Dying Hard Drive?

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Rukeith

Rukeith

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Oct 14, 2014
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So over the past few days my computer has had some freezes and hiccups.


  • Whilst gaming, my screen can freeze occasionally for 2-5 seconds
    Selecting/highlighting files on my computer can freeze the window
    while playing a song, skipping to certain parts can take 2-3 seconds to register
    audible clicking from hard drive (though i think this is normal?)
    etc...

I downloaded CrystalDiskInfo yesterday and got the "Caution" error message, with these errors:

9V9CBwo.png


Could my Hard Drive be the culprit? I've had this HDD for 4-5 years now with a 33k hour power on time.
 
Solution
SuperSoph_WD
Hey there, @Rukeith!

Unfortunately, it seems like you have a lot of bad sectors on the drive (Reallocated Sector Count)! :(
I'd definitely backup all the data from the HDD somewhere else ASAP! Make sure that your files are safe, so that you avoid any potential data loss. Then, it's probably best to replace that hard drive.
Of course, it doesn't mean that it's going to fail tomorrow, but it will keep influencing your system and you definitely shouldn't trust any data with it. The corrupted bad sectors mean that there is already corrupted files.


Hope this was helpful. Best of luck!
SuperSoph_WD
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Rukeith

Rukeith

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Don't worry, I've backed up anything of importance.
 
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SuperSoph_WD

SuperSoph_WD

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Jul 30, 2014
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Hey there, @Rukeith!

Unfortunately, it seems like you have a lot of bad sectors on the drive (Reallocated Sector Count)! :(
I'd definitely backup all the data from the HDD somewhere else ASAP! Make sure that your files are safe, so that you avoid any potential data loss. Then, it's probably best to replace that hard drive.
Of course, it doesn't mean that it's going to fail tomorrow, but it will keep influencing your system and you definitely shouldn't trust any data with it. The corrupted bad sectors mean that there is already corrupted files.


Hope this was helpful. Best of luck!
SuperSoph_WD
 
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Solution
Phillip Corcoran

Phillip Corcoran

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Sep 7, 2013
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Test it with drive manufacturer's diagnostic software instead of trying to decipher the SMART data. Diagnostic software will give you 'Pass' or 'Fail'.

SeaTools for DOS will test any make of HDD (you need to test with DOS version if it's the Windows boot drive):
http://www.seagate.com/gb/en/support/downloads/item/seatools-dos-master/

Back up your data before testing if it isn't already backed up.
 
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Rukeith

Rukeith

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Oct 14, 2014
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So a quick recap and update.

Yesterday my Reallocated Sectors Count was 544 which jumped right up to 1081 after a shut down/reboot.
Now it has gone from 1081 > 1109 in a single day after doing HDD tests. I also downloaded and ran Hard Disk Sentinel which has my Health status reading Critical 10% (Estimated remaining lifetime: 10 days)...

So is it safe to assume that my Hard drive is dying? Since it's way out of warranty, I plan on replacing it with a WD drive. Is it worth the price gap to purchase a WD Black 1tb, or should Blue be fine?
 
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SuperSoph_WD

SuperSoph_WD

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Jul 30, 2014
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Hey there again, @Rukeith!

It really depends on how you plan to use this new WD drive of yours. They might seem similar but they are designed for different purposes in your storage configuration.

The WD Blue family is our mainstream PC storage line. They deliver solid performance and reliability in every-day computing. These drives come with either 7,200 RPM (specific models up to 1 TB in size), or 5,400 RPM for massive secondary storage (capacities available up to 6 TB). These HDDs have a 2-year limited warranty and you can read more about the WD Blue specifications here.

The WD Black HDDs are designed for desktop customized PCs and power users who demand performance. They come in various capacity up to 6 TB for expanding your gaming/editing library and incorporate 7,200 RPM. Another feature that makes them different from other 7,200 RPM desktop drives is the dual-core processor that offers twice the processing capability and allows faster loading of games or large multimedia files. WD Black hard drives pass more strenuous and aggressive internal testing over a longer period of time. Some of the bigger models also have an increased cache size. Every WD Black is backed by a 5-year limited warranty, which also gives some peace of mind. Here you can check more details about them as well.

Regardless of brand and models, always remember that "backup" means that you have your data stored in at least two (2) locations. Moving data from your system drive to an external hard drive or another internal one is not a backup, unless there is already a duplicate of the file on a different drive. This is the surest way to avoid any potential data loss in the future.

Hope this was helpful. Best of luck! :)
SuperSoph_WD
 
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