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Delayed Write Error on USB hardrive - update

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by brucelparsons

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I have been having the"Windows - Delayed Write Failed : Windows was unable to save all the data for the file... The data has been lost."

I have searched extensivly for an answer to this problem. Many of the answers are very dated and most involve changing a particular value in the registry to ffffffff. According to Microsoft this problem is supposed to be fixed with SP2 (or 3?). Cache writing is not enabled for the drive and the System Cache is not selected for memory usage as per: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=330174.

This problem first come up when I installed a pair of 500gb USB drives. I cannot remember what it was but whatever I did at that time fixed that problem. I believe that was before my last format and reinstall. Either way, since the format reinstall, I was able to do a complete backup to one of those drives with out a problem.

Now the problem is back. I had been using a 12gb IBM Travelstar 2.5" HD in a USB enclosure with out a problem for a long time. I changed the drive to a 20gb Hitachi Travelstar drive and the problem started. Now I cannot use either drive with out a problem.

I can tranfer 2gb+ worth of data to my 500gb USB drive with out a problem but when I try to send the same data to either of the Travelstar drives the error message pops up.

P42.6
2gb ram
Win XP Home SP3

UPDATE - Tried both drives at work today and they work flawlessly. My work machine is a P4 2.0 with less than 1gig ram and XP pro SP2. I have used the smaller HD repeatedly before to transfer data from work to home with out a problem - untill now.

15 replies

by thumbsup2

... turning the computer off without first stopping and disconnecting the USB drives properly?

You may have damaged them beyond recovery.

by brucelparsons

I have not been doing this. The only time my computer is turned off is if there is a power outage.

The drives work ok on my work computer.

by slayer_

Right click the drive, choose properties.

Click the Hardware tab, select the device one more time, and click Properties.

Click the Policies tab.

In there you will have 3 options. Choose the top option "Optimize for quick removal"

by rob miners

physical free space is available on these drives that you get the error message on.

by rob miners

With the external drive attached press the WinKey + Pause/Break and click the System Restore tab. Stop monitoring the drive and the system volume information directory should be removed. Problems can arise if the drive is connected to another System and both are monitoring the drive.

Did you run chkdsk on the drive.

If you did Defragment the drives.

by slayer_

Try a Chkdsk and a SMART test on that drive.
Do a Chkdsk /R on it.

by older mycroft

Where is the data actually being sent FROM ?

What format are the 2 teeny HDDs ?

How much of a PLUS, is "2GB+" ?
And what (file)type of data is it ?

by brucelparsons

Both drives are NTFS and the data is being transfered either from them to my internal drives or to them. The data I was testing with was 2.2g of misc. files. Photos, music, docs etc.

Both drives work fine on my work computer and the 12g always did work fine here. I often download large files at work and transfer them to my home computer with out any problem - untill now.

I tried them both at work today and did a 2+g data dump onto them and they worked flawlessly.

That machine has less ram, is a P4 2.0 and is XP SP2.

by thumbsup2

I've often run into problems copying when the total number of characters in the entire path and filename.ext is more than what the system allows. Some systems allow 128 characters, others allow only 64.

Is it possible there is a file you're trying to copy which is buried deep enough that the entire path + filename.ext is too long?

by brucelparsons

I'll try your first suggestion when I get home. As for the chkdsk, the drives both work fine on my work computer. Would that not rule that out?
Re the defrag suggestion. The 20g drive is empty.

by slayer_

Your filesystem coudl be wacked. Which would make new files or fluctuating files, start to lose clusters. Existing static files would probably be fine.

Chkdsk can fix up your file system.

Run a chkdsk /R on it, to also check for bad clusters. /R implises /F

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