Hard drive exchange

Hello
I have a Dell XPS 8300 and a Seagate hard drive which has a feature called SMART.
If I exchange the hard drive, it is likely it won't be the same but could be. Would I have to involve myself with software or can the exchange be done solely mechanically?

 

Here is what S.M.A.R.T. means. As long as the interface (IDE/SATA/eSATA) is the same as the one you're replacing or of the computer you're putting it in, it should work without any problems and without any additional software. Just swap it out mechanically.

 

I was reading about the smart feature at the web site and it is, in theory anyway, supposed to tell you when the drive is going to fail.

I should have left that out and just asked if I could just swap drives without doing any software work?

 

As I stated in my previous post, there shouldn't be any software requirements. It should work fine. All of my hard drives have SMART built in and I can use them any way I want — as System (C:\) drives, in my modular/media bay, in an USB enclosure, etc. I've got 2 - 80GB drives with different OSes on them that I can swap out at will.

 

I'll most likely be using a different hard drive as time marches on and the same of anything may be hard to find. I will go on the feeling that any drive is a mechanical swap. If I find the same I would get it.

 

With a non-SMART drive, you won't get any type of warning that problems exist. It could fail catastrophically and suddenly and the only recourse you MAY have is spending $500 — $800 at a shop capable of forensics to recover any of your important data. With the SMART technology, you'll get some type of warning and be able to get your important data off of it before it totally fails. As stated in the WIKI I linked you to, the SMART technology affords the manufacturer information as to what caused the failure and allows them to make design changes or whatever else is needed to prevent further failures of the same type.

As far as anything else, SMART drives work the same as non-SMART drives.

 

I meant I may have to find a drive not identical to the one I have when the time comes but, would get the smart drive, for sure.
Thank you for your help.

 

I believe most Desktop Drives have SMART technology built in, and have for years and years, and probably years into the future. Some Enterprise drives don't use this service, but have something similar that those manufacturers claim is superior, but believing marketing hype is always their biggest dream.

Most motherboards have the BIOS setting to use or not use SMART. I think just about any drive I get a hold of has that technology, though.

 

OK, I understand and will remember.

 

The only HDD factors I pay attention to these days is 2Tb Capacity Limit.

The 32-bit OSs don't like drives larger than 2tb (64-bit OS's do).

Also, older motherboards may not support the 3Tb+ capacities, either. If motherboards doesn't claim a "UEFI Bios", then those motherboards might have a 2tb limit as well. This applies to older motherboards. I think most motherboards that use the last few chipsets (Intel sockets 2011, 1155 and the newest 1150, and AMD AM3s and FMs) will accept the 3tb+capacities readily. Then, it's up to the 32-bit vs. 64-bit OS considerations.

There are third-party drivers for accommodating these larger capacity hard-drives on older units. These drivers are often supplied by the hard-drive makers and some of the motherboard makers, but I'd caution against using an 'add-on' for such a base-level critical operating system issue: writing to and reading from the hard drive is about as critical an issue as there is, and adding in tricky interpreters or secondary layers for commands seems like a great invitation for data-loss in this Not Always Perfect World.

I generally aim for 2Tb capacity limits on external drives unless I'm certain the user never EVER runs across an older PC that could use the external drive's abilities.

 

A lot of your information is too technical for me to understand but I get the drift.
I have a Dell XPS 8300 x 64 and 1 TB with Win 8.1 Pro. I also have the older BIOS but have researched the newer UEFI so I have an imaging program that makes both the lighter Linux disc for me and a WinPE disc that makes imaging easier than disabling secure boot and launching anything.
Time flies and so does technology but I am trying to keep up the best I can.

 

Don't worry about SMART. It is not important to the purchasing decision (besides most drives and motherboards support it, and have for years). You need to ensure you get the right interface (SATA vs EIDE) SATA is the latest, you get one that physically fits your case (PCs typically use 3.5in drives, notebooks 2.5), and that the capacity is large enough to support your current and future needs.

 

Well, I have a SATA drive, I have the desktop size(assuming there is only one) and 1T is fine for me.
One external drive is 2 T and more than I need - it was a gift.

May I ask, is there a site that tells you what replacement part you should use if you enter your specifics?

I have gone to Dell but cannot find that type of information.

I am hoping I can do a mechanical swap without software involvement in case of failure. I saw a tutorial and the person seemed to just insert the OS disc and was good to go. I always thought you had to format a new drive.

 

Dell is usually pretty good about indicating Limiting Parts - such as types of RAM.

But in the case of hard-drives, you don't have to worry. You've got all the answers already - "SATA", 3.5-inch, and your desired capacity - 1Tb. Or even 2Tb (and I suspect 3 and 4Tb, too.)

I'd shop for value - if 1Tb is half-the-price of a 2Tb, then 1Tb is a good value. But lately, I've been seeing 1Tb in the $60-70 range and 2Tb in the $80-90 range. So, for a little bit more, I end up with twice the capacity.

Your Dell system will use that.

The reason you won't find Dell's specifics on HDDs is that they (and most other makers) can accommodate all drives. "No need to specific - we'll take 'em all."

IF you should wander into the 2.5" realm (notebook drives are that size, and so are SSDs), there are 'rail kits' that let me add rails to the width of the drive, and then fit them into the Desktop's standard 3.5-inch drive slot.

 

When shopping for hard drives, I look for 5 year warranties. Most are for 3, but some for 2 or even 1. Of course a longer warranty is no guarantee it will last longer, but a company putting more confidence in their products tends to instill more confidence in me. "Enterprise-class" drives (a non-standard but industry accepted term for drives designed for heavy use - such a POS or file servers running 24/7/365) are typically, but not always, warrantied for 5 years.

They (5-year warranty drives) do cost a bit more, but IMO, worth it. Hitachi drives seem to be getting a lot of attention lately for having an outstanding (as in very very low) failure rate.

I would also make sure the drive has a decent size buffer for better performance. Decent is at-least 32Mb - 64Mb preferred.

If looking to boost performance even more, consider a "hybrid" drive. These have buffers that use much faster SSD technology memory, instead of the standard RAM used in "conventional" hard drives. These cost a bit more still, but are a very economical compromise compared to SSD drives.

And of course, you can still replace your HD with an SSD. Many SSDs come packaged with an adapter bracket (the 'rail kits' Christine mentions) to mount in a standard drive bay.

 

More information for my learning folder. Let's hope I don't have to worry about hard drive replacement but if I do I am backed up and believe I know what to do.
I don't have a reserve partition but do have images of Win 7,8 and 8.1.
This is not cloning but full system images of each. Could I use these with a new hard drive or do the OS's have to be cloned?
Thank you

 

I just received Digerati's post.
I think I would stay with the standard drive and size but am noting the buffering information. I also will remember the hybrid suggestion but most of all I would remember to ask for a 5 year warranty. That seems to be a very important consideration.
Do you have an opinion about the full system images I mentioned in my previous post?

 

Depends on how you want to do it. On my own systems, I prefer fresh installs when installing a new boot drive. But most drives come with "migration" software to move everything from the old to the new drive.

 

I understand. If the OS is fresh I would try the image but otherwise would do a clean install. it is a long march from my Win 7, to the upgrade to 8, to the store for 8.1. The other routes are too hard for me. I have a Win 8.1 disc but no prod key.

 

Fresh and clean mean the same thing. That is, you start "fresh" with a "clean" install.

 

A 'fresh' or clean re-load of the OS also needs to be counseled with "Do you have copies of all of your useable software for reinstallation, too?"

If I don't have all of my needed/useful software, then I'm left with a Cloning Job.

You'd mentioned your Image Backups, but I prefer cloning rather than using an Image File for system restores because a Clone Job is a Total At-This-Very-Moment duplication of my Old Hard Drive onto The New One.

But my first choice is always The Fresh Clean Installs and then spending the many other hours installing all the software I actually need and use, and leave all the Old Unused Stuff behind.

 

Understood.
Btw, I heard refresh and reset were broken in Win 8.1.
Do you know if they are repaired yet?

 

@Christine
I have 2 different flash drives with my data on them. I doubt 2 will go at the same time.
I also have images of all local drives on the external drives -2 of them.

I am very careful about the data that is why it is in the pcs-2, on 2 flash drives, and on paper. Everything else can be replaced with images or discs.

 

My choice between Cloning vs Fresh Install is also determined on that "how much time do I have?"

The Cloning Operation is perhaps an hour long, usually 20-30 minutes. If I do a fresh install of Windows and all the applications, it's many, many hours. (That's why God invented TV sets in the computer room, I suppose.)

Most of our Win computers accumulate software that users test out, or think they'll use and don't. All of these layers add at least clutter - some add new services, draining computer resources for no resultant benefit. A fresh install gives users the chance to now re-assess their uses of all those products and, this time, only install the ones they will really use. Clean-Install PCs always run faster, leaner... at least for a while, then more 'stuff' gets loaded on!

Cloning for me is also a test-case - "I want to see if I can tell a true difference between new HDD and old one", for example.

Cloning is also a way for me to avoid Windows Activation hassles, especially if I'm dealing with users that I'm not familiar with (new clients).

As for image restores... when I'm building a multitude of computers using all the identical parts, then I'll set up an assembly line construction process and 'feed' the Master Image to each one using the network connections to their hard drives. This is handy when dealing in dozens or hundreds, all ready for some weekend work-party installation. "Who's buying the pizza?"

(We've yet to successfully perform a Win8.1 Image Restore, primarily because Win8.1 operations have been a bit problematic (driver issues) so until we solve those, image-rebuilds will wait.

 

I understand your choice and why.
If I did a clean install, having gotten the machine with Win 7, should I start with 7 and its drivers, insert the 8 dvd with prod key and the key for WMC then install it. Then go to the store or can I just start with the 8 dvd and keys for it and the WMC. I have an 8.1 dvd but no prod key so that is not in the options.
Also, If fresh was up and running, I wonder if that clears anything out or not? I know it reinstalls the OS but is that after a format? Than I would install my 3rd party and WMC.
This is so coincidental as I have used both machines daily for a couple of years and refreshed the desktop once. Being retired I a wondering about housekeeping.
Thank you for your help.

 

I have not heard this so as far as I know, there is nothing to repair.