Byte-for-Byte Validation Failure again

[Gordon2M]

Back in May 2025, I started a thread on this subject and I think that the problem was solved at the time. However, I am now experiencing the same problem again.

I am using IFW 4.08.

As a recap, the machine in question is a Dell 5510 laptop, which has two NVME M2 slots. Both are populated with 512MB M2 NVME SSDs. The C: drive is a Crucial and the D: drive is a Kioxia (the original SSD that came with the laptop).

I get byte-for-byte validation failures, when imaging the C: drive, both when I use the internal SSD as the target drive or when I use an external USB hard-drive.

If I examine the IFW log, there are hundreds of LBA validation failures, whether the target is the second SSD or the external USB drive.

I am speculating that there is writing going on to the C: drive, while the imaging/validation is in progress, which is causing the errors.

I am wonering whether it would be worthwhile turning off TRIM, while I am doing the imaging.

Any help much appreciated.

Gordon

[TeraByte Support]

Only if you didn't use a normal Lock, PHYLock or VSS would data be changing from the point of view of the backup.

You may actually have an issue. See https://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/kb ... e-message/

[Gordon2M]

Thanks TBU. I ran Memtest86 and, to start with, it looped many times but didn't seem to be checking all 16GB of RAM. It looked as if only one of the two memory modules was being checked, but I am not sure about this.

I stopped and restarted the test and it ran for a very short time and then stopped with the message "20.203: Memory locking failed (might be reserved by other apps/kernel). Looking at the article that you referred me to might suggest that I have some bad RAM, though the locking message doesn't indicate this.

I did another STOP/START of Memtest86 and it stuck while checking for available memory (about 12GB out of an installed memory of 16GB. I had to do a hard restart of the machine to get any response from it at all. Even the mouse cursor was stuck).

Having rebooted, I ran Memtest86 again and it stopped aftr about 20secs, though the machine wasn't frozen. This is what Memtest86 showed:

Module 0:
DDR4, 8192 MB, 64-bit, 3200 MHz
DIMM 1 BANK 0 80CE000080CE M471A1G44AB0-CWE
Module 1:
DDR4, 8192 MB, 64-bit, 3200 MHz
DIMM 2 BANK 0 80CE000080CE M471A1G44AB0-CWE

0.000: Detecting usable memory (16122 MB theoretical max)...
20.484: 13760 MB Test starting on 8 CPUs...
20.500: Allocating memory...
29.296: Memory locking failed (might be reserved by other apps/kernel)
30.546: Test finished with no errors detected

Thank you
Gordon

[TeraByte Support]

You'd start with ensuring a Lock, PHYLock, or VSS is in use.

Then you can start with memtest86 and if you're lucky it will find an issue.

Then you can try offline backup via boot media.

If still issue, then you move on to resetting BIOS to default values and re-detect memory configuration (and ensure system is not over clocked). Then try new memory modules, then cables, and finally mobo/cpu (can be issue in L2 cache).

If not, then it's something with the Windows config that needs to be diagnosed.

[Gordon2M]

I assumed that by "try offline backup via boot media", I should create a UEFI Boot Disk. Is this correct? I have done this and the boot disk takes me to a @C:/ prompt. However, almost none of the commands appear to work. For example, DIR or LIST reports that there are no files on the C: drive, which is obviously wrong.

The drives are using Bitlocker. Could this be an issue?

I think I must be doing something wrong.

Any help much appreciated.

Gordon

[TeraByte Support]

You can create Image for Windows or Image for Linux boot media. Sounds like you created a TBOSDT boot disk.

[Gordon2M]

Are you referring to IFW - Create Recovery Boot Disk? I can't see any other "boot disk" for IFW in the Suite package.

Gordon

[Bob Coleman]

I THINK that's what is being referred to.

There is also "IFL - Create Recovery Boot Disk". You could have chosen to do that during the installation of the suite.

Greenshot-2025-12-03 16-41-15.jpg (209.69 KiB) Viewed 22121 times

[Gordon2M]

Thanks Bob. Unless I hear anything to the contrary, I will create the IFW boot disk. The machine, on which I am trying to make an image, is running Windows !!, hence my interest in an IFW boot disk. I have LInux machines but imaging them is for another day.

Raising a related but different issue, I am wondering whether I should try to image the Windows 11 machine while it is running in safe mode. I am not clear whether IFW can do this but, perhaps, it would be worth investigating to avoid the validation failures. I rather think not, but perhaps it would be worth a try.

Gordon

[OldNavyGuy]

Use TBWinRE.cmd option 2 to create the bootable UFD.

https://www.terabyteunlimited.com/howto ... _tutorial/