"smart" alert on my HD

  • Thread starter Thread starter Oliviegntchik
  • Start date Start date
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Oliviegntchik

hi group.

i have a problem on a new HP Pavillon computer running Win XP.
the problems deals with SMART alert.

i do not know exactly what smart alerts mean, i mean what is the real
probleme, except that a failure is expected with the hard drive.
i just want to know what is "physical " and what deals maybe with
windows XP.

how do you manage such alerts ?
are they serious - they just give the excellent advice to backup the
data - but i would like to get rid of that alert which appears at each
Win XP cession.
do you recommand some extra test on the disk ?

thanks in advance
 
Most new hard drives use the SMART system. As in your case, it gives you
advance notice of hard drive problems, so you can save data before you have
a failure and loose your data. If the drive is still under warranty contact
the maker of the drive. Also, you can check the web site for the hard drive;
they usually have testing software there so you can run additional tests.
Pay attention to the alerts if you don't want to loose important data.
 
Greetings --

From whatis.com (http://whatis.techtarget.com/):

"Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.) is
an interface between a computer's start-up program or BIOS (basic
input/output system) and the computer hard disk. It is a feature of
the Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics (EIDE) technology that
controls access to the hard drive. If S.M.A.R.T is enabled when a
computer is set up, the BIOS can receive analytical information from
the hard drive and determine whether to send the user a warning
message about possible future failure of the hard drive. "

As you can see, this is purely a function of the PC's
hardware/firmware and the hard drive; it has nothing to do with WinXP,
or any other operating system.

Having seen the same error, I can only say: "Back up your data
daily until you replace that drive."

On those machines I on which I've seen those S.M.A.R.T. warnings,
catastrophic hard drive failures invariably followed. Some hard
drives lasted for a few days after the warnings first appeared, one
lasted months, and some lasted only minutes. I suppose the one that
lasted months could be considered a false alarm, as months hardly
translate to "imminent," but, on the whole, I'd suggest you take the
warnings seriously.

Contact HP about getting a warranty replacement, if you're still
within the warranty period. Otherwise, ask HP how to transfer the OS
and applications to a new hard drive without a true installation CD.


Bruce Chambers

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