[Macboatmaster]

When you reply next time please just provide the answers and not all my questions. I appreciate you were trying to be helpful but it actually makes it harder.

1. I read that before - with the exception of the praise to us. However please take my advice stay with JUST ONE, until you decide there is no resolution offered there.
(YOU DO NOT need to reply to that of course)

2.Generic - chkdsk only. or chkdsk with another cmd.

3.Event logs - Control Panel, administrative tools, event viewer - system - entries for errors red icon. - click column header it will sort them for you.

4. Is this computer connected to a SERVER - if so are you running chkdsk on the cmd chkdsk C:

5. Have you checked if the dirty bit is set -

NB - Nice of you to comment on our responses - I would rather wait until we solve it - IF we do.

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2. Chkdsk with repair

3. Event logs - didn't find much of anything - I have attached the only one I found.

4. Not on a server - just a wired router.

5. I assume you are talking about "page replacement" and I'm not sure how to check that.

Attached Thumbnails

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[Littleolady]

2. Chkdsk with repair

3. Event logs - didn't find much of anything - I have attached the only one I found.

4. Not on a server - just a wired router.

5. I assume you are talking about "page replacement" and I'm not sure how to check that.

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[Littleolady]

OK - just checked the dirty bit thing and it is "not dirty".....

[Macboatmaster]

Please tell me in the exact type - what cmd you issued and at what prompt.

ie prompt

C:\

cmd
chkdsk /f

chkdsk /r

chkdsk C: as above.


I am signing off in 20 mins.

[Littleolady]

chkdsk /r

[Macboatmaster]

Please answer both my questions - at what prompt

[Littleolady]

C:\Documents and settings\Administrator>chkdsk /r

[Macboatmaster]

I am going offline now as mentioned previously.

My colleague phillpower2 will probably be back before me. I am in the UK.

1. Do you believe the drive to be good.

2. Clean boot it and then run chkdsk
http://support.micro....com/kb/310353/

use the manual procedure DO NOT proceed any further than up to and including step 3.
KEEP IT IN CLEAN BOOT for the chkdsk.

However this time only run chkdsk /f

USE the cmd

chkdsk C: /f

Goodnight.

[Littleolady]

OK - did the "clean boot" ran chkdsk exactly the way you requested - got the exact same error message which was "There are too many files and directories on this volume for windows to check your disk at full speed. Make sure the allowed user address space is set to a maximum." and nothing else. It ran totally clean.

All I want to know is what does that error message mean and what can I do to correct it ???

[Littleolady]

Doesn't seem to matter which way I do a dskchk - the result is always the same - It is in stage 1 (file verification) and the result is always this: "There are too many files and directories on this volume for windows to check your disk at full speed. Make sure the allowed user address space is set to a maximum."

This seems unbelievable to me since this is a newly installed hard drive - there is very little on it at this point - nothing that would warrant that statement for sure.

I just don't know what "User Address Space" means ???

[Macboatmaster]

All I want to know is what does that error message mean and what can I do to correct it ???

The answer, unfortunately is NOT as simple as the question may appear


User address space - as I understand it, is in simple terms the space available in memory (physical and virtual) to run a process., in your case chkdsk.
I must admit to not being fully conversant with it.

It appears to me - that as chkdsk in the way you commissioned it, runs at boot - before Windows itself loads - there is either a memory (physical ram ERROR) or if the ram itself is OK, a fault somewhere causing the apparent ram error -for instance the ram slot on the motherboard,

Alternatively it MAY be, that something is using ram, on boot before chkdsk can "grab it"

What I do know is that something is NOT right. By that I mean that the system in its entirety should handle this matter automatically and generally speaking, no user intervention is required. This presumes - that there is the basic requirements of :
1. Sufficient physical ram in the first place - clearly if it is GOOD - you have, as you have 4Gb I think you said, although if it is 32 bit windows, then Windows itself will only of course see 3.2Gb approx.

2. Sufficient free space on the HDD - clearly on the evidence available - this is not an issue - albeit this is not directly related to User address space - HOWEVER and only as an example a DEFRAG cannot run if the free space is NOT at least equal to the largest file on the drive.

3. See this article
http://blogs.technet...17/3155406.aspx
and scroll to the 5th image on the article.

4. On reflection the clean boot will NOT address this issue, as that process of minimising startup items and services - will NOT assist with the problem to hand.
RETURN THE computer to Normal startup. please

Steps to configure Windows to use a Normal startup state
After you used the clean boot to resolve your problem, you can follow these steps to configure Windows XP to start normally.

• Click Start, and then click Run.
• Type msconfig, and then click OK.
  The System Configuration Utility dialog box is displayed.
• Click the General tab, click Normal Startup - load all device drivers and services, and then click OK.
• When you are prompted, click Restart to restart the computer.

5. I would check the RAM, using MEMTEST and running it for all 8 checks on at least the one full pass.
http://www.geekstogo...sing-memtest86/


However - note the procedure - of a stick at a time.

I am NOT sure if this has already been provided to you by my colleague phillpower2.


6. I would as phillpower2 advised RUN a FULL check on that hard drive, using the appropriate manufacturers check utility as that one, will provide you with the most comprehensive check and results.

[phillpower2]

Thank you for the additional assistance Macboatmaster

Littleolady if the issue is not resolved after completing the steps that my colleague has suggested can you please follow the instructions below (courtesy of Microsoft) to check if the DMA is enabled;

1. Open Device Manager.

2. Double-click IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers to display the list of controllers and channels.

3. Right-click the icon for the channel to which the device is connected, select Properties, and then click the Advanced Settings tab.

4. In the Current Transfer Mode drop-down box, select DMA if Available if the current setting is "PIO Only."
If the drop-down box already shows "DMA if Available" but the current transfer mode is PIO, then the user must toggle the settings. That is:

Change the selection from "DMA if available" to PIO only, and click OK.

Then repeat the steps above to change the selection to DMA if Available.

[Littleolady]

OK you two - both Macboatmaster and phillpower2 - I really thank you for both everything you have tried thus far - but I gotta tell you that none of it has worked so far.

Macboatmaster - thank you for the definition of my problem - can't say that I really understand it though. I have gone way past eight tests on the mem thing and it has passed every time as well as the HDD tests - both pass with no problems no matter how many times I do them.

phillpower2 - your last item about "Double-click IDE ATA/ATAPI" found that everything is as it should be I assume as it read "DMA if Available" and the current Transfer Mode stated "not available" - but I checked that reading on several other computers and they all said the same thing....

Apparently we all agree there is a problem - but what, if anything, can we now do to resolve it? It really isn't a problem for everyday use on the computer - it seems to work great - but I just know that the problem will come back to bite me when I least expect it.....

Does anyone have any ideas ??

[Chaputika]

OK you two - both Macboatmaster and phillpower2 - I really thank you for both everything you have tried thus far - but I gotta tell you that none of it has worked so far.

Macboatmaster - thank you for the definition of my problem - can't say that I really understand it though. I have gone way past eight tests on the mem thing and it has passed every time as well as the HDD tests - both pass with no problems no matter how many times I do them.

phillpower2 - your last item about "Double-click IDE ATA/ATAPI" found that everything is as it should be I assume as it read "DMA if Available" and the current Transfer Mode stated "not available" - but I checked that reading on several other computers and they all said the same thing....

Apparently we all agree there is a problem - but what, if anything, can we now do to resolve it? It really isn't a problem for everyday use on the computer - it seems to work great - but I just know that the problem will come back to bite me when I least expect it.....

Does anyone have any ideas ??

Hie Little,
i have followed up your thread. from the contributions given here, I think your hard Disk has a faulty somewhere. Any time it will bang. don't trust it. If its under guarantee, you better send it back. Good Lucky

[phillpower2]

Hi Littleolady
Couple of questions if I may;
Have you run memtest on each stick of Ram individually for a minimum of 5 to 6 passes on each stick and what is the brand and output of your PSU please, your PSU may have a product information label similar to the .jpeg below