s.m.a.r.t.

[jer22]

should i enable it for a 40 gig hd running xp, 256 ddr, ntfs, what the heck does it mean and do? lmk, jer

 

[John]

From Adrian's Rojak Pot

HDD S.M.A.R.T. Capability

Options : Enabled, Disabled

This option enables/disables support for the hard disk's S.M.A.R.T. capability. The S.M.A.R.T. (Self Monitoring Analysis And Reporting) technology is supported by all current hard disks and it allows the early prediction and warning of impending hard disk disasters. You can enable it if you are using S.M.A.R.T. aware utilities to monitor the hard disk's condition. Enabling it also allows the monitoring of the hard disk's condition over a network.

However, there's a possibility that enabling S.M.A.R.T. may cause spontaneous reboots in networked computers. Johnathan P. Dinan mentioned such an experience with S.M.A.R.T. enabled. S.M.A.R.T. may be sending packets of data through the network even though there's nothing monitoring those data packets. This may have caused the spontaneous reboots that he had experienced (Comment #103). So, try disabling HDD S.M.A.R.T. Capability if you experience reboots or crashes while you are on a network.

For most users, the S.M.A.R.T. capability isn't really useful or necessary. In fact, all the constant S.M.A.R.T. traffic eats up some bandwidth. So, if you don't use S.M.A.R.T. aware utilities or don't need that level of real-time reporting, disable it for better system performance.

 

[jer22]

thanks, i was thinking along those lines. jer

 

[AndyHui]

No need to go to Rojak Pot.

We have it right here.

Please read the FAQ: What is S.M.A.R.T. for hard drives?

 

[jer22]

thanks again, folks. i was just wondering, and it looks like i don't have to worry about it. jer