Ultra DMA CRC Error Count - Faulty HDD or SATA Connection?

First of all, I have a G51vx laptop which has 2 hard drive bays.

I'm currently using a 320GB Scorpio Black in my laptop and recently I have been having problems. The HDD is 1.5 years old but the problem started after I got my laptop repaired (motherboard was replaced) so I thought it was maybe a problem with the SATA connection or something. However, after looking around on forums I think my HDD is failing. What happens is that sometimes Windows will freeze and then crash resulting in the following BSoD.



It usually happens shortly after Windows boots. After the BSoD it also shows a black screen saying boot disc failure and to insert bootable media or something. After a force restart Windows boots normally. This maybe happens once a week.

Using HD Tune I did some benchmarks and I got the following results







As you can see I have a warning for Ultra DMA CRC Error Count. Strangely, my second HDD is reporting the same error even though I just bought it 2 weeks ago.



Interface communication errors = 2? Does that mean the 2 SATA connections in my laptop are faulty?

I saw this thread

Ultra DMA CRC Error Count - Overclock.net - Overclocking.net

and DuckieHo says that the error will always remain even with a different HDD because it remains in the SMART log. This may be why it's saying there's an error for the 2nd HDD? I'm confused because I've tried another HDD as well as an SSD in my laptop after I got my laptop back and neither of them had this problem. This is why I think it's my Scorpio Black HDD that's the cause BUT this happened after I got my laptop back from being repaired so what if it's a faulty SATA connection?

Any help would be greatly appreciated..

Oh I think I get what DuckHo's saying. The errors don't indicate what the hard drive is doing now but what has happened in the past? So there have been 3 CRC errors in the past with my primary hard drive and 2 with my secondary hard drive? And those figures will always remain there. I ran a error scan and there weren't any damaged blocks.

From the above you may think, 'well it's definitely the motherboard's SATA connection then' but I checked my other laptop, which is 2 years old and has never had hard drive or crashing issues, but it has the same error. It's actually more severe but it still says the errors may be caused by a damaged cable.





I ran an error scan and there were no damaged blocks. So this laptop has more errors but no crashing or freezing, whereas my main laptop has only a few errors but it crashes and freezes.

So from what I have gathered, this CRC error doesn't necessarily have to relate with the freezing/crashing issue I'm having since it doesn't happen on my 2nd laptop which has even more CRC errors (along with other errors). So I'm kind of back to square one. I don't know if it's the HDD (maybe the HDD connection) or the motherboard's SATA connection.

I already said I ran the laptop fine without freezing/crashing on another HDD and SSD but I don't have them anymore. I've ordered a new 500gb Scorpio Black as I wanted to upgrade anyway so I'll see how that goes and if I don't have any problems, I'll RMA the 320gb one. If I do have the problems, then well, I know it's the SATA connection.

Here's another thread I found. The guy seems to have the same problem as me. Someone else said the CRC error is due to emerging bad sectors in the HDD and to get an RMA. Hope he's right in my case because changing a hard drive is a lot easier than getting the motherboard replaced..

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum...ror-count.html
Edited by bboy1 - 7/29/10 at 2:56am