To comfort you, this CD appears to be an empty disc which was either under water for a long period of time or forgotten in a basement or similar. No data was lost probably as it was empty to begin with.

It’s a matter of preference since we have no hard data to support either claim. I personally avoid 2nd hand HDDs and monitors because way back in the day those were notoriously unreliable especially from brands like Maxtor. Nowadays I guess it’s ok but then again new HDDs aren’t so expensive anymore so I just get one with warranty and move on.

You forgot the obligatory FedEx truck full of external HDDs hurtling down the highway. 😂

Soon ™