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Introduction
=== Guide notes ===
* '''Parted Magic is a paid utility. This can be redistributed for free legally per the GPL, but I will not help you locate these copies.'''
* '''The hard drive used in this guide was selected because it had problems. This is common on old, heavily used and abused hard drives. Every hard drive will be unique.'''
* '''Hard drives with SMART errors should be replaced. These drives are often too far gone to repair.'''
* '''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 remap the drive, this only works on minor problems. It is also a good idea to do a backup before and after repairing the drive.'''
* The tests and inspection points in this guide are not 100% accurate. Intermittent issues may not be detected.
If you are unsure if your hard drive is failing or evaluating a used drive for reuse, this guide will show you how to detect common drive failures using SMART. Along with checking this data, the drive should also be tested. This is especially important with used drives.
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? ===
Since most drive failures are sudden with little warning, the SMART data can be used to check the health of the drive and evaluate it for remapping or replacement.
In most cases, hard drive failures happen if the drive is older or known to fail (Ex: Modern and 7200.11/7.01 Seagate drives). While these are in the majority, good manufacturers also release drives that do not last as long (Ex: WD Blue/Green).