Acronis Launches Free Disk-Monitoring Tool
Health check identifies disk problems early so users can protect data on PCs, servers from drive failure
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Acronis has released a new, free disk-monitoring tool for businesses and consumers alike -- Acronis Drive Monitor.
Acronis Drive Monitor is a downloadable software application that monitors the health of server, PC, and laptop hard disk drives. It alerts users to problems that may indicate an imminent failure; in doing so, it gives users time to react by saving the data contained on their hard drive and allowing them to arrange for replacements.
When Acronis Drive Monitor identifies a problem, it generates an e-mail or onscreen alert describing the specific finding. It offers an explanation of the alert guiding the user to the steps they need to take to remedy the issue. A color-coded summary provides an overview of the disk's health at a glance and weekly reports summarize the findings.
Acronis Drive Monitor observes operating system health, checks the last backup date, and evaluates disk performance data generated by most disk drives via a disk-resident monitoring function called S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology). Acronis also supports other storage devices such as non-S.M.A.R.T.-compatible RAID systems via scripts. Further, Acronis Drive Monitor checks for messages in the Windows event log that indicate that data may be in danger.
Acronis Drive Monitor is integrated with the current versions of Acronis home and business backup and recovery products. Users of Acronis Backup and Recovery 10 business software, Acronis True Image Home 2010, and Acronis Backup and Security 2010 home PC software can take advantage of Acronis Drive Monitor's ability to trigger an immediate, automated backup of any disk that shows signs of imminent failure. It also notifies users if a backup has not been performed.
Acronis Drive Monitor works on most Windows PCs, workstations, or servers to check for disk-related OS events, file system errors, and negative changes in S.M.A.R.T.-monitored disk functions like throughput, spin-up time, and seek error rates.
Acronis Disk Monitor is a free tool available to everyone. To download, go to www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/drive-monitor/.