SMART Failure Predicted on Hard Disk 0:

hrjp0318 · 09-08-2006, 04:25 PM

Hi for the past couple of months my laptop (Win XP Pro) has been coming up with this message as soon as I turn it on:

SMART Failure Predicted on Hard Disk 0: WDC WD800UE-22HCT0-(PM)
Warning: Immediately back-up your data and replace your hard disk drive. A failure may be imminent.
Press F1 to continue

I pressed F1 and it brought up that blue screen where it scans your drive for errors. It never found anything the first few times, so I just skip it now. I've never noticed any problems, but it's annoying to have that come up every time I turn on the computer.

My computer says I have an Intel Pentium M 725 processor (1.6G, 400 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2 cache), 80GB HDD, 512MB DDR2.

Anyone know what's going on?

Thanks.

**Doby** · 09-08-2006, 05:59 PM

This is usually an indication that the drive is about to fail just as it says, sometimes the drive will work for a small amount of time.

Go to the westen digital website and down load there tools to create a bootable floppy and test the drive

crazijoe · 09-08-2006, 06:13 PM

You might want to back up your data.

**hwm54112** · 09-09-2006, 05:33 AM

Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology is not the same thing as drive testing, therefore the conflicting results. (It’s actually a part of the drive electronics and would itself be tested somewhat by the manufacturer’s diagnostics utilities.)

SMART monitors and records the change in certain drive characteristics over time such as spin up time, read errors, power on cycles, etc. to determine how much wear and tear the drive has on it and assigns each a value. It then compares your drive’s values to a database of failure rates to predict when it will wear out. So it doesn’t actually test the drive in the true sense of the word. Based on that, the error message implies that there isn’t necessarily anything wrong with your drive at this moment but statistics show most drives in this condition fail soon-replace it.

IMHO- I would replace the drive. It’s important to recognize smart output is a prediction based on long term statistics and diagnostics are simply a snapshot of drive condition at the moment of the test and does not predict what it’s condition will be the next time the test is run.

You can probably disable smart monitoring in bios. Some drive manufacturer’s utilities allow you to enable/disable it through there maintenance settings

**Cellus** · 09-09-2006, 11:07 AM

Basically every reported value has a certain threshold level (a maximum value). Once you start reaching those thresholds, SMART will warn you that the recorded errors the drive is having is hitting unacceptable levels.

Many times people do not get the opportunity to receive a SMART warning, as catastrophic spontaneous failures occur. If you are getting SMART warnings you should definitely take heed of them, as you are fortunate enough to have some time before catastrophic failure.

Everyone here is definitely on the money - back up your data as soon as possible and use another drive. Remember, problems that are detected with chkdsk and scandisk are to the data stored on the drive only - SMART errors are actual errors the drive itself is having and taking note of. It is never a question of if a drive fails, but when.

hrjp0318 · 09-10-2006, 11:43 AM

OK guys, thanks for the help. I'll definitely look into buying a new drive.

Sonicbeam33 · 06-25-2010, 02:05 PM

I've been getting the same thing, what is the threshold exactly and how do I lower it?

**raptor_pa** · 06-25-2010, 03:46 PM

The threshold will vary between manufacturers and even within their models, depending also on which SMART parameters it is. There is no way to change the threshhold. SMART is an internal function of the drive, the OS and BIOS merely query the drive at the hardware level for the status. This is a warning of possible impending drive failure. Changing it would be like disconnecting the oil pressure warning light in the car so it doesn't come on when the oil gets low... not a good thing to do...

09-08-2006, 04:25 PM	#1 (permalink)
hrjp0318 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 2 OS: Win XP	SMART Failure Predicted on Hard Disk 0: Hi for the past couple of months my laptop (Win XP Pro) has been coming up with this message as soon as I turn it on: SMART Failure Predicted on Hard Disk 0: WDC WD800UE-22HCT0-(PM) Warning: Immediately back-up your data and replace your hard disk drive. A failure may be imminent. Press F1 to continue I pressed F1 and it brought up that blue screen where it scans your drive for errors. It never found anything the first few times, so I just skip it now. I've never noticed any problems, but it's annoying to have that come up every time I turn on the computer. My computer says I have an Intel Pentium M 725 processor (1.6G, 400 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2 cache), 80GB HDD, 512MB DDR2. Anyone know what's going on? Thanks.

09-08-2006, 05:59 PM	#2 (permalink)
Doby Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Central PA (USA) Posts: 8,707 OS: XP sp3/ Vista sp2/windows7 My System	This is usually an indication that the drive is about to fail just as it says, sometimes the drive will work for a small amount of time. Go to the westen digital website and down load there tools to create a bootable floppy and test the drive __________________ Would you like to help TSF fight cancer and other diseases??? JOIN TEAM TSF

09-08-2006, 06:13 PM	#3 (permalink)
crazijoe Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Omaha, The Center of the Universe Posts: 7,630 OS: WinXP, Win2K3 My System	You might want to back up your data. __________________ Microsoft MCSA + Messaging, MVP, A+, Network+ http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3...other/Help.jpg Do you want a real Republican? HDD diagnostic tools / HDD data recovery software

09-09-2006, 05:33 AM	#4 (permalink)
hwm54112 TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 2,232 OS: WINXP	Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology is not the same thing as drive testing, therefore the conflicting results. (It’s actually a part of the drive electronics and would itself be tested somewhat by the manufacturer’s diagnostics utilities.) SMART monitors and records the change in certain drive characteristics over time such as spin up time, read errors, power on cycles, etc. to determine how much wear and tear the drive has on it and assigns each a value. It then compares your drive’s values to a database of failure rates to predict when it will wear out. So it doesn’t actually test the drive in the true sense of the word. Based on that, the error message implies that there isn’t necessarily anything wrong with your drive at this moment but statistics show most drives in this condition fail soon-replace it. IMHO- I would replace the drive. It’s important to recognize smart output is a prediction based on long term statistics and diagnostics are simply a snapshot of drive condition at the moment of the test and does not predict what it’s condition will be the next time the test is run. You can probably disable smart monitoring in bios. Some drive manufacturer’s utilities allow you to enable/disable it through there maintenance settings Last edited by hwm54112; 09-09-2006 at 05:34 AM.

09-09-2006, 11:07 AM	#5 (permalink)
Cellus Moderator Networking Team Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 2,664 OS: Windows Vista Business SP1, Windows XP Professional SP3 My System	Basically every reported value has a certain threshold level (a maximum value). Once you start reaching those thresholds, SMART will warn you that the recorded errors the drive is having is hitting unacceptable levels. Many times people do not get the opportunity to receive a SMART warning, as catastrophic spontaneous failures occur. If you are getting SMART warnings you should definitely take heed of them, as you are fortunate enough to have some time before catastrophic failure. Everyone here is definitely on the money - back up your data as soon as possible and use another drive. Remember, problems that are detected with chkdsk and scandisk are to the data stored on the drive only - SMART errors are actual errors the drive itself is having and taking note of. It is never a question of if a drive fails, but when. __________________ TSF Networking Team Virus/Trojan/Spyware Removal Help Donate!

09-10-2006, 11:43 AM	#6 (permalink)
hrjp0318 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 2 OS: Win XP	OK guys, thanks for the help. I'll definitely look into buying a new drive.

06-25-2010, 02:05 PM	#7 (permalink)
Sonicbeam33 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 1 OS: Windows XP	Re: SMART Failure Predicted on Hard Disk 0: I've been getting the same thing, what is the threshold exactly and how do I lower it?

06-25-2010, 03:46 PM	#8 (permalink)
raptor_pa Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Central PA Posts: 7,946 OS: XP	Re: SMART Failure Predicted on Hard Disk 0: The threshold will vary between manufacturers and even within their models, depending also on which SMART parameters it is. There is no way to change the threshhold. SMART is an internal function of the drive, the OS and BIOS merely query the drive at the hardware level for the status. This is a warning of possible impending drive failure. Changing it would be like disconnecting the oil pressure warning light in the car so it doesn't come on when the oil gets low... not a good thing to do... __________________