the drive: https://www.amazon.ca/Seagate-Backup-Desktop-External-STDT2000100/dp/B00HFRWXV0
So back in 2014 I plugged in the drive to the wall outlet (without surge protector) while the adapter was still plugged into the external drive. The drive's power adapter sparked and then the usb drive would constantly disconnect itself from my computer when trying to open large files. the only solution was to convert the drive into an internal hdd which i did and the drive worked good for years until about 2 weeks ago when i started noticing a high pitched ticking/whining sound. I actually thought nothing of it and thought it was just one of my computer fans. then 2 days ago i noticed whatever i tried loading kontakt stuff off it the drive would make the computer freeze for a bit and the loading was really slow and sometimes it wouldn't load at all. So in a panic I started copying everything from that drive to another solid-state hybrid drive. It was a slow copy and the transfer speeds were variable. Some stuff copied fast but most at slow speeds like anywhere from ~200kb-16mb/sec. Thank God everything copied 100% but the computer black screened 2 times in the process in which I had to restart windows. After that I restarted the computer and got the message ''S.M.A.R.T status bad backup and replace''! its a big relief I got everything off it.

So the question is, is the drive heads failing or is it the spindle or what? Was it the spark which happened back in 2014 that greatly reduced the drive's life expectancy? curious. Obviously I'm buying a replacement ssd as we speak (870 evo 1tb sata).

 

Check the SMART report.
You can make one with constructor tool or Crystal disk info

It will tell you if there are bad blocks : disk is dead
If not, it may be a bad enclosure with whining condensers : enclosure ONLY is dead

 

Interesting. I scanned the drive in windows with chkdsk /f and no bad sectors found

 

Well, I've had THREE Seagate 3TB Barracudas fail on me in the last 8 years. With 2 of them, I was able to save data by running them 'naked' on longer cables out of the chassis with a desk fan directed at them, and copy in short sessions. The 3rd drive just went to hell and I couldn't save anything.
I've also lost two 2TB IBM drives.The infamous DeskStar drives, later known as DeathStar.
Hard disks are like that. A lot of very fragile moving parts and extremely small tolerances.
In fact I'm often surprised they work at all...
I used to work with system testing PC hardware in the 80s and 90s, I've seen at least 20-25 drives die. Some of them scream, some make little ticking noises, some just stop dead.
Heat is a major factor in drive failure.
So what is the solution? Backup, backup. As they say, if you only have one copy of something, then it doesn't exist at all.
At the moment I have 6 internal drives, of which 2 mostly contain backups.
And I clone my 2TB system SSD once a month to a 7th drive that I put in and take out every time. It's a hassle, but I've learned my lesson over and over.
Generally, use SSDs, and for large capacity, buy enterprise drves. I have a 12TB Toshiba that is made to run 24/7 in a server environment.

 

Do ssd's fail to? i thought ssd's only become ''write locked'' after so many writes

 

That's a point which can't be stressed enough!!

I also own a bunch of Seagate ST3000DM001 (3TB) and ST2000DM001 (2TB) drives storing Kontakt and other sample libraries, backups and so on. They were fast and cheap 8 to 10 years ago, but they get relatively hot. After losing an external drive many years ago, i always check temperatures and try to keep all drives below 40 or at least 45 degrees celsius. I haven't lost one drive since.

External drives without active cooling can be bought everywhere but you better watch the temperatures! There are many models with the same name using different hard drives inside. For example the WD MyBook 8TB. I got some older models which are just ok temperature-wise in the external enclosure (and great to rip off the drive and use it internally), and some newer models that simply are too hot to be used without cooling as they can get well over 50 degrees in the external enclosure easily.

 

Unlikely for them to fail.
Extreme heat might be a factor, but they are generally spec'd for up to 70degC. I try to keep mine under 45.

 

Perfect !
So only your enclosure is dead.

Disassemble it and use the disk elsewhere (another enclosure or computer).

 

Ironically, SSDs can only write data if they're at the right temperature, which is 52-55°C, so by cooling a SSD you're making it have to work harder to heat itself to the right temperature.

 

stay away from seagate.. basics.

 

I own 7 Seagate drives (no SSDs, no enclosures) ranging from 2TB to 16TB the oldest being, at a guess, 2012...
no problems with any, in fact I specifically go with Seagate over any other make

if you just need a new enclosure you are very fortunate

btw, about a month ago I had a WD drive in an enclosure die

 

Last edited: Dec 8, 2022

No.. I actually did that back in 2014 (re read my post) it is an internal drive now. it was the only way to stop the constant drive disconnecting after the spark i gave it. In any case the new ssd has been ordered for $134 cad (thats quite a bit actually but hey its newegg).

 

Last edited: Dec 9, 2022

All of my first (60GB!) SSDs ended up failing. But I've had much more reliable drives since. Some SSD models are problematic, unfortunately. (eg reports of Samsung 980 pro failures)

 

Did the spark come from the 2 prongs in front of the adapter(transformer) or from the 16-20 gauge wire going out to the HD? If there is an on and off switch to the drive, the spark was probably due to the on switch being on. If it got an arc it would in theory burn up the adapter or the case wires before it hit the HD. Cause the transformer is gonna take that 120volts from the outlet all the way down to im guessing 12 or 24 volts. But these delicate electronics we depend on especially if they are years old are more frail through the years. Due to heat like mentioned in the people who posted above, they are correct. When plugging in make sure hardware is off. That way its not trying to draw power as your plugging it in. Same if you have a power outage surge protector or not. If the power goes off hit as many switches off. Don't let the electricity come back on and turn on your hardware. Same thing can happen. If there is no on off switch on a hardware device, I would plug it into the wall first, let the adapter transform those volts down to where they need to be then put the connection to your gear/device.
Also try to keep dust out or regularly a month or so blow dust out cause that can gather on circuit boards and make continuaty with things that aren't supposed to. Well I'm glad you saved some data. I've been a journeyman electrician for 20yrs, have done wiring for commercial studios, like Netflix hollywood studios, as well as home studios. Thats what I have learned over the years. I'm sure others have even more tips than I do. Apologies for the long message, butI get sad when I hear gear get fried. But it happens. Cheers

 

Last edited: Dec 10, 2022

Back in 2014 i had the power adapter cable plugged into the drive and it sparked at the 2 adapter prongs while plugging it in. Of course the drive worked fine for another 8 years after making it an internal drive. So it must be failing for another reason. It still technically works (although crappily) so i'll be keeping it as a backup.