[nycbug-talk] Re: how to test dying disks?

[a nice bug]

Isaac Levy:
 
> I've got a fistfull of failing drives here.  I'm not sure exactly how 
> to properly diagnose the broken drives

- mfr diagnostic program (usually downloadable diskette)
- mfr firmware upgrade (if applicable or supported)
- replace any questionable cabling with known good
- smart diagnostics if drive supports SMART
- fsck check bad blocks 

Out of warranty drives are usually not worth your valuable time!