Hard-drive Block Damage - bin/repair?

Hi Guys,

I have a 2TB External Hard-Drive (Western Digital).

I recently had a power flick. The power down my street went off and back on in less than a second.

This caused my computer to turn off and my external drive to stop also.

I ran "Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for Windows" writing zeros (quick) was fine, but the "SMART Quick Test" failed with "status code - 07 [failed read element]"

I have also used HDTune and is said 0.7% bad blocks.

I have attached pictures.

Should I bin the drive? (It's out of warranty)

Or is there a chance to save it? replacing the Hard-drive circuit board?


Many thanks in advance!,

Chris

 

Hi my friend , it's time thinking about new hdd , you must run this tool

http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/hard_disk_sentinel.html

you can also go to

Start - My Computer - hdd ( right click ) - Properties - Tools - Error - Checking - Check now - Check only the second option - Push Start tab

you can left to finish this progress :wave

 

From seeing the first thumbnail with the number of bad sectors and their location, I think you can forget about this hard drive. I also think they weren't caused by your power flick.

 

Is the drive usable at all? If so, I would try to copy off any files you want to keep now.

I also agree to run Error Checking but don't see any reason to check only the second option. If errors are found in critical system files, you need them fixed and chkdsk is quite capable of doing that without causing more problems. Otherwise, you will just have to run the program again with the box checked to fix any errors found.

However, since you already ran Western Digital's own diagnostic program and it found errors it could not fix, I would not trust that drive for any critical data - even if chkdsk reports it has repaired your disk.

Consider the power fluctuation from down the street as a warning shot. IMO, every computer should be on a "good" UPS with AVR (automatic voltage regulation). A surge and spike protector is little more than fancy and expensive extension cord that does absolutely nothing for sudden drop outs and dips in power which can hard-crash systems and corrupt hard drives. The best UPS with AVR offer pure sinewave output but can be very expensive. "Good" UPS offer "approximation sinewaves" and very fast cutovers which is good enough for computer and home networking systems - they only "step in" when needed so the argument their output is too dirty and harmful is hogwash. But again, I am talking about a "good" UPS with AVR, not budget models.

As far as replacing the hard drive's own controller board, I don't see how that can help you here because your screen shots indicate problems with the disks, not the controller. But even if the controller board was bad, finding a replacement is a real challenge because it has to be an EXACT model AND revision number in order for it to work. And the problem there is, especially with popular models, the same model drive from the same maker is often manufactured in multiple factories in different countries - with different revision numbers.

Also, because the costs for hard drives have dropped so dramatically in recent years, (2Tb for ~ $80), it is typically not cost effective to repair them, so there is just no supply channel to order replacement controller cards.

I don't mean to kick you when you are down, but events like this (even though relatively rare) is exactly why having a viable and current backup is so vital.