Reinitialize USB external disk

[Vass00]

Hi, i have a 4 tera usb disk, although only 2 years old it started suddenly having problems and health was deteriorating too fast. I got all data out and started reinitialize disk from the surface scan menu. This has been running for days, but what puzzles me is that it found bad sectors that, so far, seem to be next to each other.

Are you drawing any conclusions from this?

Also, what does all this changing of color means? Not the bad sectors, the ok ones

Thank you

[hdsentinel]

Probably there are no bad sectors where you see the red blocks, "just" the USB-ATA chip in the USB enclosure stopped responding. Sometimes a very long, intensive test may cause too much stress for this chip and it may become slow and then suddenly no longer responds. From the viewpoint of the OS and the software, then the drive seems "not responding" (so timeout error happens on any sector, as you may see on the bottom) or even disconnects from the system.

This is not rare for external USB drives, especially high capacity hard disks. This may not mean problem with the hard disk itself, but more a problem of the USB adapter/enclosure, cables, connections. Can happen with 3.5" external drivs too but even more common for 2.5" USB hard disks, especially if may not receive enough power from the USB port.

In such case (generally if the Reinitialise Disk Surface test seems running for REALLY long time) it may be better stop and use the Disk menu -> Surface test -> Write+Read test instead. This is a "light" version of the Reinitialise Disk Surface test and usually helps to stabilize issues, especially if the Health is relatively higher (above 50%).

Now I'd surely try to start this test and process only approx. the remaining 2/3 of the drive (without starting from the beginning).

For this, please select the Disk menu -> Surface test -> Write+Read test and the drive.
Then select the Configuration tab and enable the Limit testing to specific data blocks option.
Then specify First block = 6500 (and leave the Last block = 9999) and then proceed the test.


The darker green colors discussed MANY-MANY times in the Help, on the website and in this forum too, I wonder why you did not find the answer for that....

Please check the Help which describes with bold:
https://www.hdsentinel.com/help/en/61_surfacetest.html

"Darker green color means that the sectors are slower and harder to process"

and also:

https://www.hdsentinel.com/kb/category/4/disk-testing-and-repairing/darker-green-blocks-during-disk-testing.html

This does not mean that these sectors are weak, bad or so, these are also good, working as should.

Most SMR hard disks and SSDS / flash storage produce similar results (you can find many similar images on this forum): the test seems very fast at the beginning - and then (when the device cache filled) we can see the "real" performance of the drive, which is slower than we see the beginning (where we see light green blocks). This is causing more/less darker green blocks, sometimes repeating patterns.
This is completely normal, no need to worry about them, the important is that there should be no yellow and red blocks.

As usually suggested, if you use Report menu -> Send test report to developer option, it is possible to check the status of the drive
- now, as I see, it is not 100% perfect, probably many weak sectors reported in the text description
- and after the test
so it is possible to check also the status change: ideally the weak/pending sectors will be fixed, stabilized.

[Vass00]

Hello, thank you for your fast response. I made the following changes: changed the usb cable, put the disk on a hub on its own. Hub has external power. Then i did as you said write+read starting at 6500. It was still timing out. Then i stopped the test and rerun it backwards, starting from the end. Left it there all night and the result is what is shown in the attached.

The disk is Intenso with a WD inside. I'm not sure if this disk is that bad or if it is a chip in he case failing. Should i throw it away? buy another case? or is there anything else to do?

Thank you

[hdsentinel]

I did not receive report, so not sure about the actual situation, hard to say anything for SURE.

If you have the opportunity, yes, maybe you can try to remove the HDD from the external case and try to connect with a different USB hard disk enclosure / USB dock or (even better) directly to a SATA port of the motherboard and check that way. This way you can rule out if the issue is related to the hard disk itself or "just" the USB enclosure / dock.

Relatively common cause of similar issue if the drive does not receive enough power for proper operation: not rare for 2.5" USB hard disks, especially high capacity hard disks. This can cause lower Health %, new problems and even permanent damage of the drive.

Yes, using an USB hub (with external power supply) is generally a good solution for such 2.5" USB hard disks.

[Vass00]

Hello again... I got third party case that has its own power! Run the write/read test from the end to the beginning. Left it all night. Unfortunately the result is the same

Not sure what to do anymore. Should I trash this HD?

It is strange that two-three years back i had the same thing happening on a smaller Intenso but with a Toshiba inside. Maybe a dump question but is it possible that the enclosure circuits destroy the disk?

Also is it possible that running torrent client 24/72 fried it?

Thank you.

[hdsentinel]

Yes, if the situation is similar by a different external case (and considering that the Health is only 52% according the image) then I'm afraid the drive may alreay have problems.

I still do not know the real status of that, as received no reports. The file you attached have no meaning, it is the result of the surface test only.
Please you use Report menu -> Send test report to developer option - as then it is possible to check the status of the drive and advise.
From that developer report, it is possible to see (for example but not limited to) the power on time, estimated remaining lifetime, temperature (including possible highest temperature ever recorded) and other statistics like start/stop cycles and so.
These together may indicate if it's worth the time to try anything - or better to replace. According what you see, it is better to replace.

> Maybe a dump question but is it possible that the enclosure circuits destroy the disk?
> Also is it possible that running torrent client 24/72 fried it?

Yes: some external hard disk cases may not provide good cooling, so the disk drive inside can reach very high temperatures.
Especially if the drive runs 24/7, then this can dramatically shorten the lifetime.