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Re: [OT] how to detect a dying hard drive



--- Brian McKee <map@map-heb.com> wrote:

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> Hash: SHA1
> 
> On 26-Feb-08, at 5:18 PM, Kamaraju S Kusumanchi
> wrote:
> 
> > Is there any tool available in Debian which can
> tell the remaining  
> > life of a
> > hard drive? Also, what log files should one
> monitor to see if there is
> > something wrong with the hard drive? What are the
> various error  
> > messages I
> > should look out for?
> >
> > I checked the hard drive for badblocks and there
> are none. But  
> > somehow I
> > feel (cannot prove) that it is taking up a lot of
> time to write  
> > large files
> > than it did before. That is why I think the hard
> drive could be dying.
> >
> 
> smartmontools http://smartmontools.sourceforge.net/
> will retrieve  
> smart info and
> can be helpful.   Also worth doing is checking the
> manufacturer's  
> website for a
> bootable cd image that will run non-destructive
> checks  (of course,  
> backup first anyway!)
> 
> I find if smart says it's bad, it's bad,  but the
> reverse is not  
> necessarily true.
> 
> Note modern drives automatically try to work around
> bad blocks once  
> they see them.
> You can 'fix' a drive by writing lots of data so
> that the problems  
> are seen by the drive hardware.
> Once it runs out of relocatable sectors though....
> 
> HTH
> Brian
I am waiting for shipment of a new drive for my Dell
Inspiron, and the telltale signs of worry for me are
different sounds coming from the drive occasionally.
This indicator, albeit a simple one, has served me in
the past. 
Plus the fact that my current Hitachi drive is over 3
years old.
Can't wait to get my new Seagate Momentus. :)

Best regards.

-- 
Angus

"All churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Muslim, appear 
to me no other than human inventions, setup to terrify and 
enslave mankind - and to monopolize power and profit."
-- 
Thomas Paine (1737-1809)

######Linux Laptop powered by Debian Linux######
###########Reg. Linux User #278931############


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