S.M.A.R.T.

S.M.A.R.T.
S.M.A.R.T. - Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (sometimes written as SMART) is a monitoring system for computer hard disk drives to detect and report on various indicators of reliability, in the hope of anticipating failures.

When a failure is anticipated by S.M.A.R.T., the drive is typically replaced and returned to the manufacturer, who uses these failed drives to discover where faults lie and how to prevent them from recurring on the next generation of hard disk drives."

S.M.A.R.T. Monitoring Tools
S.M.A.R.T. Monitoring Tools - http://sourceforge.net/projects/smartmontools/
 * smartmontools contains utility programs (smartctl, smartd) to control/monitor storage systems using the Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology System (S.M.A.R.T.) built into most modern ATA and SCSI disks. It is derived from smartsuite.

For Windows and Linux

Windows: smartctl -H c: smartctl -a c:

Linux: smartctl -H /dev/sda smartctl -a /dev/sda

References:
 * How can I read my hard drive's SMART status in Windows 7? - Super User - http://superuser.com/questions/29240/how-can-i-read-my-hdd-s-m-a-r-t-status-in-windows-7

PassMark DiskCheckup
PassMark DiskCheckup - SMART hard drive monitoring utility - http://www.passmark.com/products/diskcheckup.htm
 * PassMark DiskCheckup™ allows the user to monitor the SMART attributes of a particular hard disk drive. SMART (Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology) is a feature on a computer's hard disk for providing various monitoring indicators of disk reliability. If SMART is enabled on a hard disk, the system administrator can receive analytical information from the hard drive to determine a possible future failure of the hard drive.

References:
 * How can I read my hard drive's SMART status in Windows 7? - Super User - http://superuser.com/questions/29240/how-can-i-read-my-hdd-s-m-a-r-t-status-in-windows-7

HD Tune
HD Tune website - http://www.hdtune.com/

References:
 * How can I read my hard drive's SMART status in Windows 7? - Super User - http://superuser.com/questions/29240/how-can-i-read-my-hdd-s-m-a-r-t-status-in-windows-7