The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk\x

Hi Guys,

I help try to help friends fix there computers. I have had two
computers recently that have had lines very similar to the following
appearing repeatedly on the even log:

The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk\x (where x
is a numner)

In both cases I scanned for viruses and found nothing.

I also ran a surface test and both passed.

One of them was a laptop and one was a desktop. With the desktop I
replaced the IDE cable, but for the laptop there was not much I could
do. The laptop was not booting until I rolled it back to a restore
point a few days old.

My questions are:

Is this error likely to be a sign of impending doom?
What else could be causing it and how do I diagnose it precisely?

Thanks in advance

-Al
PS: Both PC's running winxp sp2. Hard disks were both Hitachis from
memory.

Sorry it should be device not driver detected a controller error

On Sun, 22 Jul 2007 01:58:29 -0000
BigAl.NZ@gmail.com wrote:

> Hi Guys,
>
> I help try to help friends fix there computers. I have had two
> computers recently that have had lines very similar to the following
> appearing repeatedly on the even log:
>
> The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk\x (where x
> is a numner)
>
> In both cases I scanned for viruses and found nothing.
>
> I also ran a surface test and both passed.
>
> One of them was a laptop and one was a desktop. With the desktop I
> replaced the IDE cable, but for the laptop there was not much I could
> do. The laptop was not booting until I rolled it back to a restore
> point a few days old.
>
> My questions are:
>
> Is this error likely to be a sign of impending doom?
> What else could be causing it and how do I diagnose it precisely?
>
> Thanks in advance
>
> -Al
> PS: Both PC's running winxp sp2. Hard disks were both Hitachis from
> memory.
>
Hi
Any tools available fro Hitachi to check the S.M.A.R.T. info? Can you
install sisoft sandra or similar, I think you can still get a freware
version.

--
Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
SLED 10.0 SP1 x86_64 Kernel 2.6.16.46-0.14-smp
up 4 days 13:26, 3 users, load average: 0.06, 0.15, 0.11

BigAl.NZ@gmail.com wrote:

>Hi Guys,
>
>I help try to help friends fix there computers. I have had two
>computers recently that have had lines very similar to the following
>appearing repeatedly on the even log:
>
>The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk\x (where x
>is a numner)
>
>In both cases I scanned for viruses and found nothing.
>
>I also ran a surface test and both passed.
>
>One of them was a laptop and one was a desktop. With the desktop I
>replaced the IDE cable, but for the laptop there was not much I could
>do. The laptop was not booting until I rolled it back to a restore
>point a few days old.
>
>My questions are:
>
>Is this error likely to be a sign of impending doom?
>What else could be causing it and how do I diagnose it precisely?

Download HD Health http://www.panterasoft.com/ it reads the S.M.A.R.T
info and gives a date of death (not to be taken seriously, unless it
is something like yesterday).
--
Advertisement for Renault Sports Car
http://www.icomment.org/index.php/ma...33325:Video:63

Those are all options, though in the past when I have put harddisks
with bad SMART reports into my PC, my BIOS alerts me. I put both those
HDD's in my PC, and got no SMART warnings....

The plot thickens....

On Sun, 22 Jul 2007 01:58:29 +0000, BigAl.NZ wrote:

> PS: Both PC's running winxp sp2. Hard disks were both Hitachis from
> memory.

Good info, but it really should lead the post.

<BigAl.NZ@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1185069509.837511.40040@x35g2000prf.googlegro ups.com...
> Hi Guys,
>
> I help try to help friends fix there computers. I have had two
> computers recently that have had lines very similar to the following
> appearing repeatedly on the even log:
>
> The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk\x (where x
> is a numner)
>

If it did it about 20 times in a row in the log, Disable the DVD burner in
device manager then also remove both IDE primary and secondary in device
manager. Then reboot and the IDE controller should be rediscovered. Then
reenable the DVD device.

This fixed the issue on mine..

On Jul 22, 9:59 pm, "Craig Sutton" <xcxcnxxn...@ihug.co.nz> wrote:
> <BigAl...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:1185069509.837511.40040@x35g2000prf.googlegro ups.com...
>
> > Hi Guys,
>
> > I help try to help friends fix there computers. I have had two
> > computers recently that have had lines very similar to the following
> > appearing repeatedly on the even log:
>
> > The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk\x (where x
> > is a numner)
>
> If it did it about 20 times in a row in the log, Disable the DVD burner in
> device manager then also remove both IDE primary and secondary in device
> manager. Then reboot and the IDE controller should be rediscovered. Then
> reenable the DVD device.
>
> This fixed the issue on mine..

Thats a good point - I just assumed it was a HDD, it could have infact
been the other IDE device the CD/DVD. How do you tell which is which?

<BigAl.NZ@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1185129587.941455.155620@i13g2000prf.googlegr oups.com...
> On Jul 22, 9:59 pm, "Craig Sutton" <xcxcnxxn...@ihug.co.nz> wrote:
>> <BigAl...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>
>> news:1185069509.837511.40040@x35g2000prf.googlegro ups.com...
>>
>> > Hi Guys,
>>
>> > I help try to help friends fix there computers. I have had two
>> > computers recently that have had lines very similar to the following
>> > appearing repeatedly on the even log:
>>
>> > The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk\x (where x
>> > is a numner)
>>
>> If it did it about 20 times in a row in the log, Disable the DVD burner
>> in
>> device manager then also remove both IDE primary and secondary in device
>> manager. Then reboot and the IDE controller should be rediscovered. Then
>> reenable the DVD device.
>>
>> This fixed the issue on mine..
>
> Thats a good point - I just assumed it was a HDD, it could have infact
> been the other IDE device the CD/DVD. How do you tell which is which?
>

From my experience with the problem doing as above fixed it. It stopped a
run of about 20 of the above errors in event manager.

It is some sort of hardware clash. You can try opening it up, d/c the IDE
Burner then remove the primary and secondary in device manager reboot
redetect them. See if errors have gone, test it out make sure errors are no
longer in the log, then re add in the IDE burner. See if it returns.

"Craig Sutton" <xcxcnxxnxxx@ihug.co.nz> wrote in message
news:f81m54$q2m$1@lust.ihug.co.nz...
>
> <BigAl.NZ@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1185129587.941455.155620@i13g2000prf.googlegr oups.com...
>> On Jul 22, 9:59 pm, "Craig Sutton" <xcxcnxxn...@ihug.co.nz> wrote:
>>> <BigAl...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>
>>> news:1185069509.837511.40040@x35g2000prf.googlegro ups.com...
>>>
>>> > Hi Guys,
>>>
>>> > I help try to help friends fix there computers. I have had two
>>> > computers recently that have had lines very similar to the following
>>> > appearing repeatedly on the even log:
>>>
>>> > The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk\x (where x
>>> > is a numner)
>>>
>>> If it did it about 20 times in a row in the log, Disable the DVD burner
>>> in
>>> device manager then also remove both IDE primary and secondary in device
>>> manager. Then reboot and the IDE controller should be rediscovered. Then
>>> reenable the DVD device.
>>>
>>> This fixed the issue on mine..
>>
>> Thats a good point - I just assumed it was a HDD, it could have infact
>> been the other IDE device the CD/DVD. How do you tell which is which?
>>
>
> From my experience with the problem doing as above fixed it. It stopped a
> run of about 20 of the above errors in event manager.
>
> It is some sort of hardware clash. You can try opening it up, d/c the IDE
> Burner then remove the primary and secondary in device manager reboot
> redetect them. See if errors have gone, test it out make sure errors are
> no longer in the log, then re add in the IDE burner. See if it returns.
>

Well any update?