How long should fsck take on Linux with a 3TB drive?

[mjr]

I tried to do this on a 3TB drive that I know has a number of bad sectors (and for all I know the entire drive might be bad).

I can start fsck, and I usually do it like this:

sudo fsck /disk/path -y

And it starts running, but it takes FOREVER. I tried running it the other day, and it ran for three days (and I know it was working, because it was showing updated messages about inodes, etc.)

It never finished because we had a power outage. I know, I know...I need to put my computer on a UPS...but that's beside the point.

Is there a relatively fast way to run fsck, or something similar to it, to repair this disk? Or is this just one of those things that takes time? Or should I just not even worry about it and consider this a bad disk? And if so, is there a way to sort of "wipe" the disk before I get rid of it?

[EricKei]

I thought you were fsking censoring yourself for a moment there

I don't know Linux, so I can only speak in general terms, with knowledge gained from unfortunate experience: If a drive has ONE bad sector, treat it as ALL sectors being bad. The issue will only get worse with further use, as it means the drive is physically damaged; sector repair mostly just moves data to good sectors and (ideally) marks the bad ones as "unusable." I suggest that, if it is at all possible, backup as much data as you can from it and replace it ASAP. If you add anything to it, make sure those files are backed up elsewhere. It may be worth it to do the backup before attempting any future repairs.

As for wiping, look into "zeroing out" the drive. It may be possible to do this from a native command function, or you may need an external app. This potentially takes forever and a day, but it writes 0's to all sectors of the drive. Really good data recovery can theoretically recover data from this, but only the kind that costs thousands of dollars, AFAIK. Depending on what you want to get rid of, a full Format (or three) may suffice.

If all else fails, put on some safety goggles and go all Office Space on it.

[csquared]

You didn'y say HDD or SSD. Based on the time, I would say HDD. Yes, it can take a while to go through that much disk. Particularly if it is finding problems.

Good article on disk wipe.
https://opensource.com/article/21/10...ols-erase-data

I prefer BFH
Big Fscking Hammer.

Another reason to BFH, a data wipe on a failing drive probably won't work.

[RealUnimportant]

Regarding formatting, remember that it usually only involves (re)creating file tables and partition data, which is why it's so much faster than zeroing out the data. Doesn't matter how many times you reformat it, you're not affecting the data that will still be on the disc unless it's been zeroed (or oned) over. BEEEG magnets are easier and less time consuming, and do a far better job of jumbling what's left behind beyond comprehension... and a great big hammer or power drill will also keep a lot of data from being reassembled!

[Nunavut Pants]

We had a de-gaussing table at a job I had about 15-20 years ago. Da Boss (only Da GF then) asked me to remove a "spinning rust" HDD from her laptop and completely securely wipe it. I asked our hardware team if I could use the table, and they agreed. Well, they operated it while I watched. The thing was REALLY LOUD, and after they had zapped it on the table for about 15-30 seconds, the metal case was exceedingly hot to the touch! Too hot to actually hold, in fact.

A whole lot of energy went through that thing, pretty much all as magnetic pulses!!!