SMART Utility 1.1 expands drive listings

Volitans Software today released SMART Utility 1.1, a major update to the hard drive diagnostic and scanning software for Mac OS X. The latest release offers software update functionality, highlights failing drives in the list, and automatically expands drive listings. SMART Utility 1.1 also includes various minor features and bug fixes, according to the company. The software is priced at $20 and requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later.

SMART Utility 1.1 scans the internal hardware diagnostics system of hard drives, displaying the status of individual attributes with the help of an internal algorithm that can detect failing hard drives before they stop working, according to the company.

SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) is a system built into hard drives by manufacturers to report on various measurements -- also known as attributes -- of a hard drive's operation. Attributes are usable to detect when a hard drive is having mechanical or electrical problems, and can indicate when the drive is failing.

Filed under: software
Other story tags: hard drive, utility, Smart