Operations - Is it possible to schedule HDS Surface Scans

[Tiiazllm]

Hi HDS,

As a new purchaser, I'm still learning about all the extras of HDS, but I can't find anything about running HDS surface scans (not HW/SMART extended scans) using "Operations"

I'd like to run a "Refresh Data" Surface Scan on my data drives - monthly, overnight, for a maximum of 6 hours before pausing if not complete

So far I cannot find any documentation on how to do this - or indeed any postings which says that this CANNOT be done

Many thanks
Steve

[hdsentinel]

Dear Steve,

Thanks for your message and question!

At the moment, I can confirm that only the hardware self tests could run as scheduled (but this may change in a future version).

The Disk -> Surface test functions can only be launched manually, not via scheduled way as they may be not as "safe", especially tests involving write operation. I mean the "refresh data area" can be dangerous in case of power failure/power loss; also it may be blocked if the drive can't be locked for exclusive access during the test OR it may block other software trying to access the drive during the test.

This is why currently only the "safest" hardware tests can be scheduled and if they report issues, then it is possible to manually launch the appropriate surface test from Disk -> Surface Test menu.

[Tiiazllm]

Hi HDS,

Many thanks for that.
I do understand your position, but given that power failure/drive lock failure could happen when instigating these tests manually - and that your target audience of customer is probably much more computer savvy than your average user, and that these tests are only available to paying customers, (who are already confirmed advocates, and know the real power and benefits of HDS), I do hope that you reconsider adding these automated/scheduled actions.

This is just my view and hope!

Many thanks
Steve

[spookyneo]

I was under the impression that Surface Scans could be setup in a project ? I can't test it right now, as I I am evaluating HDSentinel and we can't try projects in the evaluation.

What can we do then in the projects, in the Test hard disk(s) section ? I cannot see the drop down of tests available because it is grayed out in the evaluation. Are Extended SMART tests reliable ? I don't know but, doesn't SMART updates his bad/relocated sectors count after the OS tried to read/write in a bad sector ? If that is so, the Surface Scan is useful because it can read a sector that is not being used by the OS, therefore detects failure before the OS requires the bad sector. I don't know if what I'm saying makes sense.

It would be a very great addition to HDSentinel to be able to perform Surface Scans in projects, at least read scans. If a bad sector is detected, or potentially bad, HDSentinel could notify us using a popup balloon in the systray. I also think that the SMART will update itself after the Surface Scan found a bad sector therefore create a SMART alert, but I am unsure about this.

FYI, one of your competitor, Active@ Hard Disk Monitor does support automatic scanning of Surface Scan (I have tried the evaluation version) and works very well.

[hdsentinel]

Hi Steve,

I completely agree - and I can make sure that while the hardware self tests can be scheduled already, the software-based surface tests (which now can be launched manually) could be also scheduled in a later version. Maybe the the "Read" and "Refresh data area" are the most important as it may not too useful to start automatic Write/Reinitialise Disk Surface test to clear the stored information (that should be used only after full backup).

Of course with your license, you can any time upgrade to this (and further) versions when they'll be available.

[hdsentinel]

Yes, I can confirm that both hardware tests / S.M.A.R.T. self tests (Short self test, Extended self test) can be configured as a project in Hard Disk Sentinel: they can be launched as scheduled (eg. once per week on selected / all drives) or to be configured as a "panic backup" to automatically start upon problem found with any of the hard disks.
As discussed in the forum, software tests (for example, but not limited to the Read test) could be configured as a backup project in a later version.
Currently these (and other) several tests available from the Disk menu and can be launched any time manually.

In general, the logic to diagnose the drives is the following:

- the drive should be quickly (even automatically) checked by the manual / automatic / scheduled execution of Short self test / Extended self test
- upon problem found, it is recommended to perform a backup just for safety and start Disk -> Surface test -> Read test and/or the more intensive tests there as these are the best ways to detect, reveal all possible problems and fix the situation by forcing the drive to re-allocate problematic sectors. Then Hard Disk Sentinel properly shows the problems found on the surface and errors detected during testing (see the Screenshots under Products -> Hard Disk Sentinel Professional)

This is described at: http://www.hdsentinel.com/faq.php#tests
"Hard disk health is low or recently changed or I just installed a new (used) hard disk. How can I perform a deep analysis?"

Please see the Help -> Hard Disk Tests section for details about the different tests and how they should be used in various situation.

If you prefer to test all functions and features, please just send an e-mail to info@hdsentinel.com for a free trial keyfile to test everything (including these tests) for 30-60 days so you can verify the compatibility, features, usability, detection rate on your system.