Many users spot the 'Current pending sector count' warning via CrystalDiskInfo and worry about potential hard drive corruption or sudden storage failure. Don't panic. This post breaks down simple, risk-free repair steps to fix the pending bad sectors without erasing your files.
Current Pending Sector Count Warning
Help! Current Pending Sector Count Warning on My Passport. Hello, suddenly one of my MyBook exposes SMART warning C5 Current Pending Sector Count - 200 / 200 / 0 / 1. Is this dangerous warning? Is the drive going to die soon? Can I fix it somehow?
- Question from Bucky
Current Pending Sector Count is a SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) attribute that indicates how many unstable sectors on a hard drive are waiting to be checked or reallocated. When a drive cannot reliably read data from a sector, it marks that sector as "pending" until the drive can determine whether it can be recovered or needs to be replaced with a spare sector.
Don't panic when your see the "Current pending sector count" warning on CrystalDiskInfo. A pending sector does not mean the hard drive is already dead. It only indicates that the drive has detected a potentially problematic area. Some pending sectors may disappear after the drive successfully rewrites the data, while others may become permanently bad sectors and be reallocated. However, an increasing Current Pending Sector Count is a warning sign that the drive may be developing physical issues.
When you check drive health using tools like CrystalDiskInfo, you may see values such as 1/100/200 next to Current Pending Sector Count. These numbers usually show the actual number of pending sectors detected by the drive and the drive condition:
| Value Range | Risk Level | Drive Condition | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Safe | The drive has detected no pending sectors. This is the normal, healthy state. | Keep monitoring; no immediate action needed. |
| 1–4 | Caution (Mild) | A very small number of unstable sectors exist. This could be due to logic errors or early signs of physical degradation. | Back up important data immediately. |
| 5–20 | High Risk | There are clear signs of physical bad sectors. | Back up your data immediately and prepare to replace the drive. It is not recommended to keep using it as your main system drive. |
| > 20 | Critical | The drive’s health is severely degraded and it could fail at any moment. | Back up your data immediately (if still accessible) and replace the drive without delay. |
| Continuously Increasing | Extreme Risk | Regardless of the current value, a rising count is the most dangerous sign. It indicates that physical damage is spreading and the drive’s lifespan is running out. | Back up your data unconditionally and replace the drive immediately. |
Therefore, seeing Current Pending Sector Count 1/100/200 does not automatically mean your drive has 200 damaged sectors. However, if the pending sector value continues increasing, files become inaccessible, or other SMART warnings appear, you should take action immediately to protect your data.
A pending sector appears when the drive cannot reliably read data from a specific location. Its primary triggers are usually related to read/write failures, physical wear, or sudden interruptions during disk operations.
Physical Wear or Bad Sectors
Over time, the magnetic surface of HDDs can degrade, causing some sectors to become unstable. These weak sectors may fail read operations and be marked as pending by the drive’s firmware.
Sudden Power Loss or Improper Shutdown
If the computer or external hard drive loses power while writing data, some sectors may contain incomplete or inconsistent information. The drive may then mark these sectors as pending until they are successfully rewritten or reallocated.
Data Transfer Interruptions
Disconnecting an external drive, removing a USB cable during file transfer, or experiencing system crashes while saving files can interrupt write operations and trigger pending sector warnings.
Excessive Drive Stress or Overheating
Continuous heavy workloads, poor ventilation, or high operating temperatures can accelerate drive aging and increase the chance of sector instability.
Drive Aging or Imminent Failure
If the Current Pending Sector Count keeps increasing over time, it often indicates that the drive is developing more unreadable areas. In this situation, the drive may become unstable, and important files should be backed up or recovered as soon as possible.
When a drive shows a Current Pending Sector Count warning, the first priority should not be repairing the disk immediately, but protecting your important files. Pending sectors may remain stable for a period of time, but they can also develop into unreadable sectors unexpectedly, especially when the value continues to increase.
If the affected drive still works normally, you can manually copy important files to another storage device. However, when the drive becomes slow, freezes frequently, shows read errors, or some files cannot be opened, copying data manually may no longer be reliable. In this situation, using professional data recovery software like MyRecover can help extract important files before attempting further repairs.
MyRecover is a Windows-based data recovery tool designed to recover lost or inaccessible files from HDDs, SSDs, external hard drives, USB drives, and other storage devices affected by logical errors or drive issues. It can help recover files from drives with pending sector warnings while reducing the risk of further data loss.
Step 1. Download and install MyRecover on a healthy hard disk of your Windows computer from Microsoft Store.
Step 2. Launch the application, select the affected drive, and click "Scan" to search for recoverable files. After the quick scan, you can run a deep scan to find more file fragments if necessary.
Step 3. After scanning, filter and preview the found files, select the data you need, and click "Recover". If you want to one-click recover all existing data from the entire hard drive, navigate to the "Path" tab, check the box of "Existing Files", and click "Recover".
Step 4. Save the recovered files to another healthy storage device instead of the original drive to avoid overwriting existing data.
When the process is done, you can access the recovered files in the destination folder by clicking on the "Browse" button.
After recovering important data from a drive with a Current Pending Sector Count warning, you can continue troubleshooting the drive condition. Before starting any repair method, make sure you have a backup of important files. If the pending sector count continues increasing after repair attempts, the drive may be physically degrading and should be replaced.
A S.M.A.R.T. self-test is the first step to check whether the drive can still reliably read its stored data. This built-in diagnostic process examines the drive’s internal health status and helps determine whether pending sectors are temporary errors or signs of a failing drive.
Step 1. Open a hard drive monitoring tool that supports S.M.A.R.T. testing, such as CrystalDiskInfo or your drive manufacturer’s diagnostic software.
Step 2. Select the drive showing the Current Pending Sector Count warning and start a short or extended S.M.A.R.T. test.
Step 3. Wait until the test completes and review the results for warnings related to pending sectors, reallocated sectors, or read failures.
Step 4. If the test reports serious errors, back up your data and consider replacing the drive.
Most hard drive manufacturers provide dedicated diagnostic utilities that can perform deeper drive checks than standard Windows tools. These programs can test the physical condition of the drive, identify bad sectors, and sometimes help the firmware reclassify unstable sectors.
Step 1. Download the official diagnostic tool for your drive brand, such as Western Digital Dashboard, Seagate SeaTools, or other manufacturer utilities.
Step 2. Install and launch the tool, then select the affected hard drive.
Step 3. Run the available drive health test, surface scan, or extended diagnostic scan.
Step 4. Follow the tool’s recommendations based on the test results. If physical errors are detected, replace the drive instead of continuing to use it.
If the Current Pending Sector Count is caused by logical file system problems rather than physical damage, CHKDSK may help repair related errors. The /f parameter fixes file system issues, while /r checks for bad sectors and attempts to recover readable information. But note that it cannot physically repair damaged sectors.
Step 1. Type Command Prompt in the Start menu, right-click it, and select "Run as administrator".
Step 2. Type the following command "chkdsk X: /f /r" and press "Enter". Replace "X" with the drive letter of the affected disk.
Step 3. Wait for CHKDSK to complete the scan and repair process. The time required depends on the drive size and condition. Restart your computer if required and check whether the Current Pending Sector Count changes.
A full format can force the operating system to scan the entire drive and rewrite data structures, which may help remove some pending sectors caused by temporary read issues. However, formatting permanently deletes existing data, so it should only be performed after recovering important files.
Step 1. Open File Explorer, right-click the affected drive, and select "Format".
Step 2. Choose the appropriate file system, such as NTFS or exFAT.
Step 3. Make sure "Quick Format" is unchecked to perform a full format, then click "Start".
Step 4. Wait for the formatting process to complete and check the drive’s SMART status again. If the Current Pending Sector Count returns after formatting, it usually indicates underlying hardware degradation.
If the Current Pending Sector Count continues to rise after testing or repair attempts, the drive is likely developing more unstable sectors. Software-based fixes cannot restore a physically damaged disk surface, and continued use may increase the risk of sudden failure.
Step 1. Confirm the drive condition using S.M.A.R.T. monitoring tools and diagnostic tests.
Step 2. Copy or recover important files from the affected drive before it becomes inaccessible.
Step 3. Purchase a new replacement drive with sufficient storage capacity.
Step 4. Transfer your recovered data to the new drive and stop using the failing device for important storage.
A Current Pending Sector Count warning does not always mean that your hard drive is about to fail immediately, but it is a clear sign that the drive has detected unstable sectors that should not be ignored. While some pending sectors may be resolved after testing or rewriting data, a continuously increasing value usually indicates that the drive is becoming unreliable.
Before attempting any repair method, protecting important data should always be the first step. If the drive becomes inaccessible or starts showing read errors, using MyRecover can help retrieve important files before the situation gets worse. For businesses, IT teams, and MSPs that need to handle data recovery across multiple computers, the Technician edition provides a more flexible solution, allowing you to activate MyRecover on an unlimited number of computers.
Q1: What is reallocated sector count in Crystal disk Info?
Reallocated Sector Count in CrystalDiskInfo is a SMART attribute that shows how many damaged sectors have been replaced with spare sectors on a drive. A higher or increasing value indicates potential drive degradation and may suggest that the drive is becoming unreliable.
Q2: Is there a way to fix reallocated sector count?
Reallocated Sector Count cannot usually be reduced because it records sectors that have already been replaced by the drive’s spare area. You can run manufacturer diagnostic tools to check drive health, but if the value keeps increasing, replace the drive and move your data to a safer storage device.
Q3: Can you still use a hard drive with bad sectors?
Yes, a hard drive with a small number of bad sectors may still work, but it should not store important data. Monitor SMART health values regularly, back up files, and consider replacing the drive if bad sectors continue increasing or cause read errors.
Q4: How to fix a hard drive with bad sectors?
To fix a hard drive with bad sectors, first back up or extract files using MyRecover, then run disk diagnostic tools or CHKDSK to check for errors. Logical bad sectors may be repaired, but physical bad sectors cannot be permanently fixed and usually require drive replacement.
Q5: How to fix damaged sectors on a hard drive?
Damaged sectors caused by file system errors may be repaired using tools like CHKDSK or manufacturer utilities. However, physically damaged sectors cannot be repaired. If the number of damaged sectors increases, recover your data and replace the drive.
Q6: Can bad sectors on SSD be repaired?
SSD bad sectors cannot be physically repaired like software errors. The SSD controller usually manages damaged blocks by replacing them with spare blocks. If bad sectors continue increasing, check SSD health and replace the drive to prevent data loss.