Question What is the quickest way to transfer 4 TB of data from a external HDD drive that is failing to one that new?

[Silverwolf_Lee_2]

Hello everyone.

What is the quickest way to transfer 4 TB of data from a external HDD drive that is failing to one that new?

I'm not super knowledgeable on this stuff and I want to make sure I know what I am doing and know what I need to do.

Both are WD Easystore drives. The old one seems to be having bad sectors and I am worried that if I leave it plugged in while transferring everything to the new one, the numbers of bad sectors will go up which I at least know isn't good. I would like to know what program is the easiest to use and is fastest to transfer everything. Also is it possible to know how long it could take? Would like to do this as soon as possible so I can return my old one to WD since I did advance RMA. Thanks for any possible help.

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

If I were in your predicament, I'd make a copy of the data on my PC first, since the drive I'm trying to take it off of is compromised(failing), then disconnect the drive and then hook the new drive to the PC/laptop and then migrate the data to the new drive.

 

[Silverwolf_Lee_2]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

If I were in your predicament, I'd make a copy of the data on my PC first, since the drive I'm trying to take it off of is compromised(failing), then disconnect the drive and then hook the new drive to the PC/laptop and then migrate the data to the new drive.

Thanks for a reply. I got no space to do that. I did however put some of the most important data on to another drive I had. Couldn't I just transfer the data to the new drive using a program that would be faster than Windows Explorer? I mean why put it on my PC which has no space for all of it when I can just put it on the new drive right away anyways?

 

[CountMike]

Thanks for a reply. I got no space to do that. I did however put some of the most important data on to another drive I had. Couldn't I just transfer the data to the new drive using a program that would be faster than Windows Explorer? I mean why put it on my PC which has no space for all of it when I can just put it on the new drive right away anyways?

https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/ultracopier.html

Download FastCopy - MajorGeeks

FastCopy is the Fastest Copy/Delete Software on Windows. It can copy/delete Unicode and over MAX_PATH(260byte) pathname files.

www.majorgeeks.com

 

[Lutfij]

I mean why put it on my PC which has no space for all of it when I can just put it on the new drive right away anyways?
So you don't lose your data in the event that the failing drive decides to say goodbye while you're transferring data. Moving data from one drive to another that are tethered via USB ports will be slow. From your post's stylization it seems like the data holds some value to you which is why you can't afford to lose it, per my observation.

 

[Misgar]

Both are WD Easystore drives.

Your WD drives are both USB 3.0 which has more than enough bandwidth to cope with 2.5in hard disk transfer rates. Provided you have a decent computer with a couple of free USB 3.0 ports, start transferring files immediately.

I am worried that if I leave it plugged in while transferring everything to the new one,

There's very little you can do to stop more bad blocks appearing. Try not to power off the bad drive until you've copied all files possible.

Instead of using Windows File Manager, which has a tendency to "hang" when it encounters "unreadable" files with CRC errors, may I suggest FreeFileSync to copy the failing drive to the new drive.

It won't be any faster than File Manager, but it copes gracefully when errors are encountered and allows you to continue, after warning you some files are unreadable.

https://freefilesync.org/

If, for example, your failing USB drive is assigned drive letter E: by Windows and your new USB drive is assigned drive letter F:. you simply browse to the root directory of drive E: in the left window of FreeFileSync and select it as your source. Repeat in the right hand window and select the root directory of drive F: as the destination drive. Select Compare, then click the Synchronise to start the copy.

When finished, buy another drive or USB memory stick and backup any files where you have only one copy. You really should have at least three copies on different drives/media/cloud of all your valuable documents and family photos. Hardware failure, Ransomware Attacks, floods, fires, theft, lightning strikes, can all affect your data.