Need your opinion about the heath of an internal HDD
 

Hi,
I have installed Lubuntu 20.04 on a Samsung internal SSD.
I am also using a Seagate spinning HDD for data only.
I had posted the Smart Test results of the HDD on a different forum & I was adviced to not store any important data on the HDD.

I have stored a lot of data on the HDD & haven't faced any data corruption whatsoever. So I am confused.

Can you please tell me your opinion about the health of this HDD ?

That drive is getting a little age on it. I bet it is 12 or so years old.

I would replace it before it dies. If you wait until it has problems then it my be too late. All hard drives are subject to failure. 12 year old ones have done their duty.

I'm no expert, but this looks safe. The failed tests were said to be outdated by a newer test. The logged errors are all about software misbehaving — see error codes. The over-all test is stated as passed and no bad sectors are reported. All the same, you do need to keep an eye on older drives. My laptop has a 17-year-old drive and SMART is happy with it, but that's IBM for you!

hifi100,

If the Raw Value for either #5 or #197 read anything other than zero, it is time to change the drive.

Follow teckk's advice above.

I've seen a manual for your model HDD dated 2007.
Your HDD must be over 10 years old.
Because the HDD has moving parts it will eventually break down.
People will give horror stories of their HDD failing well before 10 years.
But if your HDD has loyally given you over 10 years of performance - then you've got your moneys worth.

7200 rpm is a fast spin-rate as average HDDs spin at 5400 rpm.
So yours has been working harder resulting in possible faster wear.

Before the HDD eventually keels over it will make scratchy sounds - you can hear the device having difficulty spinning.
But you'll probably want to transfer data before that happens.
You don't want to transfer 160GB of data while you can hear the HDD slowly breaking down.
Of course the breakdown may even be sudden.

What do you mean by storing data only?
If you store data and don't modify it much (write-erase cycles) - then an SSD is best for that.
But if you store data and modify it a lot - then a HDD is best.
But yes it is advisable to replace your old HDD soon - even if you choose not to use it often to increase its longevity.
The SSD is much better if you use this technique because it has no moving parts.

After getting a new HDD I continued using my old HDD.
I installed 4 Linux distros onto it.
No data was stored on the old HDD - it would be saved on the new HDD,
I continued using the distros on the old HDD until it eventually failed.

Right, that's what others have noted as well.
You do realize that 7,200 RPM drives have been around a long time, right?? And that 5,400 RPM drives are much older...so the drive spinning at 7,200 RPM isn't 'working harder' at all, just working as it's was DESIGNED to work. And there are even 10,000 RPM drives out there...they don't 'work harder' either.
Incorrect; it MAY make a sound...and it may just not power up one day at all. And there is more than one way for a drive to fail, and it'll spin up just fine...and not work at all.
Incorrect on several levels; SSD's aren't any less reliable (and MORE so, in most cases), than standard spinning drives. Since SSD's aren't like flash memory, they level and perform error correction very well. I have several servers running SSD's as their main OS drives, and they've been working for years, 24/7, and still don't have any errors.
ALL drives fail, either HDD, SSD, or any other media you care to name.

My observation comes with a verified link to a reputable website.
I don't just have an opinion - it is supported with fact.

The motor of a platter turning at 7200rpm is running faster than a motor at 5400rpm.
A faster motor is wearing away more than a slower motor.

The HDD does make a sound. If you read my post you'll see it's based on personal experience.
What are you basing your opinion on?

SSDs are the new technology and they have been around recently.
But a modern efficient desktop rig uses SSD and HDD together.
This is because the larger capacity and affordability of HDD still makes it useful in the real world.

You understand simple physics. That is a good thing.

Right; again, saying the drive is old isn't saying anything new, nor is saying that ANY machine (no matter what it is), will break down.
Wrong; you apparently don't understand basic engineering. The motor was DESIGNED to run faster...that means, it's doing exactly what it's designed to do, period. Loads of low RPM motors used in servos/printers/other machines that may turn 100RPM, and wear out after six months. And anything that has higher load is made from different/better materials, so they have no problem handling the increased load.

And in case your 'reputable websites' haven't mentioned it, the warranties are just as long (or longer) on the higher RPM drives...how, exactly, would the manufacturers do that, if they wore out more frequently?? Try looking at Seagate's own website for comparison and MTBF/AFR numbers. And amazingly enough, the 10,000 RPM drives are warrantied the same as 7,200 RPM drives.
Over 36 years personal and professional experience, on thousands of servers/machines, using everything from MFM, SMD, IDE, SCSI, and all the form factors from 8" to 2.5", in things from mainframes to laptops; how about you??

Again, if you re-read my post, you'll see that I said that it *MAY* make a sound before failure...and it also MAY NOT make a sound, and be perfectly normal, right up until failure time. And there are many drives that spin just fine, but the heads don't unlock/move and the drive is just as dead....and sounds perfectly normal. Understand??
Wrong; been around since 1978, and there's a vast difference between being around for PERSONAL use versus INDUSTRIAL use. Just like there's a lot of differences in SSD types; feel free to look them up on your 'reputable websites', along with why flash memory is junk by comparison.
Again, misleading. SOME systems use both; some don't, and the price differences are fading quickly. Useful? Sure...just like tape is still useful. I don't have ANYTHING but SSD's, and haven't for years.
Yes, and better than you obviously.

I think we are getting off track.

As noted before, any media can and will fail. One solution is to have a backup plan usually.

So we are back to this drive could fail, when we can't say but at some point it will fail.

I used to maintain and program a magnetic core computer. Was supposed to be nuclear bomb resistant as long as the core was fastened tight. I never tested that.

So this drive is okay for now but since it's so old it can fail at any moment. The data that is on this drive is already backed up. I will just keep using this drive as long as it lasts coz IMHO it doesn't make sense to throw away the drive just because its old.

Again, all of the data is already backed up.

Thanks for the replies.

You may find this link helpful. That said, I do agree with what TB0ne has said above. At the end of the day, the more you use it, the sooner it will die. If the Reallocated_Sector_Ct attribute's RAW_VALUE starts rising rapidly in a short space of time, the drive is very likely failing at that point. Always backup whatever is important to you, always.

The last "spinning platter" drive I had that failed made a clicking sound (which was not normal) at the exact time it failing completely. First, all the files on it suddenly disappeared, then the clicking sound, then libata reported that it failed to communicate with the drive, then it's device node disappeared. That all happened in maybe 10 to 15 minutes, if even that... glad I'd backed it up beforehand.

OP is asking about the 'health of this HDD'. OP knows exactly how old it is.

The advice given is that yes, the HDD should be backed up and replaced soon.
The health of the HHD is worn despite running fine.

You however have given no advice to OP on this thread.
Have you noticed that?

It is impossible to say with certainty if a 10-year-old 7200rpm HDD will fail before a 10-year-old 5400rpm HDD.
But given the 'law of probabilities' it is prudent to say the HDD which has done the more work will fail sooner.
This is because 'work' contributes to depreciation.

The fact that the 7200rpm HDD is designed differently is irrelevant.
This is because 'design' does not contribute to depreciation.


The thread is about HDDs.
Their reliability is critical for worldwide computing.
They cannot be compared with other items unrelated to computing and the storage of data.

That is your simplistic assumption.
Unfortunately the world and economics doesn't work like that.
It's much more complicated.

What is the warranty on OP's HDD?
You don't know?
Then your opinion is irrelevant.

Who needs intelligence - when you have experience?

This is not about me.
Send a post to OP.
Hopefully one that is relevant and helpful, and not deranged.


I do not doubt that for a second. Obviously.

Right; again this was all said to the OP before you posted.
And have you noticed what you've given is either misleading or wrong?
Correct, and this is well known; drives can fail two months after buying them, or last 15 years...no way to know. But saying a faster RPM drive will fail sooner than a slower one is NOT right.
Then why did you state that a faster motor will wear out quicker? Again, the motor was designed to run at that speed; when that's done, the materials used are designed to run just fine at that load.
Since you're missing the point, I was referring to motor design, which you seem to be hung up on. Again, motor speed has zero to do with motor LIFE.
Not only wrong, but VERY wrong. If a company makes a product out of junk materials and warranties it for longer than the expected life (due to being designed poorly), what do you think will happen?? People RETURN them for refunds/replacements...and your 'simplistic assumption' is that somehow they make money by selling 2 (or more) drives for the price of one, after the failed one is returned?? No, sorry...doesn't happen.
5 years...which you can find on the 'reputable website' (that would be Seagate's). Did you look??
You asked about my experience and I told you; and I asked about YOURS...what do you base YOUR opinion on, besides 'reputable websites'??
Read the LQ Rules about personal attacks; this is the second comment that falls into that realm. I said plainly:
"Again, if you re-read my post, you'll see that I said that it *MAY* make a sound before failure...and it also MAY NOT make a sound, and be perfectly normal, right up until failure time. And there are many drives that spin just fine, but the heads don't unlock/move and the drive is just as dead....and sounds perfectly normal. Understand??"

Point out what's not relevant to hard drive health, and how your assertion that hard drives *ALWAYS* make a sound before failure, please. This is about not misleading the OP into thinking that SSD's are somehow not reliable, that HDD's 'always' make noises before failure, or saying definitively that one system configuration is better (when you don't know what the goal is). The OP has a clear picture of what was needed...posting things that confuse the issue isn't good.

As asked by jefro, keep this thread on topic.

Backups are great.
I would use it as long as it lasts, keeping backups current, but also being prepared for failure at a moments notice.

When you replace it is a personal choice, but just be prepared.
I guess the real question is this. Do you wait to buy the replacement until it totally fails and you are out until the replacement arrives, or do you buy it now, just in case? If you buy it now then why wait to replace it?

I personally don't see anything urgent about pending failure. The last error logged was a seek error at 520 hours and you currently have 20161 hours running. Nothing current to worry about.

Agreed totally. I tend to replace my drives every few years, regardless of errors, unless they're in a hardware RAID situation. Given the prices of drives, grabbing a new one (usually bigger, cheaper, and faster), isn't a bad thing. But even though I have good backups, I still don't like that dark-O-thirty phone call about things dying, or having a problem I could avoid.