<page xmlns="http://projectmallard.org/1.0/" type="topic" style="task" id="disk-check" xml:lang="da">

  <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 xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude" href="legal.xml"/>

  </info>

<title>Check your hard disk for problems</title>

<section id="disk-status">

 <title>Checking the hard disk</title>

  
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.

  
Although SMART runs automatically, you can also check your disk’s

 health by running the <app>Disks</app> application:

<steps>

 <title>Check your disk’s health using the Disks application</title>

  <item>

    
Open <app>Disks</app> from the <gui>Activities</gui> overview.

  </item>

  <item>

    
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.

  </item>

  <item>

    
Click the menu button and select <gui>SMART Data & Self-Tests…</gui>.

    The <gui>Overall Assessment</gui> should say “Disk is OK”.

  </item>

  <item>

    
See more information under <gui>SMART Attributes</gui>, or click the

    <gui style="button">Start Self-test</gui> button to run a self-test.

  </item>

</steps>

</section>

<section id="disk-not-healthy">

 <title>What if the disk isn’t healthy?</title>

  
Even if the <gui>Overall Assessment</gui> indicates that the disk

  isn’t 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.

  
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.

  
If it gets worse, you may wish to take the computer/hard disk to a

 professional for further diagnosis or repair.

</section>

</page>