WD20EARX - insane high number of pending sectors (65531)

[maRss]

Hi all,

I got this drive from a friend which, after installing some utility to monitor disk status, got warnings about the health of this disk... so he gave it to me to perform tests and helping him on what to do with this drive.

He didn't noticed any strange behaviour during normal daily use, and the disk was already emptied so I can make any test I wish without worries about the data... and there's still more than a year of full warranty.

Here's the situation from SMART:

-- S.M.A.R.T. --------------------------------------------------------------
ID Cur Wor Thr RawValues(6) Attribute Name
01 200 200 _51 000000000001 Read Error Rate
03 167 166 _21 0000000019E9 Spin-Up Time
04 100 100 __0 00000000003E Start/Stop Count
05 200 200 140 000000000000 Reallocated Sectors Count
07 200 200 __0 000000000000 Seek Error Rate
09 _98 _98 __0 00000000065D Power-On Hours
0A 100 253 __0 000000000000 Spin Retry Count
0B 100 253 __0 000000000000 Recalibration Retries
0C 100 100 __0 00000000003B Power Cycle Count
C0 200 200 __0 000000000022 Power-off Retract Count
C1 181 181 __0 00000000E0BF Load/Unload Cycle Count
C2 115 109 __0 000000000023 Temperature
C4 200 200 __0 000000000000 Reallocation Event Count
C5 __1 __1 __0 00000000FFFB Current Pending Sector Count
C6 200 200 __0 000000000003 Uncorrectable Sector Count
C7 200 200 __0 000000000000 UltraDMA CRC Error Count
C8 200 200 __0 00000000001D Write Error Rate

so... I understand there where 3 UNC, which the offline scan took care of, probably remapping them and there where some read/write errors I should not worry (or should I?)... but how to read that huge number of Current Pending Sectors?

So far I already did, using Data Lifeguard (DOS boot), a full zero write, short and extended tests... in this exact order. All of them finished with no errors, but nothing changed in the SMART values.

I made an extra full write-read session using HD Tune, from Windows, but still nothing changed.

How it's possible?

I don't think an RMA would be accepted on that basis, but I don't feel confident telling that this drive is safe to store data...

have you got some hint on what to do, other type of testing method/utility to suggest or what?

thanks in advance for every help I'll receive. 

[Awopero]

I don't think WD will take it if the DLG diagnose the drive as OK. However is better if you reach WD directly via email or phone and ask then.

[maRss]

thanks for the advice,

actually I'm finishing a full format from O.S. and tomorrow I'll fill the drive making a full file copy to fill the whole 2TB space, so I can have other info from the higher layer side... probably it won't solve anything but at least I should have more detail in case of a last resort WD assistance call.

[DavidSucesso]

Install hard disk sentinel just for curiosity and confirm the status

[maRss]

Hi David,

for coincidence, hd sentinel is the same program i use on my personal PC to control my HDDs health.

Here's some screen:

As you can notice, after finishing the full format and file copy (I finished just yesterday filling the whole 2TB space), the value of UNC from offline scan dropped to 0 (good news I think... I didn't even know that this value could change), and the write error rate is lower too. No change in other values.

Actually I'm finishing a (loooong) read-write-verify session, that will refresh the data actually stored on it, forcing again another full rewrite of the disk surface... then I will get checkums of the files stored and compare them to the original ones to be sure no real errors are made in the process.

But I confess that if everything goes fine and get no changes in the pending sectors counter (what I fear and expect), I'll be a bit confused about how interpret the SMART data.

Can it be so wrong and how can I trust the other data it's collecting? Is there some one-time event that could have screwed it (power surge, a bad shutdown or similar)?  ... so far the disk is performing fine in every test and normal-stress use conditions I'm recreating.

After this last test I think I'll going to submit the "case" to WD Help and check what they suggest to do.

[DavidSucesso]

can you please use another host??

i cant see anything :/

lets see and i will give my opinion

you will continue to see the pictures but other user dont... i dont understand what happened to that hoster

[maRss]

oops...I used the WD forum hosting... didn't know about problems with it

uploaded here:

http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/ii634/ma_R_ss/Cattura00.png
http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/ii634/ma_R_ss/Cattura01.png
http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/ii634/ma_R_ss/Cattura02.png
http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/ii634/ma_R_ss/Cattura03.png 

[DavidSucesso]

It seems that your drive has remapped sucefully 65 K sectors

What is the health and the info in the main page??

your drive isnt good off course... it seems that may gain uncorrectable sectors a any time

i dont know the count available for the spare sectors... please return the drive and get a new one

[maRss]

Just finished the last (for now) test... full surface read, write, verify... completed without errors, no changes in pending sectors, still 65531.

 http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/ii634/ma_R_ss/read_write_verify_01.png

and here's the resume screen from HDD Sentinel... it just repeat what we already know ^^ 

http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/ii634/ma_R_ss/report.png

I'm not really sure of what's really happening... but agree that the drive can't be called "good".

I mean, if the sectors were remapped there should be trace in reallocated sectors/event count...  but they're all zero.

And those pending sectors keep pending even after a fair number of full disk rewrite and verify... so I would expect to see errors somewhere, but the drive keep performing apparently fine.

I too would be happy to RMA it, but I'm not sure WD will accept... think it's time to check their customer service and get some advice.

[Bill_S]

You can RMA a drive at any time and we will process it.  If you're not comfortable with the drive, then please RMA it.