Can I Still Use My Old External Hard Drive After Errors?

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Asked By CleverPineapple42 On

I've got a 7-year-old Seagate 2.5-inch portable external hard drive (the Backup Slim, 2TB) that I couldn't access for about 3 years due to errors. Recently, I managed to get it working again using CrystalDiskInfo, which showed C5 and C6 errors both at 912. I reset the health status, and now it's accessible and reporting good health with no errors. I have a few questions about reusing it for less important data:
1) Should I be concerned about any remaining issues, or is it safe to store low-importance files on it?
2) Should I perform a zero-fill on it to ensure health, or is the full format sufficient?
3) Would it help to create a smaller volume, like 1.5TB, to avoid potential bad sectors? I know it's easier to toss it, but I'm looking to reuse it if it's still functional for basic storage.

5 Answers

Answered By DriveDoctor91 On

You might want to try Hard Disk Sentinel or something similar to perform a detailed scan of your drive. I've seen drives with problematic sectors become stable after rewriting, so it’s worth checking. If things look good, you could use it for backups, but just keep an eye out for any new issues.

Answered By TechGuru99 On

C5 and C6 refer to pending and uncorrectable sectors, indicating there may have been data corruption. It's good you got your important files back! Since the errors cleared after formatting, it seems you've managed to reset the drive a bit. Still, consider running a SMART test and possibly a badblocks command to check for any lingering issues. If it passes, using it for non-important data should be okay. Just be ready for possible future problems and back up regularly!

Answered By HelpfulSquirrel17 On

If you're only using it for non-critical files, it's likely fine to use it as-is for now. Just keep an eye on its health and back up anything important regularly, especially if you notice new errors.

CleverPineapple42 -

Thanks! I appreciate the advice on keeping an eye on it.

Answered By StorageWizard22 On

Puran's Disk Fresh is a handy tool for refreshing disk signals without messing with your data. It’ll help you identify any bad sectors, so you can manage your disk better. If you plan to keep using it, give it a shot!

Answered By CautiousRaven88 On

Mechanical drives like yours can be sensitive to physical damage, so use it carefully. As for tearing it apart, don't do that! Opening it can damage it further, and any internal issues might not be visible. If you're not using it for anything critical, it could still be okay for archival uses, but switching to an SSD would give you more reliability if you can.

CleverPineapple42 -

I get it! I already have SSDs for important stuff, so I wanted to see if I could keep using this one for less vital data.

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