Persistent "master File Table Corrupt" Errors

I have suffered two Master File Table failures on two different hard disk drives (data only) in the space of one month and the problem is driving me crazy and making me tear out what little hair I have left.
The first drive to suffer the problem was a reconditioned 1Tb Seagate disk I bought on EBay so maybe I was taking a chance with that one. First error message was the usual "The disk structure is corrupt and unreadable" when trying to access the drive. Running chkdsk /f just threw up the MFT corruption error with Windows 10 being unable to fix it. I tried using a third party recovery program (M3 Data Recovery) but the normal scan with that didn't fix it and when I attempted to run a deep scan the program ran and ran for ever. After the scan had been running constantly for about 4 days I contacted M3's tech support who advised to stop the scan as the HDD must be faulty. So, the faulty HDD was removed from the USB caddy (I use a Hornettek 4-drive enclosure) and I decided to use my previous backup drive (2Tb Western Digital) in place of the faulty Seagate and bought a brand new 3Tb Western Digital to be used as the new backup drive. This all took place just last weekend. Now, tonight, I have been hit again with the dreaded Master File Table failure on the 2Tb Western Digital that had previously worked perfectly as a backup HDD and once again, running chkdsk doesn't fix it. As yet I havn't tried the M3 recovery program this time as I'm not convinced it will be any more successful than it was last time.
My main concern here is why am I being plagued with Master File Table errors in such a short space of time? Is there anything else I can try to fix the errors without having to buy a new HDD every time it happens? I do have a backup of the data but obviously I get the jitters worrying about when the MFT problem is going to happen again.

Apologies for rambling on so much but I thought it best to give you as much info as possible from the outset.

 

Noooooo!! Since my original post I now cannot access the brand new 3Tb backup drive I only installed last Sunday! This is driving me nuts and I feel like throwing the damn machine against the wall. At this rate I am going to lose every bit of data and a lifetime's photographs for ever!

 

You either are just unlucky and got two failures by chance, or something else is taking out your drives. I would for sure make sure your system is free of malware. But when multiple hardware issues arise, I tend to look at power.

I recommend all computers (and external drives and network gear and LCD monitors) be on a "good" UPS with AVR (automatic voltage regulation). Understand the major benefit to a "good" UPS with AVR is NOT backup power during a power outage, but rather the voltage regulation the AVR feature provides.

You might also check your facility ground. Every home and every computer user should have access to a AC Outlet Tester to ensure your outlet is properly wired and grounded. I recommend one with a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupt) indicator as it can be used to test bathroom and kitchen outlets too. These testers can be found for your type and voltage outlet, foreign or domestic, (like this one for the UK) at most home improvement stores, or even the electrical department at Wal-Mart. Use it to test all the outlets in the house and if a fault is shown, have it fixed by a qualified electrician.

I might also question your enclosure if both drives were used in it.

As far as something else you can try, I would use chkdsk /r instead of /f. The /r switch does all that /f does, plus more. You might also visit the drive maker's website and download their own diagnostics program.

 

Hi Digerati - thanks for your response. Not sure I can handle all that electricity related stuff but I can say that up until recently I have never had any issues in relation to this hardware problem. One thing that I have thought about is that, up until very recently (when I bought the first recon HDD on EBay) the third bay of the Hornettek had never been used but since it has been brought into play, two HDDs have suffered this MFT fault when installed there so maybe there is a power issue just with that bay? This doesn't explain why my backup drive has fallen victim tonight though as it is in the bottom bay of the unit which has always performed OK in the past.
I have downloaded Western Digital's utility programs to try out but when I run it I am just faced with a message of "Attach a supported WD drive" and nothing else happens even though the Hornettek is powered on.

 

I think I would try another enclosure, or install the drive as a secondary drive in a computer.

 

I would do that before anything else.
When using a drive as back up, the hard drive seek does not work as hard as in an operating system environment. So, when drawn on for more. it might need fully low level formatting to make it as good as it can be.
I have had brand new hard drives go within weeks, so not unusual, but it can happen. -it could have been mishandled/dropped before I got it, hard to judge.