Abstract: An apparatus and method for correcting up to two errors in a sequence of data elements read front a data track of a disc drive and detecting the occurrence of more than two errors. A syndrome generator determines a syndrome, having five components, from the data elements and the components are transmitted to a syndrome weight generator that provides an indication of a syndrome having a zero Hamming weight and to a detector that generates an indication of whether a selected component is zero. These indications are transmitted to a decoder. A determinant generator generates determinants that are combinations of selected components and a determinant weight generator determines a code indicating the Hamming weight of selected determinants. Such code is transmitted to the decoder. Discriminator and trace detectors generate additional signals determined from the components and determinants that are transmitted to the decoder.