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Re: SMART self test log

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Xeno <xenolith@optusnet.com.au> wrote
> Max wrote

>> I have done a SMART short self test of the suspect hard drive.  Here is 
>> the log:

> <snip>

> One of the 'features' of modern drives is a 'bank' of spare sectors.

Yes.

> Even new drives can have a number of bad sectors.

Not ones that are visible in the SMART report.

> The smarts on the drive can reallocate these dud sectors to spares in its 
> bank.

But when its got anything like 328 reallocated sectors, its dead.

> As a user you will generally not be aware this has happened.

That’s what the SMART report is for.

> Through the drives's life, a few sectors may go bad and these will be 
> remapped to additional spares in the bank. This can be quite normal. 
> Again, this happens quite transparently to the user.

Depends on whether the data in the bad sector can be read.

> The user will usually only be alerted to the increasing number of bad 
> sectors when the bank runs out of spares and the user will be alerted to a 
> number of 'hard errors' appearing.

Utterly mangled all over again.

> The rate of growth of these errors is the critical issue.

When its got anything like 328 reallocated sectors, its dead.

> Growth in the number of hard errors indicates a drive that is in its death 
> throes.

328 reallocated sectors indicates that its dead.

> If you get to this stage, you are well advised to ditch the drive. At the 
> cost of them, it is simply not worth risking your data.

His data has already been lost.

> When I encounter a drive that is becoming increasingly flaky, I runs a few 
> tests and bin the drive if the prognosis is not good. I have become quite 
> mercenary about drives over the years.

That's not what that word means.

> If I cannot rely on a drive, I get any data off it and toss the drive out. 
> I consider any rotating platter, magnetic media hard drive as a 
> non-permanent storage medium.

USB sticks are even less permanent storage media.

> It is best if you adopt this attitude as well. That means that any data 
> you have that is in any way critical, you have it backed up on, typically, 
> another hard drive as well as a different form of media. To that end, I 
> have 8 TB of data backed up on 6 by 2 TB external USB hard drives. I also 
> have many TB more of data backed up on smaller external USB hard drives. 
> Really critical data is also backed up on DVDs. I once used tape drives 
> but, frankly, I'm over them.
 

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SMART self test log "Max" <max@val.morgan> - 2015-10-06 16:43 +0800
  Re: SMART self test log "Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> - 2015-10-06 19:58 +1100
  Re: SMART self test log keithr0 <user@account.invalid> - 2015-10-07 22:35 +1000
    Re: SMART self test log "Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> - 2015-10-08 15:38 +1100
  Re: SMART self test log Xeno <xenolith@optusnet.com.au> - 2015-10-08 00:29 +1100
    Re: SMART self test log "Max" <max@val.morgan> - 2015-10-08 11:44 +0800
      Re: SMART self test log Xeno <xenolith@optusnet.com.au> - 2015-10-08 15:30 +1100
    Re: SMART self test log "Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> - 2015-10-08 16:07 +1100
    Re: SMART self test log keithr0 <user@account.invalid> - 2015-10-08 21:56 +1000
      Re: SMART self test log Xeno <xenolith@optusnet.com.au> - 2015-10-08 23:32 +1100

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