chdsk runs out of space trying to recover $Extend\$ObjId

Something has corrupted my NTFS file system. On each restart chkdsk runs (for 2+ hours) with entries such as "Inserting an index entry into index $O of file 25. I can see from the event viewer that the first messages are: The index bitmap for index $O in file 0x19 is invalid or missing.
Correcting error in index $0 for file 25.
The index bitmap is present but there is no corresponding index allocation attribute in file 0x19.
Correcting error in index $0 for file 25.
The down pointer of current index entry with length 0x18 is invalid.
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 18 00 00 00 03 00 00 00
ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff 01 02 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 b5 ff 27 f5 87 e3 c3 01 ff ff ff ff
Sorting index in file 0x19.
Then a sequence of messages like:
The object id in file 0x3 does not appear in the object id index $O in file 0x19.
Inserting an index entry into index $O of file 25.

Eventually chkdsk displays a message to the effect that is has insufficient space to continue. IT halts and the machine reboots and the cycle continues. If I avoid the chkdsk I can boot into windows xp pro, but as windows starts I get 50 or so dialogue boxes telling me that $Extend\$ObjId is corrupt. Windows is "useable" but I canot delete files to recover space on my C:\ drive. I have tried various tools to overcome the problem but so far I still have the problem. I am about to rebuild windows on a newly formatted C:\ drive but this will involve days of recovery of applications and installation of Service packs etc. If possible I would like to avoid. Any suggestions to get me out of jail?

Thanks

"IanJGillies" <IanJGillies.3g19ve@DoNotSpam.com> wrote in message
news:IanJGillies.3g19ve@DoNotSpam.com...
>
> Something has corrupted my NTFS file system. On each restart chkdsk runs
> (for 2+ hours) with entries such as "Inserting an index entry into index
> $O of file 25. I can see from the event viewer that the first messages
> are: The index bitmap for index $O in file 0x19 is invalid or missing.
> Correcting error in index $0 for file 25.
> The index bitmap is present but there is no corresponding index
> allocation attribute in file 0x19.
> Correcting error in index $0 for file 25.
> The down pointer of current index entry with length 0x18 is invalid.
> 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 18 00 00 00 03 00 00 00
> ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff 01 02 00 00 00 00 00 00
> 00 00 00 00 b5 ff 27 f5 87 e3 c3 01 ff ff ff ff
> Sorting index in file 0x19.
> Then a sequence of messages like:
> The object id in file 0x3 does not appear in the object id index $O in
> file 0x19.
> Inserting an index entry into index $O of file 25.
>
> Eventually chkdsk displays a message to the effect that is has
> insufficient space to continue. IT halts and the machine reboots and the
> cycle continues. If I avoid the chkdsk I can boot into windows xp pro,
> but as windows starts I get 50 or so dialogue boxes telling me that
> $Extend\$ObjId is corrupt. Windows is "useable" but I canot delete files
> to recover space on my C:\ drive. I have tried various tools to overcome
> the problem but so far I still have the problem. I am about to rebuild
> windows on a newly formatted C:\ drive but this will involve days of
> recovery of applications and installation of Service packs etc. If
> possible I would like to avoid. Any suggestions to get me out of jail?
>
> Thanks
>
>


The drive may have failed.
I'd run the mfg's diagnostic and if it fails...
then yes,
By all means load Windows on a new drive
and when you are up and running, slave the old drive to your system
and retrieve all the data you can.

Note: you may need to take ownership of some folders.

Also: if the drive checks out ok...
I'd run a RAM test before you install Windows on a new drive...
bad RAM might have caused the data corruption

> Something has corrupted my NTFS file system. On each restart chkdsk
> runs (for 2+ hours) with entries such as "Inserting an index entry
> into index $O of file 25. I can see from the event viewer that the
> first messages are: The index bitmap for index $O in file 0x19 is
> invalid or missing. Correcting error in index $0 for file 25.
> The index bitmap is present but there is no corresponding index
> allocation attribute in file 0x19.
> Correcting error in index $0 for file 25.
> The down pointer of current index entry with length 0x18 is invalid.
> 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 18 00 00 00 03 00 00 00
> ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff 01 02 00 00 00 00 00 00
> 00 00 00 00 b5 ff 27 f5 87 e3 c3 01 ff ff ff ff
> Sorting index in file 0x19.
> Then a sequence of messages like:
> The object id in file 0x3 does not appear in the object id index $O in
> file 0x19.
> Inserting an index entry into index $O of file 25.
>
> Eventually chkdsk displays a message to the effect that is has
> insufficient space to continue. IT halts and the machine reboots and
> the cycle continues. If I avoid the chkdsk I can boot into windows xp
> pro, but as windows starts I get 50 or so dialogue boxes telling me
> that $Extend\$ObjId is corrupt. Windows is "useable" but I canot
> delete files to recover space on my C:\ drive. I have tried various
> tools to overcome the problem but so far I still have the problem. I
> am about to rebuild windows on a newly formatted C:\ drive but this
> will involve days of recovery of applications and installation of
> Service packs etc. If possible I would like to avoid. Any suggestions
> to get me out of jail?
>
> Thanks

From the sound of it, a clean install of windows is still probably your
best (and fastest) route to recovery.
What size is the drive?
How much free space is there on it? There really needs to be about
20% minimum; some will tellyou 15% but that's the bare squeaky edge and
often not enough.

You give pathetically little info to go on, such as whether this
happened slowly or overnight, your OS version, etc. etc. etc.. Check
this out before you post again:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q555375

It sounds to me like either the drive has gone belly up or, there are
some situations in which chkdsk can get confused and makes all the wrong
fixes, totally wrecking everything; seldom happens, but it's possibly
what happened to you.

Go to your drive manufacturer's web site and download their disk testing
utility to run on that drive. Assuming you can still boot up; you never
said. It might tell you the disk is trashed beyond repair.

If the disk is good, and there is enough free space on it, then go ahead
and do a clean install. Start right from the beginning; pop the CD in,
boot from it, delete the partition and then recreate the partition. Be
sure to make it bootable. If you have another partition, set it up too.
Install your antivirus and be certain you have a firewall working
before you connect to the internet.
XP updates can be automated so there's no problem there.
Start reinstalling your aps and finish the rebuild.

For the future, give serious consideration to learning how to back up
and then back up. Even if all you had was on ebackup from a year ago,
that would get you started a lot quicker than doing it all from the
git-go like this.
XP's ntbackup is fully functional and works well for backing up your
entire system.
If you want something better than that, give Norton's Ghost
(symantec.com) or Acronis True Image a look and install one of them.
Set a schedule, do the backups and know that next time all you'll need
is a few keyclicks to put your hard drive back together, not the rebuild
you're about to start. Both offer free trial versions to check them
out.

If your hard drive is more than 80% filled, it's time to start looking
for a larger hard drive. Hard drives are cheap right now and the
imaging software (Norton & Acronis) value is up to you, and how much you
want to or do not want to go thru a complete rebuild again inthe future.
Something similar WILL happen in the future where you'll have to reload
the drive again; it's up to you which method you prefer: a couple days
of installs & resetting cusomizations or a few keyclicks and an hour or
so to put your drive back to what it was yesterday. Personally I prefer
Ghost but the majority seem to prefer Acronis, probably because it's a
little cheaper.

HTH

Twayne