Is it a myth or truth that surface testing can generate more badblocks and bad sectors on HDDs? some people told me this

What is the best software to test HDD health (badblocks and errors)?

That's not true surface test didn't generates bad blocks, unless HDD already has bad sector when reading these bad blocks HDD can generate more bad sector.

Right way to test HDD is to first get S.M.A.R.T report and understand, second try complete surface test. (Victoria)

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Depends on root cause, but accessing the drive could generate bad sectors which is why for data recovery we typically do not waste time on scanning for bad sectors, instead we image/clone the drive.

And also, your bad block scanner may 'generate' bad sectors, but these would have occurred anyway, maybe somewhat slower and such sectors may have been discovered later only after such sectors would be read from/written to. Part of the use of scanners is to become aware of such sectors and so becoming aware of them does not mean the scanner caused the bad sectors.

But the software generating bad sectors is basically bullshit.

If we consider solid state drives then you could argue a full r/w surface scan pushes the drive at least one write/erase cycle closer to death.

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Joep - http://www.disktuna.com - video & photo repair & recovery service

Who generates the Smart report is CrystalDisk Info?

If the HD passes Ok in CrystalDisk Info, is there a need to perform a full scan on the HDD to check that it does not have any badblocks or other faults? What is the best software for this test?

CrystalDisk gets the SMART info from the HDD module, it doesn't generate anything.

Even if it shows OK, I always run a surface check to be sure. I usually use VictoriaHDD.

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Victoria x HDTune Pro x HDDScan x HardDisk Sentinel x other what is better for testing badblock and fails in HDD?

Try them and make your own judgement.

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I've used them all except Victoria but I couldn't find the one that has the most accurate and complete test.
I do not have the experience and technical knowledge of HDDs to make any judgment

+1 Victoria.



They do about the same. No tool can make this judgement call, it always should be you. If the tool says all's well and the drive dies next day you'll be yelling at the developer that his tool is crap. Nope, you make the call.

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Joep - http://www.disktuna.com - video & photo repair & recovery service

If the HDD does not show errors in the crystaldisk info and gsmart analysis, it is necessary to carry out another test to prove that the HD is in good condition to store files

To ensure a used drive is safe to use run a scan. Speed of drive is a good indicator of drive health, speed drops is a indicator of a failing drive, long time before it will do SMART errors.

+1 surface scan read only, with any software don't generate bad sectors, it reweal bad sectors.

Would never scan any drive with any soft if goal is data recovery, make an clone and recover data from clone.

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Assuming the HDD is ok in crystal diskinfo and gsmart, then what software do you recommend to perform the second surface test?

I have a HDD that I've been using for years and it doesn't die it has reallocated second counts yellow status alert on crystal disk info but on gsmart it appears to be in good condition

Is it true that the surface test does not generate badblocks on the HDD?

Can not recommend a soft. Use PC-3000 or Victoria my self..
Reallocated sector count yellow = drive dying, tomorrow or next year
Surfacetest in read only does not generate bad sectors, it reveals them.

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If the firmware and smart were changed by someone fot not shows badblocks and errors, the HDD surface test will reveal something

I could be wrong, but SMART stats and actual reallocations aren't the same thing. So bad sectors could be/stay reallocated while SMART is manipulated to show none of those. And if that's the case, what you expect a surface scan to show? If I were to manipulate a HDD to show as optimal as possible, I'd leave bad sectors reallocated and just alter SMART reported values.

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Joep - http://www.disktuna.com - video & photo repair & recovery service

I honestly don't know, what I think is if someone changes the Smart and the firmware to not show bad blocks and bad sectors, wouldn't it be possible with a surface test to find out if the HDD is good or not for archiving?

I thought the surface test was a physical test that regardless of the smart and firmware being changed, the surface test did not depend on the smart and firmware data

Most (all?) end user type surface scanners are limited to scanning LBA space. Reallocated sectors are removed from LBA space. Again, if you wipe SMART alone, sectors that were reallocated remain reallocated AFAIK and so your surface scan will not detect them.

Anyway, I suggest you wait for an answer from someone with more in-depth knowledge on hard drive firmware etc..

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Joep - http://www.disktuna.com - video & photo repair & recovery service

In this forum, who is the person with the most knowledge about firmware and smart? example: if I buy a used HDD I need to check if the firmware and smart were tampered with or not tampered with to show a 100% disk without badblocks and errors

find out if HDD is good for storing data

Buy a new drive from a reputable store. Do research to find reliable drives. Check BackBlaze statistics for example.

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Joep - http://www.disktuna.com - video & photo repair & recovery service

Give me a failed drive i will make SMART look as you wish.. But testing speed of drive will most likely reveal the real condition of the drive.

Agree with Joep, buy a new drive - but still remember to backup.
If you buy a used drive you can not always tell if SMART is tampered. Buy two and use one as backup. Most likely they will not both break down at the same time
A few years back i got a lot of requests from used hardware brokers, trying to get better prices for worn out server drives.
They did not want to reset SMART, just "adjust" power on hours and reallocated. Of course i refused, but I know someone else did the job.

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