# Solved: bad link in lost chain at cluster xxxxxxx in my external hdd



## jb_5692 (May 27, 2011)

masters.. can u help me about my problem in my external hdd...

when i started up the chkdsk.. it said:

bad link in lost chain at cluster xxxxxxx corrected
bad link in lost chain at cluster xxxxxxx corrected
bad link in lost chain at cluster xxxxxxx corrected
bad link in lost chain at cluster xxxxxxx corrected
bad link in lost chain at cluster xxxxxxx corrected

so many times... and sometimes it says "Orphan Truncated".

if i decided to format the ext hdd would it possibly work or not?
i read some thread about my problem. but they didn't ask if it can be reformated.. only file recovering..


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

You need to test the drive with the drive's manufacturer's diagnostics. Go to Device Manager and look under Disk Drives to see the model of the drive - its easy to get the right drive model, simply unplug and plug in the drive while looking at Device Manager to see which drive disappears/appears.


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## jb_5692 (May 27, 2011)

the manufacturer of the drive is western digital 320gb external hdd... the drive contains the files.. but cant open files.. and the names of the folder is not a letter,.. it became "&#8730;&#9600;}&#8993;&#9557;&#9554;ö.jf&#9508;" like this... if i reformat the drive? is the drive will be back to normal?


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

If you refomat the the drive you will lose everything on it.

If you reformat the drive but the drive is faulty it'll happen again.

Test the drive with the Western Digital Lifeguard Diagnostics: http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?groupid=111&sid=3&lang=en

Do you want to retrieve the data off the drive?


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## jb_5692 (May 27, 2011)

yes i want to retrieve the data. but if cant and there is no chances to get it from the drive...


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## jb_5692 (May 27, 2011)

sir triple6 if i reformat the drive would it be back to normal?


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

Reformatting REMOVES the data, don't do that until you are 100% sure you can't get the data back OR you decide you do not want it back, reformatting will also not fix any defects in the drive. You should test the drive before you decide to reformat it.

Try these for data recovery: http://lifehacker.com/5237503/five-best-free-data-recovery-tools

Also as a last resort, you can also run a check disk on the drive, it may restore the files but it may also damage them further.


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## jb_5692 (May 27, 2011)

for now... im running what u give earlier.. the western digital diagnostic...


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## jb_5692 (May 27, 2011)

i run quick test... is it possible to detect the problem? or i must run the extended test?


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## jb_5692 (May 27, 2011)

QUICK TEST says it pass...


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

You should run the Extended Test to be sure.


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## jb_5692 (May 27, 2011)

when i finish running the quick test the name of my hdd became "¼¼Å&#9572;Z:&#937;"


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

Thats not a good sign. If you want to recover the data you should try the recovery tools before doing any more tests.


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## jb_5692 (May 27, 2011)

what should i do?


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## jb_5692 (May 27, 2011)

should i reformat or not? or any other way to recover documents?


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

Have you tried the data recovery tools I posted above?

Again, there's no point in reformatting a drive that may be faulty, especially if you still want to recover data.

Steps: 
1) Recover the data, or decide that you do not wish to pursue data recovery.
2) Test the fully drive to ensure its not faulty, if it turns out to be faulty then it needs to be warrantied or thrown out.
3) If the drive tests good then you should use the WDC Diagnostics to to wipe the drive, write zeros to it - this will prevent any data recovery in the future but it will also remove any problematic partition from the drive. Then use Disk Management to create a new partition and then format it. Then use the drive with caution for the next little while.

Do not do step 3 without doing step 2. Do not do step 2 without doing step 1.


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## jb_5692 (May 27, 2011)

sir.. the external drive that i use dont have any partition.. like a flash drive only... for saving files.. applications and other things... i hope it test drive good... tnx sir... maybe later ill try it. cause im going to school now...


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

Every hard drive has a partition, a single partition is still a partition.


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## jb_5692 (May 27, 2011)

ok... how can i make another partition? what software should i use?


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## jb_5692 (May 27, 2011)

sir the extended tests result is "PASS",, but nothing happened? what should i do next?


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

I assume you do not want tot recover the data at this point? If not try running CHKDSK on the drive just in case it fixes the files: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315265

If you do not need to recover any data then use the WD Lifeguard tools to "Write Zeros" to the drive; this will permanently erase everything off the drive.

To create a new partition and format it follow these instructions: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309000


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## jb_5692 (May 27, 2011)

sir.. i finish running write zeros now...


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## jb_5692 (May 27, 2011)

sir.. what will i check? primary partition or extended partition?


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

Primary


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