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Dropped a running hard drive

K

Kelvarr

Supreme [H]ardness
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Ok, so shockingly, this has never happened before. I accidentally bumped my external hard drive, and it fell from on top of my 800D onto the floor. The hard drive is in an eSATA enclosure. The drive is still accessible, and there doesn't seem to be any issues with it.

Are there any tests I can run that will test for any issues? Or do I just cross my fingers?
 
I would register the drive with the OEM and then download their free diagnostic software. Run the software and it will give you a report of the health of your drive.
 
It is a WD 3TB Green drive.

If the extended test is successful/reports no errors, can I consider myself lucky?
 
We've thrown actively spinning drives into the ground(concrete) and they still work. As long as it wasn't writing at that moment and the circuit board is intact, it's probably fine.
 
Kelvarr said:
It is a WD 3TB Green drive.

If the extended test is successful/reports no errors, can I consider myself lucky?
Click to expand...

Extremely lucky, yes. However, I would not store ANY critical data on the drive that you don't mind losing (ex: don't use as a backup HDD).
 
bloodypulp said:
We've thrown actively spinning drives into the ground(concrete) and they still work. As long as it wasn't writing at that moment and the circuit board is intact, it's probably fine.
Click to expand...

yeah...I should have said...it is an internal 3.5" drive. I placed it in my own enclosure. The drive is perfectly fine, appearance-wise.

So if I have to RMA this (an extended test is going to take a while), will WD know it was dropped?
 
dalekphalm said:
Extremely lucky, yes. However, I would not store ANY critical data on the drive that you don't mind losing (ex: don't use as a backup HDD).
Click to expand...

Nothing critical on it even now. I just finished copying files off it (it currently only has media on it). Worst case scenario, I have to re-rip some DVD's (only about 170GB worth).
 
Kelvarr said:
It is a WD 3TB Green drive.

If the extended test is successful/reports no errors, can I consider myself lucky?
Click to expand...

Echoing others, yes, lucky. I've had two WD Green running drives inside computers dropped here over the years from a height no more than 3 feet. Neither were being written to at the time. They both received reallocated sectors (and big warnings in SMART, among other things) immediately afterwards.

Blacks & Reds dropped here, no issues. Only the Greens. Small sample size, of course, but if there is any risk of drops, avoid drives lacking any sort of vibration protection.

What "extended test" are you referring to? CHKDSK (command line)/"Check Disk" (GUI) with scanning for bad sectors? Or WD's Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for Windows "Extended Test"?
 
Fritingo said:
Echoing others, yes, lucky. I've had two WD Green running drives inside computers dropped here over the years from a height no more than 3 feet. Neither were being written to at the time. They both received reallocated sectors (and big warnings in SMART, among other things) immediately afterwards.

Blacks & Reds dropped here, no issues. Only the Greens. Small sample size, of course, but if there is any risk of drops, avoid drives lacking any sort of vibration protection.

What "extended test" are you referring to? CHKDSK (command line)/"Check Disk" (GUI) with scanning for bad sectors? Or WD's Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for Windows "Extended Test"?
Click to expand...

WD's Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for Windows "Extended Test"

S.M.A.R.T. status and Quick Tests Pass

I was able to copy all of my data off.
 
So I am not so lucky it seems:

Test Option: QUICK TEST
Model Number: WDC WD30EZRX-00MMMB0
Unit Serial Number: REDACTED
Firmware Number: 80.00A80
Capacity: 3000.59 GB
SMART Status: PASS
Test Result: PASS
Test Time: 20:31:59, March 25, 2013

Test Option: EXTENDED TEST
Model Number: WDC WD30EZRX-00MMMB0
Unit Serial Number: REDACTED
Firmware Number: 80.00A80
Capacity: 3000.59 GB
SMART Status: PASS
Test Result: FAIL
Test Error Code: 08-Too many bad sectors detected.
Test Time: 21:22:24, March 25, 2013
 
The bad sectors come from the heads physically scratching the platters.

This is typically what happens when a drive gets a bump while the heads are not safely parked.

Yeah dropped drives might work but there is no telling how much damage there is or if they will fail.

As for returning to WD: Well if they take it apart they will probably be able to tell that it has received an impact due to misaligned heads and scratched platters. If they dont take it apart they won't be able to tell.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_crash
 
So DLG errored out 3 times. The last time I ran it, it passed. I should still RMA it though, correct?

Here is the CrystalDiskInfo. All DLG says is "Pass" now. I don't see any errors or reallocated sectors, so I'm not sure why it failed in the first place.

 
Last edited:
After doing an extended (or quick) test, fully shut down your system properly, then turn it back on (to make sure everything is recorded properly). Then look at the SMART data in Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for Windows. Click select a drive, right click, then select "Show SMART Disk Info".

It will show you a list of the SMART values for the drive as CrystalDiskInfo does. If they all have green check marks, going to be tough convincing WD you need a replacement. Best to save a screenshot of your desktop with a "fail" result of an extended test. Then again, WD is pretty good with RMAs these days.
 
you get some good and bad drives at work i dropped a 3tb hdd just onto the work bench would of been less than 30cm drive no longer work on the other hand we had an old ide 320gig hdd bang it repeatedly with a hammer drive is still working to this day
 
Fritingo said:
After doing an extended (or quick) test, fully shut down your system properly, then turn it back on (to make sure everything is recorded properly). Then look at the SMART data in Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for Windows. Click select a drive, right click, then select "Show SMART Disk Info".

It will show you a list of the SMART values for the drive as CrystalDiskInfo does. If they all have green check marks, going to be tough convincing WD you need a replacement. Best to save a screenshot of your desktop with a "fail" result of an extended test. Then again, WD is pretty good with RMAs these days.
Click to expand...

Well, I have the TEXT from the DLG failure as I posted above. I did not save a screenshot of the DLG failures.

I already have an advance RMA on the way (did that as soon as the first error showed up).

My question, is do I swap them out, and send mine back? Or do I send the replacement back?

I have not done the full shutdown yet. I will do that and check it again.
EDIT: Here are the results:


Another EDIT: Ran DLG extended test again after the power off.....it failed again due to "too many bad sectors". I got the screenshot and saved the .htm file that DLG makes. I guess that definitely answers my question on what I'll do when the new drive arrives.
 
Last edited:
You run a cake store. Some guy walks in and buys one of your cakes and leaves. You just happen to be looking out the front window when you see the guy place the cake on top of his car, watch it slide off the side and fall to the ground. A few moments later the guy is back in your store telling you the cake he just bought is defective and demands a new one. Do you give him a new one or is the guy a dick?

Hint: the guy is a dick.
 
Your Use of the Product

WD will have no liability for any Product returned if WD determines that:
• The product was stolen from WD.
• The asserted defect:
◦is not present,
◦cannot reasonably be fixed because of damage occurring when the Product is in the possession of someone other than WD, or
◦is attributable to misuse, improper installation, alteration (including removing or obliterating labels and opening or removing external covers (unless authorized to do so by Western Digital or an authorized Service Center)), accident or mishandling while in the possession of someone other than WD.
•The Product was not sold to you as new.
•The product was not used in accordance with Western Digital specifications and instructions.
•The product was not used for its intended function (for example, desktop drives used in an Enterprise environment).
Click to expand...

Should you elect to not return the RMA and instead return a drive that by all rights has a voided warranty, don't be surprised to see a charge to your credit card in a couple weeks for the cost of a new drive.

I've taken enough drives apart to know when one's been dropped while it's running, and they have tons more experience than I do. They will most likely take the five seconds to remove the cover and see the damage to the platters.
 
Some credit cards include 90 days of protection against damage and theft. This is usually offered by the card company, not the issuer in case of Visa or Mastercard.

A friend of mine knocked a vertical 400GB - 500GB WD external horizontal a year or two ago. It developed loads of errors, and he had to rewrite each sector to get bad ones reallocated. It fails SMART testing, but I believe it otherwise still works.
 
I doubt they'll open the drive. That's too much work and requires a special room. They'll just plug it to a test bench that will assess the damage and either send it to be recycled or make a refurb out of it.

I've sent quite a few drives in RMA that just had one or a couple of reallocated sectors and always received replacement drives (I usually don't do advanced replacements).
 
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