Hard Drive Dying? PLEASE HELP!  

Berton said:

Just a question, if having problems and suspect the drive is the issue how would that be determined if one did not run a diagnostic or "app" to check a drive, just wait until it was no longer usable? The makers of drives use diagnostics, maybe something different, to determine replacement steps.

Berton, your reply is appreciated!

I just ran a scan using Seagate's "SeaTools for Windows" and I did a "Short generic" test and it says the 2TB HDD passed in green writing. However, I haven't run the "Long generic" test yet as I've been under so much stress.

Since you asked, these are screenshots I posted that give more information:

I did a scan using HD Tune:

HDTune-Screen-Error — ImgBB

Image-HDTune-Health1 — ImgBB

Then using Windows' "Error checking":
Screen-Error-Scan1 — ImgBB

EDIT:
Which other scans can people recommend?

Thanks so much for sticking with me guys as this has been giving me so much extra stress!

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Bree said:

Actually, the image link you gave in post #57 showed the data for the number of reallocated sectors to be "80" . And yes, it is impossible to say how long it may last.

If you check the SMART data again and find that the raw data value has increased, then that would be a strong indication that it is deteriorating fast and should be replaces ASAP. I have one HDD that has had a single reallocated sector for more than a year without a problem, and another HDD that started with a raw value of about 100, and steadily increased as it was used. That one had just days left before it became unusable.

Thanks Bree.

I've been searching through the "HD Tune" app, but I can't find any column that says "S.M.A.R.T"?

My main focus is still on backing up my data as fast as I can.

I'm thinking of using Seagate's "SeaTools for Windows" app and running a "Long Generic Test" as this has been recommended to me multiple times. Could this damage the HDD even more?

Thanks again guys...

NiceAndShy said:

Thanks Bree.
I've been searching through the "HD Tune" app, but I can't find any column that says "S.M.A.R.T"?

Your screenshot Image-HDTune-Health1 — ImgBB shows the S.M.A.R.T. data, this is read directly from the HDD's internal controller. The Data column is the raw data value to look at. Two weeks ago when you took that screen shot the '(05) Reallocated Sector Count' stood at 80, what number does it say now?

If S.M.A.R.T data for your hard drive is showing a number other than 0 next to “ID 05 Reallocated Sector Count”, I’m going to be up front and let you know that this isn’t a good sign. Increases in reallocated sectors are one of the tell tale signs of a drive that’s dying – do not ignore the warnings.

https://harddrivegeek.com/reallocated-sector-count/

NiceAndShy said:

My main focus is still on backing up my data as fast as I can.

That seems to be taking rather a long time? (4 weeks)

Bree said:

Your screenshot Image-HDTune-Health1 — ImgBB shows the S.M.A.R.T. data, this is read directly from the HDD's internal controller. The Data column is the raw data value to look at. Two weeks ago when you took that screen shot the '(05) Reallocated Sector Count' stood at 80, what number does it say now?


https://harddrivegeek.com/reallocated-sector-count/

Thank you so much Bree!

I'll post a new screenshot of HDTune as soon as I can.

mngerhold said:

That seems to be taking rather a long time? (4 weeks)

I know, and trust me I wish I could have finished this much earlier but there's just soooo many serious stressors in my life I'm trying to deal with that make it impossible for me to 100% focus on solving this Seagate HDD problem

Berton said:

I'd certainly keep an eye on the drive, if the number of sectors or clusters being relocated continues to grow it would be time to replace it.

Thank you so much for your advice Berton!

I'm wanting to replace this internal 2TB Seagate HDD as quickly as I can, but I'm still in the process of backing up my files to an external USB HDD.

I'm sorry about my anxiety to everyone who posted in this thread, but I'm also dealing with other life problems that I need to try and work on.

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Bree said:

Your screenshot Image-HDTune-Health1 — ImgBB shows the S.M.A.R.T. data, this is read directly from the HDD's internal controller. The Data column is the raw data value to look at. Two weeks ago when you took that screen shot the '(05) Reallocated Sector Count' stood at 80, what number does it say now?


https://harddrivegeek.com/reallocated-sector-count/

Hi Bree, this problem has been on my mind for large portions of my daily life so thanks again for sticking with me.

Updated screenshot you requested:

6th-Apr2020-HDTune-Update — ImgBB

At the bottom of the screen in HDTune where it says "Health Status": it displays "OK" in green writing.

Would it help if I posted the benchmark screen from HDTune?

EDIT:
I'm thinking about running "CHKDSK" and letting it fix the HDD, but I'm extremely worried that it may damage my HDD and make my data irretrievable?

NiceAndShy said:

Hi Bree, this problem has been on my mind for large portions of my daily life so thanks again for sticking with me.
Updated screenshot you requested: 6th-Apr2020-HDTune-Update — ImgBB

Thanks. The reallocates sector count has not increased, it is still 80. That indicates no further deterioration has taken place and suggests a lower probability of immediate failure. It does NOT rule out a failure completely, but it does suggest that you have a good chance of completing your backups successfully. I would still replace the drive though.

Would it help if I posted the benchmark screen?

No, it was just the SMART data I wanted to see.

Bree said:

Thanks. The reallocates sector count has not increased, it is still 80. That indicates no further deterioration has taken place and suggests a lower probability of immediate failure. It does NOT rule out a failure completely, but it does suggest that you have a good chance of completing your backups successfully. I would still replace the drive though.



No, it was just the SMART data I wanted to see.

Thank you!

During the night: I was thinking of running a CHKDSK scan or a scan with the Seagate SeaTools app. What can you advise me to do? Is it possible running these scans will damage the HDD further or is it possible they'll actually fix the HDD?

NiceAndShy said:

I was thinking of running a CHKDSK scan or a scan with the Seagate SeaTools app. What can you advise me to do? Is it possible running these scans will damage the HDD further or is it possible they'll actually fix the HDD?

No, you cannot fix reallocated sectors. These are sectors that the drive has detected as damaged and has successfully replaced them with spares from a pool of extra sectors set aside for this purpose. For now, the drive has 'fixed' itself by reallocating those sectors.

Any scan of the whole drive risks wearing out further sectors, it is best to avoid unnecessary use until you have completed your backups.