Actually I DID thank MrRobotto

[MikeG]

He was the only one that addressed my one basic question.

Actually, I DID have an agenda - it was to get my question answered.

Some may be interested in how long this 400 gb Seagate lasts. I will report it, assuming I'm still allowed on this forum.

[mrrobotto]

I kept on using a hdd that I received the smart warning on along time ago. I think it was either 3 or 6 months before the hdd actually failed. I don't remember for sure how long it lasted because its been such a long time ago.

I do remember thinking that the smart warning had been a false one. The hdd didn't make any noise and worked great so I just blew it off and kept on using it. Then one day without any notice at all it failed and it was the end of the line for the hdd.

So, I don't think smart is capable of giving an exact failure time but that a failure is going to happen. The unknown is when so to me it's a CYA thing to back up your data. Because it will eventually happen.:eek:

[Strawbs]

I'm sure you read mrrobotto's links, and as such you will know that a S.M.A.R.T warning is a prelude to a probable mechanical failure of some kind. That being the case - the actual timing of any failure is something that can't really be predicted because there are too many variables involved! Like how often the drive is accessed, what component is failing, etc.

The timing of the failure of your drive will not serve any scientific value because of the variables that are not reported! The failure rate\information will be of no use to anyone but the manufacturer because its usage cannot be deliberately replicated without usage statistics.

S.M.A.R.T is telling you that the drive will fail at some random point in the future - Nothing more.

[MikeG]

I TRULY thank you guys for those posts. Very helpful. Exactly what I've been looking for!