Will Windows notify me if there is a S.M.A.R.T warning?

Question

If there are S.M.A.R.T. warnings, will Windows (7, 2008 Server) notify me that the disk may die soon? Or do I need to install some 3rd party notification software?

Solution 1

No 3rd party app needed, but you will need to monitor the System log for those notifications.

Solution 2

I wrote a short script that displays the status of your drive.

Basically Win32_DiskDrive.Status returns the following for drives with SMART:

"OK", "Degraded", "Pred Fail"

Just save this file with a js extension.

Then you can run it at the commandline: wscript filename.js. Or even better, schedule it using Task Scheduler.

var wmiService = GetObject("winmgmts://./root/CIMV2");
var diskDrives = wmiService.ExecQuery("SELECT * FROM Win32_DiskDrive");
for(var enumDisks = new Enumerator(diskDrives); !enumDisks.atEnd(); enumDisks.moveNext()){
    var disk = enumDisks.item();
    if(disk.StatusInfo == "Pred Fail"){
        WScript.Echo("Disk: " + disk.Caption + "\nReports Status: " + disk.StatusInfo);
    }
    else{ WScript.Echo("All's quiet on the Western Front.");}
}

Solution 3

One way , use the "Task Scheduler" find \Microsoft\Windows\DiskDiagnostic, and set the task named "Microsoft-Windows-DiskDiagnosticResolver" to enabled, it is disabled by default. The info it will relay could be more than you want, vrses some software that only bothers you when it seems more important.

In the task scheduler again, you can create events based on the event-log, by having it pop-up when certain event numbers occur. The task scheduler can be used to design your own interconnection and messaging (including e-mail) tying the smart features to other features.

at Post, many of the hardwares when set to notify you on smart errors , will flag you when your trying to boot up. Usually that is pretty serious , and can more often indicate you have a real problem. For hardware (prior to OS), check the motherboard bios, and any other card or onboard chips bios settings for Smart settings.

Other various Drivers, Intel, dell perc, promice, highpoint, and all the other raid controllers, and other disk controller have thier own software that can monitor and flag about smart errors, depending on thier settings. Many of them can connect to the system various ways, or have thier own monitoring flags, or both capabilities. In the same sence, remember that many of these controller items also Need thier own path to notification, and will not flag the system without thier software, or only through thier software.

Some utilities can be looking out for smart errors , and do other usefull tasks also, Newer versions of "SpeedFan", are using smart to monitor HD temps, and can also be used to flag other smart errors.

With all that said, >50% of drives (during some long studies from the web) Failed without any previous FAIL smart warnings. You can also certannly get smart warnings , and bad numbers from really ODD occurances that have nothing to do with hard drive itself going bad. You can get flags that are only related to the connection/wire. So depending on it, or freaking out about a smart flag is overreacting more than the system is presentaly capable of understanding. There usually is something wrong, but it might not be the hard drive itself dying.
Humans are still somewhat nesssisary , to factually determine resulting flags, from false flags, that can even be a software/driver problem. Humans might still be able to spot an issue in thier normal routines that the disk is acting up, without smart flags.

It is like when your car engine starts making a different sound, and you take it into the shop and they say "nothing is wrong", or they do find what is wrong. You drive the car, if it is sounding or acting way different, then pull off the road and do a backup :-) Even if the computer says your car is fine, it can only tell so much.

Comments

[Borek Bernard]

Is there an app that would monitor the log for me and display a user friendly notification when there are SMART warnings?

[Ramhound]

@Borek - There are lots of applications like this.

[Borek Bernard]

I don't want it to be a full fledged application, just a simple monitor that will show a quick notification. Can you recommend such app?

[surfasb]

You could write a VBScript that can also do this. Then just periodically launch the script with Task Scheduler.

[surfasb]

@Borek: I decided to write one for you.

[uSlackr]

If you are ready to make the jump to Powershell, I believe this command will give similar results: Get-WmiObject -query "Select * from Win32_diskdrive" |select DeviceID,Name,StatusInfo

[surfasb]

@uSlackr: I do not disagree. I need to make a serious effort to learn Powershell. I'm just tired of learning, yet another language. HTML/Javascript is already pissing me off.

[uSlackr]

I've found learning Powershell a bit of fun given the power of the nextgen language. I wrote vbscript for years but the first time I used import-csv and have import a csv file and access to the data based on the csv column names, I was hooked.

[NikolaiK.]

StatusInfo gives an integer. To get a string use Status instead. Specs: msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa394132(v=vs.85).aspx