Write protect error on fixed disk

[Gianluca Costa]

Hi everybody.
In the last two days I've experienced a very strange error
(nothing was changed in my pc).
In the starting phase of windows 98 I got several times
the error "Write protect error writing on disk C:". If I
pressed "F" (for Fail) the boot went on. Finally when
windows desktop appeared everything went ok (and this was
very strange).
But now the system hangs after 3 or 4 "write protect
error" messages (and nothing helps, never the safe mode or
booting to command line).
I've also booted to command line from a safe W98 diskette:
if I try to write on every disks (both fixed and floppy) I
get the usual "write protect error" (and the floppy is not
write protected!!).
I suppose this is an hardware problem, but if it is, I
cannot explain why windows was running correctly before in
presence of the same error.
Have you any idea about this problem?

Thank you!

Gianluca

[newsreader]

If I remember correctly, and it is a long time since I have seen this
error, you may have some corruption in the FAT and what the write error
messages are actually telling you is that the file is not in the place
on the disk where the O/s is looking. This may be a badly fragmented
disk that has lots of orphaned clusters or it may be corruption in the
FAT. (or even the Directory entries). It may be a failing disk.
I should prepare for the worst. Back up everything you can, however you
can, and then run Scandisk and defrag from a boot floppy with the two
commands added. Then run scandisk again with a surface check.


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Post by Gianluca Costa
Hi everybody.
In the last two days I've experienced a very strange error
(nothing was changed in my pc).
In the starting phase of windows 98 I got several times
the error "Write protect error writing on disk C:". If I
pressed "F" (for Fail) the boot went on. Finally when
windows desktop appeared everything went ok (and this was
very strange).
But now the system hangs after 3 or 4 "write protect
error" messages (and nothing helps, never the safe mode or
booting to command line).
if I try to write on every disks (both fixed and floppy) I
get the usual "write protect error" (and the floppy is not
write protected!!).
I suppose this is an hardware problem, but if it is, I
cannot explain why windows was running correctly before in
presence of the same error.
Have you any idea about this problem?
Thank you!
Gianluca