Cyclic redundancy check (CRC) in short is a data verification method that your operating system uses for checking the information on your storage devices, such as the hard drive and CD/DVD ROM Drives. This cyclic coding process is utilised because of the many it advantages it has, such as:
- Cyclic codes are very adept at detecting single and double bit errors and also odd number ones also.
- CRC codes can very easily be implemented in both hardware and software.
- When utilized in hardware, they tend to work very fast.
A cyclic redundancy check error can occur for a number of different reasons. These kinds of errors tend to be rather severe and can lead to further damage to your hard drive typically, if not quickly addressed. Hard drive failure being one of the several risks that your storage device could inherit. Fortunately, there are several things that you can do to address this problem, all of which I intend to highlight in this article, so please continue reading.
What Causes Cyclic Redundancy Check Errors
As I previously mentioned, these errors can be caused by a number of different things, such as registry corruption, cluttered data within the hard drive, failed installations, misconfigured components and files, and much more. Cyclic redundancy check error is a serious issue and something you’d want to address as soon as possible, as what initially may have been a simple fix could very easily turn into a major problem.
In addition to those reasons, other reasons why this error may occur include:
- The data cable between the hard drive and motherboard is either damaged or faulty.
- The read/write head on the hard drive is physically damaged.
- Cables inside the computer have come loose.
There are those rare circumstances when a cyclic redundancy check data error is actually caused by a driver issue. However, in most cases, the CRC error will usually occur right after the end user has installed a RAID controller, not months or weeks later.
Another thing to keep in mind is that even brand new storage devices are sometimes shipped out defective. There are many reports of end users purchasing damaged components. Even I have had such experiences in the past.
How to Fix This Error
There are so many reasons why this error may be occurring on your computer. The error could just as easily be hardware related. In the event that your hard drive (or other storage devices) is physically damaged, the only way to repair it would be to physically replace the drive. There are many backup tools that you can use to transfer the data to the new drive.
But let’s assume that the error is software related, as it typically is, 80% of the time. There are two things that you should immediately adopt when fixing this problem. They are the following:
Use Check Disk
Check disk is a built in Windows repair tool, designed to scan and repair errors on your hard drive. Check disk is capable of locating and repairing those small data corruption issues on the drive that may be causing the cyclic redundancy error. You can run this tool by doing the following:
1. First, boot into your computer with full administrative rights.
2. Then press Windows Key + R, type … into the Run Command box and click OK (or simply press Windows Key + E).
3. When My Computer loads up, right click on the Drive(s) that you are receiving the Cyclic Redundancy Check error on, and select Properties.
Note: If you receive the cyclic redundancy check error when attempting to load data from a CD or DVD disc, then the cause is most likely due to a scratch or dust on the disc itself. Consider cleaning the disk using a soft cloth. If that doesn’t work, you may want to consider investing in a CD repair kit.
4. Once your Hard Drive Properties applet loads up, click on the Tools Tab, and then click on Check Now, under Error-checking.
5. A small Check Hard Drive applet will appear; from here you’ll want to tick the box to Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors and then click on Start.
Note: Since cyclic redundancy check errors are typically caused by damaged or corrupted sectors on your hard drive, you need only tick the box next to that option. That said you can select automatically fix file system errors, as this could potentially improve the performance of your hard drive.
6. A notification should appear asking you whether you could like to schedule the scan for the next time you reboot the computer. Select yes, and then restart your system.
Note: The entire scan process may take several hours, depending on the size and amount of data on your hard drive. So make sure to run this scan in your spare time, as you will not have access to your computer for a considerable length of time.
If you start to encounter these cyclic redundancy check errors more and more over time, then that is a good sign that your hard drive is nearing the end of its life cycle. You’ll want to replace the hard drive before it actually fails, as you will lose all the data on the drive when that actually happens.
Use Third Party Software
There are a number of third-party disk utility tools that you can use. When Check Disk is unable to repair the error on your hard drive, a third-party solution may be your only solution.
Some popular options include SeaTools and HDDScan, both of which are proficient, able to scan, detect and repair a plethora of issues on your hard drive. So definitely check those tools out.
Many of these disk utility tools are available for virtually every version of Windows, so compatibility shouldn’t be an issue for you.
If you try any System Cleaners, make sure the product was developed by a reputable company. Many of these tools tend to have disk utility features, which are capable of repairing and optimizing your hard drive, so definitely a good option there.
Uchenna Ani-Okoye is a former IT Manager who now runs his own computer support website compuchenna.co.uk