A hard drive that doesn't like anything anymore...

Reeves · Tue 26 Jul, 2011 20.57

Sorry to trouble everybody, but I've been buggered by technology again. I've got a 1.5tb Samsung hard drive connected to my TV to play videos from via USB. It's been there for a while and is in need of a sort out as well as the addition of some more files that have been sitting there on the computer. The only issue is that when I attempt to copy or move a file to the hard drive, it decides to destroy it, and I never see it again. I tried it again with a PNG file to see if it did the same thing, and it stayed. I try an AVI file, and once it's finished transferring, it disappears.

As per usual, Googling for assistance does naff all. Does anybody on here happen to have any ideas as to why my hard drive is turning on me?

Many thanks in advance

Jovis · Tue 26 Jul, 2011 23.49

Have you tried reformatting it? You'll lose what's on there (assuming you can't drag things from the hard drive to the computer) but at least it might work again.

WillPS · Wed 27 Jul, 2011 03.13

Semi-related - but Samsung HDD build quality seems somewhat poorer than Seagate and Western Digital.

I've been building computers for a decade or so, and never had any problems with Seagate or WD drives, but out of the 4 Samsung drives I've purchased (different sizes and both portable & desktop format) only 1 has made it to 36 months without failing.

Reeves · Wed 27 Jul, 2011 18.58

I'd try re-formatting, but I'd rather not lose the stuff already on there. If I can move files from the hard drive, I'll try it that way, but if they decide to go missing again, I'm buggered anyway.

Having said that, I've just tried to perform a similar operation on a USB memory stick, and the same thing has happened, so it doesn't look like it's the hard drive's fault. Thanks anyway, guys.

bilky asko · Sat 30 Jul, 2011 14.41

WillPS wrote:Semi-related - but Samsung HDD build quality seems somewhat poorer than Seagate and Western Digital.

I've been building computers for a decade or so, and never had any problems with Seagate or WD drives, but out of the 4 Samsung drives I've purchased (different sizes and both portable & desktop format) only 1 has made it to 36 months without failing.

My 500GB Seagate drive appears to be failing after merely 2 months. The Seagate diagnostic tool says the drive has failed the test, and then apparently fixes the problem - only for it to reappear. I will cry if I have to fork out for a new copy of Windows 7.

WillPS · Sat 30 Jul, 2011 15.52

bilky asko wrote:
WillPS wrote:Semi-related - but Samsung HDD build quality seems somewhat poorer than Seagate and Western Digital.

I've been building computers for a decade or so, and never had any problems with Seagate or WD drives, but out of the 4 Samsung drives I've purchased (different sizes and both portable & desktop format) only 1 has made it to 36 months without failing.
My 500GB Seagate drive appears to be failing after merely 2 months. The Seagate diagnostic tool says the drive has failed the test, and then apparently fixes the problem - only for it to reappear. I will cry if I have to fork out for a new copy of Windows 7.

Whyever would you?