Bad Sectors, should I be worried

[Aviator]

I recently discovered that the SMART data shows a caution for one of my drives (Seagate ST3750641NS) on the Reallocated Sector Count, and sometimes shows a warning on the UltraDMA CRC Error count. I have also noticed that the drive runs warm. This drive is used externally in an enclosure to store extra files (the enclosure is USB 3.0). Since I noticed the bad sectors I have been using the drive extensively for about two weeks and so far the reallocated sector count has NOT increased. I do not know how long the bad sectors have been there before then because I just recently started scanning the SMART data of all my drives. Also, the drive does NOT seem to be making any clicking noises and sounds normal.

What is an UltraDMA CRC error and what does it mean?

Could the drive be overheating?

Should the bad sectors be a cause for concern that the drive is on its way out, or is it normal for a drive to develop bad sectors as it ages (I heard that drives are manufactured with extra sectors to be reallocated for this purpose)?

How many bad sectors is a drive considered bad?

So far I have tried a zero-fill format as well as performing CHKDSK and selecting the option that says "scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors," but the amount bad sectors were still the same after the format and CHKDSK. I also noticed that the CHKDSK took a really long time (a few hours). Is this a bad sign that the drive is failing?

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[ShaneWard]

Seagate drives get warm all the time and the sector count seems okay. just check it once a month to see if the sectors increase, but it could be just a cluster worn out over time. The thing to watch out for is if the drive has sustained a mild shock, or damage, then the sector count will increase in time. I have a old Maxtor hard drive that is always running and on, its bad sector count is located near the end of the drive and there are so many bad sectors, the computer keeps getting a SMART warning every time I reboot. But the drive works without any mechanical problems and the data is all okay. I do back it up, but I want to get my moneys worth out of the drive. So you should be okay as long as the error count does not increase too rapidly.

Shane

[lcoughey]

Personally, I'd take this as a good warning to backup my data and replace the drive. If you want to continue to use the drive, make sure data is backed up and it would be well advised not to use for holding anything important.