• Possibility my HDD is about to fail?
    26 replies, posted
So, I've had my computer for a number of years and have been changing parts on it for a while now. I think the only original parts are the HDD and case. My desktop has become pretty slow now, often taking around 5 minutes to turn on. I also regularly hibernate the computer and wake it up, if that makes ant difference. [thumb] http://i.imgur.com/V5WS3QU.png [/thumb] What makes me think the HDD is the problem is that it's usage often goes to 100%. Here are my specs: [thumb] http://i.imgur.com/PrRGN6V.png [/thumb] When I hit the storage tab, it shows this: [thumb] http://i.imgur.com/u4aOYjT.png [/thumb]# If you guys have any ideas then please let me know! [editline]5th November 2016[/editline] Here's another screenshot from the other week actually: [thumb] http://i.imgur.com/uBIZF3j.png [/thumb]
SMART looks fine, so it's probably just some program in the background [editline]5th November 2016[/editline] if you wanna double check just get CrystalDiskInfo
[QUOTE=TheDrunkenOne;51313615]SMART looks fine, so it's probably just some program in the background [editline]5th November 2016[/editline] if you wanna double check just get CrystalDiskInfo[/QUOTE] I only have Steam (Not downloading/updating anything), ShareX & Chrome open. I also didn't have these problems until about a month ago [editline]5th November 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=TheDrunkenOne;51313615]SMART looks fine, so it's probably just some program in the background [editline]5th November 2016[/editline] if you wanna double check just get CrystalDiskInfo[/QUOTE] My mistake, that Speccy screenshot if of my SSD, not my HDD. Here is my HDD in the program you suggested: [thumb] http://i.imgur.com/okbAEAD.png [/thumb]
Is windows on your SSD or HDD? Put windows on your SSD if you havent.
[QUOTE=smithy285;51313625]I only have Steam (Not downloading/updating anything), ShareX & Chrome open. I also didn't have these problems until about a month ago [editline]5th November 2016[/editline] My mistake, that Speccy screenshot if of my SSD, not my HDD. Here is my HDD in the program you suggested: [thumb] http://i.imgur.com/okbAEAD.png [/thumb][/QUOTE] Yep, it's failing. Seagate drives are pretty bad and I'm talking from experience. Get a new drive ASAP.
[QUOTE=Jelman;51313787]Is windows on your SSD or HDD? Put windows on your SSD if you havent.[/QUOTE] Unfortunately Windows is on my HDD, I'm not sure how to move Windows to another drive. I'm also not sure where my license key is either? [QUOTE=TheDrunkenOne;51313816]Yep, it's failing. Seagate drives are pretty bad and I'm talking from experience. Get a new drive ASAP.[/QUOTE] Do you have any suggestions for me? I'm currently at university so money is a little tight. Should I go for another SSD or a HDD, if so which ones? Cheers for the help so far guys
If it takes a while to boot, listen to the hard drive when you start up the computer. If it's clicking, you need start either cloning the drive or copying important files immediately, because the drive could fail at literally any time. If it's getting slow just in general, it's hard to say if it's not a bogged down windows installation or just something software related. You can clone an entire drive to just copy everything to a new one, which should keep your Windows license as well. Generally for cloning drives I use something like Hiren's Boot CD 15.1, which has plenty of cloning tools on it (Hiren's is kinda in the grey area as far as legality of some of the things is concerned but it's basically the swiss army knife of diagnosing and fixing issues). Usually I just run stuff from the included Mini XP which runs off the CD. If you're short on cash, get a HDD, 500GB/1TB are basically the cheapest available at this point. It'll be awhile until low capacity SSDs are cheaper. Something like Western Digital is alright, but as far as brands go, you'll have plenty of people arguing based on anecdotal evidence.
Hijacking the tread, i dont know if its my hard drive but my PC has been randomly locking up , only ONCE it blue-screened and showed up some WHEA_uncorrectable error, i checked my CPU, GPU temps and they are perfectly fine so i guess that only leaves the ram or Hard drive [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/CqzQvqw.png[/IMG] it " seems " that if i leave my computer on doing nothing (i.e letting it on downloading stuff over the night ) then its very likely ill wake up and it will be locked forcing me to hard-shutting it off Also every single time i need to perform any Hard-drive related task i.e copying a small file or windows update installing something the hard drive usage ranks up to 100%
[QUOTE=smithy285;51314151]Unfortunately Windows is on my HDD, I'm not sure how to move Windows to another drive. I'm also not sure where my license key is either? Do you have any suggestions for me? I'm currently at university so money is a little tight. Should I go for another SSD or a HDD, if so which ones? Cheers for the help so far guys[/QUOTE] I have a 2TB WD Blue drive, it's really good. If you don't need 2TB, go for the 1TB version, you can find it for like $40 [editline]5th November 2016[/editline] As for the key: [url]http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/windows/how-view-your-product-key-in-windows-10-3632749/[/url] if you don't have an OEM copy, you'll be fine [editline]5th November 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=werewolf0020;51314328]Hijacking the tread, i dont know if its my hard drive but my PC has been randomly locking up , only ONCE it blue-screened and showed up some WHEA_uncorrectable error, i checked my CPU, GPU temps and they are perfectly fine so i guess that only leaves the ram or Hard drive [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/CqzQvqw.png[/IMG] it " seems " that if i leave my computer on doing nothing (i.e letting it on downloading stuff over the night ) then its very likely ill wake up and it will be locked forcing me to hard-shutting it off Also every single time i need to perform any Hard-drive related task i.e copying a small file or windows update installing something the hard drive usage ranks up to 100%[/QUOTE] Seek error rate means there's a problem with the magnetic heads of your drive. So yeah, back up stuff and get a new drive. As a PSA, the values in yellow, seek error rate and reported uncorrectable errors are the ones you ALWAYS want to have no raw value on (meaning it's all 0s). If one of those values isn't zeroes, you're fucked. This is from my dead drive: [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/rctUaaP.jpg[/IMG]
[QUOTE=werewolf0020;51314328]Hijacking the tread, i dont know if its my hard drive but my PC has been randomly locking up , only ONCE it blue-screened and showed up some WHEA_uncorrectable error, i checked my CPU, GPU temps and they are perfectly fine so i guess that only leaves the ram or Hard drive [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/CqzQvqw.png[/IMG] it " seems " that if i leave my computer on doing nothing (i.e letting it on downloading stuff over the night ) then its very likely ill wake up and it will be locked forcing me to hard-shutting it off Also every single time i need to perform any Hard-drive related task i.e copying a small file or windows update installing something the hard drive usage ranks up to 100%[/QUOTE] Windows indexes files and folders for faster searches on HDD's, you can disable it fully by: 1. Run services.msc and look for "Superfetch" and "Windows Search". Disable both of those services from starting up. 2. Run regedit and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters and look for the two keys called "EnablePrefetcher" and "EnableSuperfetch". Change both of their values to 0 and exit regedit. 3. Restart you computer. Note that if you try to search for files / folders using File Explorer on an HDD that search times will be quite a bit slower, but your HDD's lifespan and and performance will imporove greatly.
[QUOTE=TheDrunkenOne;51314402]I have a 2TB WD Blue drive, it's really good. If you don't need 2TB, go for the 1TB version, you can find it for like $40 [editline]5th November 2016[/editline] As for the key: [url]http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/windows/how-view-your-product-key-in-windows-10-3632749/[/url] if you don't have an OEM copy, you'll be fine [editline]5th November 2016[/editline] Seek error rate means there's a problem with the magnetic heads of your drive. So yeah, back up stuff and get a new drive. As a PSA, the values in yellow, seek error rate and reported uncorrectable errors are the ones you ALWAYS want to have no raw value on (meaning it's all 0s). If one of those values isn't zeroes, you're fucked. This is from my dead drive: [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/rctUaaP.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE] 2tb Blue drives are trash 5400rpm ones
[QUOTE=Levelog;51316519]2tb Blue drives are trash 5400rpm ones[/QUOTE] Believe it or not I hardly notice any difference with a 5400 rpm one, then again it's a storage drive [editline]6th November 2016[/editline] Actually getting a 60gb SSD for Windows and a few programs + 1/2TB HDD for storage is the best solution you have for under $100
Hi @smithy285! Your HDD has a lot of Reallocated Sectors, which are bad sectors that have been swapped with reserve sectors, so I'd suggest to either look for a replacement unit, or RMA it back to the manufacturer if it's still under warranty. Make a backup of your most important data currently stored on the hard disk if possible though. so it could be safe. As for you question about SSD or HDD, it depends on what you need more - speed or storage space. Basically SSDs will give you faster boot up and loading times, so if it's performance what you're after I'd suggest to go with a solid state drive. HDDs on the other hand will not be as much beneficial as SSDs when it comes to speed, but will provide you with more capacity if you're on a tight budget. For specific recommendations, I can provide you with more information about the models of the company I work for, since I'm a WD rep. :smile: [QUOTE=werewolf0020;51314328]Hijacking the tread, i don't know if its my hard drive but my PC has been randomly locking up , only ONCE it blue-screened and showed up some WHEA_uncorrectable error, i checked my CPU, GPU temps and they are perfectly fine so i guess that only leaves the ram or Hard drive [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/CqzQvqw.png[/IMG] it " seems " that if i leave my computer on doing nothing (i.e letting it on downloading stuff over the night ) then its very likely ill wake up and it will be locked forcing me to hard-shutting it off Also every single time i need to perform any Hard-drive related task i.e copying a small file or windows update installing something the hard drive usage ranks up to 100%[/QUOTE] @werewolf0020, your drive looks in a good condition, so at this point you can keep using it. :smile: @TheDrunkenOne, thank you for the good words! :smile: Cheers!
[QUOTE=Mighty_Miro_WD;51327992]Hi @smithy285! Your HDD has a lot of Reallocated Sectors, which are bad sectors that have been swapped with reserve sectors, so I'd suggest to either look for a replacement unit, or RMA it back to the manufacturer if it's still under warranty. Make a backup of your most important data currently stored on the hard disk if possible though. so it could be safe. As for you question about SSD or HDD, it depends on what you need more - speed or storage space. Basically SSDs will give you faster boot up and loading times, so if it's performance what you're after I'd suggest to go with a solid state drive. HDDs on the other hand will not be as much beneficial as SSDs when it comes to speed, but will provide you with more capacity if you're on a tight budget. [/QUOTE] Cheers for your reply, I formatted my SSD and reinstalled Windows on it. I purchased a 1tb WD HDD to replace my old one and everything is working out fine now
Back up the data, then I'd do a full format. Reallocating sectors is merely a sign of the drive healing. the drive isn't bad yet. I wouldn't throw it out.
[QUOTE=smithy285;51344417]Cheers for your reply, I formatted my SSD and reinstalled Windows on it. I purchased a 1tb WD HDD to replace my old one and everything is working out fine now[/QUOTE] I am glad to hear that everything is working smoothly! :) What @Brt5470 suggested could be an option indeed, but the RAW values are showing that the drive has 408 reallocated sectors, which is quite a big number for this parameter IMO. The drive could be used for non-important mass storage though, but I won't trust it with any data without a backup. Which leads me to something important I always recommend - always consider a strong backup strategy so your data could be safe. For instance, the so called 3-2-1 is very popular currently - it basically stands for 3 copies on 2 locations and one offline, but you can develop a different one on your own as long as you are not storing all your eggs in one basket. Cheers! :)
Wait are you a WD rep? Also yea, I've used drives with reallocated sectors just for temp files or cache, if it fails that data just gets regenerated.
[QUOTE=Mighty_Miro_WD;51368063]I am glad to hear that everything is working smoothly! :) What @Brt5470 suggested could be an option indeed, but the RAW values are showing that the drive has 408 reallocated sectors, which is quite a big number for this parameter IMO. The drive could be used for non-important mass storage though, but I won't trust it with any data without a backup. Cheers! :)[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Brt5470;51346048]Back up the data, then I'd do a full format. Reallocating sectors is merely a sign of the drive healing. the drive isn't bad yet. I wouldn't throw it out.[/QUOTE] I'll have to give that a try when I'm back from uni, should I 'defrag' the drive as well?
[QUOTE=smithy285;51369065]I'll have to give that a try when I'm back from uni, should I 'defrag' the drive as well?[/QUOTE] Defragmenting a drive will not do any help, nor will Chkdsk. Best bet, backup and zero the drive and format it. This normally removes all current pending sectors (awaiting remap) and reallocates them. But if your rates are going up, you likely have a problem with the platters. Its just a ticking timebomb, its usable only if the data is replaceable. Over time, the performance will just degrade til it eventually gives up. When will that happen? Who knows... [img]http://puu.sh/si35N/2c47c78b64.png[/img] This is my old system drive that is still in use. Not sure what good it does, as im still in the process of moving the files over. But it still works, even after all those precious hours.
Defragging and chkdsking a dying drive will actually make it worse alot of the time This is from experience.
I agree with the others, defragging the HDD or reformatting it could make it perform worse, so I won't recommend to do that but rather simply use it. :) Also, don't put any important information on the hard disk without a proper backup because of the failure risk - use it non-important mass storage (movies that you will watch once or twice and don't mind losing for example :v:). @Brt5470, yes, I am a WD rep. :cool: @Richard Simmons, this drive... 4105 bad sectors... :why::scream:
[QUOTE=Mighty_Miro_WD;51373390] @Richard Simmons, this drive... 4105 bad sectors... :why::scream:[/QUOTE] It has 96,200 power on hours, i think its a fairly decent number :v:
[QUOTE=Mighty_Miro_WD;51373390] @Brt5470, yes, I am a WD rep. :cool: [/QUOTE] I got a question! I bought a Caviar Black 500gb back in 09, how much time do you think it has left and is there a way to check its health?
[QUOTE=damnatus;51377960]I got a question! I bought a Caviar Black 500gb back in 09, how much time do you think it has left and is there a way to check its health?[/QUOTE] Working in a datacenter, I go through many drives a day. Some of the tests that you can do with windows is using the WD Lifeguard program for SMART long testing. Also reviewing your SMART attributes is also good. There is no definate expiration time for any drives. Even the one I have posted (WD Protege) which seems to be on its last legs, still has no definate lifespan. Best advise I can provide you is to monitor the disk and always have a backup of non-replaceable data. Another nice test I would recommend is using badblocks. This is a destructive test (all data is sacraficed) and takes quite a long time.
[QUOTE=damnatus;51377960]I got a question! I bought a Caviar Black 500gb back in 09, how much time do you think it has left and is there a way to check its health?[/QUOTE] @Richard Simmons provided a pretty good reply here! :happy: Basically the life of a drive is not determined by its age, for instance I still have a drive I've got back in 2003 and it's working perfectly fine.:smile: The best and surest way to check your drives health is with a diagnostic tool and most manufacturers have their own, and the mentioned Data Lifeguard Diagnostics is ours: [url]http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=zdUaO8[/url] Of course, you can run an additional tests with third party tools if you want, but I personally will go with the manufacturers for sure because it's tuned to the specific firmware of the drive. In case you decide to test your WD Black feel free to upload some screenshots so we can take a look though. :smile: Last but not least, I always recommend to have a strong backup strategy so your data could be safe in any case. There is one that have been pretty popular for while, the so called 3-2-1. It basically stands for 3 copies of the data on 2 locations and 1 offline, but you can create a strategy on your own as long as you are not storing all your eggs in one basket. :wink:
[QUOTE=Mighty_Miro_WD;51379150] [url]http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=zdUaO8[/url] [/QUOTE] Link doesn't seem to work
[QUOTE=damnatus;51384027]Link doesn't seem to work[/QUOTE] Works if you take the [URL="http://support.wdc.com/downloads.aspx"]actual url[/URL] out of the broken tracking redirect.
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