# Not sure if this drive is bad
**URL:** https://forums.speedlife.net/t/not-sure-if-this-drive-is-bad/56329
**Category:** NYSpeed Off Topic
**Created:** [October 13, 2008, 5:38am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/not-sure-if-this-drive-is-bad/56329 "2008-10-13T05:38:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@suzukiriderman](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/suzukiriderman)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2008, 5:38am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/not-sure-if-this-drive-is-bad/56329/1 "2008-10-13T05:38:05Z")
I have a Maxtor SATA hard drive that I think is bad. Unfortunately, I cannot load the diagnostic tool to test it from my laptop. When I tried to format the drive in the computer it came in it said it could not write to the drive. It also would not let me remove or delete partitions. It is now hooked up to a SATA/USB drive could that be a problem for formatting?
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### Author:  [@JustinH](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JustinH)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2008, 6:26am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/not-sure-if-this-drive-is-bad/56329/2 "2008-10-13T06:26:13Z")
download a copy of ultimate boot disc, its a disc full of linux utilities that work great.
There are all kinds of tools to tell you if the drive is dead.
If it is, send it back to maxtor for warranty (assuming its newer)…
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### Author:  [@suzukiriderman](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/suzukiriderman)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2008, 11:32am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/not-sure-if-this-drive-is-bad/56329/3 "2008-10-13T11:32:58Z")
> [@JustinH](#):
>
> download a copy of ultimate boot disc, its a disc full of linux utilities that work great.
>
> There are all kinds of tools to tell you if the drive is dead.
>
> If it is, send it back to maxtor for warranty (assuming its newer)…
Do these have a manufacturing date or anything on them? This came in a second-hand Sony desktop I received.
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### Author:  [@Dr.Stevil](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Dr.Stevil)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2008, 11:34am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/not-sure-if-this-drive-is-bad/56329/4 "2008-10-13T11:34:55Z")
was it encrypted at some point? Can you view ANY data on it?
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### Author:  [@JustinH](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JustinH)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2008, 1:18pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/not-sure-if-this-drive-is-bad/56329/5 "2008-10-13T13:18:35Z")
> [@suzukiriderman](#):
>
> Do these have a manufacturing date or anything on them? This came in a second-hand Sony desktop I received.
There is a website on [maxtor.com](http://maxtor.com) where you punch in the serial number, it will tell you if the warranty is good.
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### Author:  [@suzukiriderman](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/suzukiriderman)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2008, 10:18am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/not-sure-if-this-drive-is-bad/56329/6 "2008-10-14T10:18:27Z")
> [@JustinH](#):
>
> There is a website on [maxtor.com](http://maxtor.com) where you punch in the serial number, it will tell you if the warranty is good.
I did that and it said it is under warranty until 2011. Thank you for pointing that out. I’ll get a replacement for free now.
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### Author:  [@Dr.Stevil](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Dr.Stevil)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2008, 10:27am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/not-sure-if-this-drive-is-bad/56329/7 "2008-10-14T10:27:49Z")
:tup: hell yeah, thats always good news
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### Author:  [@JustinH](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JustinH)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2008, 1:55pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/not-sure-if-this-drive-is-bad/56329/8 "2008-10-14T13:55:47Z")
Back in the day I used to buy all the bad drives from my old work, and send them back for new ones, to put them on fleabay…