TestDisk may show partition data which is simply from the remnants of a partition that had been deleted and overwritten long ago. Because of this possibility, one should always give each new partition a unique label name. Whenever you decide to delete all existing partitions on a drive in order to 'start all over again' to 'zero-out' every byte on the disk first. This procedure will remove all remnants of previously existing partitions (manufacturers often include routines to 'zero-out' a drive in a utility program downloads section on their web sites). If one isn't available, or if you're not removing all of the partitions from a drive, you could at least use a 'wipe free space' utility after installing a new OS or resizing a drive's partitions.
It is possible to control and monitor storage systems using the Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology System (SMART) built into most modern ATA and SCSI hard disks.
Linux users can use Smarttools
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