Thanks for your message.
Yes, generally this is a very-very common situation.... And I'm afraid common mistake to wait this point ....
The goal is exactly to PREVENT this, AVOID any kind of problems long before they can lead to data corruption or data loss.
Usually when you reach this point, I'm afraid it's a bit too late.
First of all, when you see non-100% health, then THIS is the point when we can't rest: this is the point when you'd need to perform
- a backup (at least of important data)
- testing to reveal and stabilize problems with tests, exactly to PREVENT unforeseen issues, possible damages/corruption
(see
https://www.hdsentinel.com/faq.php#tests )
Generally this is very common: there seems no problems - the disk drive seems perfectly working - until we read/write a problematic area.
Similar described at
https://www.hdsentinel.com/hard_disk_ca ... ectors.php
where problems remain unnoticed even for years - until they caused troubles.
This is why it is important to start backup immediately and perform testing - to reveal probems when we see
- non-100% status or
- degradation (even minor change in reported health).
When we reach the point where files/folders can't be read back, BSOD happens, I'm afraid one or more files, folders may be already damaged, corrupted.
There is an excellent way to attempt the repair: Hard Disk Sentinel offers Disk menu -> Surface test -> Disk Repair function, which designed exactly to repair the problems with the sectors and fix the disk drive itself. But even with best ways - the repair may be not possible in all cases (depending on the actual situation). The disk repair would help to allow copying the problematic files (which you may not able to copy/backup now) but it is possible that the file contents may be damaged.
The Disk menu -> Surface test -> Disk Repair function will show files possible affected (which stored on the damaged sectors).
> I have tried a file copy transfer to another disk drive but got a blue screen half way thru the copy process.
Yes. I'm afraid it is completely normal in this situation.
Maybe you can try to
- use Disk menu -> Surface test -> Disk Repair function to attempt to repair the sectors and then the files could be copied, saved
- if you encounter problems, blue screen during any access of the sectors (I mean even during the repair test), it means that the current disk controller/motherboard has bad drivers and a timeout triggered.
Then I'd connect the disk drive to a different system, for example by an USB dock/enclosure for the duration of the disk repair and backup.
> As you suggest -- I have changed the cables to see if that would help -- it did not.
Changing the cables and improving the operating environment would help in the FUTURE only for possible new data you'd save on the disk drive.
But this would make no change for EXISTING data already saved.
For example, if the data saved when the power source was not perfect and the data could not be written correctly - then it is possible that reading back would be harder or even impossible. This is not rare, one of the most common problems with storage in general (and it is not really related to the disk drive itself, can happen with SSDs too of course).
>Please let me know what suggestions you have to do the following:
> 1) Run a repair option or utility that will fix/repair this drive without losing any data
Yes. Now this is the best you can do. But even the repair may not able to re-gain the data which already corrupted or lost.
Disk menu -> Surface test -> Disk Repair is the best way to repair the problems, "fix the drive" and attempt to get the data - but this is not always possible.
If the sector is seriously damaged, then there is no way to load the corrupted, damaged (half-written) data. The sector may be repaired, the drive can be "fixed". But both fixing the drive AND restoring the data may be not always possible.
> 2) What's the best/safest way to try another backup? -- Will a disk clone style backup be safer than a file copy backup?
The best, safest way is to start saving files, one-by-one and beginning with the most important ones.
CLONING IS NEVER RECOMMENDED IN THIS SITUATION.
Cloning would blindly begin copying all data, maybe with
- empty sectors,
- temp files
- installation files
which are not important at all. You'd need to focus on the important data first.
Also cloning can cause even more troubles (as it may not care about possible disk status, so the amount of problems may increase further).
Plus a such damaged/cloned system would never work correctly, it would have the original signs of problems (even bad sectors).
Cloning is ideal for a GOOD, stable, working system, to make a copy/snapshot.
But cloning a damaged, not-working disk, when there are errors - is one of the worst ideas ever.
> Do I need to repair this disk before doing that backup?
If there are files you can't save then yes, you'd need to perform the Disk menu -> Surface test -> Disk Repair.
Personally in this case yes, I'd do that - but personally I'd never allow a drive to reach THIS case.
It is always better to AVOID this. To use constant monitoring, testing to reveal and stabilize problems LONG before they could reach to data corruption, any (partial or complete) data loss.
I hope after the Disk menu -> Surface test -> Disk Repair you can save the data and the damage would be minimal only. I keep fingers crossed.
-- I can still read the drive and also the drive file contents. I have tried a file copy transfer to another disk drive but got a blue screen half way thru the copy process. As you suggest -- I have changed the cables to see if that would help -- it did not.