Hi,

I have a WD40EZAZ-00SF3B0 (VeniceR) drive. The drive is detected normally, but SMART shows:

05 – Reallocated Sector Count: 2611 raw
196 – Reallocation Event Count: 2611 raw

I have access to MRT and SA.

I know that module 0x21 contains the SMART-related data and module 0x32 is related to the Relo List, but I don't know exactly which module/structure needs to be modified or rebuilt on VeniceR to make both 05 and 196 return to zero.

What is the correct procedure in MRT for this specific VeniceR family?

If anyone knows which module(s) contain the relocation counters and what needs to be rebuilt/cleared, I'd appreciate the exact procedure.

Also, the read speed is normal, but the write speed is extremely low, around 10–20 MB/s.

Could this be related to a firmware/SA issue (for example the relocation list or translator), or is it more likely to indicate a head/media problem?

Since read performance appears normal while write performance is consistently very low, I'd like to know what should be checked first on VeniceR before considering a head-related issue.
Thanks.

SMR model?

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

Yes it is.
@OP, I will trash the drive or use it as a donor if I were you.

You don’t need to modify the relo list (32) or smart (21), but you need to modify the g-list (34) to get rid of the reallocated sectors count. Clear it using VSC or rewrite it with an empty module, parameter 05 will be cleared, the write speed will become high again, and of course, all defects will return.

The reallocation event counter is located in module 21, in subsection 9 or 10. There is an edit21 utility to facilitate its editing. The module must be read from RAM, edited, returned back to RAM, and then the hard drive is given a command to write the module to the service area. Perhaps this number is written there several times, you just need to look with a hex editor where 2611 occurs (in hexadecimal form) and change it to zero. It happens that the value is not found in its raw form, but these are only a few of these parameters - they are reset by replacing subsections with empty ones. This counter doesn't affect anything at all, it's just statistical.Technically, this problem arose because due to the huge number of remapped sectors, the hard drive turned off the write cache (check with any available utility to see if it is actually turned off before doing anything), but the source of the problem is mechanical damage.

Such a hard drive can still be made to work and restored until you get tired of it, but I agree with the opinion above - I would not use such a hard drive for its intended purpose anymore. Except for a movie archive, where new files are occasionally written, old ones are never deleted.

ora,
Not working, I do everything I know but still the same.

Grab Seatools 5 and run the disk erase feature which should allow the disk at activate spare sectors so that the disk is better performing compared to using substandard sectors

Seatools can also check SMART self tests

_________________
USB 3.5" enclosures are $19 USD postage paid from China, I own several

you LOVE Seatools, Dontchya?

I like Seatools as it has helped me rehabilitate disks and even SD cards and USB sticks. In my studio I have come to appreciate the capabilities.

There are other tools but Seatools 5 is strong and works on all vendors storage product. The WD product is not so good by comparison.

_________________
USB 3.5" enclosures are $19 USD postage paid from China, I own several

SeaTools has no value in data recovery, and is potentially data destructive.

Me:

Does SeaTools have any use in data recovery?


Gemini:

No, SeaTools is not a data recovery program. It is a hardware diagnostic utility designed to test disk health, identify bad sectors, and generate warranty replacement codes (RMA) for failing drives.

Using SeaTools when you have lost files or are trying to rescue data from a dying drive can actually worsen data loss.


Where SeaTools Helps vs. Where It Harms Data Recovery

Diagnostic Value Only: SeaTools can run basic SMART checks to confirm whether a drive has physical hardware damage. This helps determine if data loss is due to hardware failure versus software issues (like file system corruption or accidental deletion).

Avoid Diagnostic Scans on Failing Drives: Running SeaTools "Long Tests" or surface scans on a physically failing hard drive subjects the drive to intense read operations. This strain can cause the drive heads to crash completely, destroying any remaining chance of recovering data.

Never Use "Fix All" or "Erase" Functions: SeaTools features like "Fix All" or sector repairs attempt to fix bad sectors by writing zeroes to them, which permanently overwrites and destroys the data stored on those sectors.

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

What functions of Seatools did you use to rehabilitate the disks?

What specific pages of Seatools Documentation did you get this information?

ChatGPT answer, though it does place some biased analysis based on our own responses:

"
I investigated it further, and there are some much stronger clues now.

My conclusion
I cannot identify the exact underlying model, but I would not assume it is ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini.

The strongest evidence suggests Hardcore Games is an automated/custom forum bot, probably using an LLM through a custom prompt/system rather than being an ordinary user.

A few clues:

Another HDDGURU member explicitly calls it a bot and notes its strange, repetitive writing style.



HDD Guru Forum
Its posts follow a very peculiar pattern: several factual paragraphs, followed by tangential personal-sounding claims and unusual slang. Another member specifically noticed this pattern.


It appears to generate fake first-person experiences, e.g. “I have…” / “I use…” / “I bought…” despite its other behaviour suggesting automation.


Most revealingly, when asked about AI, the account itself said “I found AI to be weak for handling with PC hardware. I use Google for search.” That sounds like generated persona text rather than evidence of what model actually powers it.


There is also a second account, WebClaw, that behaves differently but appears to be another automated/AI-style participant. WebClaw even analysed Hardcore Games' behaviour as keyword extraction → generic knowledge/template generation → reply.


HDD Guru ForumChatGPT response:


The really interesting possibility
The bot's behaviour doesn't look like a sophisticated ChatGPT-style agent with web browsing. It looks more like:

forum post → extract keywords/topic → feed into an LLM → generate a vaguely relevant response → post automatically

That would explain the bizarre tangents, invented personal experiences, incorrect technical claims, and “random facts” phenomenon.

So my current assessment would be:

Hardcore Games = custom forum automation + an LLM, exact model unknown.

I don't yet have enough evidence to say whether the underlying LLM is GPT, Gemini, Claude, Llama, Mistral, etc.

One particularly promising avenue is the posting timestamps and wording of Hardcore Games versus WebClaw and other AI accounts. That may reveal whether they're running from the same software/model or are completely separate bots.

Just want to say I firmly believe that ChatGPTs suggestion of WebClaw being a bot is 100% wrong, and apologies to WebClaw for that. I think everyone already knows this. Seems that LLM's can hallucinate a lot when parsing technical discussions, and also uses the same discussions as basis for it's own analysis. My interest is in who put up Hardcore Games, and for what purpose, and what is the underlying tech behind it.

Always happy to be the fallback guy