On 05/03/2025 23:33, Greg wrote:
Given the cryptic nature of its results and the fact that a positive result implies that the test itself can be a factor in precipitating the very failure it intends to preclude, I see no reason to run this program, which seems to produce more confusion than anything veritably useful.
Certainly you need to invest some time into learning how to read "smartctl -a" output. I find it helpful to estimate if there are some issues with the drive or with system configuration.
On my machine, I simply back up the data I do not care to lose.
SMART long test (requested when system high load is not expected) is a tool that may help to reveal issues with a disk earlier and give you more time to find a replacement and to schedule down time. Certainly a disk may still fail unexpectedly despite passed tests and good SMART report.
Just do not run tests *before* backup if you suspect that some data have been corrupted.
