Is my external hard drive recoverable?

Bearded_Blunder · 2017-09-14 16:29:02

Problems with external HDDs tend to be down to the fact they get moved while running, much as laptop drives suffer, only more so.

If the reallocated sector count is outside the maker's spec, then the drive is realistically toast. If the red ! mentioned earlier in the thread is merely because it's non-zero, then you're in with some chance. I don't use the tools mentioned for checking, instead using the SMART reporting from Speefan (under Windows) and the online report it can generate as my guide. That same software can trigger the drive's ATA self-test routines, either long or short test.

Running badblocks over the drive in read/write mode will usually cure a non-zero pending sector count, and a subsequent run of CHKDSK /B will remove marked bad sectors from the NTFS file-system but a red point by reallocated sectors generally means a drive has run out of spares, basically the level of defects is beyond what it's built to accommodate. i.e. drive is toast, though after a format CHKDSK /R *might* mark out the defective area from use. You'll be left with an unreliable drive, as it won't cope with any new (grown) defects, even if that gets it usable.

You'll want to be making attempts with the drive connected internally or via USB 3, externally via USB 2 or less is just too slow.

Last edited by Bearded_Blunder (2017-09-14 16:30:40)

tknomanzr · 2017-09-14 17:37:48

I have dropped and broken a couple of mechanical drives that I was using as external drives. My solution to that problem was to stick a ssd into the drive enclosure. No more worries about dropping or bumping the drive.

tknomanzr · 2017-09-14 17:48:36

Be aware that Windows is significantly more fault tolerant than Linux. It will attempt to utilize drives that gparted will refuse to partition and format due to bad sector count. I had a drive like that at one time and basically even in Windows XP, it had significant pauses and occasional data loss due to the errors. Long story short, if Linux refuses to work with it, there is a reason for it.

Bearded_Blunder · 2017-09-14 18:58:40

tknomanzr wrote:

Be aware that Windows is significantly more fault tolerant than Linux. It will attempt to utilize drives that gparted will refuse to partition and format due to bad sector count. I had a drive like that at one time and basically even in Windows XP, it had significant pauses and occasional data loss due to the errors. Long story short, if Linux refuses to work with it, there is a reason for it.

As aware of that as I am, there's also the point that Windows will sometimes access a drive Linux refuses to, for the purposes of reporting said drive's condition. Which occasionally clears up the reasons *why* the likes of gParted refuse to partition and format it.

#21 2017-09-14 16:29:02

Re: Is my external hard drive recoverable?

#22 2017-09-14 17:37:48

Re: Is my external hard drive recoverable?

#23 2017-09-14 17:48:36

Re: Is my external hard drive recoverable?

#24 2017-09-14 18:58:40

Re: Is my external hard drive recoverable?

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