Question Is my HDD about to fail?

[mitk0o0o0]

Hello, I've got a Seagate Barracuda 3.5 1TB 7200rpm 64MB SATA3 for storage and a Kingston 120GB SSD for my OS and after recently upgrading to Windows 11 it feels like opening some folders takes longer than usual as well as searching for a file through all the partitions, I also would like to mention that I just recently added another 8GB RAM stick in case that could also cause some issues? I didn't think much of it until I heard some sounds. Lately while doing another such search I noticed that it was making this struggling noise. I also got 2 external HDDs connected btw but I'm pretty sure this noise is coming from inside the computer case. I figured it could be struggling with the speed cause I got the 2 externals connected but after unplugging them, it still does this noise as if it's struggling to spin. I can still access all of my folders and open files, it's just taking a few seconds longer than it used to. This is what it sounds like while doing a file search https://voca.ro/17QDe0elZT3y

Programs like HD Tune show that everything is OK in the S.M.A.R.T sections, no bad sectors too and scanning the sectors is fast and does not do the above mentioned sounds, they just come up when file searching (EDIT: Now when trying to copy something from it to my externals). I also ran Seagate's Seatools test and it all comes off as OK there as well, so I'm not sure if I should start looking for a new HDD while it's still early. Should I unplug it immediately to prevent any further damage? If it suddenly happens to fail and the cause is mechanical could I take it some repair service to just have the reader thing replaced and keep the platter and its data intact? Unfortunately I've got no warranty anymore as it's 5 years old.

 

[Bob.B]

Hello, I've got a Seagate Barracuda 3.5 1TB 7200rpm 64MB SATA3 for storage and a Kingston 120GB SSD for my OS and after recently upgrading to Windows 11 it feels like opening some folders takes longer than usual as well as searching for a file through all the partitions, I also would like to mention that I just recently added another 8GB RAM stick in case that could also cause some issues? I didn't think much of it until I heard some sounds. Lately while doing another such search I noticed that it was making this struggling noise. I also got 2 external HDDs connected btw but I'm pretty sure this noise is coming from inside the computer case. I figured it could be struggling with the speed cause I got the 2 externals connected but after unplugging them, it still does this noise as if it's struggling to spin. I can still access all of my folders and open files, it's just taking a few seconds longer than it used to. This is what it sounds like while doing a file search https://voca.ro/17QDe0elZT3y

Programs like HD Tune show that everything is OK in the S.M.A.R.T sections, no bad sectors too and scanning the sectors is fast and does not do the above mentioned sounds, they just come up when file searching (EDIT: Now when trying to copy something from it to my externals). I also ran Seagate's Seatools test and it all comes off as OK there as well, so I'm not sure if I should start looking for a new HDD while it's still early. Should I unplug it immediately to prevent any further damage? If it suddenly happens to fail and the cause is mechanical could I take it some repair service to just have the reader thing replaced and keep the platter and its data intact? Unfortunately I've got no warranty anymore as it's 5 years old.

Make a full backup of this hdd and set it aside.
With all your date safe you can now play with stuff to try to figure out the problem.

 

[DSzymborski]

Hello, I've got a Seagate Barracuda 3.5 1TB 7200rpm 64MB SATA3 for storage and a Kingston 120GB SSD for my OS and after recently upgrading to Windows 11 it feels like opening some folders takes longer than usual as well as searching for a file through all the partitions, I also would like to mention that I just recently added another 8GB RAM stick in case that could also cause some issues? I didn't think much of it until I heard some sounds. Lately while doing another such search I noticed that it was making this struggling noise. I also got 2 external HDDs connected btw but I'm pretty sure this noise is coming from inside the computer case. I figured it could be struggling with the speed cause I got the 2 externals connected but after unplugging them, it still does this noise as if it's struggling to spin. I can still access all of my folders and open files, it's just taking a few seconds longer than it used to. This is what it sounds like while doing a file search https://voca.ro/17QDe0elZT3y

Programs like HD Tune show that everything is OK in the S.M.A.R.T sections, no bad sectors too and scanning the sectors is fast and does not do the above mentioned sounds, they just come up when file searching (EDIT: Now when trying to copy something from it to my externals). I also ran Seagate's Seatools test and it all comes off as OK there as well, so I'm not sure if I should start looking for a new HDD while it's still early. Should I unplug it immediately to prevent any further damage? If it suddenly happens to fail and the cause is mechanical could I take it some repair service to just have the reader thing replaced and keep the platter and its data intact? Unfortunately I've got no warranty anymore as it's 5 years old.

No, there's no service that repairs hard drives in this manner. Once the hard drive goes, it goes; if there was a service that repaired your hard drive, returned it to you intact, and then you kept using it, we'd be talking an expense that a whole bunch of new hard drives. Just recovering the data alone can run $600 or $700 or into the thousands with no real upper limit depending on how much you want them to try and do and how challenging it is.

If you're concerned about your data, you should have always been backing it up, in at minimum of two additional places. Since it does not appear you did that, you need to go backup your data now or it may cost you the price of a new computer to have it recovered later.

 

[fzabkar]

Are you seeing any Command Timeouts in SMART?

 

[USAFRet]

Is my HDD about to fail?

All drives are on a march towards death, from the first moment you power them up.
May be 5 years, may be 5 minutes.

What are you doing, right now, to prepare for that death?