Here’s quite a concept: getting a head’s up on a disk drive before it conks out and leaves you high and dry.
Acronis on June 10 released a new, freely downloadable disk monitoring tool called Acronis Drive Monitor. This software is sorely needed; it brings attention to problems under the covers of a PC or server that indicate an imminent drive failure, giving users time to do something about it before disaster actually hits.
When the monitor smells a problem, it generates an email or an onscreen alert describing the finding. It then offers a simple and easy-to-understand explanation of the alert, guiding the user to the steps they need to take to remedy the issue.
For consumers, it’s a great safeguard against losing photos, music and video — never mind all the personal docs they may have (taxes, mortgage papers, receipts, legal items, school records, etc.). On the enterprise side, IT managers can make sure backups are in place and arrange for replacement drives.
The Station says go for it, and the sooner the better. The Acronis Drive Monitor (a 17.4MB download) can be found right now at this site.