| * '''Hard drives with SMART errors should NOT be remapped. These drives should be replaced.''' |
| * '''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 repair tools that remap the drive, these tools do not work on drives with a lot of bad sectors.''' |
| * '''Before attempting a sector remap it is a good idea to do a backup first.''' |
|
| If you are testing a hard drive you use that you suspect is failing or evaluating a used drive for reuse, this guide will show you how to test the drive and determine if it has any SMART errors. |
|
| 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 inspect used hard drives? |
| == |
| Since most drive failures happen without warning, the SMART data can be used to spot these failures before they happen. |
|
| In most cases, hard drive failures happen on drives that are known to fail (Ex: Modern and 7200.11/7.01 Seagate drives). While these are the majority, good manufacturers also release lower quality drives (Ex: WD Blue/Green). |