Understanding the SMART Attributes

The SMART Attributes list in the DiskCheckup "SMART Info" tab contains all SMART attributes supported by the current drive. (See What is SMART? for more information).

Each hard disk manufacturer is free to define their own set of attributes, normalized values and thresholds. Most manufacturers, however, follow a list of known SMART attributes which maps a specific attribute to an attribute ID.

To view a description of a particular SMART attribute, move the mouse over the 'Info' icon. A tooltip shall be displayed explaining the SMART attribute in more detail, including a possible interpretation of the attribute's raw value. The description is obtained from the SMARTDesc.csv file, which is fully editable.

For some attributes, an 'up' or 'down' icon may appear beside the raw value. This indicates whether a higher or lower raw value is better in terms of the drive's health. The is also obtained from the SMARTDesc.csv file.