Tried Everything to Fix I/O Error

C

caderm

Like some other users, I've encountered chronic I/O errors in doing
anything in Entourage X, running on system OS 10.3.9.

I've run the Mac disk utility many times. I've run DiskWarrior, which
optimized the drive and was happy with its mechanical diagnostic test.

Entourage will not perform the typical database rebuild, giving an I/O
error. I've performed the lengthy advanced rebuild a couple of times
now--once it failed right near the end, but in subsequent efforts it
has completed the sequence. But still when I try to run Entourage I'm
getting the I/O error. Now, when I try to do an advanced rebuild, my
drive or cpu is also making periodic little beeps.

Is this just an incurable mechanical failure? Is there any way to
recover elements of my database on a different machine, or has it been
corrupted past salvation? Is there any reason whatever the issue is, it
just affects Entourage and not my other applications?

Thanks for your guidance.

MC
 
B

Barry Wainwright [MVP]

Like some other users, I've encountered chronic I/O errors in doing
anything in Entourage X, running on system OS 10.3.9.

I've run the Mac disk utility many times. I've run DiskWarrior, which
optimized the drive and was happy with its mechanical diagnostic test.

Entourage will not perform the typical database rebuild, giving an I/O
error. I've performed the lengthy advanced rebuild a couple of times
now--once it failed right near the end, but in subsequent efforts it
has completed the sequence. But still when I try to run Entourage I'm
getting the I/O error. Now, when I try to do an advanced rebuild, my
drive or cpu is also making periodic little beeps.

Is this just an incurable mechanical failure? Is there any way to
recover elements of my database on a different machine, or has it been
corrupted past salvation? Is there any reason whatever the issue is, it
just affects Entourage and not my other applications?

Thanks for your guidance.

MC
Click to expand...

I'm sorry to say that it sounds very much like terminal mechanical failure
of the disk or interface card.

Have you got an external disk that you can try copying the database file to?
It may take several attempts if the fault is intermittent, but it may give
you a chance to recover what you have.
 
C

caderm

Thanks for the reply. I do have an external drive with most of my files
successfully copied to it.

Every time I try to copy (any of my recently compacted versions of) the
Entourage database, it nearly completes the operation, but then gives
the error message:

"The Finder cannot complete the operation because some data in
"Database" could not be read or written." (Error code -36).

It feels as if there's a bed sector or a piece of corrupted data
somewhere in that database that I just can't work around. (The drive
functions fine with other software.)

It's probably grasping at straws, but is there any way to break that
database apart and try to at least grab a piece of it? Or any other
diagnostic/repaid remedies you would suggest?

Thanks again.

MC
 
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