Hard Disk Monitoring

I'm confused by this situation. Any input would help. Thanks!

Background:
I have a 2TB WD Black that has been acting up.

Started by running:
Surface Test - Reinitialize Disk Surface: completed, no bad or damaged blocks.
Short Test: Passed.
Extended Test: Failed.
Surface Test - Read Test: Shows bad/damaged blocks.

Confused, I decided to try running through it again:
Surface Test - Reinitialize Disk Surface: completed, no bad or damaged blocks.
Short Test: Passed.
Surface Test - Read Test: More bad/damaged blocks.

I'm confused why the Reinitialize does not show issues...but issue are uncovered with Read...

When the Read test completed and you saw bad/damaged blocks, what was displayed in the text description?
Did it display "weak sectors"? (I think so, just not sure).

Generally the Reinitialise disk surface test designed to fix, stabilize problems and improve generic usability of the drive.
But if the operating environment is not 100% stable (there may be an issue with cables, connections, power source, etc.) then there is high chance that with normal use (or during the Read test which can reveal such issues sooner) new problems appear again and again.

If these problems always appear at different, random blocks, it confirms that generally the issue is not really related to the hard disk, a particular sector - but more related to something else.

I'd recommend to examine the operating environment, check cables, connections, power source, disable overclock (if enabled) to make things more stable.

If possible, you may also attempt to connect the hard disk to a completely different PC (by different cables, connections) and perform the tests there, to verify if the drive works similarly there.

You may use Report menu -> Send test report to developer option, even multiple times: when the status is perfect - and then when the error detected / reported (and I suspect then the health and the text description also show problems).
This way it is possible to check the changes in the current status, verify what may be in the background.

For more details, please check this section in the Support -> Frequently Asked Questions:
What is a weak sector? How to repair weak sectors?
https://www.hdsentinel.com/hard_disk_ca ... ectors.php

which shows a detailed example about such / similar situation and fluctuation.

hdsentinel wrote:When the Read test completed and you saw bad/damaged blocks, what was displayed in the text description?
Did it display "weak sectors"?

Right... The description currently says "There are 123 weak sectors found on the disk surface".

I initially read the weak sectors page...but perhaps I missed some things.

As for the environment. I'm not overclocking. I can't see it being my power supply; its Corsiar 650W. I can try a different SATA cable. Also, another PC is a possibility. Well, I was hoping to use this PC to check 8 "used" drives I just purchased. Hmm...sounds like that's not a good idea?...and I should see how this 2TB drive reacts on a different PC first.

I will use the Report menu -> Sent test report. Then change the sata cable and maybe port. Then go from there.

Here are the screenshots of the READ tests that I performed initially. These were after a reinitialize.

Yes, as I see, weak sectors reported about the hard disk, to be honest, not surprised.

Usually, weak sectors can be caused by
- drive failure (error with internal memory, problem with drive head or surface - which is rare)
- power loss (the write operation was not finished because of power loss)
- power failure (weak power supply or not stable power line)
- data cable failure or improper connection
- system memory or motherboard problem
- overclocking

Generally yes, the Reinitialise disk surface test designed exactly to fix these (and this done) but if the original source of the problem is not fixed (see the above point) then yes, it is completely normal and expected that new and new weak sectors will be reported at later use. They can appear during normal use - or a following Read test may reveal sooner.

Yes, the saved disk surface map shows that the problems reported at different locations, confirming that generally the problem appears at "random" positions, not really connected to a specific location of the hard disk.
This usually confirms that the problem is something else - not really related to the hard disk.

In such situations, you may try to connect the hard disk to a complete different system (by different cables, connections, power source etc.) and perform the Reinitialise disk surface test (to repair) and then a Read test after that. This may give error-free results, which would also confirm that the issue was related to the previous operating environment.

Sometimes the disk controller (and its driver) where the hard disk connected can also cause troubles.

As displayed on the Information page:

Disk Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Controller (AHCI) [VEN: 1002, DEV: 4391] Version: 6.1.7601.18231, 6-21-2006

which means that the controller works with a Standard driver.
In most cases this causes no problems, but in some situations this may reduce the functionality, performance of the connected device(s). It may be good idea to install the driver for the controller (motherboard) as this may also improve the generic usability of the hard disk.

(ps. I already sent almost 100% similar answer to the developer report too - before I notice the images on the forum)