Linux – Ext2-fs error which crops up monthly or sometimes weekly

I have an extremely strange error message which causes a complete system crash and remount of the filesystem as read-only. It all started ages ago when I installed a dodgy $2 ebay PCI modem and there were kernel panics showing up monthly and the output was huge. A new hard disk and a dist-upgrade later I have gotten the error to be very sporadic and a lot smaller in terms of what is actually printed. (it's still rubbish to me – even after thorough googling )

This system when booted into Debian has been 'cursed' I was thinking about trashing the computer and getting a new one… but because it is only a Linux problem it must be software!!

Basically here it is (I post now because I crashed today but also yesterday):

EXT2-fs error (device hda1): ext2_check_page: bad entry in directory #5898285: rec_len is smaller than minimal - offset=0, inode=5898285, rec_len=8, name_len=1
Remounting filesystem read-only

What is going on? I then have to pull the power out, reboot, fsck -y, reboot and then that usually settles it for a while.

If this could be figured out I would be so happy.

Thanks in advance for any light you guys can shed on this matter.

–EDIT:

Now running updatedb causes this error every time (well twice) and that means it's reproducible and trackable! (now just to fix it…)

Is it time for a new computer?

–EDIT:

resize2fs /dev/hda1 says it's already the correct amount of blocks long and badblocks doesn't return anything (is it not meant to?)

–EDIT:

Is it possible something is corrupting all my new disks? A hardware problem – someone said it might be the disk controller, or a bios option – is there anyway to check this?

Thanks.