Current pending sector count error Part 2

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Hi Guys,

Part 1 link- Current pending sector count error

About this thread Error 1073740791 in Windows 10 somehow I was not convinced that this is caused by some Windows related errors, virus or anything. This machine is very normally used for typing work etc. In the first week of June I checked crystal disk info the hdd was fine. Now Crystal disk info app was giving this error 1073740791 while opening as it requires admin rights. Today opened it via task manager and boom here is the result

https://imgur.com/a/dFe7eFl

Now here is some other issue, current specs of the system

Ryzen 5 1600
Zotac GT 710
Asus PrimeB-350 Plus
Corsair RAM 8gb 2666mhz (3200 mhz supported by mobo, 3200 mhz was oos when this pc was built) and it is used in slot 2. In CPU Z the frequency is mentioned 1197.60 mhz though, why?
Antec vp550p 550w (The previous gpu was Zotac 1060 6gb, so that is why this psu. 710 was bought about a year back)
Corsair Spec 1 case
The ups is a very old local one with some excide battery. Gives a backup of 10-15 minutes atleast
The monitor is from LG 21" or 22" not sure

This WD hdd was a rma product and was covered under warranty till last week of last month, it had to go kaput just a month later

Anyways the previous hdd went kaput due to this reason only about 2 years back. We have an external hdd which we use to take backups form other machines and then copy in the hdd of this system, hence the need for 2tb space. As you can see from the crystal disk info ss, this unit was not that much used.

Now major queries-

1. Why does this current pending sector error occur in the first place? Is there any more hdd diagnostic software which we can run just to make sure? Maybe something by WD itself?

2. Why are the drives going the current pending sector error way? Both the internal and external one? The external one is also used to take backups like once or twice from all machines and then copy in this system. BTW this external one too showed current pending sector error and was rmaed. Is this current pending sector error happening because of very less usage? I have read that if ssd's are not powered on once in 60-90 days then they loose all the data. Is that true?

3. We need atleast 1.5tb space for backups in this system. Is ssd supported by this setup?

4. Which drive, ssd/hdd would you suggest?

5. Went to a local shop to check the prices of the hdd offline. The shopkeeper was pushing Toshiba over WD and said that the former comes with 3 year warranty vs 2 years on the WD, they had the purple one. Met another guy who was their to confirm the rates. He said that if the hdd is going kaput via the same error current pending sector count then there is something wrong with the rig, either with the main electricity point, ups or psu or something else in the rig. He said that I should find the problem first before buying a new hdd. He's right, got the original internal hdd in july 2017, usage was moderate with light gaming as it had gtx 1060 then. Current pending sector came in April 2019 and was rmaed. After that when the system was downgraded to gt 710 usage became even less, thanks to corona too. The external hdd from wd, went through the same between this timeline only. So, how to find out the culprit and how to rectify the same? We have two old systems at home assembled circa 2010, with p4 80 gb hdd's etc. The drives of the same are fine with no current pending sector error as of now, touchwood. I have a feeling that the ups might be an issue. How? IDK. Here to find the science behind it.

6. Can zero filling the drive fix this issue?

7. If an external hdd, pendrive etc. is used with this drive to copy data then can this drive somehow ruin those external storage drives too?

Any other inputs?

@whitestar_999 @patkim @Desmond @sling-shot

Thanks

Edit-

Checked the system from as per the commands here, ran cmd as admin via task manager

*answers.microsoft.com/en-us/window...to-run-a/8e145f08-fad8-42c4-a5d5-c8c7af3bc601

C:\Users\xxxx>Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.19041.844

Image Version: 10.0.19044.1741

No component store corruption detected.
The operation completed successfully.

C:\Users\xxxx>Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.19041.844

Image Version: 10.0.19044.1741

[===========================85.8%================= ]
Error: 605

The specified buffer contains ill-formed data.

The DISM log file can be found at C:\WINDOWS\Logs\DISM\dism.log

C:\Users\xxxx>Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.19041.844

Image Version: 10.0.19044.1741

[===========================53.2% ]
Error: 605

The specified buffer contains ill-formed data.

The DISM log file can be found at C:\WINDOWS\Logs\DISM\dism.log

C:\Users\xxxx>sfc/scannow

Beginning system scan. This process will take some time.

Beginning verification phase of system scan.
Verification 2% complete.

Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation.

C:\Users\xxxx>sfc/scannow

Beginning system scan. This process will take some time.

Beginning verification phase of system scan.
Verification 2% complete.

Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation.

Have run chkdsk /r /f also, will get back what it says after restart. Don't have high hopes from this, as cannot go back to a restore point, it gives an error. Windows have downloaded some updates, while shutdown or restart it starts to install them but them says cannot install and undos everything. Yes Windows seem corrupted too. I am fine with the reinstallation now, it is the current pending sector error in the hdd which is worrying me.

I am not really sure but I suspect the HDD is experiencing some hardware faults. Just to be safe, backup all your important data.

Try defragging your drive and see if all sectors are getting read or not. If the warning is still there then perhaps your HDD is not long for this world.

A current pending sector if SOFT is not a problem. If for some reasons system is not able to read properly a sector it is marked as current pending. Most likely a low-level full format should resolve it. If it does not then it’s a matter of concern. It may over a period of time correct itself or on other side worsen into reallocated sector or uncorrectable sector. Once you have a few uncorrectable or reallocated sectors, disk can no longer be trusted.

SSDs have an important spec which is generally not discussed. It's called Retention Period

For consumer SSDs it’s 1 year and for enterprise SSDs it’s 3 months. I.e. if the gap between two power-ons is more than this retention period, the data on SSD cannot be trusted anymore. Hence SSDs are actually not a good choice for long term unattended backups even if you can afford one. HDDs don’t generally have this limitation. At least not this narrow. However, HDD can fail anytime unexpectedly. I have had repeated failures of Toshiba HDD within 2 years again and again.

If PSU is inferior, it might affect the voltage stability and that might affect the HDD and other components. However, if HDD suffers minor physical impact, it’s likely to develop bad sectors sooner.

Copying data from one HDD with a few bad sectors to good one on its own can not damage the other HDD or pendrive. However, if there’s a problem reading data from Bad HDD then the copying process can go on for extended periods stressing drives. Try using Robocopy.exe with /R:1 /W:1 option (max number of retries and wait between retries ) to hopefully limit the process.

A quick search takes me to WD Diagnostic App - WD Software Don’t know if it will be relevant as I don’t have any WD Drives

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billubakra said:
Corsair RAM 8gb 2666mhz (3200 mhz supported by mobo, 3200 mhz was oos when this pc was built) and it is used in slot 2. In CPU Z the frequency is mentioned 1197.60 mhz though, why?

DDR means double data rate so a DDR4 2400 ram is actually running at (2400/2)=1200MHz which is what the cpu-z like software show(aka the actual ram frequency). Your ram is running at DDR4 2400(aka 1200MHz) likely because this is what the system bios decided at without you doing anything to increase it(& not much point either with your usage).

I think your HDDs are either experiencing physical shocks(some minor vibration in floor/table due to some machinery/equipment/appliance usage nearby) or some electrical issue(irregular power supply/fluctuations not able to be filtered out effectively by psu/ups).

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whitestar_999 said:
DDR means double data rate so a DDR4 2400 ram is actually running at (2400/2)=1200MHz which is what the cpu-z like software show(aka the actual ram frequency). Your ram is running at DDR4 2400(aka 1200MHz) likely because this is what the system bios decided at without you doing anything to increase it(& not much point either with your usage).

I think your HDDs are either experiencing physical shocks(some minor vibration in floor/table due to some machinery/equipment/appliance usage nearby) or some electrical issue(irregular power supply/fluctuations not able to be filtered out effectively by psu/ups).

Bro the pc is kept on a table. No vibration etc at all in this room. The other older PCs with p4 processors and 15 year old hdds were kept on this table only. About electrical issue, maybe. How to diagnose the same? Again older PC's were kept in the same room with the same electrical socket, though their ups used to be different. Check the usage in the ss posted in the main topic, can that low usage lead to this? How to test psu and cpu if they are fine or not?
Anything for the other points?

The pc restarted after the chkdsk /r /f command, it took about 2 hours for the scan to be completed. By the time I was back the system was already booted up. Now it has become very very slow. Takes like an eternity to boot up. Opening even a folder takes like 10 minutes. Why is this current pending sector happening again and again in this machine?
Can zero filling help?

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patkim said:
A current pending sector if SOFT is not a problem. If for some reasons system is not able to read properly a sector it is marked as current pending. Most likely a low-level full format should resolve it. If it does not then it’s a matter of concern. It may over a period of time correct itself or on other side worsen into reallocated sector or uncorrectable sector. Once you have a few uncorrectable or reallocated sectors, disk can no longer be trusted.

SSDs have an important spec which is generally not discussed. It's called Retention Period

For consumer SSDs it’s 1 year and for enterprise SSDs it’s 3 months. I.e. if the gap between two power-ons is more than this retention period, the data on SSD cannot be trusted anymore. Hence SSDs are actually not a good choice for long term unattended backups even if you can afford one. HDDs don’t generally have this limitation. At least not this narrow. However, HDD can fail anytime unexpectedly. I have had repeated failures of Toshiba HDD within 2 years again and again.

If PSU is inferior, it might affect the voltage stability and that might affect the HDD and other components. However, if HDD suffers minor physical impact, it’s likely to develop bad sectors sooner.

Copying data from one HDD with a few bad sectors to good one on its own can not damage the other HDD or pendrive. However, if there’s a problem reading data from Bad HDD then the copying process can go on for extended periods stressing drives. Try using Robocopy.exe with /R:1 /W:1 option (max number of retries and wait between retries ) to hopefully limit the process.

A quick search takes me to WD Diagnostic App - WD Software Don’t know if it will be relevant as I don’t have any WD Drives

What do you mean by SOFT? How to do low level format without connecting the drive to another system? Can zero fill help?

No physical impacts on this system. About psu, how to check if that's the culprit or not? The guy about whom I mentioned in point 5 said the same thing, if hdd's are failing within 2 years with same current pending sector error then something related to electricity or wires is the issue.

The pc restarted after the chkdsk /r /f command, it took about 2 hours for the scan to be completed. By the time I was back the system was already booted up. Now it has become very very slow. Takes like an eternity to boot up. Opening even a folder takes like 10 minutes. Why is this current pending sector happening again and again in this machine?

Did you check other points in the main post?

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Desmond said:
I am not really sure but I suspect the HDD is experiencing some hardware faults. Just to be safe, backup all your important data.

Try defragging your drive and see if all sectors are getting read or not. If the warning is still there then perhaps your HDD is not long for this world.

I get that bro but why are all hdd 's failing within 2 years with the same error in this system? I need help in diagnosing the same before going for another disk again.
The pc restarted after the chkdsk /r /f command, it took about 2 hours for the scan to be completed. By the time I was back the system was already booted up. Now it has become very very slow. Takes like an eternity to boot up. Opening even a folder takes like 10 minutes. Why is this current pending sector happening again and again in this machine?
Did you check other points in the main post?
Defragging is not possible as the system has become super super slow now

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@whitestar_999 @patkim @Desmond

The drive was fine when checked via crystal disk info till the second week of this month. On about 16th June error 1073740791 started showing up and we weren't able to open any app that requires admin access. Just yesterday opened cdi via task manager and it showed this current pending sector error. I know noone can predict when a hdd will go kaput, but does these two scenarios have a relation with each other?

Have you done a full format of the drive before? I suspect that the unreadable sectors on your drive have always been there and the errors come up later when the drive reaches those sectors with regular use.

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billubakra said:
Bro the pc is kept on a table. No vibration etc at all in this room. The other older PCs with p4 processors and 15 year old hdds were kept on this table only. About electrical issue, maybe. How to diagnose the same? Again older PC's were kept in the same room with the same electrical socket, though their ups used to be different. Check the usage in the ss posted in the main topic, can that low usage lead to this? How to test psu and cpu if they are fine or not?
Anything for the other points?

Older hdd are on an avg more reliable/resilient because of lesser capacity & better build quality. Low usage should have no relation with this issue. You also don't need to check processor(aka cpu I am assuming) & as for psu it might not be worth it as clearly the power supply is clean enough to not damage any other component so assuming it is the reason then it will be very minor fluctuation very hard to detect.

billubakra said:
The pc restarted after the chkdsk /r /f command, it took about 2 hours for the scan to be completed. By the time I was back the system was already booted up. Now it has become very very slow. Takes like an eternity to boot up. Opening even a folder takes like 10 minutes. Why is this current pending sector happening again and again in this machine?
Can zero filling help?

If system has become so slow then likely hdd firmware is running some background task trying to reallocate/remap that faulty sector. You can try your luck with zero filling but no guarantees.

What do you mean by SOFT? How to do low level format without connecting the drive to another system? Can zero fill help?

A SOFT issue with sector is more of an OS or software issue. It is not hardware damage or permanent failure. It may get corrected by a low-level format.

While zero filling, if the system partition is in use it may not be done completely or may not start. So ideally a live disc is recommended. Something like Hiren Boot DVD. You can boot your PC thru such live disc and use suitable tools therein to do a low-level format of your HDD.

About psu, how to check if that's the culprit or not?

For PSU it’s just a guess, generally PSUs from good brands are reliable. However, if you have a DMM just check if the SMPS output voltages are all in range. Still, it’s not a reliable test because PSUs might not work correctly under load, if they have an issue.

Why is this current pending sector happening again and again in this machine?

This is difficult to comment. I have had 2 back-to-back HDD failures in my system and I never doubted the PSU. The third HDD has worked fine on same setup for last 2 years. Even a used HDD that I bought several years ago still works fine! First try a low-level format and check if the issue goes away.

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Desmond said:
Have you done a full format of the drive before? I suspect that the unreadable sectors on your drive have always been there and the errors come up later when the drive reaches those sectors with regular use.

Nope never. Got this rma drive back in 2019 and it has worked well. Do you recommend using any software to format it fully? How to fully format it without connecting it to some other machine? I am more inclined towards zero fill, it might kill it or might even have a positive impact.
Do you recommended connecting the system to an external storage media and to try to take backup considering this current pending sector error? Can copying files from this drive make them have this error too?

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whitestar_999 said:
Older hdd are on an avg more reliable/resilient because of lesser capacity & better build quality. Low usage should have no relation with this issue. You also don't need to check processor(aka cpu I am assuming) & as for psu it might not be worth it as clearly the power supply is clean enough to not damage any other component so assuming it is the reason then it will be very minor fluctuation very hard to detect.

If system has become so slow then likely hdd firmware is running some background task trying to reallocate/remap that faulty sector. You can try your luck with zero filling but no guarantees.

Any recommended software for zero fills? And the recommended settings for the same please? How much time on an average will it take for a 2tb drive?
Do you recommended connecting the system to an external storage media and to try to take backup considering this current pending sector error? Can copying files from this drive make them have this error too?

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patkim said:
A SOFT issue with sector is more of an OS or software issue. It is not hardware damage or permanent failure. It may get corrected by a low-level format.

While zero filling, if the system partition is in use it may not be done completely or may not start. So ideally a live disc is recommended. Something like Hiren Boot DVD. You can boot your PC thru such live disc and use suitable tools therein to do a low-level format of your HDD.

For PSU it’s just a guess, generally PSUs from good brands are reliable. However, if you have a DMM just check if the SMPS output voltages are all in range. Still, it’s not a reliable test because PSUs might not work correctly under load, if they have an issue.

This is difficult to comment. I have had 2 back-to-back HDD failures in my system and I never doubted the PSU. The third HDD has worked fine on same setup for last 2 years. Even a used HDD that I bought several years ago still works fine! First try a low-level format and check if the issue goes away.

Can you please share a guide as in how to do a low level format via hbcd? And which version of hbcd? The legacy one or the latest one's created by fans?

What's DMM? Is there any app that monitors a psu? I know that an app might not be able to do it well but maybe it can give some clues.

Bro I understand that any drive can go kaput anytime, be it hdd or ssd. But two wd drives going kaput in this systen within two years each when the usage is not that much with the same error made me think that something is not right. Plus that guy whom I met in the offline shop, he seems to be right also. Something related to electronics is causing this same error over and over again. He said that even if I buy a new drive without diagnosing this issue first it will lead to the same result. So, I really want to figure this out. @whitestar_999 bro is right about the reliability of the older drives. Idk why I have doubts on the ups and psu. How to diagnose the ups for any fluctuations or something? Also do you think that the sata cable can cause these issues?

Do you recommended connecting the system to an external storage media and to try to take backup considering this current pending sector error? Can copying files from this drive make them have this error too?

Has anyone of you tried toshiba hdd's? Or any other brand besides wd?

billubakra said:
Nope never. Got this rma drive back in 2019 and it has worked well. Do you recommend using any software to format it fully? How to fully format it without connecting it to some other machine? I am more inclined towards zero fill, it might kill it or might even have a positive impact.
Do you recommended connecting the system to an external storage media and to try to take backup considering this current pending sector error? Can copying files from this drive make them have this error too?

I don't think there would be any issue backing up your files. I cannot guarantee that doing a full format would fix the issue but you could try. In either case it's better if you get a new HDD and demote this one to a secondary or tertiary storage.

To format, you can either connect this drive to another machine and format from Window or use a Linux Live USB with gparted and format that way.

Edit: You can get a dedicated gparted live USB ISO from here - GParted -- Live CD/USB/PXE/HD

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billubakra said:
Any recommended software for zero fills? And the recommended settings for the same please? How much time on an average will it take for a 2tb drive?
Do you recommended connecting the system to an external storage media and to try to take backup considering this current pending sector error? Can copying files from this drive make them have this error too?

Many software already suggested above & there is no "recommended setting". It is just a matter of selecting the option to fill with zero.

*www.diskpart.com/articles/hirens-boot-cd-low-level-format-0001.html

The time it will take depend on your hdd condition. If everything is normal it would take around same time as to write 2TB of data to hdd & assuming usb 3.0 interface & other factors avg speed should be around 80-100MB/s so around 350GB per hour. Because of bad sector the process will halt at that step & again depending on many factors how much delay this will cause is not something which can be predicted accurately.

Recommended method is to connect the faulty hdd to a secondary system via sata(or usb if sata not available).

Robocopy is mentioned above with switch in command line that skip copying any data after 1 failed retry so you can try that because normally the windows copying process keep retrying to copy data from faulty hdd sector. I think similar option to skip copying data from bad sectors on hdd is also there in more user friendly gui based copying software like fastcopy(use nonstop option as mentioned in description of its usage in below link).

*fastcopy.jp/help/fastcopy_eng.htm

DMM = Digital Multi Meter. A hand held device to measure electrical parameters like voltages, current etc
A poor SATA cable or excessively bent cable may give rise to CRC errors but in your case there are none. See CrystalDiskInfo output.
About low-level format just one comment I would like to make is to keep only the drive in question attached, to avoid accidently selecting wrong drive for formatting. The process is one way and cannot be reversed.

About electrical aspect, only thing I can comment is to try another new PSU. Preferably one with capability of continuous output rated temperature at 40C. Check if this param is specified in detailed specs. Also consider checking with the guy in shop if he has anything further to comment.
How old is Antec vp550p?

In 'era' when computer hardware was more reliable that today, I had serious failures with Toshiba HDDs. One of my Toshiba HDDs developed 16K bad sectors in no time between 2 reboots within just 1199 Hours of usage. For last few years I have opted for Seagate and so far there have not been any failures. You may check hard drive failure rates online but most stats are available for higher capacity drives and don't know if that data is genuine.

W

Just a thought, did you purchase these 2 hdd from same place(offline/online)?

@whitestar_999 - Completely random. One was OEM and another offline.

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patkim said:
@whitestar_999 - Completely random. One was OEM and another offline.

Over my years of extensive hdd buying both from offline & online places I have come to a conclusion that in India at least farther the offline place is from the hdd distribution centre more will be the chances of physical shocks/mishandling which in turn means more chances of hdd failure. For online place I have come to a conclusion that portable 2.5" hdd sold on amazon/flipkart via their official/own sellers have less chances of experiencing physical shocks/mishandling compared to other online places. I absolutely advice against buying 3.5" hdd online unless you think your luck is not so bad & you are ordering from the established "online shops" like mdcomputer/vedant/primeabgb/theitdepot.

It seems both these hdd came from offline sources & coupled with the fact that his city is a tier-2/3 my guess is that his city is simply not suitable to buy 3.5" hdd or his luck is bad enough to get these 2 hdd via bad offline sources(I once saw one of the biggest pc shop in Nehru Place Delhi employee throwing packaged portable hdd like a cricket ball to other guy to catch & take it to the counter for invoicing).

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@whitestar_999 @patkim @Desmond

Thanks guys

I will try low level formatting with the hdcd method posted above. Should I go with the latest hbcd version developed by fans or the oldest one created by hiren himself which is like 10 years old? Is hbcd having crystal disk info built in? Want to check the disk condition after formatting via it. There is only one hdd connected to this system so this drive will be selected. A quick question, if the drive is connected in a hdd enclosure and formatted after connecting it to another system then does it make more difference?

Is it true the higher the ssd storage size more is its longevity? Is it true both for dram amd without dram?

That kingston ssd is without dram available for around 2k, fine for this pc as usage is less? Or crucial one with the same capacity and no dram for 500 extra?

I am again going to take a leap of faith and get a ssd+hdd and hope that same issue will not make the hdd go kaput this time. Any further pointers that you can tell which can find the culprit behind this?

About the multimeter test, keeping it as a last option because I have a weird feeling that nothing will come out of it. Plus as multimeters are non returnable so money will be wasted as we have no use for it. Will try to arrange it from someone. Just touch the two MM wires to the PSU and post the reading here? Can the MM be used to get readings of the UPS also? The entire rig along with the antec psu was bought in Q2 of 2017.

Initial hdd bought from local market, went kaput with the current pending sector error after 2 years. The rma one sent by wd, again kaput with the same error in 2 years. The packing of online websites is not like old times now, they pack even the hdds in that white polybag these days. I am talking about the official sellers too.

Can you share the link for the Toshiba hdd? Not able to find it from a reputed seller. A site by the name of ubuy is selling 2tb Toshiba hdd for around 2.5k. Surprisingly the reviews on other websites seems okayish for this site.
Please share the one for the seagate one too. Is it having 3 year warranty? 7200rpm? Is the customer support good?

I am not able to use produkey as Windows Defender treats it as a virus and admin access is needed to exclude it. I bought the key for this Windows 10 home version from a guy at erodov. The hdd is going kaput folder by folder. Any way to retrieve the key? Or any key finder/command which does not require admin access? The cmd command way is not displaying the key, even though cmd is being opened via task manager as admin

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billubakra said:
Is it true the higher the ssd storage size more is its longevity? Is it true both for dram amd without dram?

That kingston ssd is without dram available for around 2k, fine for this pc as usage is less? Or crucial one with the same capacity and no dram for 500 extra?

ssd storage size has no relation with its longevity except for the fact that usually bigger size ssd have more endurance rating & dram ssd have more endurance rating than dram less ssd of same size. You can get kingston or crucial but I suggest going for kingston A400 series & not Q500 series over crucial BX500.

billubakra said:
Initial hdd bought from local market, went kaput with the current pending sector error after 2 years. The rma one sent by wd, again kaput with the same error in 2 years. The packing of online websites is not like old times now, they pack even the hdds in that white polybag these days. I am talking about the official sellers too.

I think mdcomputers/vedant/primeabgb still send hdd in lots of layers filled with bubble wrap & you can call them before dispatch to send hdd with "extra secure packing".

billubakra said:
I am not able to use produkey as Windows Defender treats it as a virus and admin access is needed to exclude it. I bought the key for this Windows 10 home version from a guy at erodov. The hdd is going kaput folder by folder. Any way to retrieve the key? Or any key finder/command which does not require admin access? The cmd command way is not displaying the key, even though cmd is being opened via task manager as admin

Win 10 key activation data is saved on MS activation servers & as long as hardware id is not changed(aka mobo+processor remain same) the system will be automatically activated after connected to net. For extra assurance you can create a MS account(live or outlook) & then login via that acc on your win 10 system which should link the activation status to that MS acc.

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whitestar_999 said:
ssd storage size has no relation with its longevity except for the fact that usually bigger size ssd have more endurance rating & dram ssd have more endurance rating than dram less ssd of same size. You can get kingston or crucial but I suggest going for kingston A400 series & not Q500 series over crucial BX500.

I think mdcomputers/vedant/primeabgb still send hdd in lots of layers filled with bubble wrap & you can call them before dispatch to send hdd with "extra secure packing".

Win 10 key activation data is saved on MS activation servers & as long as hardware id is not changed(aka mobo+processor remain same) the system will be automatically activated after connected to net. For extra assurance you can create a MS account(live or outlook) & then login via that acc on your win 10 system which should link the activation status to that MS acc.

Is Kingston A400 series better than the Crucial BX series? Both are dram less afaik. Has any hardware related website compared them both?

I will contact mdcomputers tomorrow and will get back to you. Are they going to run a prime day kinda sales this month?
Brother can you please share a reputed seller selling Toshiba/Seagate either 1.5 or 2 tb hdd online? Not able to find one. My heart is just not agreeing with wd.

PFA

https://imgur.com/a/njfmavL

If the system is too slow to link a MS account with it, then can one be sure that the Windows will be auto activated as HWID is the same?

I will try low level formatting with the hdcd method shared in the previous posts, just not getting the time. Should I go with the latest hbcd version developed by fans or the oldest one created by hiren himself which is like 10 years old? Is hbcd having crystal disk info built in or some other hdd monitor app? Want to check the disk condition after formatting via it.

@patkim @Desmond

*www.amazon.in/dp/B0722XPTL6

Edit- Just checked that this is with dram. How are they providing with dram in this budget? How is the after sales service? Nothing is mentioned about warranty on that page.

Edit 1
Is this a 2.5" or 3.5" drive?

https://imgur.com/a/P9WmNJB

https://imgur.com/a/3wqAt8n

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billubakra said:
Edit- Just checked that this is with dram. How are they providing with dram in this budget? How is the after sales service? Nothing is mentioned about warranty on that page.

I already told you earlier & saying this again, only look at crucial mx500 or samsung evo 860/860 for dram 2.5" sata ssd.

*www.pressreader.com/usa/maximum-pc/20190625/282819307706579

billubakra said:
Is Kingston A400 series better than the Crucial BX series? Both are dram less afaik. Has any hardware related website compared them both?

Performance wise both are similar but in my limited experience(maybe just an exception) I found kingston A400 a little bit faster than BX500 in some situations.

billubakra said:
Brother can you please share a reputed seller selling Toshiba/Seagate either 1.5 or 2 tb hdd online? Not able to find one. My heart is just not agreeing with wd.

Is there any more reputed online seller specialized in pc components than mdcomputers/vedant/primeabgb/theitdepot? Getting hdd is pure luck, yours seem to be bad with WD so go with seagate but don't expect any guarantee of not having bad luck again.

billubakra said:
Should I go with the latest hbcd version developed by fans or the oldest one created by hiren himself which is like 10 years old? Is hbcd having crystal disk info built in or some other hdd monitor app? Want to check the disk condition after formatting via it.

You can go with either one, if I remember correctly the original HBCD used to come with some hdd monitoring/repair tools so should be the same with new fan made version too.

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whitestar_999 said:
I already told you earlier & saying this again, only look at crucial mx500 or samsung evo 860/860 for dram 2.5" sata ssd.

*www.pressreader.com/usa/maximum-pc/20190625/282819307706579

View attachment 21641

Performance wise both are similar but in my limited experience(maybe just an exception) I found kingston A400 a little bit faster than BX500 in some situations.

Is there any more reputed online seller specialized in pc components than mdcomputers/vedant/primeabgb/theitdepot? Getting hdd is pure luck, yours seem to be bad with WD so go with seagate but don't expect any guarantee of not having bad luck again.

You can go with either one, if I remember correctly the original HBCD used to come with some hdd monitoring/repair tools so should be the same with new fan made version too.

Thanks. Ordering today and will do the hbcd thing today or tomorrow.
Edit- The current drive is 3.5"

Official video of the case says 3.5" drive and 2.5" ssd can be fixed in it

but official website says 3.5/2.5 inch drives can be fixed *www.corsair.com/eu/en/Categories/Products/Cases/Carbide-Series™-SPEC-01-Red-LED-Mid-Tower-Gaming-Case/p/CC-9011050-WW#tab-tech-specs they have given 4 drive mounts with it and 3.5" hdd fixes well in it.

Another video-

As per this video from @06.00 to 06.30 2.5" drive can be fixed but it is saying to screw it from the bottom part

Does that mean that we have a go for 2.5" hdd + ssd? Do we need any additional adapter or something for the 2.5" hard drive? Planning to keep the 2.5" ssd as it is without fixing in a bay.

How is this ssd Buy Online ADATA Ultimate SU650 120GB SSD ASU650SS-120GT-R In India ? @whitestar_999

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billubakra said:
Does that mean that we have a go for 2.5" hdd + ssd? Do we need any additional adapter or something for the 2.5" hard drive? Planning to keep the 2.5" ssd as it is without fixing in a bay.

You don't need anything for a 2.5" ssd. I am currently using a 2.5" sata ssd just lying there on top of drive cage in corsair carbide 100R. For 2.5" hdd there are 3.5" to 2.5" adapters but why would anyone want to waste a hdd bay inside a pc for a 1tb laptop/2.5" hdd.

For dram less ssd I consider kingston A400 a bit better than crucial bx500 which is better than wd green which is better than adata su650.

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whitestar_999 said:
You don't need anything for a 2.5" ssd. I am currently using a 2.5" sata ssd just lying there on top of drive cage in corsair carbide 100R. For 2.5" hdd there are 3.5" to 2.5" adapters but why would anyone want to waste a hdd bay inside a pc for a 1tb laptop/2.5" hdd.

For dram less ssd I consider kingston A400 a bit better than crucial bx500 which is better than wd green which is better than adata su650.

For 2.5" hdd there are 3.5" to 2.5" adapters but why would anyone want to waste a hdd bay inside a pc for a 1tb laptop/2.5" hdd

So, you mean stick to the 3.5" drive instead of 2.5"? Why? They are small and a little more sturdy, as per the internet, so that's why I asked whether it will fit or not? About 3.5" to 2.5" adapter don't know whether it is needed or not. Just asked about it.

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billubakra said:
For 2.5" hdd there are 3.5" to 2.5" adapters but why would anyone want to waste a hdd bay inside a pc for a 1tb laptop/2.5" hdd

So, you mean stick to the 3.5" drive instead of 2.5"? Why? They are small and a little more sturdy, as per the internet, so that's why I asked whether it will fit or not? About 3.5" to 2.5" adapter don't know whether it is needed or not. Just asked about it.

First of all, max available capacity in 2.5" hdd in retail consumer segment is 1TB. Second, it will cost around 3800(Delhi Nehru place price) vs around 3400 for regular 3.5" 1TB sata hdd. You can easily get 1.5TB-2TB portable 2.5" external hdd for around 4-4.5k in coming prime day sale on amazon/competing sale on flipkart. If internet is correct(which many times it isn't) then 2.5" external hdd should be also more sturdy than 3.5" internal hdd. A 3.5" hdd bay in a pc cabinet will not hold a 2.5" hdd unless the hdd tray is designed for both 2.5" & 3.5" hdd.

About the multimeter test, keeping it as a last option because I have a weird feeling that nothing will come out of it. Plus as multimeters are non returnable so money will be wasted as we have no use for it. Will try to arrange it from someone. Just touch the two MM wires to the PSU and post the reading here? Can the MM be used to get readings of the UPS also? The entire rig along with the antec psu was bought in Q2 of 2017.

That's all right. However a DMM is a nice tool to have. You can buy relatively cheaper ones for as low as 150 - 200 Rs. Industrial and good brands are very expensive though. However won't be much of use if you are not a DIYer in general.
To check voltages you need to start the PSU using paperclip test and then measure DC voltages across various PSU output points.
To measure the output of UPS, the same DMM can be used by changing settings to measure AC voltage from 0 thru 750V range.

Any further pointers that you can tell which can find the culprit behind this?

Generally to my knowledge bad sectors is a result of design flaws or limitations, possible ESD damage, physical shocks, anything related to sudden loss of power etc. It may be hard to pin point why it occurs. It's an acceptable limitation of HDDs. In my opinion SSDs have relatively better endurance than HDDs but they are not failure proof!

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whitestar_999 said:
First of all, max available capacity in 2.5" hdd in retail consumer segment is 1TB. Second, it will cost around 3800(Delhi Nehru place price) vs around 3400 for regular 3.5" 1TB sata hdd. You can easily get 1.5TB-2TB portable 2.5" external hdd for around 4-4.5k in coming prime day sale on amazon/competing sale on flipkart. If internet is correct(which many times it isn't) then 2.5" external hdd should be also more sturdy than 3.5" internal hdd. A 3.5" hdd bay in a pc cabinet will not hold a 2.5" hdd unless the hdd tray is designed for both 2.5" & 3.5" hdd.

Can we use an external hdd as a windows bootable drive? About the 2.5" internal drive , I am not able to find the Toshiba one anywhere. The sellers online and offline are selling refurbished drives with Toshiba stickers. You can tell from the stickers that they are not genuine. I am not willing to go with the 2.5" seagate drives because have heard many horror stories about Seagate, again it depends upon luck but most people have had terrible experience with Seagate. Like I had with WD. What do you suggest we should do here finally? I was planning to get a 500gb crucial bx series and a 2.5" hdd for atleast 1.5tb. The tray of spec-01 will hold a 2.5" drive. I confirmed with their local dealer though it will be screwed on one side only.

Apart from that low level format guide that you shared for hbcd, is there any high level format guide that you can recommend? If this drive somehow works then planning to make it a secondary drive besides the ssd.

P.S. I read on quora, the poster is a professional data recovery guy, he had mentioned that if a drive has errors, soft or hard, and we copy data from that drive to a new drive then there are chances that the errors will be copied to the new drive. He gave many technical reasons for it. Lost its link though. Can we take risk to copy the remanining data via hbcd?

Guys please share final inputs as have to order drives urgently @patkim @Desmond

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billubakra said:
Can we use an external hdd as a windows bootable drive?

You can but you shouldn't.

billubakra said:
I was planning to get a 500gb crucial bx series and a 2.5" hdd for atleast 1.5tb. The tray of spec-01 will hold a 2.5" drive. I confirmed with their local dealer though it will be screwed on one side only.

There is no internal 2.5" hdd more than 1TB capacity in retail market as I already mentioned earlier. Crucial MX500 1TB was available for 5800 on amazon yesterday morning so after 10% card discount its final price was 5220. Now this deal is gone so just buy crucial BX500 1TB available at 5584 which will finally cost you 5584-558=5026. Buy 2 of them for 10000 for total 2TB ssd capacity & be done with all this hdd drama.

billubakra said:
P.S. I read on quora, the poster is a professional data recovery guy, he had mentioned that if a drive has errors, soft or hard, and we copy data from that drive to a new drive then there are chances that the errors will be copied to the new drive. He gave many technical reasons for it. Lost its link though. Can we take risk to copy the remanining data via hbcd?

First of all, it is irrelevant which error gets copied if you don't know the checksum of all the original data in the first place. Second, if the sectors in source hdd are not readable then no matter what you do the data in those sectors is already lost unless recovered professionally. Soft errors are usually errors in file system/partition table but those also does not mean that correcting them will not result in data loss even on source hdd. Just try to copy what you can & leave the rest to your luck, nothing better you can do excl seeking professional data recovery help.

Apart from that low level format guide that you shared for hbcd, is there any high level format guide that you can recommend?

High level format will just create a file system without actually erasing the 1 & 0s that make up files stored on drive. All your files are still there, just logically erased. This has no much relevance in correcting soft SMART errors.

You might have done basic high level format numerous times. Just right click the drive (partition) icon, and click format, choose file system and choose Quick. It is unlikely going to help in this case.

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@billubakra Crucial MX500 1TB deal is back, get it asap if still available when you see this post.