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S.M.A.R.T. Status is Failing | What You Can Do

S.M.A.R.T. Status is Failing | What You Can Do

What to do when you encountered S.M.A.R.T. Status failure error? You just need to do these things.

You encounter S.M.A.R.T. Status Failure error in macOS or Windows, but you still can access the drives. So what does this error message mean?  How can you remove it? Read on then you’ll find the answers.


First, understanding what’s S.M.A.R.T.

S.M.A.R.T. refers to Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology. It’s a monitoring system included in computer hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid-state drives (SSDs). Most of the modern drives has this built-in monitoring system.

The function of S.M.A.R.T. is to monitor the performance of the drive and predict any imminent drive failure. When you get a warning message, it probably indicates your drive has problems. You need to repair the drive, or replace the drive. This is bad, but on the other side, it’s good, as you can back up your data in advance to prevent the further data loss. The warning message is different depending on the different errors. S.M.A.R.T. Status Failing error is one of the common errors that S.M.A.R.T reports.


What to do when you get S.M.A.R.T. Status failure error?

The error reported by S.M.A.R.T. can be fixed automatically. It depends on how serious the drive is damaged. If the damage is within the repairable range (usually determined by the manufacturer), the system will automatically repair the error to prevent further data loss. If the damage is out of the repairable range (usually determined by the manufacturer), the system will prevent data being written in case any further data loss.

When the S.M.A.R.T. Status is Failing, it means the error is out of the repairable range. You can do the following things:

  1. You can download the diagnostic tool from your drive manufacturer to test the drive.
    For some well-known drives, such as Seagate and WDC, their manufacturers will provide diagnostic tool to test the drive and try best to fix the problem.
  2. You can take your computer to a computer repair store to have a further check.
    We’re not able to know the underlying problem on our own. So it’s recommended to take the machine to a computer repair store to have a further check.

  3. You can consider a replacement for the problem drive.
    In most cases, the underlying problem can’t be fixed. In this case, you need to replace the drive.

It’s bad you encounter such thorny problem. But the good news is your data won’t be loss. You can backup the data before you have the error fixed or replace the drive.


Backup the data easily

You can use a trusted third-party software to backup the data easily. If you’re not sure what software you can use, you can use Acronis True Image. Acronis True Image allows you back up the data in Windows and macOS. You can choose to back up the data of the whole system, or the data of a selected partition. To learn more about Acronis True Image, you can visit their official website at https://www.acronis.com/en-us/personal/computer-backup/.

Hopefully you find this post helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to leave your comments below. We’d love to hear of any questions or ideas.

By Camilla Mo

Camilla, a certified MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional), has almost four years technical writing experience. She is now the author of Super Easy. Before working as a writer, she was a technical support helping people to solve their computer problems. She enjoys providing solutions to computer problems and loves exploring new technologies.

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