# RAW Read Errors, help!



## xkm1948 (Dec 29, 2012)

My WD Black 1.5TB died a week ago. It only lasted a year and 3 months. it goes along with ALL OF MY DATA. Really nice, just during Christmas. 

Good thing is the customer support team at WD is pretty good. I got a refurbished WD Black 2TB as replacement sending to me with next day air. I have done extensive test on the drive before installing OS since I dont wanna lose data again. The 2TB checked out both quick test and extended test with WD Data Lifeguard DOS V5.19. However, after I install Windows 7 I found that my RAW Read Errors in the SMART are really high. They were 107 right after fresh install. This morning they turned in 110.





Is this something I should be worried about? I would hate to RMA another WD drive. If this one goes bad, I will switch to Seagate for sure.


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## 95Viper (Dec 29, 2012)

Does not sound good...

I would run WD diagnostics on the refurb to see if it passes.
Tell them to send a new one, if it doesn't.

And, I would keep an eye on those read errors to see if they keep increasing, if it passes the WD diagnostics test.

If, you start getting others errors or S.M.A.R.T. errors... run the WD tests, again.

And, you may, also, want to try a different SATA cable and, maybe a different port.
Run a disk check (complete/full) to see if it can clean up any errors.


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## xkm1948 (Dec 29, 2012)

95Viper said:


> Does not sound good...
> 
> I would run WD diagnostics on the refurb to see if it passes.
> Tell them to send a new one, if it doesn't.
> ...



Already passed the WD Data LifeGuard quick test and extended test.
Now the count has increased to 111 after the extened test
I am using a brand new cable after my last HDD failed.
Run a chkdsk with a full cluster scan, no error so far.


Lots of people tell me that my old 7200.11 was bad, and yet it last me a good 5 yrs. First time I try WD and I get one dead HDD in 1yr 3 months. Hopefully this RMAed one wont die.


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## 95Viper (Dec 29, 2012)

xkm1948 said:


> Lots of people tell me that my old 7200.11



Yep, some had problems with them, some were fixed with a firmware update, some bricked from a bad update was distributed out; but, they fixed the update later I believe and some were fixed through the RMA process.

I have been lucky, I guess, I have used Seagate, WD, Samsung, Hitachi, and others; however, the only drive I have had that actually died... I dropped.

If your raw read errors are continuing to increase... then, you have a problem somewhere.
Whether it is hardware, drivers, or some kind of conflict... it is there.


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## xkm1948 (Dec 29, 2012)

I'll keep an eye on the situation. I called WD total support. They told me unless the drive is unable to access it should be fine. Guess for now I will trust them. They promised to take care of the situation and promised to get everything fixed, provide if they break.


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## DRDNA (Dec 29, 2012)

Does a different sata port on the mobo also have errors with the drives?


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## xkm1948 (Dec 30, 2012)

DRDNA said:


> Does a different sata port on the mobo also have errors with the drives?



Yes.


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## xkm1948 (Dec 30, 2012)

Getting to error count 115 now. Nice....


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## xkm1948 (Jan 2, 2013)

Just a following up.

Within a week of getting the replacement HDD, it is AGAIN dying. Yep, current pending sectors.

WD's quality control surely is SH*ITTY here. Good thing is I didn't put much data on it so I am not worrying about losing data. But think of the time wasted trying to solve this: THREE FREAKING WEEKS.

Never buying WD products again. NEVER EVER buying WD products again.


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## Jstn7477 (Jan 2, 2013)

At least WD Blacks have a 5 year warranty unlike Seagate's 1-2 years. All HDD manufacurers have their issues...


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## xkm1948 (Jan 2, 2013)

Jstn7477 said:


> At least WD Blacks have a 5 year warranty unlike Seagate's 1-2 years. All HDD manufacurers have their issues...



Twice in a row. I dont know what to say. Merely bad luck?


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## DayKnight (Jan 2, 2013)

^ Of course. It's bad luck.

... and If I were you, I would try killing it.


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## OneMoar (Jan 2, 2013)

xkm1948 said:


> Twice in a row. I dont know what to say. Merely bad luck?



something else is going on either the drive controller on your motherboard is failing or you have some weird power issues getting the exact same pattern of failure with two different drives tells me something else is wrong
id pull the drive and format and test it in another machine


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## xkm1948 (Jan 2, 2013)

OneMoar said:


> something else is going on either the drive controller on your motherboard is failing or you have some weird power issues getting the exact same pattern of failure with two different drives tells me something else is wrong
> id pull the drive and format and test it in another machine



Already did. Putting it into my miniITX build with Asrock Z68 mobo. I use WD Data Lifeguard to low format it before testing and it is still showing pending sectors and high Raw Read Error Rate. 

It is not the SATA controller, it is the HDD itself


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## ChristTheGreat (Jan 2, 2013)

it is purely bad luck :/ 

Just send it back. And make sure to have a backup of your data instead on only on one drive. Really hard to say when the HDD/SSD will die :/


By the way, in the smart, which software you use? can y ou screenshot it?


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## drdeathx (Jan 2, 2013)

I would say your controller on your board may be going bad if it is 2 in a row.....


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## 95Viper (Jan 2, 2013)

xkm1948 said:


> Putting it into my miniITX build with Asrock Z68 mobo. I use WD Data Lifeguard to low format it before testing and *it is still showing* pending sectors and high Raw Read Error Rate.



This post did not exactly give the answer needed.
It will more than likely keep the same SMART data, even though you format it (low level or what); unless, you have some app that will wipe the SMART data.
When you tested it in the other system, did the Raw Read Errors, Pending Sector Count or any other errors increase?

If the error counts still increase in the other system, then , definitely RMA it.
It is, probably, partly bad luck and partly... sloppy quality control, in that case.
If you do RMA that drive again, ask them to test the replacement before sending it.

However, if, the drive does not garner more errors, then you may need to looks else where for a problem.

EDIT:
Just a couple of questions.  Have you done a test on your other drive in the first system (not the miniITX)?  Is it showing any errors?


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## xkm1948 (Jan 2, 2013)

95Viper said:


> This post did not exactly give the answer needed.
> It will more than likely keep the same SMART data, even though you format it (low level or what); unless, you have some app that will wipe the SMART data.
> When you tested it in the other system, did the Raw Read Errors, Pending Sector Count or any other errors increase?
> 
> ...



Yes. RRER went from 215 to 368 on my ITX build.....

And now I have 5 current pending sectors. It was 1 before.

My main work station had a Seagate 7200.11 before. It had the firmware issue and bricked itself.

I have an old laptop Toshiba HDD that I am using on this mobo now. And everything works just fine. No RRER increase or Current Pending Sector increase.


I have triple checked my connectors, my SATA cables and my PSU. Everything points to the problem of the HDD.


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## xkm1948 (Jan 2, 2013)

drdeathx said:


> I would say your controller on your board may be going bad if it is 2 in a row.....



If it is controller problem then it should show Write Error Rate Warning and Seek Error Rate Waning as well.

I am not getting I/O error in Windows event logs, so it should not be the motherboard end. Must be cluster of weak sectors on the replacement HDD.


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## xkm1948 (Jan 2, 2013)

ChristTheGreat said:


> it is purely bad luck :/
> 
> Just send it back. And make sure to have a backup of your data instead on only on one drive. Really hard to say when the HDD/SSD will die :/
> 
> ...



Using WD DataLifeguard for DOS. Which is recommended by WD for generating RMA request.


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## drdeathx (Jan 2, 2013)

xkm1948 said:


> If it is controller problem then it should show Write Error Rate Warning and Seek Error Rate Waning as well.
> 
> I am not getting I/O error in Windows event logs, so it should not be the motherboard end. Must be cluster of weak sectors on the replacement HDD.



And how do you know this?


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## xkm1948 (Jan 2, 2013)

drdeathx said:


> And how do you know this?



What else could be wrong to cause RRER steady increase in both systems except HDD itself has problem?


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## drdeathx (Jan 2, 2013)

xkm1948 said:


> What else could be wrong to cause RRER steady increase in both systems except HDD itself has problem?



2 HDD's in a row? that would make most look away from a drives issue unless its a firmware issue..


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## xkm1948 (Jan 2, 2013)

drdeathx said:


> 2 HDD's in a row? that would make most look away from a drives issue unless its a firmware issue..



I suspect other problem is why I pull the WD drive and test it on my ITX build, which is also why I test an old laptop drive on my workstation mobo.

WD drive on ITX build still see steady RRER increase. I tried all 4 SATA ports on the ITX mobo and used different cables. Still seeing RRER problem.

What else can be wrong? Drivers for the ICH9R? Can Intel Rapid Storage Tech cause RRER increase?

Right now I cannot access one volume on the WD drive. It doesn't show up in Windows Explorer.


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## drdeathx (Jan 2, 2013)

Try the drive on a different system


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## xkm1948 (Jan 2, 2013)

drdeathx said:


> Try the drive on a different system



See my post above


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## drdeathx (Jan 2, 2013)

xkm1948 said:


> See my post above



Ahhhhhh, could be driver but doubtful on that. I may have missed it but is there a firmware update?


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## xkm1948 (Jan 2, 2013)

drdeathx said:


> Ahhhhhh, could be driver but doubtful on that. I may have missed it but is there a firmware update?



No. I cannot find anything firmware related on WD's support page for my model. And looks like I am not along on this. Check out the newegg reviews for similar drives:

Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 6...

Western Digital WD Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM 6...


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## xkm1948 (Jan 2, 2013)

Here is the download page:

http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?groupid=613&lang=en


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## drdeathx (Jan 2, 2013)

At this point, I would contact WD and show them all the issues over the net and demand a different model drive......


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## xkm1948 (Jan 2, 2013)

drdeathx said:


> At this point, I would contact WD and show them all the issues over the net and demand a different model drive......



Already did. Guess what. They deleted my thread in their customer support section. I posted it last night. I woke up this morning to find my thread was deleted.

What I posted---facts about the RRER porblem, the current pending sector problem. My concerns for their drive's quality control. What if I receive another RMA that is a refurbished drive which has problems as well? 

This is what WD's support team's response:


"I have escalated your case for one of our support specialist to contact you as soon as possible.

Regards,
Robothief.
"

Well, I am not so sure what to do now. While it is cool that they honor their 5 year warranty, it is simply annoying to reply on pure luck that you will receive a functional replacement drive.


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## drdeathx (Jan 2, 2013)

xkm1948 said:


> Already did. Guess what. They deleted my thread in their customer support section. I posted it last night. I woke up this morning to find my thread was deleted.
> 
> What I posted---facts about the RRER porblem, the current pending sector problem. My concerns for their drive's quality control. What if I receive another RMA that is a refurbished drive which has problems as well?
> 
> ...




Why the hell did they send a refurb. i would have been pi$$ed. At this point I go to phone and not email support and climb the ladder. They are giving you the run around and that is bullshit. Tell them you are a member here and you will start negative PR and that should pull their jock strap tighter.


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## xkm1948 (Jan 2, 2013)

drdeathx said:


> Why the hell did they send a refurb. i would have been pi$$ed. At this point I go to phone and not email support and climb the ladder. They are giving you the run around and that is bullshit. Tell them you are a member here and you will start negative PR and that should pull their jock strap tighter.



You will not believe what they used for shipping me this replacement:

An used WD cardbox which still has tape mark all over from previous use.
One static proof plastic bag containing the drive, taped close
Two pieces of plastic pieces holding the bag
And one piece of paper---RMA closed for your case.

No bubble wrap, no packaging peanuts. The drive was pretty much dangling inside the box.


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## drdeathx (Jan 2, 2013)

xkm1948 said:


> You will not believe what they used for shipping me this replacement:
> 
> An used WD cardbox which still has tape mark all over from previous use.
> One static proof plastic bag containing the drive.
> ...



I would tell them that too. To be honest, I would be all over this and get a second drive for free due to their incompetence. Provide a link for this thread. Due to their poor service in this instance, I would never buy anything from Western Digital period just the same reason I will never buy EK from their Nickle plating debacle when they only gave 90 days for replacement of bogus product. These companies will not wake up when it comes to service. Social Media can be a big factor in peoples decision and I would hope this thread costs them hundreds of sales. I will say OCZ has always been great with service. I had a SSD go bad and they upgraded me to a Revo Drive(PCIE) drive at no charge...


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## xkm1948 (Jan 2, 2013)

It is getting better.

I just got off (or I'd rather say after 10mins of waiting with no response) the phone with WD's tech support line.  Now at least one thing is clear. 

*All the replacement drives WD send out for RMA are refurbished drives. *

Isn't it nice? The girl on the support line confirmed all the do is a write-zero on the returned drives and send them right out as replacement. And she asked me if I want to have another replacement, with a refurbished drive.

I told her no, I want a replacement with a new drive since It's been 3 weeks and I don't want to deal with this mess any more. And that's where she disappeared. She said "I'll go get my supervisor" and i was left on the phone. After 10 mins of nothing I hang up.

Do not buy WD people. Looks like this is how they treat their customers. Really good job!


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## Aquinus (Jan 2, 2013)

If you read the RMA process for WD, they want it packaged a certain way so the drive is really secure. Using the original box is really what they want or a box that they've used to send a drive back to you. I've done several RMAs with 1TB drives from WD and they've always gone smoothly. Yes, they give you a refurbished drive, but that really means that they know what the problem was and they replaced components to fix it. It goes through the same quality tests as new drives and in defense of refurbished WD drives, I have several that are still working with over 27,000 hours of heavy use. It sounds like really bad luck, but WD's higher capacity drives are known to have a higher failure rate. That's why I don't get WD drives bigger than 1TB. I have several FAEX drives working great, one refurbished and one OEM. I'm sorry your experience has been this bad though, that sucks. The last drive I sent back, I got back 6 days from the day I put it in the mail. I've had the exact opposite experience. 

I don't know if it makes a difference, but I usually print out some output from smartctl in linux and I highlight the issues in SMART and put that in the box with the drive.


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## drdeathx (Jan 2, 2013)

Anyway, hopefully more members will chime in and then send them the link to this thread. A Western Digital Boycott until they take care of you...


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## xkm1948 (Jan 2, 2013)

I requested an advanced RMA. I expected a properly packaged HDD. Come on, even eBay seller has better packaging than WD's RMA department.

I will give WD one more day since they promise me to contact me ASAP. 

I used Seagate products mostly in the past, never had a problem. The last time I am having so much problem with HDDs are with those IBM glass platter ones.


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## xkm1948 (Jan 2, 2013)

drdeathx said:


> Anyway, hopefully more members will chime in and then send them the link to this thread. A Western Digital Boycott until they take care of you...



Thanks for your help man! Really appreciate it.


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## xkm1948 (Jan 4, 2013)

Thank you so much drdeathx. I gave WD customer support a link to Techpowerup here as well as some other forum links and reviews. These were done last night.

This morning I got a phone call directly from WD's Customer Support Manager Jim Case. He promised a complete refund and a new WD Black 2TB AND a WD RE4 2TB drive for compensation.

Well, I accepted his resolution consider how much pain I have been through with lost data & reinstalling OS.


Quick question. How stable is this WD drive I am using right now gonna be? I am seeing the following stats right now

400+ RRER values, 
63 Pending Sectors
140 reallocated Sector count
15 offline uncorrectable.


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