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How To Check Drive Health

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Tyler Erickson edited this page Feb 11, 2026 · 1 revision

How To Check Drive Health

Is your drive acting strangely? Experiencing errors or slowdowns? This guide will walk you through diagnosing drive issues using openSeaChest, from quick non-invasive checks to comprehensive diagnostic tests.

This step-by-step approach goes from safest/fastest checks to more thorough testing, helping you determine if your drive is healthy or needs attention.

⚠️ Before You Begin

Important: The diagnostic tests described here are non-destructive and safe for your data. They only read from the drive and run built-in diagnostic routines. However:

  • Always maintain current backups of important data
  • Some tests may take several hours on large drives
  • Do not interrupt tests once started (especially DST)
  • Drive may be slower during testing

When to check drive health:

  • System crashes or freezes
  • Unusual noises (clicking, grinding, beeping)
  • Slow read/write performance
  • Files becoming corrupted
  • OS reports errors accessing files
  • Before important data migrations
  • Regular preventive maintenance (quarterly/annually)

⚠️ CRITICAL: Before You Begin - Data Recovery Considerations

Why You Should Never Open a Drive Yourself

If your drive has failed or is making unusual noises (clicking, beeping, grinding), DO NOT attempt to open it yourself. Modern hard drives are precision instruments assembled in clean room environments with tolerances measured in nanometers.

Important clarification: If you have a USB external hard drive, you can open the plastic enclosure (though they are typically not designed for easy opening) to access the drive inside. However, never open the actual hard disk drive (HDD) or head disk assembly (HDA) itself - this is the sealed metal component that contains the platters and read/write heads.

Scale Understanding:

  • The read/write head "flies" above the platter surface at a height approximately 1/1000th the width of a human hair
  • Even a single dust particle is 500 times larger than this gap
  • The platter spins at 5,400-15,000 RPM (150+ miles per hour at the outer edge)

Opening a drive at home introduces:

  • Dust particles that will immediately crash the heads into the platters at high speed
  • Fingerprint oils that damage the magnetic coating
  • Air currents that disrupt the precisely controlled internal environment
  • Static electricity that can destroy sensitive electronics

DIY Fixes DO NOT WORK

Common internet "fixes" that will permanently destroy your data:

  • "Freezer trick" - Temperature shock causes metal components to contract at different rates, warping platters and damaging heads
  • "Tapping the drive" - Can dislodge heads, damage platters, or break delicate actuator arms
  • "Swapping circuit boards" - Modern drives have unique calibration data (adaptive parameters) stored on the board that is specific to that exact drive's physical characteristics
  • "Opening to unstick heads" - Introduces contamination that will destroy platters on the first rotation

Why Exact Matching Is Critical

Even if you could source an identical model drive for parts:

  • Head assemblies are calibrated specifically to their platters during manufacturing
  • Firmware adaptive data contains correction factors unique to each drive's physical imperfections
  • Spindle motor timing varies between individual drives
  • Pre-amp settings are tuned to the specific heads installed

Professional data recovery labs use:

  • Class 10 or better clean rooms (less than 10 particles per cubic foot)
  • Specialized head combs to safely park/unpark heads
  • Factory diagnostic interfaces not available to consumers
  • Platter burnishing tools to repair minor surface damage
  • Firmware repair stations with manufacturer-specific tools
  • Imaging equipment that can read around bad sectors

What Happens If You Open It

The moment you break the seal on a failed drive:

  1. Dust enters and contaminates the platter surface
  2. On first spin-up, heads contact dust particles at 150+ mph
  3. Heads gouge the platters, destroying magnetic material
  4. Data is permanently lost - even professional labs cannot recover from this

A drive that was 90% recoverable becomes 0% recoverable the moment you open it.

When to Contact Data Recovery Services

Seek professional help immediately if you experience:

  • Drive not spinning up (no sound/vibration when powered on)
  • Clicking sounds (heads attempting to read and failing)
  • Grinding or scraping noises (heads contacting platters)
  • Beeping (spindle motor unable to start)
  • Drive not detected by BIOS
  • Complete failure after physical shock (drop, impact)

Do not:

  • Power the drive on repeatedly
  • Run diagnostic software (may accelerate damage)
  • Attempt any repairs yourself
  • Open the drive casing

Professional data recovery costs:

Expect to pay at minimum the cost of a new drive plus an expensive hourly rate for professional recovery services. The deeper the recovery process goes, the more expensive it becomes:

  • Logical recovery (deleted files, formatted drives) - Least expensive
  • Electronics repair (circuit board damage) - More expensive
  • Mechanical repair (head crashes, motor failure) - Significantly more expensive
  • Physical media damage (requires platter work, clean room operations) - Most expensive

For current pricing estimates, search for "professional data recovery services" in your area. Costs vary based on drive type, failure severity, and data value. Data recovery costs may be high, but in some circumstances they are worth it—especially if the data loss would have significant personal or business impact.

If your drive is clicking, beeping, or not spinning, stop immediately and contact a professional recovery service before attempting any diagnostics.

Step 1: Quick SMART Health Check (2 minutes)

SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) is built into modern drives and tracks various health indicators. This is your fastest check.

Run the SMART Health Check

Windows:

# Open PowerShell or Command Prompt as Administrator
cd C:\Path\To\openSeaChest

# Scan for drives first
.\openSeaChest_SMART.exe -s

# Check SMART status (replace <handle> with your drive from scan, e.g., PDx, PDy)
.\openSeaChest_SMART.exe -d <handle> --smartCheck

# Or check all drives at once
.\openSeaChest_SMART.exe -d all --smartCheck

# Or check multiple specific drives
.\openSeaChest_SMART.exe -d PDx -d PDy --smartCheck

Linux/BSD:

# Open terminal with sudo privileges
cd /path/to/openSeaChest

# Scan for drives first
sudo ./openSeaChest_SMART -s

# Check SMART status (replace <handle> with your drive from scan, e.g., /dev/sgx)
sudo ./openSeaChest_SMART -d <handle> --smartCheck

# Or check all drives at once
sudo ./openSeaChest_SMART -d all --smartCheck

# Or check multiple specific drives
sudo ./openSeaChest_SMART -d /dev/sgx -d /dev/sgy --smartCheck

Interpreting Results

The SMART check will return one of four possible statuses:

✅ SMART Check Passed!

SMART Status: PASSED
SMART Trip: Not Tripped

Drive appears healthy, but continue to Step 2 if you are experiencing issues.

❌ SMART has been tripped!

SMART Status: FAILED
SMART Trip: Tripped

Drive has logged failures that exceed manufacturer thresholds. Back up data immediately and continue diagnostics to assess severity.

⚠️ SMART Warning condition detected!

SMART Warning condition detected!

A warning is being reported - typically a counter has passed its threshold, but it may be an expected value like spinup counts that accumulate over the drive's lifetime. Exceeding this threshold is not necessarily a failure or concern, simply that the drive has surpassed an expected value but is not an indicator of the drive being bad. Continue to Step 2 to identify which attribute triggered the warning and assess whether action is needed.

❓ Unable to run SMART Check!

Unable to run SMART Check!

The SMART command could not be executed. This typically means:

  • Drive or interface does not support SMART (common on USB enclosures - see USB troubleshooting below)
  • System error prevented command execution
  • Insufficient permissions (try running as administrator/root)

This is NOT an indication of drive health - it just means the check couldn't run.

Step 2: View SMART Attributes (5 minutes)

SMART attributes provide detailed health metrics. This helps identify what's going wrong.

Display SMART Attributes

For NVMe drives:

# NVMe has standardized health reporting
sudo ./openSeaChest_SMART -d <handle> --showNvmeHealth

For ATA/SATA drives (recommended - standardized):

# Device Statistics are standardized and vendor-agnostic (preferred)
sudo ./openSeaChest_SMART -d <handle> --deviceStatistics

Note: Device Statistics requires ACS-3 or later specification support (Seagate drives since approximately 2013). USB adapters may not allow access to Device Statistics even when the drive supports it, though openSeaChest attempts workarounds including reading pages individually to bypass USB bridge limitations. If this command fails on a USB device, skip to SMART attributes below. See USB Bridge Limitations for details on USB adapter compatibility.

For ATA/SATA drives (SMART attributes - vendor-specific):

# Multiple output modes available:
sudo ./openSeaChest_SMART -d <handle> --smartAttributes hybrid    # Recommended: smartctl-like format
sudo ./openSeaChest_SMART -d <handle> --smartAttributes analyzed  # With interpretation
sudo ./openSeaChest_SMART -d <handle> --smartAttributes raw       # Raw hexadecimal output only for all fields

For SCSI/SAS drives:

# SCSI uses Device Statistics (standardized)
sudo ./openSeaChest_Info -d <handle> --deviceStatistics

Note: For SATA drives, we recommend using --deviceStatistics over SMART attributes when available. Device Statistics provide standardized values that are consistent across vendors, while SMART attribute raw values are reported differently by each manufacturer.

Understanding Device Statistics Counters:

Device Statistics use standardized counter definitions consistent across all vendors supporting a given statistic:

  • Error counters (read errors, write errors, etc.): Standard behavior is to count up as errors occur. The specification defines how these counters behave, providing predictable operation across all vendors.
  • Min/Max/Current values (temperature statistics): Minimum updates when temperature drops below previous minimum, maximum updates when temperature exceeds previous maximum, current reflects the latest sensor reading.
  • Pending counters (pending sector list): Counts up as sectors are added to the pending list, counts down as sectors are successfully written or reallocated - matching typical SMART attribute 197 behavior.
  • Think of Device Statistics as standardized SMART raw fields - same underlying data, but with consistent format and interpretation across all manufacturers implementing the ACS standard.

Note: Certain drive operations like sector size changes or sanitize operations may affect some statistics as defined in the ACS specification, but normal operation follows the standard behaviors described above.

Key Attributes to Check

Understanding Thresholds: Each SMART attribute has a vendor-defined threshold reported by the drive (visible in SMART output alongside each attribute). This threshold is set by the drive's firmware and varies by manufacturer and product family. As a purely hypothetical example, one product might use a threshold of 40 while another could use 90 for the same attribute - actual threshold values are product-specific and set by the manufacturer. When an attribute's normalized value approaches or falls below its drive-reported threshold, the drive is indicating potential failure. Always compare to the threshold value shown in your drive's SMART output - there is no universal threshold value.

Focus on these critical attributes (ATA drives):

ID Attribute Name What It Means Concern If...
5 Reallocated Sector Count Bad sectors remapped by drive Approaching vendor threshold OR rapid increases
188 Command Timeout Commands that timed out Increasing over time
197 Current Pending Sectors Sectors waiting to be remapped Value > 0 (indicates current issues)
198 Offline Uncorrectable Bad sectors found during tests Value > 0 (indicates current issues)
199 UDMA CRC Error Count Data transfer errors Increasing (often cable/controller issue)
194 Temperature Current drive temperature Exceeds manufacturer's max operating temp

Important Notes:

  • Attribute 187 (Reported Uncorrectable) is just a counter of how many times errors were reported to the host. It does NOT indicate current problems - those show in attributes 197/198/5. Reading the same bad sector repeatedly increases this count.
  • Non-zero values do not automatically mean a bad drive. Drives are only considered failed when values exceed the manufacturer's threshold (shown in SMART output).
  • Reallocated sectors (ID 5): Small amounts are normal over a drive's lifetime. Slow increases over years are less concerning than sudden large increases.
  • Seagate SMART attributes: Raw values are reported differently than other vendors. See Drive Health and SMART page for Seagate-specific interpretation.
  • For SATA drives: Use --deviceStatistics instead for standardized, vendor-agnostic metrics.
  • For CRC errors (ID 199): Also check SATA Phy Events log (openSeaChest_Logs -d <handle> --showPhyEvents) for more standardized reporting.

SCSI/SAS drives use Device Statistics instead. Look for:

  • Non-Medium Error Count (any non-zero value)
  • Read/Write Error Corrected counts (rapidly increasing)
  • Temperature (> 50°C)

What to do:

  • Reallocated sectors (ID 5): Small amounts over time are normal drive maintenance. Back up data and run DST (Step 3) if counts are approaching threshold or increasing rapidly.
  • Pending sectors (ID 197) > 0: Drive found potential bad sectors. Back up data, then run --dstAndClean (see Step 7) to have the drive reallocate these sectors. Monitor for increasing counts.
  • Offline Uncorrectable (ID 198) > 0: Similar to pending sectors. Back up data, then run --dstAndClean to resolve.
  • High temperature: Improve cooling with chassis-mounted fans using anti-vibration screws (avoid drive-mounted fans - vibration degrades performance). Ensure proper airflow.
  • CRC errors (ID 199): Almost always a cable or controller issue, not drive failure. Replace SATA cable, check connections, verify controller health. Also check SATA Phy Events log for standardized view.

Step 3: Run Short Diagnostic Self-Test (2-5 minutes)

The Drive Self-Test (DST) is a built-in diagnostic routine that checks drive functionality. The short DST is quick and checks core components.

Run Short DST

Option 1: Run and wait for completion (easiest):

# Start DST and automatically poll until complete
sudo ./openSeaChest_Basics -d <handle> --shortDST --poll

Option 2: Run in background and check progress manually:

# Start the short DST
sudo ./openSeaChest_Basics -d <handle> --shortDST

# The test runs in the background. Check progress:
sudo ./openSeaChest_Basics -d <handle> --progress dst

The short DST typically takes 1-2 minutes on most drives.

Check Results

After the test completes:

# View DST results
sudo ./openSeaChest_Logs -d <handle> --showDSTLog

Interpreting DST Results

✅ PASSED:

Self-test execution status: Completed without error

Drive's self-test passed. If you are still experiencing issues, continue to Step 4 for more detailed analysis.

⚠️ ABORTED:

Self-test execution status: Aborted by host

Test was interrupted before completion. This is NOT a drive failure - rerun the test.

Common causes:

  • User interruption (Ctrl+C, system reboot)
  • Host sleep or hibernation during test
  • Drive power loss

Important: Disable host sleep and hibernation during testing to prevent aborts. Long Generic (user-initiated) tests and manually triggered DSTs are susceptible to host sleep interruption. Drive Self-Tests (DST) managed by the drive firmware are less affected but can still abort if power is lost.

❌ FAILED - Action Required:

Self-test execution status: Completed: read element failed

Drive detected issues during testing. Interpret based on failure type:

Failure types and actions:

  • Read element failed: Drive found sectors it could not read. This may be a pending defect.

    • Action: Back up data, then run --dstAndClean (Step 7) to reallocate bad sectors. If successful, drive can continue in service with monitoring.

  • Mechanical failure / Electrical failure: Hardware component failure detected.

    • Action: Drive must be replaced. Back up data immediately if accessible.

  • Servo failed: Positioning system problem.

    • Action: Drive must be replaced. This indicates mechanical failure.

  • Handling damage: Physical shock/drop damage detected.

    • Action: Investigate how drive was handled (shipping, installation, excessive vibration). Replace drive. Handling damage can occur during shipping, rough installation, or from excessive vibration/shock during operation.

  • Unknown element failed: General hardware failure.

    • Action: Drive should be replaced. Back up data immediately.

Step 4: Check Drive Logs (10 minutes)

Drive logs provide detailed error history and statistics.

Check SMART Error Log (SATA drives only)

# View recent errors logged by the drive (SATA/ATA only)
sudo ./openSeaChest_Logs -d <handle> --smartErrorLog

Understanding SMART Error Logs:

  • These logs capture the state when an error occurred, not necessarily current problems
  • Errors may already be resolved (reallocated sectors, transient issues)
  • If SMART check passes and DST passes, drive firmware considers it healthy
  • Useful for identifying patterns but don't panic over old logged errors

What to look for:

  • No errors logged: Good sign!
  • Few errors, long ago: Likely resolved or transient - not a current concern if recent tests pass
  • Many recent errors: May indicate active problem, but verify with current SMART status and DST
  • Repeating LBA addresses: May indicate specific sectors that have since been reallocated

Check Device Statistics (SCSI/SAS) or FARM Logs (Seagate HDDs)

For Seagate HDDs:

# FARM (Field Accessible Reliability Metrics) provides extensive telemetry
sudo ./openSeaChest_Logs -d <handle> --farm --farmLog

# Save to file for detailed review
sudo ./openSeaChest_Logs -d <handle> --farm --farmLog --outputPath ./farm_log.txt

About FARM logs: Seagate FARM logs contain many metrics primarily designed for Seagate engineers to understand drive performance and usage patterns. However, they also aggregate useful statistics found in Device Statistics and SMART in one convenient location, which can help identify trends and issues.

For SCSI/SAS drives:

# Device statistics
sudo ./openSeaChest_Info -d <handle> --deviceStatistics

What to look for in logs:

  • Read/write error rates and trends
  • Reallocated sector events and patterns
  • Temperature history (was it running hot?)
  • Power-on hours (context for drive age)
  • Power cycle count

Step 5: Run Long Diagnostic Self-Test (Optional)

If previous tests show issues or you need thorough verification, run the long DST or long generic test.

Long DST (Drive Self-Test):

  • Firmware-managed test that performs a complete surface scan
  • Stops on the first error detected as required by the ATA/SCSI specifications
  • Test runs in drive firmware, continues even if command prompt disconnects

Long Generic (Software Read Test):

  • Software-managed test that reads every sector on the disk
  • Error threshold: 50 × (number of logical sectors per physical sector)
    • 512-native (512N) drives: 50 errors
    • 512-emulation (512e) drives: 400 errors
    • 4K-native (4KN) drives: 50 errors
  • Test will continue past first error until threshold is reached

Check Time Estimate First

# Get drive info including DST time estimate
sudo ./openSeaChest_Basics -d <handle> -i | grep -i "dst"

⏱️ Important notes:

  • Long DST duration varies significantly by drive capacity and technology
  • Use the time estimate from drive info above to plan accordingly
  • Test stops on first error detected (may complete faster if issues found)
  • SSDs are typically much faster than HDDs

Run Long DST

Option 1: Run and poll until complete:

# Start DST and automatically poll until complete
sudo ./openSeaChest_Basics -d <handle> --longDST --poll

Option 2: Run in background:

# Start the long DST
sudo ./openSeaChest_Basics -d <handle> --longDST

# Check progress periodically
sudo ./openSeaChest_Basics -d <handle> --progress dst

Important:

  • Don't use the drive heavily during testing
  • Don't power off the system
  • Check progress periodically

Check Results

# After completion, check DST log
sudo ./openSeaChest_Logs -d <handle> --showDSTLog

Step 6: Fix Pending Defects (If Found)

If tests revealed pending sectors (SMART ID 197 or 198), you can often fix these by having the drive reallocate them.

Run DST and Clean

Important: Back up your data first!

# This will find bad sectors and tell the drive to reallocate them
sudo ./openSeaChest_Basics -d <handle> --dstAndClean --poll

What this does:

  1. Runs a diagnostic self-test to find problem sectors
  2. When bad sectors are found, writes to them to force reallocation
  3. Drive's spare sector pool is used to replace bad sectors
  4. Reallocated sector count (ID 5) will increase

After completion:

  • Check SMART again to verify pending sectors cleared
  • Monitor drive over time for additional reallocations
  • If reallocations continue increasing rapidly, plan drive replacement

Step 7: Decision Time - Is My Drive Failing?

Based on the tests above, determine your drive's health status:

🟢 Drive is Healthy

Signs:

  • ✅ SMART status: PASSED
  • ✅ Short DST: PASSED (or Long DST if run)
  • ✅ No pending sectors (SMART ID 197/198 = 0)
  • ✅ Reallocated sectors stable or zero (ID 5 normalized value well above drive-reported threshold shown in SMART output)
  • ✅ No recent errors in logs (or old errors that have been resolved)
  • ✅ Temperature under manufacturer's maximum operating specification

Action: Continue regular monitoring. Check SMART quarterly or when issues arise.

🟡 Drive Needs Monitoring

Signs:

  • ⚠️ SMART: PASSED (not approaching threshold)
  • ⚠️ DST: PASSED
  • ⚠️ Small number of reallocated sectors (not approaching threshold, slow increase over months/years)
  • ⚠️ Old errors in logs but none recent
  • ⚠️ CRC errors present (verify cables/connections)
  • ⚠️ Temperature elevated but under manufacturer's maximum spec

Action:

  1. Ensure current backups (always maintain backups anyway!)
  2. If pending sectors present: Run --dstAndClean (Step 6) to reallocate them
  3. Improve cooling if temperature is elevated (chassis-mounted fans with anti-vibration screws)
  4. Replace SATA cable and check connections if CRC errors present
  5. Monitor SMART monthly - track if reallocations are increasing
  6. Plan eventual replacement if reallocations continue increasing (6-12 months)

Important: Small numbers of reallocated sectors over years of use is normal drive maintenance. Only be concerned if counts approach vendor thresholds or increase rapidly.

🔴 Drive Needs Immediate Attention

Signs indicating drive replacement is necessary:

  • ❌ SMART status: FAILED (drive exceeded vendor threshold)
  • ❌ DST: FAILED with mechanical or electrical failure
  • ❌ DST: FAILED with servo failure
  • ❌ DST: FAILED with handling damage
  • ❌ Reallocated sectors approaching or exceeding vendor threshold
  • ❌ Reallocated sectors increasing rapidly (large jumps in short time)
  • ❌ Pending sectors that cannot be reallocated after running --dstAndClean

Signs indicating immediate data backup and investigation:

  • ⚠️ DST: FAILED with read element failure (may be recoverable with --dstAndClean)
  • ⚠️ Pending sectors present (ID 197/198 > 0)
  • ⚠️ Offline uncorrectable (ID 198 > 0)
  • ⚠️ Performance issues persisting after tests pass

Immediate Actions:

  1. 🚨 BACK UP DATA IMMEDIATELY (if not already done)

    • Use a different drive for backup
    • Don't delay

  2. For pending sectors (ID 197/198):

    • Run --dstAndClean (Step 6) to attempt reallocation
    • If successful, drive can continue in service with close monitoring
    • Monitor weekly for new pending sectors
    • If pending sectors reappear frequently, plan replacement

  3. For DST read element failures:

    • Run --dstAndClean to reallocate problem sectors
    • If successful and subsequent DST passes, continue monitoring closely
    • If failures continue or reappear, replace drive

  4. For mechanical/electrical/servo failures:

    • Drive must be replaced - these indicate hardware component failure
    • Back up data if accessible

  5. If SMART threshold exceeded or rapid reallocation increases:

    • Replace the drive - it has exceeded manufacturer's reliability limits
    • Do NOT reuse for critical data

  6. Determine data accessibility:

    • If drive is still accessible: Copy critical files immediately
    • If drive is not accessible or has uncorrectable errors: Consider professional data recovery

  7. For warranty replacement (if applicable):

    • Check warranty: Seagate Warranty Check
    • In general, if the drive fails DST or SMART check and is within the warranty period, it will qualify for replacement
    • Before returning, sanitize your data if it contains sensitive data
    • Note: All drives returned to Seagate are sanitized when received, so your data is safely handled even if you forget to sanitize it yourself

Key principle: Don't panic over every reallocation or pending sector. Modern drives are designed to handle some sector reallocation. The critical indicators are:

  • SMART thresholds exceeded
  • Rapid increases in reallocations
  • Mechanical/electrical failures in DST
  • Inability to fix pending sectors with --dstAndClean (note: sometimes this fails due to permissions in the OS or security features in firmware rather than reallocation list being full - try in a different OS after properly shutting down or unmounting all partitions)

Many drives with a few reallocated sectors continue serving reliably for years. Focus on trends and threshold values, not just non-zero counts.

Additional Scenarios

High Temperature Issues

Symptoms:

  • Temperature consistently approaching or exceeding manufacturer's maximum operating specification
  • Performance degradation

Actions:

  1. Check manufacturer specifications for maximum operating temperature (typically 55-60°C for HDDs)
  2. Improve airflow in case:
    • Clean dust filters and fans
    • Install chassis-mounted fans using anti-vibration screws (recommended solution)
    • Ensure drive bays have adequate ventilation
  3. Check drive mounting:
    • Ensure proper spacing between drives
    • Verify mounting allows airflow around drive
  4. Consider relocating drive to cooler bay position

Important: Use chassis-mounted cooling solutions with anti-vibration mounting. Drive-mounted fans introduce vibration that may degrade drive performance and reliability over time.

USB Device Considerations

USB-attached drives have limitations due to USB bridge chips:

Common issues:

  • SMART not supported (bridge does not pass through commands)
  • Some tests unavailable
  • Slower performance

Solutions:

  1. Test USB compatibility:

    sudo ./openSeaChest_PassthroughTest -d <handle>

  2. If limited passthrough, consider:

    • Testing drive with direct SATA connection
    • Using a better USB enclosure with SAT (SCSI-ATA Translation) support

See the USB Bridge Limitations page for comprehensive USB adapter compatibility information and the Enabling Access To Additional Commands In Linux page for platform-specific workarounds.

Quick Reference Command Summary

# 1. Scan for drives
sudo ./openSeaChest_SMART -s

# 2. Quick SMART health check (replace <handle> with your drive from scan)
sudo ./openSeaChest_SMART -d <handle> --smartCheck

# 3. View SMART attributes (hybrid format - smartctl-like)
sudo ./openSeaChest_SMART -d <handle> --smartAttributes hybrid

# 3b. View Device Statistics (preferred for SATA - standardized)
sudo ./openSeaChest_SMART -d <handle> --deviceStatistics

# 3c. For NVMe drives
sudo ./openSeaChest_SMART -d <handle> --showNVMeHealth

# 4. Run short DST with auto-polling (1-2 minutes)
sudo ./openSeaChest_Basics -d <handle> --shortDST --poll

# 5. Check DST results
sudo ./openSeaChest_Logs -d <handle> --showDSTLog

# 6. View SMART error log (SATA only)
sudo ./openSeaChest_Logs -d <handle> --smartErrorLog

# 7. Fix pending defects (run after backup!)
sudo ./openSeaChest_Basics -d <handle> --dstAndClean --poll

# 8. Run long DST with auto-polling (hours - use -i first for time estimate)
sudo ./openSeaChest_Basics -d <handle> --longDST --poll

# 9. Check progress of background test (if not using --poll)
sudo ./openSeaChest_Basics -d <handle> --progress dst

# 10. Check all drives at once
sudo ./openSeaChest_SMART -d all --smartCheck

# 11. Check SATA Phy Events (for CRC errors - standardized location)
sudo ./openSeaChest_Logs -d <handle> --showPhyEvents

Related Pages

Need Help?

For issues running openSeaChest:

When reporting openSeaChest issues, include:

  • Drive model and interface (SATA/SAS/NVMe/USB)
  • Operating system and version
  • openSeaChest version (--version)
  • Output from --smartCheck and --dstLog

For drive issues, warranty claims, or other product support:

Contact Seagate support online or by phone to see what Seagate's support can do to help you:

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