Q&A on S.M.A.R.T hard drive technology

In the past, there was no way to know when a hard drive would fail. Now, however, many drives are outfitted with a technology known as S.M.A.R.T, yet few people know what S.M.A.R.T is, how it works, or what to do when they receive a S.M.A.R.T message. Here are answers to some common questions about S.M.A.R.T.

Q: What is S.M.A.R.T?

A: S.M.A.R.T is an acronym for "self-monitoring, analysis, and reporting technology." It's essentially an early-warning system built in to many hard drives today. Designed some time ago by storage industry manufacturers, S.M.A.R.T technology enables hard drives to diagnose themselves constantly and to alert you when the system believes that a drive is about to fail.

In essence, S.M.A.R.T monitors the drive for any behavior that seems out of the ordinary, analyzes the behaviour, and then notifies you if there's a sign of trouble. Common warning signals include drives that starts spinning irregularly, fail to spin up at a speed that they once did, or begin to show a growing number of bad sectors.

Q: How does S.M.A.R.T notify me if there's a problem?

A: If the S.M.A.R.T technology in one of your hard drives detects a problem, your computer will be halted the next time that you boot it. A message containing the word S.M.A.R.T will appear, along with the message text. Usually, the message text will indicate which hard drive as a problem detected by S.M.A.R.T.

Q: What should I do if I get a S.M.A.R.T message?

A: Usually, you can press F1 on your keyboard to continue booting normally, once you read the S.M.A.R.T message. Typically, S.M.A.R.T will notify you at this first sign of trouble with your hard drive, so you should be able to use the computer.

But you should not ignore the message. Back up all data on the drive that reported the S.M.A.R.T message, or copy it to another drive. Then make arrangements to replace the drive with another.

Some manufacturers, such as Maxtor, have traditionally replaced a drive for free if you receive a S.M.A.R.T message within the warranty period. Other manufacturers may as well, but you'll need to check with them to find out.

Q: If I run ScanDisk after I receive a S.M.A.R.T message, can I continue using the drive?

A: You can continue using the drive, but you shouldn't for long. Hard drives typically go bad slowly, and the S.M.A.R.T technology is clever enough to predict imminent hard drive failure correctly an estimated 70 per cent of the time, according to technology experts.

So utilise the time that S.M.A.R.T gives you to copy or back up your data and acquire a new drive to replace the bad one.

Q: How do I know whether my hard drive or computer has S.M.A.R.T?

A: Find the model number of your hard drive, and consult the manufacturer's Web site. There, you should look for technical information regarding your particular hard drive. Most hard drives purchased within the last two years or so include S.M.A.R.T technology.

S.M.A.R.T has to be supported by your computer, as well. Again, recent computers activate S.M.A.R.T support by default. You can always check the setup program of your PC to see whether S.M.A.R.T is supported and turned on. Often, you press a key or combination of keys to access the setup program of your PC. Check your computer system's documentation to find out exactly how the setup program is accessed.

Q: If my computer is old and doesn't have S.M.A.R.T, should I upgrade?

A: Probably not. A daily backup of your important system and data files is enough, and such backups should be performed even if you have S.M.A.R.T.