[SOLVED] Is this hard drive fixable? (missing files)

[KaiserPhantasma]

This happened because my GPU was reaching it's end of life (it's a MSI twin frozr III 7970 OC/BE) and kept going to black/no signal found on my monitor randomly/specific tasks (ex. opening a browser, waiting for the react buttons in FB to pop up) and I am forced to restart everytime that happens, just a few days ago I found out some of my images are missing and I initially suspected it was the HDD failing, can I still recover those images? is this fixable with a check disk/defrag?

attached below is just a quick screenshot from crystal disk

 

[jojesa]

If the 'Relocated Sector Count' does not increase after several boots then the drive is OK. If the number keeps increasing then you should get ready to replace the drive.
Just because you see sector relocation, it does not automatically implies that the drive is failing.
A drive could have occasional defects in manufacturing and these defects prevent a sector from been read or written.
The drive itself flags a damaged sector and data is moved (reallocated).

 

[fzabkar]

That's a very sick Seagate drive. Be prepared for imminent failure. The ST3000DM001 model was the subject of a class action law suit.

I would clone it with HDDSuperClone or ddrescue. Avoid CHKDSK, as it will only exacerbate the problem.

 

[KaiserPhantasma]

If the 'Relocated Sector Count' does not increase after several boots then the drive is OK. If the number keeps increasing then you should get ready to replace the drive.
Just because you see sector relocation, it does not automatically implies that the drive is failing.
A drive could have occasional defects in manufacturing and these defects prevent a sector from been read or written.
The drive itself flags a damaged sector and data is moved (reallocated).

ok... meaning I don't have to "fuss" too much about the drive itself but what about the files? will I be seeing them anytime soon? do I execute a CHKDSK and defrag?

note: this isn't 100% about the drive since the drive is "replaceable" but rather the files

That's a very sick Seagate drive. Be prepared for imminent failure. The ST3000DM001 model was the subject of a class action law suit.

I would clone it with HDDSuperClone or ddrescue. Avoid CHKDSK, as it will only exacerbate the problem.

but what about the files? can you also please explain (genuinely interested) why not to CHKDSK since it might exacerbate it? and lastly how did you know it was the ST3000DM001 model, was sure I blurred it all out

 

[fzabkar]

CHKDSK will make a mess of the file system when there are many bad sectors, as appears to be the case. You need to clone as much of the drive as possible before it fails. Then run data recovery software against the clone.

HDDSuperClone can run from a Live CD.

 

[KaiserPhantasma]

CHKDSK will make a mess of the file system when there are many bad sectors, as appears to be the case. You need to clone as much of the drive as possible before it fails. Then run data recovery software against the clone.

HDDSuperClone can run from a Live CD.

noted on the CHKDSK and the HDD cloning,

but what about the "missing" files am I ever going to see them again? and again how did you know the exact model?

 

[jojesa]

ok... meaning I don't have to "fuss" too much about the drive itself but what about the files? will I be seeing them anytime soon? do I execute a CHKDSK and defrag?

note: this isn't 100% about the drive since the drive is "replaceable" but rather the files

If you deem that your files are important and irreplaceable, then you should have them saved, in at least, two separate locations. A drive could fail at any time and sometimes without warning.

Storage is very inexpensive, when comparing it even with the cheapest reliable data recovery out there.

By the way, I have yet to encounter a WD drive failure (I have 11 WD at home and 100s at work) and I had several Seagate failed on me. For that reason I stopped buying Seagate HDD.
Not all ST3000DM001 were created equally, but if your drive was manufacturer between 2011-2015, then I would be concerned about my data.

 

[USAFRet]

By the way, I have yet to encounter a WD drive failure (I have 11 WD at home and 100s at work) and I had several Seagate failed on me.

The last HDD I had fail was a WD.

 

[fzabkar]

but what about the "missing" files am I ever going to see them again? and again how did you know the exact model?

You can scan your clone with various data recovery tools. DMDE is probably the cheapest commercial tool.

I knew your drive was a Seagate because of Seagate's unique SMART attributes. I guessed the model name from the capacity (3TB) and from its poor record.