Hard Drive dying?
Hard Drive dying?
Hi all, the issue turned out to be a faulty SATAT cable. It seemed to work only in one drive and a specific folder, but I’m glad we found the cause. I’m dealing with an unusual problem that doesn’t seem to have a clear solution. Recently, I purchased two brand new 6 TB Seagate Barracuda hard drives and noticed one appears to be failing, though no software flags it as dead. Since backups are intact, data recovery shouldn’t be a concern. I recorded a video on my PC, which saved to the main SSD boot drive and opened without issues. I then transferred it to the problematic drive in a certain folder. Whenever I accessed the folder, loading took an eternity and files wouldn’t open properly—even though it didn’t throw errors. I opened the file in VLC and saw a black screen instead of the expected content. Moving the file to an external drive fixed everything; it loaded quickly and worked perfectly. However, opening files in Windows Explorer froze repeatedly, so I removed the folder and copied the file from backup to the functional drive. The explorer would crash, then restart, leaving my screen dark for a moment before it recovered. I also tried reseating the drive, formatting it, and checking Task Manager activity, but it kept showing as idle or in the middle of formatting. Now the drive has no partitions left after a failed format attempt. Crystal Disk Info indicated everything looks normal, but I’m unsure what’s missing. I haven’t damaged the drive physically and it’s new, so I’m worried about hidden issues. I don’t want data loss even with backups, but I’d appreciate any guidance on what might be causing this. I also posted about the drives occasionally clicking, a symptom that started after purchase and has been noted in the forum. Please share any advice you might have.
How long have you been using them? If they're still within the warranty, return them to Segate.
I used them only for about three months, which fits within the warranty timeframe. I was just trying to find a solution so I wouldn’t have to return it.
Considering a different cable is wise, even if it means working with the side panel off to verify. This helps eliminate the chance of a faulty cable. I’m not keen on returning it, but if the drive is failing and it’s still new, wouldn’t it be better to avoid a known defective item?
That is a good point. Someone else did mention maybe is the SATA cable being defective so I will try that one first. If it turns out that isn't the case I will just go through warranty. Cause it might not even be a faulty drive at all.
Thanks for your responses. It turns out the issue was a faulty SATA cable. I hadn't thought about replacing it sooner, but testing the drive outside the case resolved the problem immediately.