| == 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 older and heavily used drives.''' |
| * The tests in this guide are not 100% accurate. Intermittent issues may not be detected. |
| == A word on drive remapping == |
| * '''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. |
| If you are testing a used or questionable hard drive, this guide will show you how to test these drives. If you are evaluating a hard drive for reuse, these tests will expose most 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). |
| However, some hard drives are known to fail (Ex: Seagate 7.01/7200.11). Other hard drives are known to fail due to being lower quality (Ex: Most WD Blue/Green). |
| === Guide notes === |
| * '''While Parted Magic can legally be redistributed for free per the GPL, I will not help you find these downloads.''' |
| * '''The problems on this drive are common with older hard drives. It was selected because it has problems.''' |
| * The tests used in this guide are not 100% accurate and may not detect intermittent issues. |
| === A word on drive remapping === |
| * '''If the drive has SMART errors, replace the drive.''' |
| * '''While [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 tools to remap the drive, they do not work in all scenarios (Ex: Lots of bad sectors).''' |
| * '''Before attempting a sector remap, backup your data.''' |