New HD "Did not format successfully"

[Muse]

Well, the format completed this time (using same USB 2.0 enclosure, but this time on a Win10 64bit laptop instead of my Win10 32bit laptop) ... evidently. No messages, but looking in Disk Management (which is where I initiated the full format using default NTFS settings) it shows a healthy NTFS volume. Took about 54 hours, was connected by USB 2.0. Guess I have to assume that the failed format was some kind of spurious anomaly?

I'm wondering something: How do I interpret S.M.A.R.T. data, such as I see in CristalDiskInfo or WD DL Diag? Current / Worst / Threshhold / Raw ... What does that stuff mean?

 

[Elixer]

54 hours? The good ole days!

Problem with USB is, lots of things can go wrong, so, can't really tell if that was a anomaly or not.
To play it safe, I would torture test the HD a day or so, since they usually fail early or late in their life cycle.

 

[Muse]

54 hours? The good ole days!

Problem with USB is, lots of things can go wrong, so, can't really tell if that was a anomaly or not.
To play it safe, I would torture test the HD a day or so, since they usually fail early or late in their life cycle.

Can you suggest a means of torture testing it?

 

[Elixer]

Can you suggest a means of torture testing it?

If you don't use linux, then, you can use this tool (http://hddscan.com/) and do the butterfly read test, then do a write test.

 

[Muse]

If you don't use linux, then, you can use this tool (http://hddscan.com/) and do the butterfly read test, then do a write test.

Thanks, just downloaded HDDScan, started the Butterfly Read Test. There's no indication how long it will take. Any idea? Or is this a test that you just run until you are pleased that the drive hasn't failed and call it a day?

 

[Muse]

If you don't use linux, then, you can use this tool (http://hddscan.com/) and do the butterfly read test, then do a write test.

The only tests I see in HDDScan are Verify, Read, Erase and Butterfly Read. What is a Write test?

The Butterfly Read, well, it started, I came back to the machine about 18 hours later and the machine had rebooted. I assume that Windows 10 had done its Update procedure. AFAIK, there's no way to make Windows 10 wait for user confirmation before doing Windows Update and if necessary, rebooting. The other day I left an app open that won't let Windows shut it down, but I don't know that I did that yesterday.

 

[Muse]

OK, I think I see now. You add tests in HDDScan, and while executing you double-click that test and it shows info including the % completion. I'm at 13% completion now after 7 hours of the Butterfly Read Test.

I'm thinking by "Write" you mean Verify?

 

[Elixer]

OK, I think I see now. You add tests in HDDScan, and while executing you double-click that test and it shows info including the % completion. I'm at 13% completion now after 7 hours of the Butterfly Read Test.

I'm thinking by "Write" you mean Verify?

Sorry for the late reply, it is "Erase" mode that I meant.
Also, you can open up the graph / map of the drive's operation if you want, as long as the graph is smooth, and the map doesn't have "high" counts, then it is good to go.
Sorry, I don't recall how long it takes, I usually throw them into my other machine, and let it work.

 

[Muse]

I am running HDDScan's Butterfly Read test on the HD right now.

CrystalDiskInfo is right now throwing a Caution on this WD 3TB Red 5400RPM HDD. It full-formatted, after the 3rd attempt. It's right now 68% done with the Butterfly Read test. The lines that aren't blue (i.e. they are flagged as Yellow for Caution) in CrystalDiskInfo window are:

ID=05 Reallocated Sectors Count / Current=200 / Worst=200 / Threshhold=140 / Raw Value=000000000001

ID=C5 Current Pending Sector Count / Current=200 / Worst=200 /Threshold=0 / Raw Value=0000000001D0

Is this grounds for asking to RMA this HD?

 

[VirtualLarry]

I think that, for warranty service, you need to use WD DLGDIAG, but theprognosis of those "Pending" (re-allocation) sectors aren't good.

I wouldn't use that drive for anything important.

If you bought it new with warranty recently, and it's not grey-market, I would indeed RMA it.

 

[Muse]

I think that, for warranty service, you need to use WD DLGDIAG, but theprognosis of those "Pending" (re-allocation) sectors aren't good.

I wouldn't use that drive for anything important.

If you bought it new with warranty recently, and it's not grey-market, I would indeed RMA it.

Hovering mouse cursor over "Health Status" in CrystalDiskInfo it says Current Pending Sector Count: 464. That seems like a lot.

 

[Shmee]

That is a lot. I would RMA the drive. Even 1 pending or bad sector means the disk is developing issues and will continue to get worse over time.

 

[Muse]

That is a lot. I would RMA the drive. Even 1 pending or bad sector means the disk is developing issues and will continue to get worse over time.

I called the retailer (B&H), explained the circumstances and they consented to RMA the drive. Prepaid label via UPS, and upon receipt they'll send me a replacement. They said that the particular drive I got is "discontinued" and they will send me the drive that replaces it in the WD line. Hope it is that indeed, suppose it's a WD Red 3TB 5400RPM. He wondered if I wanted to replace both the HDs I got in the order, I said that I had no good reason to think the other one is bad too (it's in its unopened box), and that I will attempt to format and test it, just as I did the other one (fingers crossed!).

The one they will be sending me is to replace WD30EFRX. They have the replacement listed as:

MFR # WDBMMA0030HNC-NRSN
- - - -
Edit: I have my doubts here. Looking up the replacement drive most sellers and sites don't specify that this is "Red." B&H's page says "Red," a post at WD Community asserts that it's the same HD as WD30EFRX but is the retail box version. Other than those two, Amazon, Best Buy, CNET do not indicate that this drive is "Red" much less a "replacement" for the WD30EFRX. One reason I'm concerned is that I have a couple of WD30EFRX in my NAS, and I want to save one of these to replace those in case one goes bad. I don't want incompatible drives in the RAID1 NAS. Also, I'm concerned about the quality if the drive. I have had several 2+TB HDs fail on me, going forward I want dependable HDs.

Newegg's page for the MFR # WDBMMA0030HNC-NRSN indicates not that it's "Red" but this:

WD Desktop Networking WDBMMA0030HNC-NRSN 3TB 5400 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Network NAS Hard Drive Retail Kit

 

[Muse]

I called WD tech support and am told that indeed, the WDBMMA0030HNC-NRSN is the retail-boxed version of the WD30EFRX. It won't say WD30EFRX on the label, but it is the same HD... so he said. I'll accept that and presume it's not just "compatible" but is the same and figure I shouldn't hesitate to mate it with the WD30EFRX in my NAS, should that day come.

 

[Elixer]

That is a lot. I would RMA the drive. Even 1 pending or bad sector means the disk is developing issues and will continue to get worse over time.

Yeah, pretty much this.

Glad it decided to start throwing those errors this early OP, instead of later on when you have data you care about on it.
Good luck on the replacement drive!

Oh, and for what it is worth, you don't actually have to use WD's own utilities, as long as you tell them it is throwing SMART errors, that is enough for them to get authorization to get a RMA.

 

[Muse]

Yeah, pretty much this.

Glad it decided to start throwing those errors this early OP, instead of later on when you have data you care about on it.
Good luck on the replacement drive!

Oh, and for what it is worth, you don't actually have to use WD's own utilities, as long as you tell them it is throwing SMART errors, that is enough for them to get authorization to get a RMA.

I was lucky that the seller consented to RMA it. I ordered on 12/02 but didn't open the box (which contained 2 new 3TB Red WD HDs) until Jan. 18, because I was still gathering parts for my system rebuild. I've been ordering a number of things from B&H, so was hopeful they'd continue to treat me right.

I'm right now full-formatting the other 3TB HD that I ordered Dec. 2. It's 90% done. Hopefully, it won't say CAUTION in crystaldiskinfo when done. Right now it says "Good." Should know in ~4 hours.