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DADDY BOB'S COMPUTER Q & A
June 10,
2007
Q.
Recently, when I start up my computer I am
getting a message about something called
S.M.A.R.T. What is this all about?
A.
S.M.A.R.T. stands for
Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting
Technology. It is a monitoring system for
computer hard drives designed to detect and
report on the drive's reliability, with the
goal of anticipating failures.
If you are
getting this when you start up your
computer, it is time to take immediate
action as your hard drive is warning you
that it may be failing.
Basically,
hard drives usually suffer
one of two general types of failures, (1)
unpredictable ones, and (2) predictable
ones.
Unpredictable ones normally
occur suddenly and can be caused by a major
mechanical or electronic component failure.
When this type occurs, there is little one
can do to salvage any information on the
drive.
A predictable one is a
failure that may occur from something like
mechanical wear or aging, which happens
gradually over time. A monitoring device can
detect this type, before serious damage
occurs, and the drive fails completely.
The purpose of S.M.A.R.T. is
to warn a user of impending drive failure
while there is still time to take preventive
action like making backups. Mechanical
failures, caused by wear or aging, are
usually predictable failures, and they
account for the majority of drive failures.
BUT..... only about a third of drive
failures can be predicted by S.M.A.R.T., and
then only if it is proper implemented on the
computer motherboard and the drive. Because
of the lack of a standard, many computers
and drive manufacturers do not implement it
correctly if at all, so consider yourself
fortunate if you get a S.M.A.R.T. warning.
Depending on the severity of
the problem, the hard drive could operate
satisfactorily for a long period of time
without any noticeable degradation, but it
also could completely fail the next time it
is accessed.
When the S.M.A.R.T. message
appears on the computer startup, the need
for immediate action is indicated. Make
backups of important information, and make
plans to replace the hard drive if the
computer is relative new, or replace the
computer if it is several years old.
S.M.A.R.T. has given you a warning, and when
it comes to your hard drive failures, you
are one of the lucky ones, so be SMART and
take immediate action.
S.M.A.R.T. is called during
the computer's POST operation. POST, for Pre
Operation System Test, is an integral part
of the system BIOS. BIOS, for Basic
Input/Output System. |
