Each HDD company had their own diagnostic utility although certain ones can be used across manufacturers. Nowadays, almost every RMA must be accompanied by the results of a test. Some can be done online and others require you to download and create a boot floppy. Many sites will also have a online warranty status area to ensure your drive is covered by the manufacturer. Beware drives from systems built by OEMS (Dell, Gateway, etc.) beacuse it is not the responsibility of the manufacturer to support the drive. Breathe a sign of relief if you bought a OEM drive from NewEgg, MWave, etc. Even though they are marked as "OEM" they are still supported by the manufacturer and not the retailer. Overall the whole procrss is a good thing since you can replace the drive before a catastrophic failure and the results from the test are usually evidence enough.
IBM/Hitachi -
Drive Fitness Test
Western Digital -
Data LifeGuard
Seagate -
Seatools
Maxtor/Quantum -
PowerMax
Samsung -
HUtil
Fujitsu -
Disk Test
You usually have the option of standard or advanced RMA. With a standard RMA, you ship the bad drive to the manufacturer and they ship you a new or refubished drive (usually via UPS, FedEx, or Airborne 2 day). The turnaround time for the process is around 7 - 10 days. With a advanced RMA, you leave a credit card number when requesting a RMA. The company will then ship you a new drive ASAP. You then have 30 days (average) to return the bad drive. The is the fastest and most efficient method if your drive is still functioning. Turn around times average 4 days and you still have the use of your current drive.
Always read the RMA instructions very carefully. They usually have very strict packing and shipping requirements such as static bags and use of foam (not styrofoam which can cause ESD) withing certain tolerances. If you chose the advanced RMA process, the packinging used is percect for the return trip. Jusr make sure you blackout any old markings.
Hope this helps.
Windogg
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