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Question

Hard Drive Issue

Feb 27, 2016 4:58PM PST

I am running windows 7 and have an additional 3gb internal drive for storage. Worked fine until recently. Tried to open a file and it was no longer located, etc. Then all the files did the same thing. Then the drive disappeared in my computer. Did a quick format, drive came back, used it for a while, then it happened again. This time I ran checkdisk, which found problems, and said it fixed them. Did a full format, which took hours. The drive was back. Rebooted system, suddenly the drive shows up as only 746gb. It is GBT partitioned, as it should be. It was fine before, showed the full 3tb, or 2.7. So I am wondering if it is the drive itself or if something changed in windows that I can fix. Help appreciated.

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Seems the drive is suspect.
Feb 27, 2016 5:13PM PST

is it a Seagate? Time to get your files backed up if you haven't done so.
Dafydd.

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Backed Up
Feb 27, 2016 5:26PM PST

It's a WD drive. Everything is backed up, no issue there. Not concerned at all about the data that's on it. I just want the full capacity back if possible. Was just hoping there is something I missed before I spend cash on a new one. Strange that it just reverted to 746gb suddenly. But I know there was/is an issue with it. Oh, and by the way, in the OP I said 3gb when I meant 3tb. Thanks for your response.

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Any chance...
Feb 27, 2016 5:44PM PST

you could put the drive in an usb enclosure and test on another PC? This would rule out windows. Have you run any AV scans?
Dafydd.

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Scanned
Feb 27, 2016 6:00PM PST

I've scanned it and checked it. No AV issues. Checkdisk found issues, said it resolved them. At that point I did a full format, and it seemed fine. I was looking at a fresh 3tb drive. Then I rebooted, and at that point it came back as only 746gb. That's where I'm at now. I've been using it for a couple days, and it seems fine, albeit at only 746gb. I'm a photographer and I use it for back up. But I also have the same data backed up on external drives, so I'm covered. It's just easier to have as much as possible on the internal drive. With large camera raw files, 760gb isn't much. I could do a fresh install of 7, but everything else is working fine, and I don't want to do that because I suspect the drive is failing. I don't have a usb enclosure, so I'll have to check the price on those and see if it's worth it to get one or just get a new internal drive. Thanks again.