From owner-freebsd-hardware@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Sep 18 02:21:58 2008 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-hardware@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2A1BF1065674 for ; Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:21:58 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from tempo.raneo@infinito.it) Received: from smtp-03.arnet.com.ar (smtp-03.arnet.com.ar [200.45.191.14]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with SMTP id 56D638FC16 for ; Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:21:56 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from tempo.raneo@infinito.it) Received: (qmail 30853 invoked from network); 18 Sep 2008 01:53:29 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO ?200.43.30.20?) (lakma@200.43.30.20) by 0 with SMTP; 18 Sep 2008 01:53:28 -0000 Message-ID: <48D1B4FD.8070606@infinito.it> Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:55:09 -0300 From: "S.G." User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.16 (Windows/20080708) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: freebsd-hardware@freebsd.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Subject: SMART threshold exceeded X-BeenThere: freebsd-hardware@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion of FreeBSD hardware List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:21:58 -0000 Hi Randy, I've reads some posts by you about SMART threshold. I have a notebook, XPS 1530 by Dell, with a Seagate 7200rpm 160GB HD. The HD received a shock by impact (object falling on the notebook while turned on), and there are errors (LBA bad sectors). I have Zero Filled the disk many many times, and apparently the LBA are much lesser. A Seagate Technician told me that if after two Zero Fill the Seatools Long Test would have found no errors I could have used the drive again. He told that bad sectors was not a bad thing, "error" was something worse than bad sector. So, I supposely could use the drive. But Seatools says that SMART is Tripped, and the Dell Media Direct program, who need to install its own partition before the OS installation (before any other partition can be created by the OS during its install), it was not able to create it because "SMART threshold exceeded on ATA device". But I am allowed to install the OS (VISTA Home Premium). ALl the errors were in the last part of the disc, the last 8GB. So, I am creating 3 partitions, the first for Vista, the second for datas, the third for pagefile, and I am leaving the last 8GB of the disk not partitionned, not allocated. DO you think it is reasonably safe? Thanks for your help Sergio