How to Check If Your Hard Drive is New or Used – Full Guide for Windows, Mac & Linux (Seagate HDD Fraud Check)

In recent weeks, reports have surfaced regarding fraudulent sales of Seagate hard drives, where used enterprise-class HDDs were falsely marketed as new. Customers purchasing these drives, particularly from online retailers, have discovered signs of prior use, including high operating hours hidden within diagnostic metrics. This scandal has raised concerns over supply chain integrity, with many affected buyers unknowingly installing heavily used storage devices into critical systems.

Investigations by technology news outlets and consumer forums indicate that the fraud primarily involves Seagate Exos series drives, which are widely used in enterprise, NAS, and cloud storage applications. These high-capacity drives, often deployed in data centers, have a long service life, making them attractive for resale when pulled from decommissioned systems. However, rather than being clearly labeled as refurbished, many of these drives were deceptively sold as brand new, potentially exposing buyers to reliability risks.

The fraudulent sales were reported across multiple online marketplaces, with affected customers identifying the issue through specialized software tools capable of detecting actual usage history. As a result, Seagate has issued a statement denying involvement and advising customers to purchase only from certified distributors. However, concerns remain about how these drives entered the retail market and whether additional models may also be affected.

The Seagate hard drives most likely affected by the fraud issue, where used drives were sold as new, belong to the Seagate Exos series, specifically:

• 16 TB models (ST16000NM001G)
• 14 TB models (ST14000NM005G)
• Some 12 TB, 10 TB, 4 TB, and 18 TB models were also mentioned in reports.

The fraudulent drives were primarily sold through various online retailers, including Amazon, Mindfactory, JB Computer, and Reichelt, among others. Customers who purchased Exos drives from these sources should check the SMART and FARM values using tools like smartmontools to verify if their drives are used.

🔵 Windows: Using CrystalDiskInfo or smartmontools

Method 1: CrystalDiskInfo (Easy GUI Method)

1️⃣ Download CrystalDiskInfo from here.
2️⃣ Install and open the application.
3️⃣ Locate your hard drive in the list.
4️⃣ Check the Power-On Hours, Health Status, and Reallocated Sectors Count.

• Good Drive: Shows PASSED/Good and has low Power-On Hours.
• Used/Failing Drive: Shows Warning/Failed with high hours or bad sectors.

Method 2: smartmontools (Command Line)

1️⃣ Download smartmontools from here.
2️⃣ Open Command Prompt (cmd) as Administrator.
3️⃣ Run this command to list all drives:

4️⃣ Identify the correct drive letter (e.g., \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE0).
5️⃣ Run SMART health check:

6️⃣ Look for Power_On_Hours, Reallocated_Sector_Ct, and Overall Health Status.

🍏 macOS: Using Terminal and smartmontools

Method 1: Check Drive Health with built-in Disk Utility

1️⃣ Open Disk Utility (Search via Spotlight: Cmd + Space → Disk Utility).
2️⃣ Select your hard drive from the list.
3️⃣ Click First Aid → Run a health check.
4️⃣ If the disk has errors, macOS will suggest repairs or backup warnings.

Method 2: Using smartmontools (Command Line)

1️⃣ Install Homebrew (if not already installed):

2️⃣ Install smartmontools:

3️⃣ Identify the hard drive name:

• Look for something like /dev/disk0 or /dev/disk1.
  4️⃣ Run the SMART health check:

5️⃣ Check Power_On_Hours, Reallocated Sectors, and overall Health Status.

🐧 Linux: Using Terminal and smartmontools

Step 1: Install smartmontools

🔹 Debian/Ubuntu:

🔹 RHEL/CentOS:

🔹 Arch Linux:

Step 2: Find Your Hard Drive Name

Run:

Example output:

• Here, /dev/sdb is the drive to check.

Step 3: Run SMART Health Check

• If PASSED, your drive is fine.
• If FAILED, backup your data immediately.

Step 4: Get Detailed Report

Look for: ✔ Power_On_Hours – If it’s high, the drive is used.
✔ Reallocated_Sector_Ct – If greater than 0, the drive is failing.
✔ Pending_Sectors – Any value above 0 means instability.

Step 5: Detect Hidden Usage with FARM Values

If you suspect the drive has been wiped and resold as new, check FARM values:

If FARM values show higher hours than SMART values, the drive was likely tampered with.

🚨 Warning Signs of a Used/Failing HDD or SSD:

✔ Power_On_Hours is higher than expected for a “new” drive.
✔ Reallocated Sectors (>0) indicate bad sectors developing.
✔ SMART Status: FAILED means immediate failure risk.
✔ FARM values higher than SMART values indicate tampering.

🛑 What to Do If You Suspect a Used or Failing Drive?

1️⃣ Take screenshots of SMART/FARM data.
2️⃣ Check seller policies (Amazon, eBay, etc.).
3️⃣ Contact the seller for an explanation or refund.
4️⃣ Report the issue to Seagate, Western Digital, or other manufacturers.
5️⃣ Leave a review to warn others.

📆 Bonus Tip: Track Your Drive’s Age

• Write purchase dates on your HDD/SSD.
• Replace drives every 5 years, even if working fine.
• Monitor health every 6 months using these tools.

🛠 By following these steps, you can ensure your drive is healthy and truly “new” before trusting it with your data!

📢 Have you ever bought a “new” drive that turned out to be used? Share your experience in the comments! 🚀

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