What Is a SMART Short Self-Test?

The SMART Short Self-Test is a series of self-assessment tests performed by a computer hard drive running the UNIX or Linux operating system. The exact tests vary by hardware manufacturer and can include Power-On Hours, Temperature, Seek Error Rate and many others.

Short Self-Test

Not all hard drives support SMART testing, according to "Three Ways To Check Your Hard Drive Health Using SMART" by WebProNews writer Alex Trent. SMART provides an overall self-assessment that provides some idea of whether the hard drive is likely to fail soon. The SMART Short Self-Test runs a shorter scan to detect hard drives that are completely damaged.

Procedure

A computer with GNOME System Tools offers the simplest way to do SMART testing. The user can do this by clicking on System, then Administration. Once there, the user can select Disk Utility, the drive to be checked, SMART Data, Run Self-Test and Short Self-Test.

GNOME

The GNOME program may be installed by default or obtained from a package manager. Once installed on a system, the user may use a tool called Smart-Notifier that will open a popup window upon detecting a problem with a drive.

References

• LinuxProNews: Three Ways To Check Your Hard Drive Health Using SMART