A computer that contains critical data has not been backed up and will not boot past a S. M. A. R. T, error that indicates imminent hard disk failure. Which of the following actions should the technic

Question

Options

• ARun diagnostics on the faulty hard drive using a boot disk
• Bimmediately replace the hard drive generating the SMART error
• CTurn off S. M. A. R. T, monitoring in the computer's BIOS settings
• DAttempt to boot the operating system in safe mode

• A
  80% (20)
• B
  4% (1)
• C
  12% (3)
• D
  4% (1)

Explanation

S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) predicts imminent drive failure. When critical data has not been backed up, the priority is data preservation. Running diagnostics from a boot disk (a bootable USB or optical media with tools like a live OS or drive utility) allows the technician to assess the drive's condition and attempt data recovery without fully loading the potentially damaged OS, which minimizes further stress on the failing drive. Immediately replacing the drive (B) destroys any chance of recovering data still on it. Disabling S.M.A.R.T. (C) ignores the warning entirely and is dangerous. Booting into safe mode (D) still loads from the failing drive and can worsen damage during a critical failure scenario.

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