Seriousness of a "Smart" disk error. How long will it last?

Seriousness of a "Smart" disk error. How long will it last?

I have an 1 TB data disk and the bios and Windows are reporting a "Smart" error. At least, I get a Smart event but it doesn't indicate how serious the failure could be. My system is about 6 months old, including the disk so the warranty will cover the damage. Unfortunately, I lack a second disk of 1 TB in size which I can use to make a full backup. The most important data on this disk is safe, but there's a lot of work data which can be regenerated but this would cost a lot of time.

Asked by: Guest | Views: 260

Total answers/comments: 2

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Guest [Entry]

http://www.hdtune.com/ can show you exactly what the SMART errors are, and from that you can determine how serious it is. Generally I would replace the drive ASAP, but if you are hesitant, run HDTune and see exactly what is running out of spec.

Guest [Entry]

"SMART errors aren't reported very well in windows as previously answers mention. Ignoring them isn't a good idea though. The previously mentioned HD Tune is a good idea, you can check the Reallocated Sector Count and the Spin Retry Count numbers. Those are the two really bad ones. A SMART error can also be caused by the drive overheating so you should check to make sure it's not getting too hot. If it's painful to leave your finger touching it for more than a few seconds then it's too hot.

In addition to all that you should figure out the manufacturer of the drive and use their diagnostic tools to check the drive's health. These are normally a combo of a SMART data check plus a full drive read sector scan. Just be aware to use the non-destructive disk checks (99% of them are but it doesn't hurt to be careful). If the manufacturer diagnostic tool reports failure then you should RMA the drive.

Be aware, not all manufacturer's diagnostic tools are created equal unfortunately and your drive could be dieing even if the tool says it is ok. A good one to use is the IBM/Hitachi Drive Fitness Test on the ultimate boot cd. If it fails that test I wouldn't trust the drive. That cd also have other various hard drive diagnostic tools as well."