SMART and RAID

What is S.M.A.R.T. and how can we use it to avoid data disaster?

Comparison of S.M.A.R.T. tools
SMART errors are not always a SURE sign of hard disk failure. A hard disk can sometimes run for some time with a SMART error, but replacement is still VERY highly recommended.
You can choose to turn SMART off in most BIOS's today, although it's not typically a good idea.
All the big HDD makers have a utility to look at hard drive S.M.A.R.T. status. Many SMART errors are warranted. The drive doesn't actually have to stop working completely in order to get a warranty replacement, but check the warranty to make sure your SMART error is covered by the warranty.
Western Digital has Datalife tools Hitachi Drive Fitness Test:
www.hitachigst.com/hdd/technolo/dft/dftnew.htm
www.cpuid.com/
ROG CPU-Z 1.57.1 at this address.(ASUS)
http://www.bios-info.de/4p92x846/befs.htm
Ashampoo HDD Control 2 

SpeedFan

SpeedFan 4.44 in Windows 7
Original author(s)	Alfredo Milani Comparetti[1]
Developer(s)	Alfredo Milani Comparetti
Initial release	?
Stable release	4.44  (March 17, 2011; 4 months ago) [+/−]
Preview release	[+/−]
Written in	Delphi, C++, C
Operating system	Windows 95 and later[1]
Available in	Multilanguage
Type	System hardware monitor
License	Freeware[1]
Website	almico.com/speedfan.php

Version 4.38 added full support for AMCC/3ware SATA and RAID controllers.