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- Why You Shouldn’t Rely on Just SMART Monitoring Tools – SMART Monitoring vs Testing
Why You Shouldn’t Rely on Just SMART Monitoring Tools – SMART Monitoring vs Testing
Contribution by Paul Apking
Many techs use CrystalDiskInfo as a tool for HDD diagnostics and call it a day. It’s a great tool to quickly identify issues with a suspect drive but it’s intended purpose is to monitor SMART data and report anything that may fail or has reached a certain threshold.
This tool shouldn’t be used for diagnostics, only for SMART monitoring. In many instances, unless the drive is failing or has multiple bad sectors, it won’t be flagged for drive failures in a monitoring tool. GSmartControl is a much better tool for getting the job done right!
GSmartControl is a great program that is open source, portable and is best used for identifying, testing and monitoring hard drives. The difference between CrystalDiskInfo and this product is that it monitors and runs tests on the SMART data giving the you, the Tech, a better picture on the state of the HDD. It gives you the option to run short small tests on the HDD (usually not enough for good diagnostics) but also has an extended test which can take up to 4 hours depending on the size of the drive. This will give a good diagnostic report of the drive.
In conclusion, CrystalDiskInfo is not a good tool for diagnostics and should only be used for monitoring the SMART data. Using a thorough tool like GSmartControl will create a better picture for yourself for good diagnostic testing which in turn will benefit your clients. A good reputation and repeat business is what every tech wants and by being diligent with drive diagnosis could save you major failures and lost data.
What application do you use for SMART Diagnostics?
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Hello, i tried several times register your forum but without sucess. Also sended several emails also without response. I would like to discuss several threads as i have my own business but can’t seem to be able to register.
I couldnt see any support emails from you. How were you contacting us?
Hello Bryce, strangely i give it another try and was able to register and post introduction post. Was contacting thru contact web form.
Thank you and meet in forum.
We use Eurosoft PC Check, only complaint is how long the software takes to test a complete system.
PC Check
“…it monitors and runs tests on the SMART data…”
Interesting phrasing there. Is there a difference between that and running tests on the hard drive? (Which is what I though GSmart did.)
Got a link for this software? I don’t like the links I find on Google.
Hi Tony,
Here is a link to the SourceForge website:
http://gsmartcontrol.sourceforge.net/home/
Steve
So I just ran a “short self test” and it told me the drive is good, even though it has reallocated sectors. How is that better?
http://www.tpteq.com
As with any diagnostic tool, there is usually some room for interpretation. For instance, for some people, even one bad sector is a sign of hard drive failure for others, that is a bit unrealistic and their threshold may be 10 or 20 bad sectors. In any case, Gsmartcontrol checks for things other than bad sector count and though you typically start seeing hard drives fail the SMART test after 20 bad sectors, it does not mean that it will fail. What we do is us a combination of both the sector count an SMART data/tests to determine if a hard drive needs to be replaced. For instance, if Gsmartcontrol passes the SMART test, but there are 20 or more more bad sectors, then the hard drive has failed in our book.
Check out http://www.pc-doctor.com/solutions/toolbox
Hi, thanks for the post, we are using Hdd senitel free version, its good. Is there any benefits buying paid hdd senitel software.
They only way I’ve found to truly check a drive is to check all the sectors. Been using HDTune Free for several years. Works well for me.
I DO like the fact that it runs on Ubuntu and have added it to my list of tools. Thank you.
I have a 250GB 2.5″ WD from a laptop that was beyond repair. I have been using it to test several Diagnostics software. The short tests always gave a passing sign, but Acronis Drive Monitor would always report a bad sector after a cold boot. I finally left the drive as a whole extended partition and formatted it. Then I ran “test scanner” and no bad sectors were flagged. Then I ran chkdsk windows utility to automatically detect and mark any bad sectors. Though the drive seems to be “healthy” I still have my doubts.
Unable to find GSmartControl at the link provided in your article. I use Acronis Drive Monitor in my PC and CrystalDiskInfo on my clients PCs but rely more on have all PCs backed up.
We use MHDD. Gives a very detailed understanding of the HDD’s situation. Lets us see the bad sectors, where they are and what type they are, reads the recorded reallocation events, shows us how fast the sectors are reading, etc. I’ve tried a few other Smart diagnostic tools, and after having started on MHDD, I always feel unsure about any conclusions I make because I don’t get a “feel” for the drive like I do with MHDD.