WD5000AAKX - Fails both Diagnostic test (Quick and Extended)

WD Internal Drives Desktop & Mobile Drives
1

There are some warning signs for my Western Digital WD5000AAKX purchased 5 months ago.

Both The Diagnostic tests with WD Data Lifeguard Failed (Quick and Extended).

Here are the results

Test Option: QUICK TEST
Model Number: WDC WD5000AAKX-001CA0
Unit Serial Number: WD-[Deleted]
Firmware Number: 15.01H15
Capacity: 500.11 GB
SMART Status: PASS
Test Result: FAIL
Test Error Code: 06-Quick Test on drive 3 did not complete! Status code = 07 (Failed read test element), Failure Checkpoint = 97 (Unknown Test) SMART self-test did not complete on drive 3!
Test Time: 16:02:06, January 01, 2012

Test Option: EXTENDED TEST
Model Number: WDC WD5000AAKX-001CA0
Unit Serial Number: WD-[Deleted]
Firmware Number: 15.01H15
Capacity: 500.11 GB
SMART Status: PASS
Test Result: FAIL
Test Error Code: 08-Error was detected while repairing bad sectors.
Test Time: 17:32:18, January 01, 2012 [/CODE]

After that I tested it with HDtune.
The health tab in HDtune shows ok while a surface scan shows 6 bad blocks.

Two SMART attributes are being shown as caution in Crystal Disk Info

  1. Current Pending Sector Count -  8 (raw value)

  2. Uncorrectable Sector Count - 3 (raw value)

Screenshots

http://www.stooorage.com/show/1080/5235859_hdtune_health_wdc_wd5000aakx-001ca.png

http://www.stooorage.com/show/1080/5235861_hdtune_error_scan_wdc_wd5000aakx-001ca.png

Now the question is - What does all this mean ?
Is this HDD going to fail in short term ?
Should I create an RMA ?
Please advice about the same.

2

yes you should creat an RMA … your drive has serious errors and not normal bad sectors…

3

Mate, there is not question about it you need to replace the unit.

4

I have the same harddisk - WD5000AAKX and the same problem. I use Dos version of Dldiag and both Quick and Extended test won’t even start. All my other WD harddisk are ok when I test them. I then proceed to do a Low level format - Full disk Write Zeros, I started yesterday and it was supposed to end about 8 hours later. This morning I did a quick check, the process is still going after 12 hours and there are still 1 hour 20 minutes to go but it the clock doesn’t  move anymore. I guess I’ll RMA’d it.