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Introduction |
| == Guide notes == | * '''Parted Magic is a paid utility. PerThis can be redistributed for free legally per the GPL it is legal to redistribute for free, but I will not help you find a free copylocate these copies.''' | * '''The hard drive used in this guide was specifically selectedselected for this guide because it has thehad problems I was looking for. These problems are common on old, heavily used and abused hard drives.''' | * '''Every hard drive will have unique problems. Judge the drive you are evaluating bybased on the numbers you see reported by SMARTSMART data.''' | * '''If your drive hasHard drives with SMART errors, it is should be replaced. These drives are often too late to tryfar gone and recover the drivewill never be reliable.''' | * '''While the major drive manufacturers ([https://support.wdc.com/downloads.aspx?p=2|WD], [https://www.hgst.com/support/hard-drive-support/downloads|HGST] and [https://www.seagate.com/support/downloads/seatools/|Seagate]) offer diagnostic tools that "repair"remap the drive by moving data to reserved sectors and marking the old ones as bad, this is a band-aid fix.''' | * The tests and inspection points and testing covered byin this guide isare not 100% accurate. In some cases intermittentIntermittent issues may not be detected by SMART. | | If you are working with an older hard drive and you want to verify it is good for reuse before doing so, these tests will rule out common drive problems (heavy use and SMART errors). Knowing a drive may be failing or is at high risk for failure may prevent a drive failure before it happens. | | If you are unsure if your hard drive is failing or evaluating a used drive for reuse, this guide will show you what SMART data where most drive failures occur. Along with checking this data, the drive should also be tested. This information can be used to detect bad drives early on or prevent a sudden drive failure. This is especially important on used drives with no prior history. | | | In many cases, you do not get much warning that a hard drive is failing. In most cases, users find out when the hard drive dies without warning. Because of this, it is important to test the drive before you use it. This is especially important if you do not know the history of the drive. | | Many common drive problems include: | | * Heavy use (Likely to cause wear and tear failure) | | * High reallocated sector cont | | * Sectors pending reallocation | | * Hidden drive problems | | | === Why is it important to check this data before using a used hard drive? === | While you do not get a lot of warning before most hard drives die, the SMART data can be used to evaluate the drive and prevent a sudden drive failure. While minor issues may be safe to ignore, serious errors should not. | | Since most drive failures are sudden or provide very little warning, the SMART data can provide a clue the drive may be failing so it can be remapped or replaced. | | In other cases, certain hard drives are more prone to failure (Ex: WD Blue/Green). In some scenarios, certain drives are known to fail or have high failure rates (Ex: 7200.11, post 7200.11/7.01 Seagate drives). | | In most cases, hard drive failures happen on drives that are known to fail (Ex: 7200.11/7.01 and post 7200.11 Seagate). While these are in the majority, good manufacturers are also known to release low grade drives that do not last as long (Ex: WD Blue/Green). |
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