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From: kony on 31 Mar 2008 15:13
On Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:22:42 +0100, "GT"
<ContactGT_remove_(a)hotmail.com> wrote:

>"Rookie" <rookie(a)hates.spam> wrote in message
>news:Xns9A7024884532F3jfk6(a)localhost...
>> "Mike" <nospam(a)email.com> wrote in
>> news:vvgHj.2040$GT5.542(a)fe085.usenetserver.com:
>>
>>> I have 3 hard drives that are 8 years old and they still run great. 2
>>> are maxtors and the other is WD. Should get rid of all 3 and get new
>>> ones because they are so old? I never been through a hard drive
>>> failure before and I dont want to experience it. Is there an app that
>>> can test hard drives?
>>>
>>
>> Check SMART status, if supported by drives, and backup (which should be
>> done with every disk you use, unfortunately).
>
>Not on an 8 year old drive!
>


IIRC, most if not all drives supported SMART 8 years ago.
From: philo on 29 Mar 2008 07:51

"Mike" <nospam(a)email.com> wrote in message
news:vvgHj.2040$GT5.542(a)fe085.usenetserver.com...
> I have 3 hard drives that are 8 years old and they still run great. 2 are
> maxtors and the other is WD. Should get rid of all 3 and get new ones
> because they are so old? I never been through a hard drive failure before
> and I dont want to experience it. Is there an app that can test hard
drives?
>
>

All you have to do is go the the websites of the manufacturers...
then get their dignostic utility.
If it finds any problem at all, the drive should be replaced.

Since 8 years is a pretty long time for a HD,
I'd probably replace them now...even if they pass diagnostics...

Then save them as backups


From: CD on 29 Mar 2008 09:06
Mike wrote:
> I have 3 hard drives that are 8 years old and they still run great. 2 are
> maxtors and the other is WD. Should get rid of all 3 and get new ones
> because they are so old? I never been through a hard drive failure before
> and I dont want to experience it. Is there an app that can test hard drives?
>
>
A new one can die 10 minutes after installation, just like your current
ones can die 10 minutes from now.

You should invest in a large external (USB) hard drive and Acronis True
Image and set up a backup schedule (i.e full backup once a month or once
a week with daily differentials or incrementals). Be sure to create a
Rescue Boot Disc (from Acronis) and use "validate" during the backups.
Think about what you would loose right now if your drive died.

Just get an external enclosure and a drive to put in it; for example:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817145656

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148135

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832200004

To monitor your drives (free):

http://www.panterasoft.com/
From: jameshanley39 on 29 Mar 2008 17:38
On 29 Mar, 00:59, "Mike" <nos...(a)email.com> wrote:
> I have 3 hard drives that are 8 years old and they still run great. 2 are
> maxtors and the other is WD. Should get rid of all 3 and get new ones
> because they are so old? I never been through a hard drive failure before
> and I dont want to experience it. Is there an app that can test hard drives?

somebody whose posts dissapear, mentioned SMART Data.

You can see it with some well known popular freeware called Speedfan
(not to be confused with a BIOS feature of the same name)

There is a PDF on hard drive failures or hard disk failure rates ,
from what I recall, it didn`t say much.. I will link to it when I find
it.


From: jameshanley39 on 29 Mar 2008 22:13
On 29 Mar, 22:38, "jameshanle...(a)yahoo.co.uk"
<jameshanle...(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> On 29 Mar, 00:59, "Mike" <nos...(a)email.com> wrote:
>
> > I have 3 hard drives that are 8 years old and they still run great. 2 are
> > maxtors and the other is WD. Should get rid of all 3 and get new ones
> > because they are so old? I never been through a hard drive failure before
> > and I dont want to experience it. Is there an app that can test hard drives?
>
> somebody whose posts dissapear, mentioned SMART Data.
>
> You can see it with some well known popular freeware called Speedfan
> (not to be confused with a BIOS feature of the same name)
>
> There is a PDF on hard drive failures or hard disk failure rates ,
> from what I recall, it didn`t say much.. I will link to it when I find
> it.


http://research.google.com/archive/disk_failures.pdf

summary here
http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=129975
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