[RESOLVED] Weird S.M.A.R.T. Error With Maxtor HDD....Read On...

[Paco_L_250]

This is one strange error, and when I called Tech Support, it seemed to confuse the guy I talked to...

One day I was starting up my computer and I received this error when my BIOS was detecting my Primary Master device, my Maxtor 15 GB HDD:

"[Serial #] Maxtor [Model # of HDD] UDMA Mode-2 S.M.A.R.T. Capable and status BAD"

My other HDD, a Fujitsu 4 GB said the same thing replacing the name and respective model and serial #s, and it was status OK, so that was fine. My other devices, My Kenwood 72x CD-ROM and my Iomega ZipCD 650 4x4x24 were fine also. Then the BIOS told me this after it was done detecting everything:

"Pri. Master: S.M.A.R.T. status BAD, backup, and replace."

Well, I simply turned off the comp. and opened it up to check for any loose cables. Everything with plugged in and re-plugged just in case, and I re-covered the comp and turned it on. Worked like a charm.

Everything was fine for a few months, and lo and behold, I got the error again recently. I performed the same "remedy" by checking the cables and wires. Well...it didn't work this time. I checked and re-checked...didn't work. So I called Maxtor tech support and the guy said to send the HDD to them and they will replace it for free (I'm still under the 3-year warranty).

Now the strange things are this:
Each time the BIOS gave the error, I could still continue into Windows98 and everything seemed to work fine. At this point I uninstalled programs I had really stopped using, and started my backing up process.
And just two days ago, everything went back to normal...the status of HDD went back to OK and I received no error at boot-up (I have not send the HDD to Maxtor as of yet because I was busy backing up important data to CD).

So what's going on? Everything seems to be working fine now, and I have not called back tech support to tell them what happend. I want everybody else's opinion first.

Boy I'm confused...

PACO L 250

P.S. I am still backing data and my Maxtor HDD was setup with 2 partitions both 7.5 GB each, but that probably seems irrelevant.

[ktubaugh]

SMART = Smart Monitoring Anaysis and Reporting Technology. SMART is an open standard for developing disk drives and software systems that automatically monitors a disk drive's health and reports potential problems to the end user. This allows users to take proactive measures to prevent the possibility of hard drive failure and potential data loss.

In a nutshell, send the drive back and get a replacement. It's covered under warrenty, so you have nothing to lose but some time.

It is a good thing that you starting backing up your data. Hurry though. As a matter of fact, do you have another hard drive that you could back it up to faster?

Make sure that you get an RMA number from the manufacturer and document everything that they say or promise!

I hope this helped!

K.

[ktubaugh]

SMART = Smart Monitoring Anaysis and Reporting Technology. SMART is an open standard for developing disk drives and software systems that automatically monitors a disk drive's health and reports potential problems to the end user. This allows users to take proactive measures to prevent the possibility of hard drive failure and potential data loss.

In a nutshell, send the drive back and get a replacement. It's covered under warrenty, so you have nothing to lose but some time.

It is a good thing that you starting backing up your data. Hurry though. As a matter of fact, do you have another hard drive that you could back it up to faster?

Make sure that you get an RMA number from the manufacturer and document everything that they say or promise!

I hope this helped!

K.

[Paco_L_250]

I have received the RMA number from Maxtor, and I have basically backed-up all data that can't be reinstalled (e.g. downloads, MP3s, saved game files, etc) onto my second 4 GB Fujitsu HDD and onto some CD-RWs. The real question I have is should I bother sending the Maxtor HDD to the company since I stopped getting the S.M.A.R.T. error a few days after I called tech support about the problem (at that time I was given my RMA number)?

Basically, the S.M.A.R.T. status is now OK, and has been OK for a while, so should I send it back or wait a little longer?


Thanks.

PACO L 250

P.S. Also, Maxtor sends you a refurbished HDD of the same model #.