SMART Disks Self test fail on new HD

I just bought a newly assembled PC with a 320GB of HD of WD. I installed Ubuntu 12.10 on it and did a SMART Disk test from the Disks utility in Ubuntu. It gave me following result

enter image description here I'm worried about two things here.

First, the Powered On date is 4years back. Is it an indicator that the HD probably old and used by someone else before?

Second, the overall assessment failed, showing

Relocated Sector Count 671 sectors FAILING

Is there anything seriously wrong? Should I replace the HD?

MeetM

Posted 2013-05-30T16:36:45.037

Reputation: 163

1Heh. Sounds suspicious. Maybe someone bought it and then returned it with to the store or something with a crap harddrive. Maybe they don't check that kind of thing or something? – Earlz – 2013-05-30T16:57:21.663

Ya, maybe. But its very much under warranty. Sp I will replace it. – MeetM – 2013-05-30T17:00:00.290

Looks like you got scammed. – psusi – 2013-05-30T22:04:50.113

Answers

If it is indeed a new drive, return it immediately. Reallocated sector count (especially with a huge value like that) is a sign of impending fatal failure. not all SMART stats are created equal, but bad sectors have a tendency to multiply in a small period of time. I notice that your disk is already showing more than 4 years powered on. are you sure you're looking at the right disk?

Frank Thomas

Posted 2013-05-30T16:36:45.037

Reputation: 29 039

Yes, it is the only disk attached to my system. Thanks. I will return it. – MeetM – 2013-05-30T16:58:31.567

Definitely an old/extensively used drive:

Karan

Posted 2013-05-30T16:36:45.037

Reputation: 51 857