I recently replaced my old HDD (Seagate 80GB 7200 RPM IDE)with new one Seagate 500GB 7200 RPM SATA (ST3500418AS)
I use the speed fan S.M.A.R.T. to check my HDD status it shows fitness & performance of my HDD above 92-93%

But now for past 4 days its fitness keep reducing and now it's at 29%
Though the hdd is working fine
And there is no noticeable difference in the performance
(this problem first showed up after power-out)
Your hard disk is a ST3500418AS with ... - Google Docs (http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AVviGJadSNBfZGhmcnBxYnhfMmhrZGRxYmhy&hl=en)


But the seatool test results says my hdd is fine

The power supply have no sata power connector
The hard drive is connected with a "molex to sata power" connector(it's safe to use this in long term?? )

Why this data is changing so rapidly??
Is my hdd is failing??

Hd tune health status:
HDTune_Health_ST3500418AS.png - 0.03MB (http://www.zshare.net/image/641222559de37755/)


Please help!
Should I replace my hdd??

the seatool test results says my hdd is fine...should i replace my hdd???

At minimum backup the data that is on the drive now. Then keep an eye on the reallocated sector count. If it doesn't stabilize, replace the drive. What does the error scan in HD Tune show?

I don't know what drives sell for in India. If economically feasible, consider using a minimum of two drives in a mirrored RAID (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID) array or better, three drives in a RAID 5 array. The extra expense is worth the peace of mind and the reduction in hassle and lost data that occurs with a single drive failure.


the hard drive is connected with a "molex to sata power" connector(it's safe to use this in long term???)

Yes as long as the connections are good and the length/weight of the adapter does not stress the drive connector.

The hd tune health test shows nothing
There is no damage block

there is no damage block

Did the reallocated sector count change after the scan? If it did, continue scanning, running Seatools, or creating or deleting large files in the free space to exercise the drive periodically. The count should stabilize or drive failure hastened. Also, Hitachi's Drive Fitness Test (http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm) diagnostic has an exerciser that will work with any drive and will run for a user specified amount of time; good for new drive burn-in. The Seagate Community Forums : Reallocated Sector Count increasing (ST31500341AS ) (http://forums.seagate.com/stx/board/message?board.id=ata_drives&thread.id=5431&view=by_date_ascending&page=1) discussion may be of interest.

Did the reallocated sector count change after the scan? If it did, continue scanning, running Seatools, or creating or deleting large files in the free space to exercise the drive periodically. The count should stabilize or hasten drive failure. Also, Hitachi's Drive Fitness Test (http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm) diagnostic has an exerciser that will work with any drive and will run for a user specified amount of time; good for new drive burn-in. The Seagate Community Forums : Reallocated Sector Count increasing (ST31500341AS ) (http://forums.seagate.com/stx/board/message?board.id=ata_drives&thread.id=5431&view=by_date_ascending&page=1) discussion may be of interest.

Yes now it's changed to 341 from 337

Backup your data before further exercising the drive.

One week ago reallocated sectors were 102
HD - Google Docs (http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AW5ObNg5m4F_ZGRiZmp0cDJfMGN3NGd2emhu&hl=en)

It changed after running chkdsk/r and all tests in seatool

Yes, problem sectors don't get remapped until they are accessed through use, usually with a write. So, another thing that can be done once the data is backed up, is to zero fill the drive a few times and check the count in between fills.

Whenever I click folder to open
It kind of gets stuck for a second and then resume(there is no fragmentation in the drive, I defrag every day)

The reallocated sector changed to 364 from 341
HD Tune Pro: ST3500418AS Health - Google Docs (http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AW5ObNg5m4F_ZGRiZmp0cDJfNWhjN3dyZmRo&hl=en)

Can I actually take it back to the shop I bought it from(or seagate service center) and ask for a replacement? Stating its reallocated sectors are changing?

Thanks for helping
I send it for replacement

Hope the next one's better. Good luck.

Scleros, you are right on every point.
Also, heat!! A bigger hard drive, same system, nothing changes except... the failures to follow with heat increase. More fans should have been added inside the computer, and even outside the case if vital, or hot temperatures in the residing room.

Noticing increased drive access when just opening a folder, or scrolling down through a file list, or slow opening, are good signs of it, even if not using a program to track re-allocations and such (which might also deal in the area of memory as well). And this more so with USB external hard drives not cooled down enough. Their red light -on access- will stay on longer, and keep seeking for information, trying to read the drive. If when plugging in the red light just stays on for a longer period, and longer next day--before drive gets recognized in Windows----it's time to backup everything on it!~