IDEA: A simple program to reset the bad sector list in NTFS MFT.

[t430cdt001]

After someone copies there NTFS partition to a new drive (one without errors) the MFT still has the old bad sector map in its list. I have seen VERY complex ways to edit this directly, but It seems a program could be made to do this.....

I bring this up because of running into this problem myself, I found many others looking for the same thing.....

The only thing I found was a Trialware program that was overkill for someone that just needs this one item......

I hear VISTA has a extra chkdsk option, but us NT and 2000 pro users who are replacing old drives with new ones might like a easy way to resolve this.    (please think about it, it would have kept me from pulling whats left of my hair out and might help others    )....

[Ralf Maximus]

You'll need a free program called NTFSPROGS:
http://gnuwin32.sour...ckages/ntfsprogs.htm

And then follow the instructions here:
http://www.linux-ntf...s_list_after_cloning

Should do exactly what you need.

[f0dder]

Humm, shouldn't any decent imaging program refrain from copying the bad-sector list?

[Ralf Maximus]

Most of the time you WANT the bad sector list as-is, since backups are usually restored to the same volume that generated them.  You are right -- it would be nice if, during the "restore" process, it asked about including the table or rebuilding it from scratch.

I use  Acronis 9.1 and one option I've never examined is "Clone Disk" which is intended to copy the contents of one drive to another verbatim.  I wonder if Acronis treats that differently than a backup/restore operation, and skips the bad sector list?