Is My Hard Drive About to Fail?
Asked by
TechSavvy82
I've been encountering disk read errors when trying to download games on Steam, so I decided to run a diagnostic using Crystal Disk. The result showed a 'Caution' status for the health of my hard drive, but I'm not sure what that means in terms of specific values. I need some clarity on this and whether I should start looking for a replacement. For reference, I have a 1TB HDD in a Dell G5 15 from 2018. Here's the diagnostic readout from Crystal Disk:
- Model: ST1000LM035-1RK172, Firmware: SDM2
- ID | Cur | Wor | Thr | RawValues(6) | Attribute Name
- 01 | _61 | _43 | _6 | 0000026935FA | Read Error Rate
- 03 | _99 | _99 | _0 | 000000000000 | Spin-Up Time
- 04 | _96 | _96 | _20 | 000000001067 | Start/Stop Count
- 05 | 100 | 100 | _36 | 00000000008B | Reallocated Sectors Count
- 07 | _78 | _60 | _45 | 00000382ADDB | Seek Error Rate
- 09 | _78 | _78 | _0 | 505B00004BBE | Power-On Hours
- 0A | 100 | 100 | _97 | 000000000000 | Spin Retry Count
- 0C | _98 | _98 | _20 | 00000000096F | Power Cycle Count
- B8 | 100 | 100 | _99 | 000000000000 | End-to-End Error
- BB | _37 | _37 | _0 | 00000000003F | Reported Uncorrectable Errors
- BC | 100 | _99 | _0 | 000300030006 | Command Timeout
- BD | 100 | 100 | _0 | 000000000000 | High Fly Writes
- BE | _67 | _52 | _40 | 00002F130021 | Airflow Temperature
- BF | 100 | 100 | _0 | 000000000019 | G-Sense Error Rate
- C0 | 100 | 100 | _0 | 000000000011 | Power-off Retract Count
- C1 | _1 | _1 | _0 | 00000004D067 | Load/Unload Cycle Count
- C2 | _33 | _48 | _0 | 000700000021 | Temperature
- C5 | 100 | _96 | _0 | 000000000050 | Current Pending Sector Count
- C6 | 100 | _96 | _0 | 000000000050 | Uncorrectable Sector Count
- C7 | 200 | 200 | _0 | 000000000000 | UltraDMA CRC Error Count
- F0 | 100 | 253 | _0 | 63D900002441 | Head Flying Hours
- F1 | 100 | 253 | _0 | 00022ADCE735 | Total Host Writes
- F2 | 100 | 253 | _0 | 0003B270C7B0 | Total Host Reads
- FE | 100 | 100 | _0 | 000000000000 | Free Fall Protection
Answers
Your drive is showing some pretty concerning signs. Given the read errors and the 'Caution' health status, I'd say you should replace it soon. At this point, it's at a high risk of failure, so back up all your important files right away!
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From what you've posted, it sounds like your HDD is nearing its end. The bad sectors and error rates suggest you can't trust it anymore. It’s a good idea to get a 2.5" SATA SSD to replace it.
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I recommend that you back up any valuable data immediately! The reallocated sectors and errors indicate that your HDD is failing. Transitioning to an SSD would be a wise decision if that fits into your budget.
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Your HDD is definitely on its last legs. You need to secure your data and plan for a replacement ASAP. Consider switching to an SSD if you can; they’re faster and more reliable in the long run.
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