Some hard drive questions...[bad sectors/power failures/etc.]

I have three questions about hard drives that I can't seem to find an adequate answer for.

1) My hard drive, I guess, is starting to develop bad sectors. On top of that, after I opened the computer and then felt it, whenever the computer is on, the hard drive continually spins its disk and then slows it and then spins it, though maybe I've only noticed that because I've never felt it. It doesn't seem normal; dying maybe? SMART also told me that it's working under "not good conditions."

2) For one of my hard drives, using an external enclosure I turned the power on, but my external enclosure was somehow damaged and it kept turning the power on and off, does this affect it? I mean these were quick turn off and ons, it was just on off power-failure like.

3) Pertaining to USB Thumb Drives, it's ok to just remove it from the USB without telling windows to stop right? I mean, so far, I don't see anything wrong with just pulling it out...though I want to ask the same about an external enclosure (like a my book) any affects?

Thank You.

 

1) Get GRC Spinrite, it'll fix, recover and maintain a hard drive. Steve Gibson is the god of hard drives. And honestly, I wouldn't pay attention to what SMART says.. it's to be blunt, useless. You'll get a warning you're drive is dying as soon as it's dead.

2) Yes, it can damage the data on the drive. Heres an example scenario, your using your computer, and it locks up, you were doing something like installing a new game. So the only option at the time is to pull the plug. As soon as you do that that head starts spraying data all over the place. Which in many many cases can corrupt your data.

Although, if it's just turning on and off instantly and no read/write processes are on going through the time it's shutting off and turning back on, you should be safe.

3) Nothings wrong with it, unless you enjoy corrupt data. For all you know when you yank that plug, windows can tell you it's done writing, but we all know Microsoft and it's software, it's still writing to it, you yank it out while it's writing data, and you can consider yourself dead in the water with corrupt data.


True facts, anyone wants to argue with there consumer experience can go visit drive savers in Nevada, they know a hell of a lot more then anyone so I think what I've repeated above from what they have told me personally, is legit.


Cheers.