May 30, 2010)

Disk sector - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

Did you perform the Check Disk I have mentioned in post #3?

Download this WD Support / Downloads / My Passport / My Passport install it this will allow you to run diagnostics on the WD HDD.


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## Migs123 (Oct 28, 2013)

I ran the chkdsk x: /r with x being the drive letter, and it took all night for the thing to run and this morning I woke up and it still said at the end, after the 5th stage, that the second NTFS boot sector is unwriteable. (I included a screenshot). I don't understand because it comes up in Windows Explorer, and I have never had problems with it. I was just doing a chkdsk initially because I just wanted to see if everything was ok. (apparently it's not) Also that wd drive utilities program that you guided me to I can't run because I don't have Net framework 4 installed. Net framework 4 really slows down my computer. 
The thing is that I ran this program called "Hard Disk Sentinel" and it says that everything is perfect. Could it be that because I am running XP and it is expecting me to run net framework 4 that it is giving me this weird error? I don't understand because everything has been fine, no problems just this "not writeable" thing. 
I have included a screenshot of the Hard Disk Sentinel program as well.
Thanks for all your help! I am very anxious because I have an extensive music collection that I have amassed over YEARS and I don't want to loose it! I had a wd passport before, but it was a 1/2 TB so I had to upgrade to a 2 TB, which I did in April. Should I call WD and ask them to replace it if all else fails? I think that there is a year warranty.


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## shawnpb (May 30, 2010)

Then test the drive by doing this from another computer or if you can from yours.

Downloading  UBCD which is in my signature.Burn the ISO Image to a blank CD using  Imgburn  (How to burn a ISO Image using Imgburn) burn at lowest speed. With the newly burned cd boot with the cd go to HDD>Diagnostics>The make and model of your hard drive, Seagate, Maxtor, Drive Fitness which is Hitachi, Or Western Digital. Perform a short and long test. Could also be called "Standard" and "Extended" test or also "Comprehensive" test. The Seagate hard drive test will work on most drives.

I am sure there is Western Digital HDD tests just make sure you select one that can detect the USB Western Digital HDD. Run a Long test.


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

> *Cause*
> The partition is corrupted in such a way that it is preventing from writing the NTFS boot sector reliably. Both the primary and backup copies of boot sector are corrupted.
> 
> *Solution *
> To rewrite the correct boot sectors in this case, you need to reformat the corrupted partition. Since the process causes the entire data store of partition to delete, you require a backup to restore it.


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## Migs123 (Oct 28, 2013)

Thanks. I will do what Jack Bauer said.
But,
In order to run the utilities included in the WD passport package, it wants me to install service pack 4 client profile. I did this and it slowed down my system. Then I uninstalled service pack 4 and went back to service pack 3. So I uninstalled all programs related to the WD passport program so I can just use it like a flash drive because when I install the WD smartware it takes up a lot of processes and it is anoying. Could this be the culprit? Do I have to run this stupid WD smartware program? I am just frustrated because my other passport, that had .5 TB, never had any issues and it didn't matter whether I installed the software or not, as I used it as a flash drive, essentially.
I know I probably need to get a new computer soon....  I love XP!


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

There is no *Windows XP Service Pack 4*. There is only *SP3*. There is a* .Net Framework 4.0* with *SP1*, is this what you mean?
As suggested in post #9, If the boot sector is corrupted, then you will have to format (erase) the drive to use it again. Please backup all files to another location before attempting.


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## Migs123 (Oct 28, 2013)

Oh duh yes I meant net framework 4. Can I just use the external hard drive like a usb disk? And will wiping the disk clear out the bad sectors?
Thanks


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

Contrary to what HDD Manufacturers tell you, You do not need _any _software or drivers for an External USB HDD. You can drag and drop or copy and paste files to an external HDD just like you would a Flash drive. 
You cannot _wipe_ bad sectors, this is a hardware fault of the HDD due to aging. Running *Check Disk* or WD DataLifeGuard's Short and Long tests will mark the bad sectors and move the data off of them. Unless the tests fails, which means there are too many bad sectors and the drive needs to be replaced. Hard Drive Sentinel reports you have _NO_ bad sectors now, but it would hurt to run the WD diagnostic. 
As Stated in Post #9, the drive must be_ Formatted_ to correct the *corrupted Boot Sector*, loosing all data. So, be sure to backup before attempting.


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## Migs123 (Oct 28, 2013)

Thanks for all your help. Ok I am copying files now to desktop, and then copy the rest to another hard drive that is not corrupted. This may sound like a stupid question, but will the data from the corrupted hard drive that I copy to another hard drive corrupt the hard drive itself?


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## Migs123 (Oct 28, 2013)

And I am deleting the files I don't really need or redundant from the corrupted hard drive. After I copy about 100 gigs to my desktop, I will delete them from my external hard drive. Then I will copy the rest to my other external hard drive, then wipe the disk. I just called WD and I have a warranty on the hard drive so I am going to leave all my data on my desktop and other external hard drive, and when I receive my new passport I will load everything back on. Do you see anything wrong with my plan?
Thanks


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

Copying corrupted data to a good HDD will not corrupt the HDD, but the data may be corrupted. (eg) files that were on the corrupted sectors may not open. 
RMA the drive back to WD it's a good plan. I believe they require the DataLifeGurard tests to be run and the results included before they will accept your drive. Let it be known that when you return a drive under warranty, they send out a _Refurbished _HDD in return, not a brand new drive. Refurbished drives have a higher rate of failure once returned then a new drive. Don't be too disappointed if it fails faster then you anticipated.


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## Migs123 (Oct 28, 2013)

Thanks Spunk.funk. Ok I transfered all the files to my hard drive and my other hard drive. I did a virus scan and a little bubble popped up on the taskbar saying that a directory was corrupt and unreadable. Is there a program that will check for corrupt files so I can just get rid of them?
Thanks


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## Migs123 (Oct 28, 2013)

Also I tried to shred a directory but it won't delete this one file because it is corrupt. How do I delete it>?


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## Migs123 (Oct 28, 2013)

sorry for all the posts. I figured it out - I had to run chkdsk on the other WD passport. The thing is that my other passport never had any errors and I have had it for 4 years! The fact that they are sending me a refurbished one is kind of bull***t isn't it?


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

> The fact that they are sending me a refurbished one is kind of bull***t isn't it?


 Unfortunately that is the way the business works. If you have had the drive for only a week or month and complain loud enough they might give you a new HDD. But if it is longer then that, I doubt they will give you a new drive. I never seen them do that.


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