[SOLVED] Long-term effects of 465 start and stops in under 8 hours

[Abdullah Radwan]

Hi all,

I purchased a WD Blue 1TB HDD 10 months earlier when I built my computer. After 9 months of use, Windows randomly stopped booting whenever it's connected. Sometimes it boots, sometimes it doesn't. I immediately transferred my data to my SSD (Crucial 240GB) and another spare HDD, contacted warranty, and got a full refund.

I purchased a Seagate Barracuda 1TB HDD shortly thereafter, and for the first 2 days, it worked without a problem. Then suddenly Windows started taking a lot of time to list any folder or file on it, and sometimes it doesn't load and I get hardware failure message (I can't remember the exact message, it just contained hardware failure), and it started making some really strange noises. I downloaded SeaTools and made a SMART check. It passed it as expected (Hard Disk Sentinal reported heath at 100%). But whenever I start a short or long generic test, the test fails immediately after 5 seconds.

I said it must be my computer and not the HDD this time. I tried swapping the SATA cable but to no avail. Then I read it might be a bad power supply, so I hooked it to another computer, and sure enough, it worked without any problem and passed all generic tests.
To confirm that the problem was from the power supply (not from the motherboard for example), I replaced my power supply with another, and the HDD worked well. So I purchased a new case and power supply and everything is great so far.

The problem is that the start/stop count is too high, 584 for a power-on time of 3 days. I looked at the history and the image speaks for itself:

On June the 24th when the power supply failed completely, there was 465 start and stops in just 8 hours (possibly even less), not to mention the unusual increase on the 22nd and the 23rd. I am now worried about the HDD. Was it able to sustain that or it's permanently damaged? In other words, can I continue to it normally or I have to get a new one if I don't want to lose my data?

All other SMART attributes are perfect and the health is 100% but I am still worried.

 

[kerberos_20]

start/stop count can increase if u have power saving settings enabled (lets say sleep hdd in few minutes of not using it)

 

[Abdullah Radwan]

start/stop count can increase if u have power saving settings enabled (lets say sleep hdd in few minutes of not using it)

I am aware of that, but it's not the case here. The high count is due to a power supply malfunction. The WD one had 800 starts and stops for 300 days of power-on time, and the Seagate is 580 for just 3 days. My question is whether this abnormally high count has any noticeable long-term effect or not.

 

[lvt]

and the Seagate is 580 for just 3 days.

My question is whether this abnormally high count has any noticeable long-term effect or not.

It means 8 counts per hour or once every 7 min.

I wouldn't worry about that.

Start/Stop cycles don't kill the HDD, but heat does.

 

[Abdullah Radwan]

It means 8 counts per hour or once every 7 min.

I wouldn't worry about that.

Start/Stop cycles don't kill the HDD, but heat does.

Actually, the greatest stress which happened on the 24th was 465 counts in under 8 hours, almost one count per minute. Anyway, thanks for the clarification.

 

[lvt]

Actually, the greatest stress which happened on the 24th was 465 counts in under 8 hours, almost one count per minute. Anyway, thanks for the clarification.

The Seagate Barracuda 1TB usually has only 2 platters, pretty light compared to other HDD with many more platters. The 12V brushless motor is very powerful, the stress (if any) on the motor and bearing should have been minimum.

 

[Abdullah Radwan]

The Seagate Barracuda 1TB usually has only 2 platters, pretty light compared to other HDD with many more platters. The 12V brushless motor is very powerful, the stress (if any) on the motor and bearing should have been minimum.

I see. Thank you for your help!