Ignorant User Asks SMART Questions

[Nehmo]

Specifications on Toshiba MK8025GAS 80GB Laptop Hard Drive:
http://www.baber.com/drives/internal_hard_drives/laptops/toshiba_mk8025gas_specs.htm

On http://www.z-a-recovery.com/man-smart.htm , there is an explanation
of the Spin Retry count:
"Spin retry event is logged each time the drive was unable to spin
its platters up to the rated rotation speed in the due time. Spin-up
attempt was aborted and retried. This typically indicates severe
controller or bearing problem, but may be sometimes caused by power
supply problems."

Using HDDlife Pro Version 3.0.140, which I got from http://www.hddlife.com/
, some of the SMART numbers I get are
The Spin retry count has a status of 63% (there's a bar graph in the
status column),
value: 138, Threshold: 30, Worst: 100, Raw: 0

And the explanation of this is, "Count of retry of spin start
attempts. If the HDD can't start its spindle on the first try (to make
HDD work) it makes another try - and so on while the spindle will not
rotate normally. This attribute stores a count of start retries."

So what does this status of 63% mean?
And which number is the actual number of trys?

I'm still working on the stuttering-flickering problem that I
described in http://snipurl.com/1o6b0 . I'm pretty much convinced I
need to replace the HD, but It seems one of these SMART numbers or
warnings should say that something is failing. Everything says "OK",
and the performance in HDDlife even says "Excellent".

Ron Speed (Hi, Ron! )says , "Thats 19 dubious sectors." regarding
SMART item C5 (using Everest),
" C5 Current Pending Sector Count 0 100 100 19 OK: Always passing "
I was going to ask this in the previous thread, Why does it say "OK:
Always passing"? Shouldn't it say something negative?

 

[Rod Speed]

Specifications on Toshiba MK8025GAS 80GB Laptop Hard Drive:
http://www.baber.com/drives/internal_hard_drives/laptops/toshiba_mk8025gas_specs.htm

On http://www.z-a-recovery.com/man-smart.htm ,
there is an explanation of the Spin Retry count:
"Spin retry event is logged each time the drive was unable to spin
its platters up to the rated rotation speed in the due time. Spin-up
attempt was aborted and retried. This typically indicates severe
controller or bearing problem, but may be sometimes caused by power
supply problems."

Using HDDlife Pro Version 3.0.140, which I got from
http://www.hddlife.com/ , some of the SMART numbers I get are
The Spin retry count has a status of 63% (there's a bar graph in the
status column),
value: 138, Threshold: 30, Worst: 100, Raw: 0

And the explanation of this is, "Count of retry of spin start
attempts. If the HDD can't start its spindle on the first try (to make
HDD work) it makes another try - and so on while the spindle will not
rotate normally. This attribute stores a count of start retries."

So what does this status of 63% mean?

Most likely its meaningless given that the Everest report says it
doesnt have a spin retry problem because the Data value is 0.

And which number is the actual number of trys?

The Data value in the Everest report, the last number.

I'm still working on the stuttering-flickering problem that I described
in http://snipurl.com/1o6b0 . I'm pretty much convinced I need to
replace the HD, but It seems one of these SMART numbers or
warnings should say that something is failing.

They do, particularly the pending sectors and remapped sectors.

Everything says "OK",

Its the numbers that matter.

and the performance in HDDlife even says "Excellent".

Pity about the pending sectors.

Ron Speed (Hi, Ron! )says , "Thats 19 dubious sectors."
regarding SMART item C5 (using Everest),
" C5 Current Pending Sector Count 0 100 100 19 OK: Always passing "
I was going to ask this in the previous thread, Why does it say "OK:
Always passing"? Shouldn't it say something negative?

Thats arguable. Its the numbers that matter.

 

[Nehmo]

Most likely its meaningless given that the Everest report says it
doesnt have a spin retry problem because the Data value is 0.


The Data value in the Everest report, the last number.


They do, particularly the pending sectors and remapped sectors.


Its the numbers that matter.


Pity about the pending sectors.


Thats arguable. Its the numbers that matter.

Well, ok, that's all there is to it. I'm going shopping for a drive.
Do you have any suggestions? Naturally, I'll get something a bit
larger than the 80 GB drive that's failing.

And is there a preferred method on making this replacement? Should I
get an external drive enclosure -> put the new drive in the enclosure -

copy the old to the new using Ghost 2003 (are you recommending any

other software for the job?) -> then replace the drive in the laptop
with the one in the enclosure?

This laptop didn't come with a Windows XP CD. So I can't re-install
Windows XP. I don't know how I'd do it anyway.

 

[Arno Wagner]

Specifications on Toshiba MK8025GAS 80GB Laptop Hard Drive:
http://www.baber.com/drives/internal_hard_drives/laptops/toshiba_mk8025gas_specs.htm

On http://www.z-a-recovery.com/man-smart.htm , there is an explanation
of the Spin Retry count:
"Spin retry event is logged each time the drive was unable to spin
its platters up to the rated rotation speed in the due time. Spin-up
attempt was aborted and retried. This typically indicates severe
controller or bearing problem, but may be sometimes caused by power
supply problems."

Using HDDlife Pro Version 3.0.140, which I got from http://www.hddlife.com/
, some of the SMART numbers I get are
The Spin retry count has a status of 63% (there's a bar graph in the
status column),
value: 138, Threshold: 30, Worst: 100, Raw: 0

And the explanation of this is, "Count of retry of spin start
attempts. If the HDD can't start its spindle on the first try (to make
HDD work) it makes another try - and so on while the spindle will not
rotate normally. This attribute stores a count of start retries."

So what does this status of 63% mean?

Nothing, basically.

And which number is the actual number of trys?

The raw value may be it.

I'm still working on the stuttering-flickering problem that I
described in http://snipurl.com/1o6b0 . I'm pretty much convinced I
need to replace the HD, but It seems one of these SMART numbers or
warnings should say that something is failing. Everything says "OK",
and the performance in HDDlife even says "Excellent".

Do not rely in the thresholds. Some (all) manufacturers set them to
rather optimistic values.

Ron Speed (Hi, Ron! )says , "Thats 19 dubious sectors." regarding
SMART item C5 (using Everest),
" C5 Current Pending Sector Count 0 100 100 19 OK: Always passing "
I was going to ask this in the previous thread, Why does it say "OK:
Always passing"? Shouldn't it say something negative?

As I said, rather optimistic. The 19 pending sector point to a serious
problem. It may still be the PSU or a bad controller or cable, but
likely it is the HDD itself.

Arno

 

[Arno Wagner]

Well, ok, that's all there is to it. I'm going shopping for a drive.
Do you have any suggestions? Naturally, I'll get something a bit
larger than the 80 GB drive that's failing.

I like Fujitsu for laptop drives.

And is there a preferred method on making this replacement? Should I
get an external drive enclosure -> put the new drive in the enclosure -
other software for the job?) -> then replace the drive in the laptop
with the one in the enclosure?

This laptop didn't come with a Windows XP CD. So I can't re-install
Windows XP. I don't know how I'd do it anyway.

Image it over with an imaging software. And you vendor needs to
give you an installation CD if your image is destroyed and the
restore partition (hidden) does not work. If you install a new HDD
that does not free them from the requirement.

Arno

 

[Rod Speed]

Well, ok, that's all there is to it. I'm going shopping for a drive.
Do you have any suggestions?

I like Samsungs myself. Nice and quiet and cool running and good reliability.

Naturally, I'll get something a bit larger than the 80 GB drive that's failing.

And is there a preferred method on making this replacement?
Should I get an external drive enclosure

Thats quite a convenient approach with a laptop.

Its cheaper to put both drives in a desktop
system with adapters, but more hassle to do.

- put the new drive in the enclosure - copy the old to the new using
Ghost 2003 (are you recommending any other software for the job?)

Yes, True Image is a lot better. And you can use it for backup afterwards too.

then replace the drive in the laptop with the one in the enclosure?
Yep.

This laptop didn't come with a Windows XP CD. So I can't
re-install Windows XP. I don't know how I'd do it anyway.

No point, cloning the drive is a much better approach.