A technician is called to investigate an issue with a client's workstation that is experiencing slow boot times and frequent system hang-ups. Upon inspection, the technician notices that during the system's startup sequence, a message briefly appears stating 'S.M.A.R.T. status bad, backup and replace'. Based on this message, what should the technician advise the client to do immediately to protect the client's data?
Advise to optimize the operating system to improve boot times and system performance.
Suggest defragmenting the disk to resolve the slow boot times and prevent system hang-ups.
Recommend keeping using the disk as normal since S.M.A.R.T. warnings are often overly cautious.
Advise the client to immediately back up their data and prepare to replace the hard drive.
The message 'S.M.A.R.T. status bad, backup and replace' is a clear indication that the workstation’s hard drive has reported a potential imminent failure through the S.M.A.R.T. system. The most appropriate course of action to protect the client's data is to back up the data without delay. After securing the data, replacing the failing hard drive should be performed as soon as possible to avoid data loss and return the workstation to a reliable operating condition. Suggesting to keep using the disk without backing up is unwise due to potential total failure, and optimizing the operating system or defragmenting the disk do not address the imminent hardware failure indicted by the S.M.A.R.T. system.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
What does S.M.A.R.T. stand for and how does it work?
Open an interactive chat with Bash
What are the best methods for backing up data?
Open an interactive chat with Bash
What should I look for when replacing a failing hard drive?