Current File : //usr/share/help/C/gnome-help/disk-check.page
<page xmlns="http://projectmallard.org/1.0/"
type="topic" style="task"
id="disk-check">
<info>
<link type="guide" xref="disk"/>
<credit type="author">
<name>GNOME Documentation Project</name>
<email>gnome-doc-list@gnome.org</email>
</credit>
<credit type="author">
<name>Natalia Ruz Leiva</name>
<email>nruz@alumnos.inf.utfsm.cl</email>
</credit>
<credit type="editor">
<name>Michael Hill</name>
<email>mdhillca@gmail.com</email>
</credit>
<revision pkgversion="3.4.0" date="2012-02-19" status="review"/>
<revision pkgversion="3.13.91" date="2014-09-05" status="review"/>
<desc>Test your hard disk for problems to make sure that it’s healthy.</desc>
<include href="legal.xml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude"/>
</info>
<title>Check your hard disk for problems</title>
<section id="disk-status">
<title>Checking the hard disk</title>
<p>Hard disks have a built-in health-check tool called <app>SMART</app>
(Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology), which continually
checks the disk for potential problems. SMART also warns you if the disk
is about to fail, helping you avoid loss of important data.</p>
<p>Although SMART runs automatically, you can also check your disk’s
health by running the <app>Disks</app> application:</p>
<steps>
<title>Check your disk’s health using the Disks application</title>
<item>
<p>Open <app>Disks</app> from the <gui>Activities</gui> overview.</p>
</item>
<item>
<p>Select the disk you want to check from the list of storage devices on
the left. Information and status of the disk will be shown.</p>
</item>
<item>
<p>Click the menu button and select <gui>SMART Data & Self-Tests…</gui>.
The <gui>Overall Assessment</gui> should say “Disk is OK”.</p>
</item>
<item>
<p>See more information under <gui>SMART Attributes</gui>, or click the
<gui style="button">Start Self-test</gui> button to run a self-test.</p>
</item>
</steps>
</section>
<section id="disk-not-healthy">
<title>What if the disk isn’t healthy?</title>
<p>Even if the <gui>Overall Assessment</gui> indicates that the disk
<em>isn’t</em> healthy, there may be no cause for alarm. However, it’s better
to be prepared with a <link xref="backup-why">backup</link> to prevent data
loss.</p>
<p>If the status says “Pre-fail”, the disk is still reasonably healthy but
signs of wear have been detected which mean it might fail in the near future.
If your hard disk (or computer) is a few years old, you are likely to see
this message on at least some of the health checks. You should
<link xref="backup-how">backup your important files regularly</link> and check
the disk status periodically to see if it gets worse.</p>
<p>If it gets worse, you may wish to take the computer/hard disk to a
professional for further diagnosis or repair.</p>
</section>
</page>
Mini Shell