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

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.

 

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).

 

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....

 

Good info, but it really should lead the post.

 

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?