Bad Sectors and Delays in Seagate Hard drive !

kochierster · Nov 24, 2015

Can some one suggest how can i repair or fix bad sectors and delay problem in my hard drive.
Can chkdsk be used to repair it or is there any other software to fix it.
It's Seagate Barracuda 2TB drive and SMART is OK.

Phillip Corcoran · Nov 24, 2015

Bad sectors is a sure sign that the drive is deteriorating, the number of bad sectors will only increase over time so the only sensible thing to do is replace it.

Truth is, they are not repairable in real terms, software which clams to fix them just removes the 'bad sector' flag so totally pointless. A classic example of "smoke & mirrors".

Grimwinder · Nov 24, 2015

It's a hardware issue, software won't fix it, as P.C. says.

kochierster · Nov 24, 2015

Phillip Corcoran :

Thanks Phillip for the reply. I have a few queries after reading your statement. Why chkdsk is said to repair soft/logical bad sectors or is it that it just removes the "bad sector" flag.If the issue is related to logical error codes then why can't be it repaired until media is physically damaged. And also I don't understand as how the bad sectors will increase over time.

Moreover, there is a utility called HDD Regenerator which claims strongly to repair/regenerate bad sectors. How does that works in case it's true.

Mt HDD is Out of warranty and I want to repair it for the time being, is it not at all possible ?

Please suggest . Thanks !

Grimwinder · Nov 24, 2015

Those aren't really repairing the bad sectors, they are just "quarantining" them so they don't get written to again.

kochierster · Nov 24, 2015

Grimwinder :

Are "logical bad sectors" also comes under hardware issue ?

kochierster · Nov 24, 2015

Grimwinder :

If quarantining them resolves the problem then why new bad sectors will appear and why not it be fixed. For example a few thousand bad sectors out of billions are marked to not to be used for data writing then can't it be called repaired.

Grimwinder · Nov 24, 2015

Logical bad sectors can be repaired in some cases. Here's an article that explains in depth-
http://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/what-are-physical-logical-hard-drive-bad-sectors-how-to-repair-them/

Grimwinder · Nov 24, 2015

kochierster :

If bad sectors are occurring it's often a symptom of a failing hard drive, and more and more sectors will go bad as the process unfolds. Sometimes they are just a flaw in the manufacturing process and the drive will function without other issues, for a while anyway. If you want to keep using the drive you need to backup anything important and hope for the best. In the meantime you can download diagnostic tools from Seagate and test the drive to learn more.

unksol · Nov 24, 2015

Chkdsk does not repair it. It marks the sector bad so it will not be used and tries to move the data to another sector. This is fine if you have one or two. If it keeps happening the drive is done for and needs to be replaced.

You don't repair or "regenerate" a failing hard drive. You replace it. Once sectors start falling the drive is at the end of its life. Either because it's worn out or it's damaged. If worn out more sector are doing to wear out. If damaged there are now particles from the crashed head or whatever caused it floating around inside which will quickly destroy it. The result is the same back up your data and plan to replace it.

kochierster · Nov 24, 2015

Grimwinder :

Thanks for the link, I read it partially and it says that logical bad sectors are totally repairable.It has a few utilities to identify and repair and also it says low level format can fix it in some cases. I will try to read more and try if any utility can fix them.

Kurz · Nov 24, 2015

kochierster :

You need to understand that there are disks spinning 7200RPM and the distance between the heads and the platters are measured in nanometers. With these tolerances its conceivable that for parts of the drive over time heat and use warps the platters, so it may read fine outside edge, but wont on the inside edge. Plus if you have 4 platters there are 8 heads to worry about. So it might fail majority of one of the sides if a head were to go bad, however it attempts to keep the drive going so the rest of the drive hums along.

In my profession its better to just replace the drive when it has logical or physical errors. Most of the time these drives are already 3-4 years old, the average lifespan of a drive is about 4-5 of reliable performance.

Grimwinder · Nov 24, 2015

Well, when you get to the article's conclusion you'll see he says that once you get bad sectors, of either type, it's just a matter of time before the drive dies. So, be warned.

Kurz · Nov 24, 2015

kochierster :

Run HDDscan, it'll read from all the sectors and tell you how long it takes to read from them. If you have alot of sectors above 50MS you should replace the drive.

gergguy · Nov 24, 2015

Kochierster. Trying to "fix" your HDD is fine and dandy but please heed the advice to backup your important data.

kochierster · Nov 24, 2015

Kurz :

kochierster :

You need to understand that there are disks spinning 7200RPM and the distance between the heads and the platters are measured in nanometers. With these tolerances its conceivable that for parts of the drive over time heat and use warps the platters, so it may read fine outside edge, but wont on the inside edge. Plus if you have 4 platters there are 8 heads to worry about. So it might fail majority of one of the sides if a head were to go bad, however it attempts to keep the drive going so the rest of the drive hums along.

In my profession its better to just replace the drive when it has logical or physical errors. Most of the time these drives are already 3-4 years old, the average lifespan of a drive is about 4-5 of reliable performance.

Thanks Kurz for the reply, I can understand much better the problem as you explained above.My drive is just a month over 2 years and it got bad sectors due to random restarts of my computer which I fixed a little late.

Kurz · Nov 24, 2015

"The logical bad sectors can be recovered using above mentioned tools, but this doesn’t mean that you can continue using your hard disk for a long time. When bad sectors (physical or logical) start developing on your hard drive, it is, infact, an indicative of buying a new hard drive to stave off any imminent damage to your storage medium. However, you should take preventive measure to protect your hard drive from bad sectors. It’s recommended to always shut down your system properly, schedule an automatic disk defragmentation to prevent hard disk wear and tear, keep your anti-virus/anti-malware application updated with latest virus definitions, and always use your hard disk manufacturer’s provided disk diagnostic utilities to fix hard disk-related issues."

From the article for future generations that think you can repair a harddrive.

kochierster · Nov 24, 2015

gergguy :

I backed up data already which was really slow to complete.

Kurz · Nov 24, 2015

kochierster :

Kurz :

Thanks Kurz for the reply, I can understand much better the problem as you explained above.My drive is just a month over 2 years and it got bad sectors due to random restarts of my computer which I fixed a little late.

Run HHDscan its a free utility, http://hddscan.com/

It'll check your drive, and see how many sectors that are not performing well.
Honestly if it comes back as many of the sectors being bad/slow replace the drive.

kochierster · Nov 24, 2015

Kurz :

kochierster :

Run HDDscan, it'll read from all the sectors and tell you how long it takes to read from them. If you have alot of sectors above 50MS you should replace the drive.

I will run HDDScan as you advised and get back after the results. Thanks !

Kurz · Nov 24, 2015

kochierster :

Slow transfer speeds usually mean the drive is going bad.

kochierster · Nov 25, 2015

kochierster :

HDDScan is extremely slow , I guess the delays are causing it. However , I run chkdsk and found 380 bad sectors which it claimed to repair/reallocate. Now I am running HDD Regenerator as the last option to regenerate all sectors in 0 - end and it has no bad sectors yet but around 150 delays at 10 % completion.

I guess chances are quite low and it will eventually fail

Bad Sectors and Delays in Seagate Hard drive !

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