What do you use for HDD SMART data reading?

[Mr. Ingram's Computer Repair & Shoppe]

So I personally and professionally use Hard Disk Sentinel.
Source: https://www.hdsentinel.com/

But I was curious if there was a smaller, easier, lighter weight program I can use to put on clients computers. I just did a custom gaming computer that costed $2000 in parts (sold for $2200) and I told him some software I use to monitor my computer to keep me ahead of any failures.

Just curious on what "real professionals" use.

 

[kurros]

For most clients, I'm fine with the SMART monitoring in my RMM platform. For computers with serious data and filesystem concerns, I am a big fan of StableBit Scanner.

 

[Kitten Kong]

I tend to use Western Digitals Lifeguard program for my main drive testing. That and GSSmart control are my goto programs.

 

[cypress]

I really like gSmart Control

 

[Krynn72]

If you're an MSP, you should have SMART being monitored as part of your RMM package.
For one-off checks, GSmartControl. Its got a Linux and Windoze app. Its also built into Parted Magic which is where I usually use it, since I used Parted Magic as a first-wave diagnostic tool in general.

 

[sapphirescales]

GSmartControl through Parted Magic or Gandalf's Windows 10 PE is where 90% of the magic happens. The other 10% are drives that I extract and I need to be able to read SMART through USB. That's where CrystalDiskInfo comes in.

 

[Mr. Ingram's Computer Repair & Shoppe]

And GSmartControl looks like a clear winner. I just wanted to be able to offer my customers who come in with a dead hard drive a piece of software they can use to monitor it themselves, so they'll have a chance to get their data before paying $300+

Thanks everyone!

 

[Porthos]

Most motherboards have smart montoring and many turn it off in the bios ot it was off by default.

 

[Slaters Kustum Machines]

Another for GSmartControl.

 

[FrankiePC]

GSmartControl, Crystal, HDDscan

 

[red12049]

Crystal Disk here. Portable, light, quick.

Rick

 

[cam w]

I tend to use Western Digitals Lifeguard program for my main drive testing. That and GSSmart control are my goto programs.

I have been using it also for years! That and Seatools.

 

[GTP]

+ 1 Crystal Disk Info and GSmartControl. I don't give it to clients though. Who knows what trouble they will get into?

 

[AlexCa]

Crystal Disk Info and GSmartControl here too.

Ps: only today I've noticed that Crystal Disk Info have a real-time mode that shows the status of the drives in the system tray. Awesome!

 

[CLC]

GSmartControl control for me too, I usually use it when booting from partied magic which is steal of a deal for what they charge.

 

[Porthos]

Crystal Disk Info and GSmartControl here too.

+1

 

[Sky-Knight]

I have SMART monitoring via my RMM tool, but I don't care because SMART monitoring is useless. If you want a drive that isn't going to fail, you get an SSD. Platter drives will go whenever they feel like it, and you don't want to know how many I've seen fault without a single SMART alert over the years. You also don't want to know how many SMART faulting disks I've seen last years after they went "bad".

As far as I'm concerned, SMART is a joke.

 

[Krynn72]

As far as I'm concerned, SMART is a joke.

I agree but it has its uses. SMART is for the lowest hanging fruit. Its a very fast first-check whenever you start to suspect a bad hdd is causing some kind of problem. It is so fast that I usually check it as part of my first steps on ANY job.

Essentially, if SMART shows bad **** going down, the drive needs to be replaced. Me and another tech would often say "Even SMART says its bad" which we both knew meant the drive was definitely bad. But if I suspect a bad HDD, check SMART and it doesn't show any problems, I DO NOT leave it there, and will pop it into my MHDD machine to do a sector scan and see how fast each sector reads and etc. Its not an end-all-be-all test, but it saves me a lot of time if I can just "see red" in gmsartcontrol and know I need to replace the drive.

 

[Porthos]

I agree but it has its uses. SMART is for the lowest hanging fruit. Its a very fast first-check whenever you start to suspect a bad hdd is causing some kind of problem. It is so fast that I usually check it as part of my first steps on ANY job.

Essentially, if SMART show bad **** going down, the drive needs to be replaced. Me and another tech would often say "Even SMART says its bad" which we both knew meant the drive was definitely bad. But if I suspect a bad HDD, check SMART and it doesn't show any problems, I DO NOT leave it there, and will pop it into my MHDD machine to do a sector scan and see how fast each sector reads and etc. Its not an end-all-be-all test, but it saves me a lot of time if I can just "see red" in gmsartcontrol and know I need to replace the drive.

100% same for me. If the drive is bad with smart, It gets replaced no exceptions.

 

[GTP]

Any red and the drive is dead!
If I run GSmartControl or CDI and see any red (or orange) the drive is replaced.