1. Home
  2. Knowledge Base
  3. SoftRAID
  4. Steps for Certify Disk Errors

Steps for Certify Disk Errors

Certify Failed: Understanding and Resolving Certification Errors

When you certify disks, they should ALWAYS pass a certify. If you get any certify error, you know for certain there is a hardware error. Understanding the exact cause can be somewhat complex. Here are steps to perform when you get a certify error:

Your disk has encountered a certification failure, indicating a potential hardware issue. Follow these steps to diagnose and address the problem:

Possible Causes:

  • Communication problem (cable/power, hibernate)
  • Faulty disk
  • Faulty enclosure (less common)

    • Launch SoftRAID, and in the utilities menu, select the SoftRAID Log.

    Scroll down to the bottom (you can also use the filter in the upper right type certify to only show lines that contain certify)

    1) Communication Error:

    Diagnosing:

  • Check the SoftRAID Log for the exact time of failure.
  • Look for multiple disks with errors; if the timestamps are similar/identical, it suggests a communication issue.

    • Action:

  • Set your Mac to never sleep during certification.
  • Ensure cables are securely connected and stable.
  • Avoid connecting other devices during certification.
  • Use a Voltage Regulator (e.g., APC R-1200) for stable power.
  • Use SoftRAID to again “Certify disk” (select all) without changing settings.
  • SoftRAID will prompt you to resume the certification.

    • 2) Faulty Disk:

    Diagnosing:

  • Launch SoftRAID and check disks for:
  • SMART failure (shown in red)
  • Predicted failure (shown in red)
  • I/O errors in the SoftRAID log

    • Action:

  • Replace a disk with a SMART failure immediately.
  • Replace a new drive predicted to fail (DOA). (dead on arrrival).

    • Note: If the disk has “unreliable sectors”, you may want to restart the certify, as it may have been caused by a communications problem, however if any sectors subsequently are marked “reallocated”, then replace the drive.

  • For I/O errors:

    • Type A, the disk error points to a specific sector, or type B, the disk error points to “sector 0”, which can be a communications error.
    Type A: Replace the disk.

    Type B: Investigate possible bus communication issues, whether this was a communications error (loose cable, disk ejected, etc, (Section 1) rather than an actual disk failure. Resume certification, after checking connections.

    Examples:

    Type A: “Dec 12 14:54:35 – SoftRAID Driver: A disk for the volume “ThunderBlade” (disk10) encountered a read error (E00002CD). The disk (disk6, SoftRAID ID: 09B2D04656CF4B00) was unable to read sectors. The error occurred at volume offset 4706153693184 (i/o block size 3145728). This disk should be replaced.”

    Type B: ” Jun 04 03:17:52 – SoftRAID Driver: A disk for the volume “ThunderBlade” (disk10) encountered a read error (E00002CD). The disk (disk6, SoftRAID ID: 09B2D04656CF4B00) was unable to read sectors. The error occurred at volume offset 0 (i/o block size 3145728). This disk should be replaced.”

    3) Faulty Enclosure:

    Diagnosing:

  • Suspect a faulty enclosure if:
  • Certifications fail randomly on different disks.
  • Two disks fail consecutively (e.g., slots AB or CD).
  • Errors occur when disks are ejected during certification.

    • Action:

  • Replace Thunderbolt cable to rule out cable issues.
  • If disks fail next to each other, consider a faulty enclosure.
  • When disks eject or errors occur, try different Thunderbolt ports.
  • Temporarily disconnect other devices and monitors for a stable Thunderbolt connection.
  • Contact OWC if you suspect an enclosure failure.
    • Was this article helpful?
    Yes No

    Related Articles

    Need Support?

    Can't find the answer you're looking for?
    Contact Support
    Do Not Share My Personal Information