tool to determine if hd failing

  • Thread starter Thread starter John Grandy
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John Grandy

Is there any diagnostic tool that can be run which will give some indication
that a hard drive is about to go out ?

Over the years, on various machines (commercial and custom built), preceding
total drive failure I've experienced some or all the following symptoms,
usually in sequence:

1. drive makes more noise than typically has in past

2. drive spins longer than typically has in past

3. drive begins clicks on a regular interval -- not necessarily
continuously, but

4. rate of clicking accelerates

5. clicking becomes continuous

6. clicking begins occurring on irregular intervals


On my Dell Optiplex GX270 , I am currently at stage 3.
 
John Grandy said:
Is there any diagnostic tool that can be run which will give some
indication that a hard drive is about to go out ?

Over the years, on various machines (commercial and custom built),
preceding total drive failure I've experienced some or all the following
symptoms, usually in sequence:

1. drive makes more noise than typically has in past

2. drive spins longer than typically has in past

3. drive begins clicks on a regular interval -- not necessarily
continuously, but

4. rate of clicking accelerates

5. clicking becomes continuous

6. clicking begins occurring on irregular intervals


On my Dell Optiplex GX270 , I am currently at stage 3.
Click to expand...

Most hard drive manufacturers have free diagnostic utilities you can
download. Also most modern hard drives have SMART capabilities. There are
shareware and freeware programs that can read the SMART data so you can see
if the drive is seeing any errors.

Kerry
 
I would think that with the observations you've made, that you already
posses all the diagnostic tools you need to make an informed decision on if
the drive is about to fail. With what little disk drives cost now it's not
worth taking any chances.


"John Grandy" <johnagrandy-at-yahoo-dot-com> wrote in message
Is there any diagnostic tool that can be run which will give some indication
that a hard drive is about to go out ?

Over the years, on various machines (commercial and custom built), preceding
total drive failure I've experienced some or all the following symptoms,
usually in sequence:

1. drive makes more noise than typically has in past

2. drive spins longer than typically has in past

3. drive begins clicks on a regular interval -- not necessarily
continuously, but

4. rate of clicking accelerates

5. clicking becomes continuous

6. clicking begins occurring on irregular intervals


On my Dell Optiplex GX270 , I am currently at stage 3.
 
Every drive manufacturer has a download to test "their" hard drives. Go to
the appropriate web site for your hard drive.

--
Regards,

Richard Urban

aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard :-)

If you knew as much as you thought you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
 
SMART is a built-in tool on modern hard drives.
The EVEREST program (free from www.lavalys.com ) includes
the SMART report.


--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
some support
http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/secondamendment2.htm



in message | Every drive manufacturer has a download to test "their"
hard drives. Go to
| the appropriate web site for your hard drive.
|
| --
| Regards,
|
| Richard Urban
|
| aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard :-)
|
| If you knew as much as you thought you know,
| You would realize that you don't know what you thought you
knew!
|
|
| "John Grandy" <johnagrandy-at-yahoo-dot-com> wrote in
message
| | > Is there any diagnostic tool that can be run which will
give some
| > indication that a hard drive is about to go out ?
| >
| > Over the years, on various machines (commercial and
custom built),
| > preceding total drive failure I've experienced some or
all the following
| > symptoms, usually in sequence:
| >
| > 1. drive makes more noise than typically has in past
| >
| > 2. drive spins longer than typically has in past
| >
| > 3. drive begins clicks on a regular interval -- not
necessarily
| > continuously, but
| >
| > 4. rate of clicking accelerates
| >
| > 5. clicking becomes continuous
| >
| > 6. clicking begins occurring on irregular intervals
| >
| >
| > On my Dell Optiplex GX270 , I am currently at stage 3.
| >
| >
|
|
 
Agree with Richard absolutely. You'll need to use the manufacturer's
diagnostics anyway if you want to get a replacement drive under your
warranty.
 
John Grandy said:
Is there any diagnostic tool that can be run which will give some
indication that a hard drive is about to go out ?

Over the years, on various machines (commercial and custom built),
preceding total drive failure I've experienced some or all the following
symptoms, usually in sequence:

1. drive makes more noise than typically has in past

2. drive spins longer than typically has in past

3. drive begins clicks on a regular interval -- not necessarily
continuously, but

4. rate of clicking accelerates

5. clicking becomes continuous

6. clicking begins occurring on irregular intervals


On my Dell Optiplex GX270 , I am currently at stage 3.
Click to expand...

well if its making clicking noises this is usually as it attempts to read a
duff sector on the drive. This could be due to the drive failing, or it
could have been knocked slightly. If you remember that the hard drive heads
are pretty clsoe to the surface - less than a hair's width - a slight knock
can easily damage it.

Do a chkdsk /r on the drive. If more sectors appear bad after a while, then
its on its way to the big dumpster in the sky. Replace before it dies, and
back up more regularly than you already do
 
That's right! If the manufacturers own utility shows that the drive is bad
you get a new drive (as long as the old one is still under warranty) with no
questions asked. How can they deny their own test program?

--
Regards,

Richard Urban

aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard :-)

If you knew as much as you thought you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
 
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