How many bad sectors are too many?

By +Warwagon
in Poll Station

 Share

Bad sector poll  

54 members have voted

  1. 1. How many bad sectors are too many?

  2. 2. If spinrite has found and repaired 1 or more bad sectors would you continue to use the drive?

    • I would continue to use the drive
      13
    • I would replace the drive as soon as possible.
      35

Recommended Posts

Grand Master

Glassed Silver

Posted
Posted

1 and I'd make sure to get my a** over to a new drive asap.

I hate data rot with a passion and I think it's time all filesystems become aware of this issue.

I'd adore Apple to start talking to Oracle again about ZFS.

Yes, you can buy a 3rd party implementation, but:

I won't let some 3rd party touch my holy grail (my data) via them implementing a filesystem through hoops on my otherwise unsupportive OS.

When things get messy, you don't get broad support.

(recovery tools for your OS, etc... At least not the same range to pick from...)

I'm actually shocked we're still in the medieval ages of data integrity here...

Glassed Silver:mac

Grand Master

ANON86364

Posted
Posted

Bad sectors are unavoidable with hard drives. It's a physical problem with the technology. Further, it's not a problem that can't be "fixed" at least temporarily using a form of check disk, moving that data to another, good sector and marking the bad sector as such. It's nothing new and nothing that can really be avoided when dealing with hard drives.

A drive with bad sectors should be replaced as it is almost always a sign of impending doom.

  • abecedarian paradoxious and Glassed Silver
  • Like 2
Grand Master

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Posted
Posted

1....just 1...I mean I'd use the drive for some VM I didn't care for as soon as i ran some diagnostics and tried to replace the bad sector...but that's about all, as I wouldn't ever trust it. Ever.

Grand Master

tsupersonic

Posted
Posted

This just happened on my work laptop - it suddenly got really slow, and SMART status reported a bad sector. I called help desk, and I had them replace it (had it expedited as they said it would take 3 business days, but that was unacceptable to me - so I had a replacement sent within an hour). Luckily I have most of my work backed up or on a network share or on sharepoint.

  • Glassed Silver
  • Like 1
Grand Master

Phouchg

Posted
Posted

As soon as there's a single read error that makes it a pending sector, I try to remove all data and then proceed to calculate its location and repartition it. Then I continue to use such drives for stuff that isn't important, especially now when prices are so freaking inflated. Only once bad sectors have continued to spread and soon the drive was done. For the rest I even have one with bad mechanics - it frequently recalibrates while turned on. I'm still using it as external, for various trash.

  • 3 weeks later...
Grand Master

+Warwagon MVC

Posted
  • Author
  • MVC
Posted

I had a customer bring me her computer, because she couldn't open any applications. So like always unless it's a known malware infection, I first scan the hard drive for bad sectors with Spinrite. 46% into the scan it found 3 bad sectors. Then at around 90% of the scan it found another 300 bad sectors. So I called her and told her what I found.

I HIGHLY recommend she replace the drive. I told her I had one here I could put in. The drive had been repaired good enough at this point to be cloned. She said she wanted to take her chances with the drive. I explained to her that the drive is cloneable right now. If she takes her chances, the next time she brings it to me, I would have to

A) repair all the old or new bad sectors all over again

B) The drive might be so bad I can't clone it and would have to change her for a reinstall of windows on the new drive.

She still wanted to "Take her chance". So before I gave the computer back to her I cloned the drive on to a new drive I had in my office, just in case. Well today she called me (1 1/2 days later) and said the computer had worked good for about a day and now it's doing the same thing all over again.

Grand Master

+Warwagon MVC

Posted
  • Author
  • MVC
Posted

I actually tell the customer that I would replace it but if you don't have any critical information on there, then just do a HAL, and use it till it fails Dave....

jf

But then if it fails you'll have to reinstall the OS which would be an extra cost to the customer. When you could just clone the drive now and it would just be part of the current labor.

Grand Master

Rigby

Posted
Posted

Bad sectors are like cancer for hard drives. When you get one it's often a sign of a head crash, there is physical damage to the platter and possibly the head and there can be debris from the damage. Bad sectors will often spread to adjacent sectors and every time it does you lose more data. For me if a drive develops a bad sector that's it, it can no longer be trusted and I replace it asap.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Posts

    • Hey Google, these are the Gemini features I want in 2026

      By Xenon · Posted

      This is what I want. Hey Gemini, how do I remove you from all my google products permanently?
    • Microsoft confirms Windows 11 26H2 to finally get one of the most requested features

      By WindowsPhone · Posted

      I would never install install this build before rtm process. only 3 months to go. never install on your daily devices. just wait 3 months.
    • Motrix Next 3.9.6

      By Copernic · Posted

      Motrix Next 3.9.6 by Razvan Serea Motrix Next is a modern, open-source cross-platform download manager built as the official next-generation successor to the original Motrix project. It has been completely rewritten using Tauri 2, Vue 3, TypeScript, and Rust, while still relying on the powerful Aria2 download engine for high-speed multi-protocol transfers. The app supports HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, BitTorrent, ED2K and magnet links, offering advanced features like multi-connection acceleration, task scheduling, bandwidth control, and batch download management. With a significantly reduced install size (around 20MB), it focuses on being lightweight, fast, and resource-efficient compared to traditional Electron-based download tools. Designed for Windows, macOS, and Linux, Motrix Next delivers a clean, modern UI inspired by Material Design 3 principles, with smooth animations and a minimal workflow. It improves usability through better download organization, system tray integration, and enhanced torrent handling including selective file downloads and tracker management. Motrix Next features: Multi-protocol downloads — HTTP, FTP, BitTorrent, Magnet, .torrent, ED2K, and Metalink tasks BitTorrent — Selective file download, DHT, peer exchange, encryption controls, metadata caching, GeoIP peer flags, and tracker probing Browser extension integration — Embedded Extension API with independent authentication, download confirmation, smart auto-submit, filename hints, referer/cookie forwarding, and real-time controls (Chrome Web Store · Edge Add-ons) Safe filename handling — Content-Disposition, RFC 2047, non-UTF-8, percent-encoded, and extensionless URL resolution with path traversal sanitization Download organization — Favorite and recent folders, optional file-type categorization, stale-record cleanup, and completed history backed by SQLite Concurrent downloads — Independent controls for active tasks, HTTP connections per server, segments per file, and BT peer limits Speed control — Global and per-task upload/download limits with day-of-week and time-of-day scheduling System integration — Tray operation, optional tray speed display, macOS Dock badge/progress, protocol handlers for magnet://, thunder://, and motrixnext:// Lightweight mode — Destroys the WebView on minimize-to-tray while Rust keeps the engine, task monitor, notifications, history, and extension routing alive Notifications and power options — Native task start/complete/failure notifications, keep-awake during downloads, and optional shutdown after completion Network controls — Scoped proxy support for downloads, app updates, and tracker updates, plus system proxy detection Auto-update channels — Stable, Beta, and Latest Across Channels policies with separate download and install phases Diagnostics — Structured logs, exportable diagnostic ZIPs, database integrity checks, automatic DB rebuild, and Linux GPU rendering fallback Personalization — Light/dark/system theme, 10 color schemes, 26 languages, and first-launch system language detection Motrix Next 3.9.6 changelog: New Features Clipboard management — App-owned copy actions no longer trigger the Add Task auto-detect popup. aria2 input compatibility — Multi-line aria2-style task input is supported for URLs with per-task options such as out=. BitTorrent IPv6 DHT — Added IPv6 DHT support and related configuration. File category URL patterns — File category rules can match URL patterns with validation and localized hints. Task status tags — Added clearer waiting and sharing states for task cards. Download event bridge — Added an aria2 WebSocket event bridge for faster download notifications. Improvements Improved task list transitions and preserved task state during tab switches. Kept RPC origin access enabled for local integrations. Restored AppImage stripping in release builds after beta validation. Added localized preference guidance across supported languages. Download: Motrix Next 64-bit | ARM64 | macOS ~20.0 MB (Open Source) Links: Website | macOS / Linux | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Segra 1.6.2

      By Copernic · Posted

      Segra 1.6.2 by Razvan Serea Segra is a free, open-source OBS-powered game recorder offering fast gameplay capture, instant clips, AI highlights, deep game integration, and seamless uploads—perfect for gamers, streamers, and content creators. Lightweight, fast, zero bloat. Segra key features: Automatic Game Recording: Begin capturing gameplay the moment your game launches, with zero manual setup. Instant Clipping: Save important moments instantly using a customizable hotkey—perfect for highlights, montages, or quick shares. Segra AI Highlights: Let Segra automatically detect kills, assists, deaths, and key events to generate polished highlight reels without manual editing. Gameplay Uploads: Upload recordings and clips directly to Segra.tv for fast sharing and cloud access. Deep Game Integration: Enjoy advanced game-data tracking across hundreds of supported titles, enabling smart highlight generation and stat-informed clipping. High-Performance Capture: Record up to 4K at 144 FPS using OBS-powered technology with minimal performance impact, supporting NVENC, AMD VCE, and custom quality controls. Segra Editor: Edit recordings easily with timeline controls, segment management, and event-based navigation to build the perfect clip. Customization Options: Adjust hotkeys, output formats, storage paths, codecs, capture quality, and performance settings for a tailored recording experience. Segra 1.6.2 changelog: UI: Improved the transition from the loading skeleton to the real content card. Security: Added Segra.dll code signing and automatic VirusTotal upload. Settings: Fixed the settings header to highlight Account when scrolled to the top. Recording: Updated OBSKit.NET to 1.4.1. Download: Segra 1.6.2 | 74.5 MB (Open Source) View: Segra Homepage | Github | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Hey Google, these are the Gemini features I want in 2026

      By Aditya Tiwari · Posted

      Hey Google, these are the Gemini features I want in 2026 by Aditya Tiwari Google Gemini has been around for over three years. The AI chatbot started its journey back in 2023 (as Bard) when ChatGPT was already a talk of the town. However, it quickly attracted criticism after misrepresenting facts about the James Webb Space Telescope. The search giant spent a year fine-tuning Bard before rebranding the chatbot and its underlying generative AI model to Gemini, drawing inspiration from NASA's first human spaceflight program. Note that Bard was initially powered by LaMDA and PaLM 2; Google has since added several new features and integrations to Gemini. That said, there is scope for improvement and a gap for new features. I have been using Gemini for a while now and have realized that the chatbot lacks several features, making it harder for me to research across topics. These are mostly function-over-form updates that can improve the overall experience. Delete individual messages from a conversation Image via DepositPhotos.com One good thing about Gemini is that it can maintain context throughout the conversation. But things might get chaotic when you want to ask a related question, but don't want it to be part of your conversation in the long run. You can't ask that related question in a fresh chat because Gemini will lose the active conversation context of what you're trying to research. If Google allowed you to delete individual question/answer pairs, you could simply ask about a sub-topic and remove it from the conversation to create a smooth flow of important stuff. Offline mode Image via DepositPhotos.com A big pain of using Gemini daily is that everything loads from the cloud. It takes time for your chats to appear, and you can't view your conversation history while offline. To get a better idea, you can open the Gemini app and see how it looks without an internet connection. While Gemini models run in the cloud, it wouldn't hurt if Google could store chats (at least the text part) on the device so we can refer to them when offline. Google can also offer a lightweight version of its AI model to help with basic drafting, summarization, and other tasks. It has the Gemini Nano model, which can perform on-device processing on Google Pixel, Samsung, and some other Android brands, but it's a system feature and not related to the cloud-based Gemini app. Make temporary chats permanent I can't thank Google enough for taking the time and effort to add incognito mode or temporary chat mode to the Gemini app. It lets you have conversations without worrying that the topics will end up in your chat history or used for model training (at least on paper). Google claims that it doesn't use your temporary chats to "personalize your Gemini experience or train Google’s AI models." However, the data is stored "up to 72 hours to respond to you and to process any feedback you choose to provide." That said, I often start researching something in a temporary chat, only to realize the chatbot's answer is good enough to refer to later. Sadly, Gemini doesn't have an option to make such temporary chats permanent. In other words, I won't be able to follow up on it if I close the temporary chat. I'm left with alternatives like copying the answers into notes or another app. My digital life will get a lot better if Gemini gets a button to make temporary chats permanent. Collapse answers for a cleaner view You're heavily invested in your research game and suddenly feel the need to go up in the chat to recall something. This is when the conversation thread starts to feel like an overwhelming, unending wall of questions and answers. What if Google added a way to collapse Q&A pairs in the Gemini chat thread? It would look quite clean and easy to navigate. You'll quickly get an overview of everything you have discussed with the chatbot. Add buttons to jump between messages Suggested mockup of the feature. This reminds me of a small but useful Gemini feature that Google could add to its chatbot: the ability to hop between prompts in a conversation. Just add simple up- and down-arrow buttons, similar to YouTube Shorts, so people can quickly scroll through the messages. A table of contents or Chat Overview It's hard to get a bird's-eye view of everything you have discussed with the chatbot during a lengthy conversation. This is where a table of contents, or Chat Overview, displayed at the top of the screen, possibly in a drop-down button, might come in handy. You'll be able to get an overview of the chat and jump between messages, serving as an alternative to the up/down arrow buttons. Temporary mode for Gemini Live Image: Google You can use Gemini Live to have real-time conversations with the chatbot, which feels like you're talking to someone in the same room. However, a downside is that Gemini Live doesn't work in Temporary Chat mode, so all your conversations end up in the chat history. Google should consider expanding the temporary chat mode to include Gemini Live. Default to a specific chat One thing that feels somewhat annoying to me is that Gemini always opens in a new chat, whether on web or mobile. Sometimes, you want to return to your last chat. Google can take cues from web browsers, which let you choose whether you want to go to a new tab or a specific web page(s). Gemini can also have options to default to a specific chat when reopened. That said, generative AI chatbots have endless possibilities given the vagueness of their work. You can mold them the way you want by attaching different connectors, adding custom instructions, and including source files. It remains to be seen what Google has in store for future updates and whether anything from this wishlist gets the green light. The search giant released a stream of new Gemini updates in recent months, including Gemini 3.5 Flash and Gemini Omni Spark, adding that it now has 13 products with more than a billion users each. What do you want to see in the Gemini app? Tell us in the comments.

  • Recent Achievements

    • Conversation Starter
      sumytbe earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • One Year In
      B4dM1k3 earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Year In
      DarkWun earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Dedicated
      Almohandis earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • Dedicated
      JuvenileDelinquent earned a badge
      Dedicated

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      507
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      181
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      86
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      78
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      75
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!