HDD On the Blink?

[jim]

[FIXED]

I got one of my Samsung 1TB F1 drives out earlier to do some backups, dropped it into my Sharkoon Quick SATA and used Allway Sync to back the files up. A bit later I came back to my PC, and it was virtually unusable, only being responsive for 10 seconds every 5 minutes. I rebooted, started the sync again and the same thing happened. I also noticed that the disk access light on the Sharkoon seemed to be far more intermittent than I would expect it to be.

Hence, I think it might be on its way out, but I'm not sure how to check to see if it is the fault of the disk, considering it's attached by USB. Obviously I can take it out and attach it to the motherboard if necessary, but it would have to be a last resort as all the cables would need re-arranging.

Does anyone have any thoughts on what might be up, and how to check?

[peterb]

You should still be able to access the SMART data on the drive, even through the USB interface.

[jim]

SMART data was a no, but SeaTools managed to complete short test with no faults.

I ran the backup again today, and all was fine, so I think I'll blame a loose connection or something. As long as it all works fine, I'm not too fussed

[CaptainCrash]

It's really just a gut feeling, but I think these devices which allow you to use bare 3.5" HDDs as portable media are intrinsically A Bad Thing where drive longevity is concerned, at least unless you're always *very* careful....

[jim]

To be honest, they come out once a month for 1 hour's worth of backup, then go back on the shelf, so if you consider the MTBF they shouldn't have any problems. If they do go wrong, then I'll buy a replacement, backup onto the replacement drive, then send the dodgy one back to Scan, so I'm not too worried about it.

I have all of my data replicated twice, that's why it's not too big a deal.

When the prices of Blurays drop, I think I'll probably put all of my permanent data onto blurays and keep them in spindles as well, as that's probably about as secure as you're going to get.

[CaptainCrash]

It's not so much the MTBF that concerns me, it's the actual physical environment - if the drive is moved, the heads are vulnerable to crashing until they're fully parked with the platters spun right down, the drive connectors can be fragile and prone to damage from repeated plugging/unplugging, the PCB is exposed to possible damage whilst in use, there are the inevitable knocks and bumps, accidents with tangled cables being yanked, etc, etc...

I know I'm an old woman but I do worry about these things.

[shaithis]

Lifes too short and hard drives too cheap

[jim]

That's what warranties are for

Seriously though, if one of them gave up the ghost, I wouldn't have even the slightest inclination not to send it back. There's not reason why it shouldn't be able to last 3 years, used once a month and kept in its original blister pack to keep it safe.

[Lourdes]

It's really just a gut feeling, but I think these devices which allow you to use bare 3.5" HDDs as portable media are intrinsically A Bad Thing where drive longevity is concerned, at least unless you're always *very* careful....

They're fine for what they're designed for which isn't constant use, only risk is dropping the drive when swapping.

[Naith]

They're fine for what they're designed for which isn't constant use, only risk is dropping the drive when swapping.

I agree - Mine is turned off for 95% of the time my main system is running... (only use it for backup purposes)