My computer has started slowing down noticeably over the past couple of weeks. Even simple tasks like opening browser tabs, gaming, or using Discord can cause brief freezes or heavy throttling. Windows is installed on this hard drive, which is roughly nine years old.
CrystalDiskInfo reports a Caution status, mainly because of these SMART values:
- Reallocated Sectors Count: 78
- Current Pending Sector Count: 578
- Uncorrectable Sector Count: 578
I assume the drive is failing, but I'm not sure how urgent the situation is. Should I immediately move the operating system and back up my files, or could the drive remain usable for a while longer?
3 Answers
Yes, this drive should be treated as failing and replaced as soon as possible. The age is concerning, but the SMART values are the bigger issue: it has already replaced bad sectors, while hundreds of sectors are still pending or marked uncorrectable. Those numbers mean the drive is struggling to read data reliably.
The slowdowns and freezes make the situation more urgent, especially because Windows is installed on it. The operating system may be repeatedly retrying reads from damaged areas, which can make the whole computer appear to hang.
Back up important files immediately, then move or clone Windows to another drive if possible. Avoid unnecessary benchmarks or stress tests, and don’t assume the drive will keep working just because it still starts up—failure can accelerate without much warning.
The practical answer is: don’t wait for complete failure. Copy anything important off the drive now and replace it. Since you already have another drive available, using that for a fresh Windows installation or migration is a good move.
If the raw values look confusing in CrystalDiskInfo, you can switch them to decimal through Function > Advanced Features > Raw Values > 10 [DEC]. That makes the sector counts easier to read, although the existing warnings already indicate that the drive needs replacement.
That clears it up. I’m moving Windows to another drive immediately and backing up the important files. I’ll replace the failing HDD shortly.