>>10233
>Backups would not have saved me because I don't have another same-sized HDD, and even if I did automatically backup with some zRAID thing,
>I had hoped to use this >10-TB HDD as little as possible and only use it for cold storage, but it still got jacked up. I thought I could use it as little as possible ("only for storage") and it would last at least years, but nope, degraded after month(s).
I don't think you should beat yourself up too hard over this. This was a place to dump excess files and you work with a lot of big files. I have a dump drive (not that big) where I have a similar thing going on with no back ups. It is a calculated risk and you just got lemoned.

>then that would use too many USB ports (and IDK where my USB hub thing is)
How many of your drives are external versus internal? Does your case not have a lot of room or was the external thing more for convenience of cold storing it?

>(Or, if I did try something new, the whole internal HDDs headache.)
Dislike messing with internal drives? I can understand that with screws. My main desktop is somewhat beat up Optiplex 320 that has screwless hard drive caddies that are pretty easy to slide drives in and out (downside, it only has two slots fro drives... and is VERY old). There probably is something better than that with modern cases or 3D printing in some of them (unless that is some tech that is hated for some reason or another and went out of style and I am just unaware of).

>>10235
> I should have just kept using those and not tried something new.
My only advice here is to be a little more conservative with it; next time two drives of a smaller size that you save up for.

>>10236
> but it is also embarrassing. But how am I supposed to learn without making these mistakes? No one told me this either.