eclectica
2004-12-11, 07:29
I turned on my computer and I got the message:
SMART failure predicted on primary master: Maxtor 4R060J0
WARNING: Immediately back-up your data and replace your hard disk drive. A failure may be imminent.
I looked into that error message and found that the BIOS does a quick diagnosis of the hard drive whenever you boot up the computer. If it finds errors it then warns you that your hard drive will fail soon. Such a setting must be enabled in the BIOS. In my BIOS settings there is something for enabling diagnostic mode when booting up.
I've been hearing an occasional crunching noise coming from the computer for the last several months now, but only now did I get the SMART message. At one point I took apart the computer thinking it was a cable touching the processor's fan, but was surprised to find it was a crunching noise coming from the hard drive.
I read somewhere that the hard drive has its most wear when you first power up your computer getting the disc up to speed, and that the best thing for your computer is to leave it on all the time rather than turning it on and off. Older versions of Windows came with the power option of having the hard drive turn off after a certain period of time enabled by default, but with XP that is off by default. You should check to see your settings in Control Panel-->Power Options to see that your hard drive always stays on.
Have you had a hard drive fail before? I once installed Windows 98 on my father's computer, at a time when 13 GB hard drives were selling for $150 back in 1999. I put it on a Seagate 1.6 GB hard drive that was my old one after getting the newer 13 GB one for my own use. And maybe a week later the thing failed and he lost all his files or programs. His wife wouldn't let me on their computer after that. I had a 2.6 GB Western Digital hard drive fail on me in 2001 after I got an old computer from someone at work, so I replaced that with a 30 GB unit. Again that one also failed about a week after being transplanted from one computer to another, like the one I gave to my father. I wonder how much the power supplies are a factor in the deterioration of hard drives.
The head of the hard drive is kept off the surface of the rotating platter by way of the air cushion created from it spinning. But when it starts that air cushion isn't there yet, and at high altitudes the air is not dense enough either. There is some information on hard drives here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_disk).
So now I have an excuse to go out and buy a new hard drive. I don't even know how big they are now or what brand would be good to get. This type of thing is fun for me. Working on a computer is so much more pleasant than trying to fix a car. With a car you get problems like the one rusted bolt that takes a half hour to unscrew, or the need to go to the auto store after you've already disabled your car, to get another part or tool.
SMART failure predicted on primary master: Maxtor 4R060J0
WARNING: Immediately back-up your data and replace your hard disk drive. A failure may be imminent.
I looked into that error message and found that the BIOS does a quick diagnosis of the hard drive whenever you boot up the computer. If it finds errors it then warns you that your hard drive will fail soon. Such a setting must be enabled in the BIOS. In my BIOS settings there is something for enabling diagnostic mode when booting up.
I've been hearing an occasional crunching noise coming from the computer for the last several months now, but only now did I get the SMART message. At one point I took apart the computer thinking it was a cable touching the processor's fan, but was surprised to find it was a crunching noise coming from the hard drive.
I read somewhere that the hard drive has its most wear when you first power up your computer getting the disc up to speed, and that the best thing for your computer is to leave it on all the time rather than turning it on and off. Older versions of Windows came with the power option of having the hard drive turn off after a certain period of time enabled by default, but with XP that is off by default. You should check to see your settings in Control Panel-->Power Options to see that your hard drive always stays on.
Have you had a hard drive fail before? I once installed Windows 98 on my father's computer, at a time when 13 GB hard drives were selling for $150 back in 1999. I put it on a Seagate 1.6 GB hard drive that was my old one after getting the newer 13 GB one for my own use. And maybe a week later the thing failed and he lost all his files or programs. His wife wouldn't let me on their computer after that. I had a 2.6 GB Western Digital hard drive fail on me in 2001 after I got an old computer from someone at work, so I replaced that with a 30 GB unit. Again that one also failed about a week after being transplanted from one computer to another, like the one I gave to my father. I wonder how much the power supplies are a factor in the deterioration of hard drives.
The head of the hard drive is kept off the surface of the rotating platter by way of the air cushion created from it spinning. But when it starts that air cushion isn't there yet, and at high altitudes the air is not dense enough either. There is some information on hard drives here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_disk).
So now I have an excuse to go out and buy a new hard drive. I don't even know how big they are now or what brand would be good to get. This type of thing is fun for me. Working on a computer is so much more pleasant than trying to fix a car. With a car you get problems like the one rusted bolt that takes a half hour to unscrew, or the need to go to the auto store after you've already disabled your car, to get another part or tool.