The original post: /r/datahoarder by /u/sobo5o on 2024-06-14 14:32:06.
Got another 5TB external Seagate Expansion HDD and want to optimize my routine. The drive is originally in exFAT with some warranty content on it. I have Windows 10, so not using badblocks, but have HD Sentinel. My order is this:
Minimum:
- Short self-test
- Surface WRITE+Read with default 0's
- Quick format (to NTFS)
Maximum:
- Short self-test
- Quick format (to NTFS)
- Filling disk with large files (using TeraCopy)
- Surface READ test
- Surface WRITE+Read with default 0's
- Surface WRITE+Read with 1's (
0xFF) - Surface WRITE+Read back with 0's
- Quick format (to NTFS)
Some notes:
- Extended self-test can be skipped, as it just short self-test + READ test sequence within the drive, just less informative than the Surface read test as doesn't consider connectivity performance
- Full format in Windows isn't needed, as it's the same as Surface READ + WRITE (with 0's) tests, maybe more limited, and quick format is enough just to change the filesystem
- Different surface write+read patterns emulate the 4-pass badblocks test
A few things I wanted to clarify:
- how redundant is filling the drive with files, considering further WRITE+Read surface test? Does it only serve as another WRITE pass, just with different data?
- do I really need the Read test before the WRITE+Read test, or is the latter enough? (i.e. can a READ before WRITE indicate something that a READ after WRITE won't?). My idea was to see the initial READ after the drive is filled with files, then overwriting it with 0's and reading again
- how important is changing the pattern/flipping 0's to 1's?
- should I flip 1's to 0's back again? Can the 1's pattern remain, following a quick format prior to using the drive?
And finally, is the more time-consuming 3-4 pass procedure really worth it, and not an overkill?