Question: I’ve got a Seagate Barracuda 2TB HDD (maybe 4 yrs old, SATA connection) that I’ve installed on a homebuilt desktop as my storage drive. Also have some programs installed on it. Have a seperate SSD with windows installed. A few days ago I had my PDF editor start acting a little weird, then yesterday I found the HDD making a skipping sounding noise and some intermittent beeping. Eventually Windows 10 stopped responding. I was able to reboot and was trying Seagate SeaTools for Windows (which first wouldn’t install properly, then installed but would stop responding) to try to analyze the HDD. I disconnected the HDD and reboot and everything seems to run fine. When I reconnect the HDD, Windows eventually crashes. So I don’t seem to be able to get to a point where I can even use SeaTools on it.
From here I’ve got two questions: 1) what are the odds I’d be able to get any files off the HDD if Windows keeps crashing when it’s connected (and best option for this), and 2) I’ve already ordered a new SSD replacement as a storage drive (Adata XPG SX8200 Pro). Might I want to go about the storage and additional programs differently (external drive, a SATA SSD, etc)?
TIA
Answer:Drives die. All of them, eventually.
Seems like yours is. “skipping sounding noise and some intermittent beeping “
Odds of getting stuff off it? Somewhere between 0% and 100%.
First off, I’d try using a USB-SATA dock. Only power up the problematic drive after Windows is already running on the system. See if that works.
If that doesn’t work, then you go into more extensive methods, depending on how ‘valuable’ that data is.
A forensic or sector by sector clone to another physical drive will copy everything (and skip the failing portions), possibly allowing you to read the rest of it. Maybe.
But from this point forward…every time you run or access that drive brings it closer to full non-responsiveness.
For the new SSD…what did you have on this dying drive? Just do that same thing.